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A trick of four cards. North led the 10♠. Usually all players must follow suit and play a spade unless they have none. East does so with the K♠. South does not have a spade, so plays the J♦, and West the 7♥. In a notrump game, east wins the trick, having played the highest card of the suit led, unless the game is an ace–ten game, with 10 being higher than the king, making north win the trick. If diamonds or hearts are trumps, south or west respectively win.

A trick-taking game is a card- or tile-based game in which play of a hand centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called tricks, which are each evaluated to determine a winner or taker of that trick. The object of such games then may be closely tied to the number of tricks taken, as in plain-trick games such as contract bridge, whist, and spades, or to the value of the cards contained in taken tricks, as in point-trick games such as pinochle, the tarot family, briscola, and most evasion games like hearts.[1]

Trick-and-draw games are trick-taking games in which the players can fill up their hands after each trick. In most variants, players are free to play any card into a trick in the first phase of the game, but must follow suit as soon as the stock is depleted. Trick-avoidance games like reversis or polignac are those in which the aim is to avoid taking some or all tricks.

The domino game Texas 42 is an example of a trick-taking game that is not a card game.

History

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The earliest card games were trick-taking games, as evidenced by the rank-and-suit structure, originating from China and spreading westwards during the early part of the second millennium. Michael Dummett noted that these games share various features. They were played without trumps, following suit was not required but only the highest card of the suit led wins, rotation was counter-clockwise, they were plain-trick games, and the pip cards of one or more suits were in reverse order so that the lower cards beat the higher ones.[2]

Two revolutions in European trick-taking games led to the development of ever more sophisticated card games: the invention of trumps, and the requirement of following suit to constrain their power, in the 15th century; and bidding in the 17th century.

According to card game researcher David Parlett, the oldest known European trick-taking game, Karnöffel, was mentioned in 1426 in the Bavarian town Nördlingen – roughly half a century after the introduction of playing cards to Europe, which were first mentioned in Spain in 1371.[3] The oldest known game in which certain cards have additional privileges is Karnöffel, where specific ranks of one suit were named Karnöffel, Devil, Pope etc. and subject to an elaborate system of variable powers. However, these were not trumps in the sense of a suit whose cards uniformly beat all other suit cards.[4]

Around 1440 in Italy, special cards called trionfi were introduced with such a function. These special cards are now known as tarots, and a deck augmented by tarots as a tarot deck. The trionfi/tarots formed essentially a fifth suit without the ordinary ranks but consisting of trumps in a fixed hierarchy. One can get a similar effect by declaring all cards of a fixed or randomly determined suit to be trumps. This method, originating with triomphe, is still followed by a number of modern trick-taking games that do not involve an auction.[5]

Trumps were retroactively added to some games, such as trappola. It is much rarer for trumps to be removed.[6][7] The invention of trumps became so popular that very few European trick-taking games exist without them. This did not stop the two-handed piquet from becoming the most popular card game in Europe during the 16th century. Parlett suggests the invention of trumps let players in games involving more than two a greater chance of heading a trick.[8]

"The Four Friends Playing Ombre", 1888, by Malthe Engelstedt

The invention of bidding for a trump suit is credited to ombre, the most popular card game of the 17th century. Rather than having a randomly selected trump suit, players can now hold an auction for it. The most popular game of the 18th-century was tarot which experienced a great revival.[9] During this time, many tarot games were borrowed bidding over the stock (taroc l'hombre). In the 20th century, whist, now with bidding and the dummy hand, developed into contract bridge, the last global trick-taking game.

The practice of counting tricks, in plain-trick games, may have originated in the counting of cards won in tricks. It was therefore a logical development to accord some cards a higher counting-value, and some cards no value at all, leading to point-trick games. Point-trick games are at least as old as tarot decks and may even predate the invention of trumps. Elfern and Fünfzehnern are possible candidates, although the earliest references date to the 18th century. Nearly all point-trick games are played with tarot decks or stripped decks, which in many countries became standard before 1600. Neither point-trick games nor stripped decks have a tradition in England.

While there are a number of games with unusual card-point values, such as trappola and all fours, most point-trick games are in the huge family of ace–ten card games beginning with brusquembille. Pinochle is a representative of this family that is popular in the United States. Other examples include belote and skat.

