So the only case where the dealer leads first is when the non-dealer bids high.Įach trick consists of four cards, two from each player (alternating). In a high game the first lead is by the player who did not bid high. In a low game the non-dealer leads to the first trick. In a high game the objective is to win tricks, and in a low game the objective is to avoid winning tricks. If low, dealer then bids 'high' or 'low'. If high, it's a high game and dealer has no say. Bidįirst the non-dealer bids 'high' or 'low'.

So, each player has 10 cards that only they can see (in the hand), there are 16 down cards that neither player can see, and 16 face up cards that both can see. First each is dealt 8 cards face down on the table in a 4x2 rectangle, then another 8 cards face up on top of the face down ones, then a hand of 10 cards. Then each player is dealt 26 cards, one at a time beginning with dealer's opponent and alternating. The dealer shuffles and the non-dealer cuts.

This game is for two players only using a standard Anglo-American 52-card pack, the cards of each suit ranking from high to low A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2.

The two-player whist described here is unusual in that each player plays two cards to each trick. It is quite different from the much better-known two-player game known as German Whist. This is a two-player version of Scandinavian Whist, known in some card game books as Norwegian Whist, or of the related game Minnesota Whist played in some American communities with Scandinavian ancestry. This page is based on information from Brian Parsonnet.

How many player can play whist