In contrast to Europe, Chinese trick-taking games did not develop trumps or bidding. They diverged into multi-trick games where melds can only be beaten by other melds provided they have the same number of cards. During the Qing dynasty, these multi-trick games evolved into the earliest draw-and-discard games where the players' objective was to form melds and "go out" rather than capture the opponents' cards. Khanhoo is an example of a multi-trick game that became a draw-and-discard game.[10] Multi-trick games are also probably the source for climbing games like Zheng Shangyou and dou dizhu, which first appeared during the Cultural Revolution.

Basic structure

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Certain actions in trick-taking games with three or more players always proceed in the same direction. In games originating in North and West Europe, including England, Russia, and the United States and Canada, the rotation is typically clockwise, i.e., play proceeds to the left. In South and East Europe, South America, and Asia it is typically anticlockwise, so that play proceeds to the right. When games move from one region to another, they tend to initially preserve their original sense of rotation. A region with a dominant sense of rotation may adapt a migrated game to its own sensibilities. For two-player games the order of play is moot.

In each hand or deal, one player is the dealer. This function moves from deal to deal in the normal direction of play. The dealer usually shuffles the deck (some games use "soft shuffling," where the dealer does not explicitly shuffle the deck), and after giving the player one seat from the dealer opposite the normal direction of play an opportunity to cut, hands out the same prescribed number of cards to each player, usually in an order following the normal direction of play.

Most games deal cards one at a time in rotation. A few games require dealing multiple cards at one time in a packet. The cards apportioned to each player are collectively known as that player's hand and are only known to the player. Some games involve a set of cards that are not dealt to a player's hand. These cards form the stock. (see below) It is generally good manners to leave one's cards on the table until the deal is complete.

The player sitting one seat after the declarer (one with the highest bid and not the dealer) in normal rotation is known as the eldest hand, also called the forehand in Skat and other games of German origin. The eldest hand leads to the first trick, i.e. places the first card of the trick face up in the middle of all players. The other players each follow with a single card, in the direction of play. When every player has played a card to the trick, the trick is evaluated to determine the winner, who takes the cards, places them face down on a pile, and leads to the next trick. The winner or taker of a trick is usually the player who played the highest-value card of the suit that was led, unless the game uses one or more trump cards (see below).

The player who leads to a trick is usually allowed to play an arbitrary card from their hand. Some games have restrictions on the first card played in the hand, or may disallow leading a card of a particular suit until that suit has been played "off-suit" in a prior trick, called "breaking" the suit, usually seen in cases of a trump or penalty suit. Other games have special restrictions on the card that must be led to the first trick. Usually this is a specific card, e.g., 2♣. The holder of that card is the eldest hand instead of the person one seat after the dealer.

In many games, the following players must follow suit if they can, i.e., they must play a card of the same suit if possible. A player who cannot follow suit may slough a card, i.e., play a card of a different suit. A trick is won by the player who has played the highest-ranked card of the suit led, i.e., of the suit of the first card in the trick, unless the game uses a trump suit.

It can be an advantage to lead to a trick, because the player who leads controls the suit that is led and which others must follow. The leading player playing a suit of which he has many decreases the chance that anyone else would be able to follow suit. Playing a suit of which he has few allows him to rid his hand of that suit, known as voiding the suit, freeing him from the restriction to follow suit when that suit is led by another player.

On the other hand, it can be advantageous to be the final player who plays to the trick, because at that point one has full information about the other cards played to the trick. The last player to a trick can play a card just slightly higher or lower than the current winning card, guaranteeing they will win or lose it by the minimum amount necessary, saving more valuable high or low value cards for situations where they must guarantee that a card played early to a trick will win or lose.

When all cards have been played, the number or contents of the tricks won by each player is tallied and used to update the score. Scoring based on the play of tricks varies widely between games. In most games either the number of tricks a player or partnership has won (plain-trick games), or the value of certain cards that the player has won by taking tricks (point-trick games) is important.

Partnerships

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Bridge is played between two partnerships

In many games such as hearts and oh hell, all players play individually against each other.

In many four-player games such as bridge, euchre and spades, the players sitting opposite to each other form a fixed partnership.

Some games such as pinochle are commonly played with or without partnerships, depending on the number of players.

In some contract/auction games for three or more players, e.g. most tarot variants, the contractor (declarer or taker) plays alone against all opponents, who form an ad hoc partnership (the defenders).

In some games the partnerships are decided by chance – the contractor forms a partnership with the winner of the first trick, or with the player who holds a certain card. This practice originated from cinquillo and quadrille. In Königrufen and five-player French tarot the taker can call out a suit of which he does not possess the king, and is partnered with whomever does have it against the other three. Standard Schafkopf is similar: A "player" can "call" a suit, and the person holding the ace of that suit becomes his partner for the hand.

As this is not openly declared, it can be a challenge for the remaining players, to find out who is partnered with whom through cunning playing for several tricks. Aside from that, standard Schafkopf also has several solo options, where the "player" plays alone against the rest. In Doppelkopf, the two players holding the black queens are partners for that hand. Special rules are provided for the case where a single player holds both black queens.

Stock

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In some games not all cards are distributed to the players, and a stock remains. This stock can be referred to by different names, depending on the game; supply, talon, nest, skat, kitty, and dog are common game-specific and/or regional names.

In some games the stock remains untouched throughout play of the hand. It is simply a pile of "extra" cards that will never be played and whose values are unknown, which will reduce the effectiveness of "counting cards", a common strategy of keeping track of the cards that have been played or are yet to be played. In games without bidding, trumps may be decided by exposing a card in the stock as in Triomphe.

In other games, the winner of an auction-bidding process, the taker or declarer, may get to exchange cards from his hand with the stock, either by integrating the stock into his hand and then discarding equal cards as in Skat, Rook and French tarot, or in a "blind" fashion by discarding and drawing as in Ombre. The stock, either in its original or discarded form, may additionally form part of one or more players' "scoring piles" of tricks taken; it may be kept by the declarer, may be won by the player of the first trick, or may go to an opposing player or partnership.

In some games, especially two-player games, after each trick every player draws a new card. This continues while the stock lasts. Since this drawing mechanism would normally make it difficult or impossible to detect a revoke (for instance, the player may not be able to follow suit, so they play off-suit and then immediately draw a card of the suit led), in the first phase of trick-play (before the stock is empty) players generally need not follow suit. A widespread game of this type is the Marriage group.

Bidding

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In a contract game the winning and scoring conditions are not fixed but are chosen by one of the players after seeing their hand. In such games, players make bids depending on the number of tricks or card points they believe they can win during play of the hand. One or more of these bids stands as the contract, and the player who made that bid is rewarded for meeting it or penalized for not meeting it.

In auction games, bidding players are competing against each other for the right to attempt to make the contract. In a few games, the contract is fixed, normally a simple majority, less often based on certain cards captured during play, and players' bids are a wager of game points to be won or lost. In others, the bid is a number of tricks or card points the bidder is confident that they or their partnership will take. Either of these can also include the suit to be used as trumps during the hand.

Common bids include slam (winning all the tricks), misère (losing all the tricks), ouvert (the contractor's hand is exposed), playing without using the stock or only part of it, and winning the last trick or other specific tricks. The highest bid becomes the contract and the highest bidder is the contractor, known in some games as the declarer or taker, who then plays either with or without a partner. The other players become opponents or defenders, whose main goal is to prevent the contract being met. They may announce a contra against the contractor which doubles the points for the hand. The contractor can declare a recontra which will double the points again.

Popular examples of games with auctions include Contract bridge, Pinochle, tarot games, Skat, Belote and Twenty-Eight. In many auction games the eldest hand leads to the first trick, regardless of who won the auction, but in some, such as Contract Bridge, the first lead is made by the player next in rotation after the contractor, so that the contractor plays last to that trick.

In precision or exact-prediction games, all players choose their winning condition independently: to win precisely a predicted number of tricks (oh hell) or card points (Differenzler). Each player's bid stands. In partnership games the partners' bids are often combined. Each player or partnership then tries to take exactly the number of tricks or points they bid, and are rewarded or penalized for doing so independently of anyone else's success or failure in meeting their bid. This type of game began to mature in the 20th century.[11] Other games generally falling into the exact-prediction category are Spades and Ninety-Nine.

Trumps

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A 6 of cups is tucked under the deck in a game of Brisca, to show that cups is the trump suit

Trump cards are a set of one or more cards in the deck that, when played, are of higher value than the suit led. If a trick contains any trump cards, it is won by the highest-value trump card played, not the highest-value card of the suit led.

In most games with trumps, one of the four suits is identified as the trump suit. In the simplest case, there is a static trump suit such as the Spade suit in the game Spades, or a dedicated trump suit in the Tarot family, in addition to the other four, is featured. More often, a dynamic trump suit is determined by some means, either randomly by selection of a card as in oh hell and the original form of Whist, or decided by the winner or winning bid of an auction as in contract bridge and some forms of Pinochle.

In certain games, such as Rowboat and Rage, the trump suit may change during the course of the hand, even from trick to trick. Some psychological variety is added to the game and makes it more difficult to cheat if the trump suit is only chosen after dealing.

In some games, in addition to or separately from a trump suit, certain fixed cards are always the highest trumps, e.g. the Jacks in Skat, the Jacks or Jokers in Euchre, and the Rook Bird card in Rook. They are called matadors after the high trumps in Ombre. Matadors either have high point values or special abilities as in Spoil Five where they can revoke legally.

Some games have more than one trump suit, such as the quasi-trick game Stortok, in which there are two trumps, with one superseding the other. Other games have no trumps. Hearts for instance has no provision for a trump suit of any kind. The Hearts suit for which the game is named has a different significance. Though trump is part of contract bridge, teams can make bids that do not specify a trump suit, called notrump. If that is the winning bid, then there is no trump suit for that hand. Making such a contract is regarded as harder to accomplish.

In most cases for "no trump" deals, any card other than the leading suit played has no value. In some games such as Oh, hell, where the player may need to not get more tricks to win, playing cards other than the leading suit can be useful.[12]

Declarations

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In Belote, a "Belote" is a pair of a King and a Queen of the trump suit: it must be declared when the first is played

In some games such as Piquet, Tarocchini, and Belote, before the taking of tricks commences, players can expose certain cards or melds (combinations) that they possess for bonus points. While this phase may seem to award players for pure chance, those who do declare risk letting their opponents develop strategies to counter the cards that they have revealed.

Follow suit

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In many games, following suit is the action of playing a card of the same suit as that of the leading suit. A player must follow suit if that player has cards of the leading suit in his hands. There is a large variation of strictness in following suit among games.[13]

In most modern games with trump suits, the rules for following suit do not distinguish between the trump suit and the plain suits. If a trick begins with a plain suit card and a later player cannot follow suit, the player may choose freely to either slough (discard a card of another plain suit), or ruff (trump the trick by playing a trump card). Subsequent players to the trick must still follow the original suit, and may only discard or trump if they do not hold a card of the suit led.

Certain games are "play to beat" or "must-trump". If a player cannot follow suit but can play trump, they must play trump. If they are able, they must beat any trump card already played to the trick. Pinochle and several of the Tarot card games have this rule.

Some games, notably French tarot and a variation of Rook, use a special card (in French Tarot's case, the Excuse) that can be played at any time. If not, he has the choice of playing a trump to possibly win the trick, or rough (waste) a different suit.

If unable to follow suit or trump, any card can be played. Each trick must contain one card per player, and hence a player unable to satisfy any other instruction is at liberty to play any card. Usually a low-ranking card or one from a short suit is sacrificed. The former is used to protect a higher ranking card while the latter is to help void a suit so as to allow trumping a future trick.

For example, consider the following Whist hand, in a game where diamonds ♦ are the trump:

  • North holds: A♠ K♠ 4♥ 9♦
  • East holds: 7♠ 5♦ Q♣ 10♣
  • South holds: 3♥ 2♦ J♦ A♣
  • West holds: 5♠ 2♠ 6♥ 5♣

North leads the deal with K♠. Now, all the other players must follow suit, i.e. play a spade card. East has a spade card, and thus must follow suit by playing 7♠. South, however, does not have any spade card, and thus is allowed to play any card he wants. If he desires to win the trick, he can override North's K♠ by playing a diamond card (diamond being the trump), for example J♦. If he does not want to win the trick, he can slough any other suit, such as 3♥. Let us assume that he plays J♦, overriding North's card. Now, West still has to follow suit, since he has a spade card, and plays 2♠. South's trump card, gives him an opportunity to escape following suit, and he wins the trick.

If a player who can follow suit does not do so, or in games with additional restrictions on card play, not following these restrictions is known as a revoke, or 'renege'. A revoke typically cannot be discovered at the time when it is committed, but when a player plays off-suit to a trick, competent opponents will make a mental note that the player does not hold the suit led, and will notice later if the player later plays a card of the suit they were thought to be void in. The situation is similar for other types of revoke.

Most game rules prescribe a severe penalty for a revoke and may also result in the hand being voided, a "misdeal". Decks of cards have been marketed for trick-taking games with the traditional French suit symbols, but in four colors. These are often called "no-revoke" decks, as the color contrast between each suit makes a potential revoking play easier to spot and harder to do accidentally.

In some trick games—typically ones in which players are not penalized for winning tricks, and there is no requirement for trumping or following suit when possible—players may slough, or play a card face down. A card so played is incapable of winning the trick; but sloughing has the advantage that the other players cannot see what card is played. As this form of sloughing has the potential to be used to cheat in most games (i.e. playing a winning card face-down to avoid taking an "overtrick" or a trick containing penalty points) and is thus not allowed. Sloughing in the vernacular more often refers to simply discarding an off-suit card on a trick, particularly one that could be dangerous to that player if kept.

This form of sloughing is important in evasion games and in some contract games where "overtricks" are penalized. In oh hell, for instance, a player who cannot follow suit may elect to discard a card that would win if played to follow suit later, thus reducing the chance that the player will "bag", or take more tricks than needed. This is common in Hearts, where high-value cards are dangerous, especially Spades and Hearts, as they increase the chance of winning a trick with penalty points.

Some games such as Pinochle use several decks shuffled together. In these games, there may be several equal winning cards in a trick; such games then use other rules to break ties. Common rules include:

  • the first-played of the tying cards wins
  • the last-played of the tying cards wins
  • The tying cards cancel each other out, and the trick is taken by the next-highest card that was played.
  • The tying cards cancel each other out, but the trick is spoiled (ignored).

A common additional rule to reduce these occurrences is that a player cannot play a card tying the current high card unless they would renege or fail to overtrump by making any other play.

Scoring

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When all tricks have been played, the winner of the hand and the players' scores can be determined. The determining factor in plain-trick games, the most popular form of trick-taking games in English-speaking countries, is simply how many tricks each player or partnership has taken. In point-trick games, certain card values are worth varying points. The players sum the points from cards in their "scoring piles" that were accumulated by taking tricks.

Points for cards, and the method of counting points, vary by game. In Rook, for example, the 5-card of each color is worth 5 points, the 10 and 14 (or Ace) is worth 10, and the Rook Bird (or Joker) is worth 20, while all other cards are worth nothing. Many Chinese card games like Finding Friends use a very similar system, in which each 5-card is worth 5 points, and the 10 and King are each worth 10 points.[14]

Pinochle has many popular scoring variants usually based on point values for face cards and Aces, while pip cards score no points. In French tarot, all cards have a value including a half-point, and are traditionally scored in pairs of a high-value and a low-value card which results in a whole-point value for the pair.

In the most common positive or race games, players seek to win as many tricks or card points as possible. To win a hand, a player typically needs to win a minimal number of tricks or card points; this minimal threshold is usually called the "contract", and may be defined by the game's rules (a simple majority of total available points or tricks, or tiered thresholds depending on which player or side has captured certain cards), or the result of an "auction" or "bidding" process. A player who wins more than the number of tricks or card points necessary for winning the hand may be rewarded with a higher score, or conversely (in exact-prediction games) they may be penalized.

There are also negative or evasion games, in which the object is to avoid tricks or card points. E.g. in Hearts each card point won in a trick contributes negatively to the score. A special type is misère games, which are usually variants of positive games which can only be won by not winning a single trick.

Other criteria also occur. Sometimes the last trick has special significance. In marriage games such as Pinochle the winner of the last trick receives 10 points in addition to the card points, while in final-trick games such as cắt tê only the winner of the last trick can win a hand. There are also blends between positive and negative games, e.g. the aim may be to win a certain prescribed number of tricks. Many card games, regardless of their normal scoring mechanism, give bonuses to players or partnerships who win all tricks or possible points in a hand, or conversely lose all tricks or points.

Games usually end after every player has had an equal chance to be the dealer. The number of rotations varies widely among games. Some games have a cumulative score where all points from each hand add up. Others assign only a set number of game points for winning a hand. For example, a player or side that wins one hand may be awarded one game point, two if they achieve a slam. The player or side with the most game points or the first to reach a certain number of card or game points, is considered the winner.

Special variations

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Variations to basic rules

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Numerous further variations to the basic rules may occur, and only a few examples can be mentioned here:

  • Certain games require the holder of a certain card value to play it as the lead to the first trick of a hand; Hearts, as commonly played in North America, requires the player holding the 2♣ to play it as the lead-off card. Variants of Pinochle sometimes require the first player to the left of the dealer that holds a dix (9♣) to lead off.
  • There may be restrictions on leading certain suits; a common Hearts rule is that a player may not lead a Heart until at least one trick has had a Heart played off-suit to another trick. Spades has a similar but less-common variation regarding its trump suit.
  • There are trick-taking games played with Domino tiles instead of playing cards. These include the Chinese Tien Gow and Texas 42. Giog is played with Chinese chess tiles.
  • Many games are played with one or more stripped decks (a deck from which certain card values are removed). The most common stripped deck is a piquet deck, used for piquet, Belote, Skat, Euchre, Bête, Écarté, Bezique and (with two piquet decks) Pinochle, among others. Rook's main variant, Kentucky Discard, uses the equivalent of a 52-card deck with all card values 2–4 removed. Most regional Tarot variants, especially Central European and Italian variants like Tarock and Tarocco, use some subset of the "full" 78-card Tarot deck.
  • In Bridge the partner of the contractor or declarer is called dummy and does not actively participate in the play; dummy's hand is instead laid on the table face-up after the opening lead, and declarer chooses the cards from dummy's hand to play during dummy's turns.
  • In Hachinin-meri and Truf, trumps are played face down. When the trick is finished, the trumps are revealed to see who won the trick.[15][16]
  • In many trumpless games that do not require following suit, sloughing is done face down. This is done in Madiao, Tien Gow, Tam cúc, Six Tigers, Ganjifa, Kaiserspiel, and Brazilian Truco.
  • Some cards lose their trick-taking power if they are not led or played in a specific trick as in Karnöffel, Tien Gow, and Ganjifa.
  • In tarot games played outside of Central Europe, the Fool is a special card that excuses the player from following suit. Except in rare circumstances in some games, it can neither capture nor be captured. Usually a non-counting card is given as compensation to the trick's winner by the Fool's owner.

Rules in Austrian and German games

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In games derived from Austria and Germany, trick-taking is governed by the rules called Zwänge. The three main ones are Farbzwang, Stichzwang and Trumpfzwang. Although they broadly equate to rules in English-speaking countries, there are no single-word equivalents. For many games of this type, applying these rules correctly is crucial to the type of contract being played.

Farbzwang

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Farbzwang (or Bedienzwang) literally means "suit compulsion" and is the rule that players must follow the suit of the first card to be led to the trick, provided that they have a card of that suit. If a player does not have a card of the led suit, rules vary depending on whether the other Zwänge apply.

Stichzwang

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Stichzwang means "trick compulsion" and is the rule that players must attempt to win the trick if they are able, either by playing a higher card of the led suit or by playing a trump card to a side suit lead.

Farbzwang with Stichzwang

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Some games apply Farbzwang and Stichzwang together, which means that a player, when it is his or her turn, must:

  • take the trick with a higher card of the led suit. If unable to do so, the player must
  • discard a lower card of the led suit. If that is not possible, the player must
  • take the trick with a trump card, but if that is also not feasible, the player may
  • discard any card.

Farbzwang, the requirement to follow suit, almost always takes precedence over Stichzwang. A player is not allowed to take the trick with a trump if able to follow suit. There are rare instances where e.g. All Fours rules apply i.e. a player with a card of the led suit may either follow suit or trump, but only if unable to follow may a player discard.

Trumpfzwang

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Trumpfzwang means "trump compulsion" and requires that a player must play a trump if unable to follow suit. In other words, the player may not simply discard, if unable to follow.

Example: Acorns are trumps. Peter is forehand and plays the 8 of Bells, middlehand trumps with a 10 of Acorns; Anna is rearhand and has no Bells, but does have a trump card, the 8 of Acorns. She must play this and cannot discard another non-trump card in order to keep the trump for a subsequent trick.

Tarockzwang

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Tarockzwang is used in tarock games such as Königrufen and Tapp-Tarock and means "Tarock compulsion" or the requirement to play a Tarock card if one is led to the trick or if a player is unable to follow suit. It is a form of Trumpfzwang.

Examples

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Trick-taking games may be divided into point-trick games and plain-trick games. Examples of each are as follows:

Point-trick games

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Point-trick game are those in which win or loss is determined by the total value of the "counters" in the tricks.[17] The counters are cards with a point value, sometimes referred to as "card points" to avoid confusion with "game points" awarded for winning the game and/or bonuses.

Examples include:

Plain-trick games

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Plain-trick games are those in which the outcome is determined by the number of tricks taken, regardless of their content.[17]

Examples of plain-trick games include:

In games that consist of several successive, different, trick-taking contracts, such as Herzeln or Quodlibet, it is not possible to categorise them as either point- or plain-trick games.

Last trick games

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In a very few games the aim is to win the last trick. These include:

Trick-avoidance games

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Trick-avoidance games are those in which the aim is to avoid taking certain tricks or to avoid taking all tricks. Misere or bettel are contracts in which the declarer undertakes to win no tricks. There are also contracts like Piccolo in the game of Königrufen, in which the aim is to take only one trick. Examples include:

See also

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Notes

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Trick-taking game

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A trick-taking game is a type of in which players, typically using a standard deck, take turns playing one card face-up to form a "trick," with the player contributing the highest card of the suit initially led—or a trump card if applicable—winning the trick and often leading the next round. Players are generally required to follow suit (play a card of the led suit) if possible; failure to do so allows playing any card, including a trump, which can override the led suit. The objective usually involves accumulating tricks to score points, avoid penalties, or fulfill a bid, with emphasizing in card play, suit management, and sometimes partnerships or auctions for contracts. Trick-taking games represent one of the oldest and most widespread categories of s, with roots tracing back to the invention of playing cards in 9th-century , where early forms involved capturing opponents' cards through hierarchical matching. In , the mechanism solidified in the with the emergence of , recognized as the continent's oldest documented , which introduced rudimentary trick-taking elements using a 48-card deck. Over centuries, the genre evolved through cultural exchanges and regional innovations, incorporating trumps (a permanent suit that outranks others) around the , likely influenced by packs, and spreading via trade routes to become staples in gambling houses and social play. By the 17th and 18th centuries, complex variants like Ombre (a three-player solo game from ) and Loo (a gambling-oriented multiplayer game) gained prominence, reflecting societal shifts toward strategic depth and betting. The evolution continued into the 19th and 20th centuries with American and British adaptations, such as (a fast-paced game with bidding, originating in but popularized in the U.S.) and (a plain-trick game that served as the foundation for modern Bridge, emphasizing signaling between partners). Trick-taking games diversified into subtypes, including plain-trick (scoring based solely on tricks won, e.g., Spades), point-trick (additional points for specific cards, e.g., ), and trick-avoidance (penalizing certain tricks, e.g., Hearts). Today, the mechanism thrives in both traditional forms like Skat (a German three-player bidding game) and innovative modern designs, such as Ninety-Nine, appealing to players for their balance of luck, skill, and quick resolution—each deal typically lasting only as long as the hand size.

Historical Development

Origins and Early Forms

The earliest known trick-taking games emerged in during the late 14th and early 15th centuries, coinciding with the introduction of playing cards to the continent via Mediterranean trade routes from and the Islamic world. Playing cards, originally developed in around the 9th century and adapted in Persia and , reached by the 1370s, likely through Italian and Spanish ports connected to , , and . These early decks, featuring four suits and court cards, facilitated the evolution of structured games, with trick-taking mechanics appearing as cards became more widespread among the upper classes. In regions like the Upper , artifacts such as the Stuttgart Playing Cards (ca. 1430), a hand-painted deck of 52 cards, exemplify the materials used for these nascent games. One of the oldest identifiable trick-taking games is , first attested in 1426 in a , , town ordinance that permitted local councillors to play it during festivals. Originating in around the 1420s, Karnöffel used German-suited decks with acorns, leaves, hearts, and bells, and quickly gained popularity across German-speaking areas by the mid-15th century, as evidenced by a celebratory poem from around 1450 and a 1496 by Bishop Geiler von Kaisersberg decrying its social disruptions. This game represented an early innovation in trick-taking, predating more complex variants and establishing a foundation for regional card play traditions that persist in forms like Knüffeln in . Luxury artifacts from the period, including the Courtly Hunt Cards (ca. 1440–1445) from the Upper , further illustrate the artisanal quality of decks used in such games. In Italy, trick-taking games took a distinctive turn with the development of Tarocchi in the 1440s–1450s, particularly in northern cities like Milan, Venice, and Florence. These decks augmented standard Italian suits—cups, swords, batons, and coins—with 21 additional trump cards and a fool, creating a 78-card set optimized for trick-taking play among nobility. Surviving luxury examples, such as the Visconti Tarot (pre-1447) and Visconti-Sforza Tarot (ca. 1450), produced in workshops like that of Bonifacio Bembo, highlight the game's elite status. Woodcuts from the era, including a 1472 illustration by Master Ingold in Das Buch, das man mennt das Guldon Spil depicting players with suited cards and betting chips, provide visual evidence of communal card play. Asian influences, such as the circular Ganjifa decks from India and Persia with inverted pip rankings in trick-taking variants like Hamrang, may have indirectly shaped these European forms through shared structural elements observed in traded Mamluk packs. These foundational games laid the groundwork for broader adoption, spreading through trade and cultural exchange to influence subsequent developments in and .

Evolution in Europe and Beyond

Trick-taking games gained prominence in during the 16th and 17th centuries, evolving from earlier forms into more structured pastimes among the nobility and emerging middle classes. In , emerged as a leading example by the late 1600s, developing from the game Ruff and Honors and becoming a staple of social gatherings by the mid-17th century. This period marked a shift toward partnership play and fixed rules, reflecting broader cultural interests in intellectual recreation. The standardization of Whist accelerated in the 18th century through key publications that codified its rules and strategies. In 1742, Edmond Hoyle released A Short Treatise on Whist, the first dedicated book on the game, which established authoritative guidelines for play, including trick-taking procedures and scoring. Hoyle expanded this work in 1744 with Hoyle's Games Improved, a comprehensive rulebook that included treatises on Whist alongside other trick-taking variants like and , influencing gaming etiquette across Europe for decades. The 18th and 19th centuries saw further innovation in , where political upheavals spurred new variants. Boston Whist, a partnership trick-taking game blending elements of English and French , arose in the late 18th century in . By the 19th century, Écarté had surged in popularity as a two-player discarding trick-taking game in Parisian gambling circles, prized for its strategic depth and elegance, and it spread widely across and the as a fashionable pursuit. In the , trick-taking games achieved global standardization and dissemination, particularly through organized bodies and colonial networks. The , founded on August 18, 1958, in , , by delegates from , , and , formalized rules for Bridge—a direct descendant of —and oversaw international competitions, promoting uniform standards worldwide. Colonial expansion facilitated the spread of these games to and the ; British settlers introduced and its variants to North American colonies, where it became embedded in social customs, while in , English playing cards and trick-taking mechanics arrived via the , influencing regional games such as those in the area.

Core Mechanics

Basic Play Structure

Trick-taking games generally employ a standard 52-card French-suited deck, although some variants use reduced or expanded packs such as 32-card or 78-card decks depending on the specific game and regional traditions. The dealer shuffles the deck and deals all cards face down equally among the players, typically one at a time in or counterclockwise order starting to the dealer's left or right, ensuring each participant receives the same number of cards—commonly 13 cards per player for four participants. The play proceeds in a series of tricks, with the player to the dealer's left (or as specified by ) leading the first trick by playing any card from their hand face up to the table. Each subsequent player, in turn, plays one card to the trick, aiming to contribute to its resolution according to the game's suit-following and ranking conventions. The winner of the trick, determined by the highest-ranking card (potentially overridden by a trump suit in many ), collects the cards played and leads the first card to the next trick. A hand continues with successive tricks until all cards have been played, at which point the tricks are typically tallied for the game's objectives, though specific evaluation methods vary. Multiple hands, often accumulating scores or fulfilling contracts across deals, constitute a complete game. While four players is the most common configuration, often arranged in fixed partnerships opposite each other, trick-taking games adapt to 3 to 6 players with adjustments to the deal, such as discarding excess cards or using a dummy hand for uneven distributions to maintain equal holdings.

Trick Formation and Suit Rules

In trick-taking games, a trick is formed by each player contributing one card in sequence, typically clockwise around the table, resulting in a set of cards equal to the number of players—most commonly four cards in games for four participants. The first player to act, known as the leader, plays any card face up to initiate the trick, and subsequent players must respond in turn. This process repeats until all players have played a card, at which point the trick is complete and resolved to determine its winner, who then leads the next trick. The core rule governing play to a trick is the obligation to follow , meaning each player must play a card of the same suit as the one led if they hold any such card in hand. If a player is void in the led suit—lacking any cards of that suit—they are free to play any card from their hand, which may include a trump if applicable. This follow-suit requirement enforces strategic depth, as players must manage their suits carefully to avoid being forced to discard valuable cards prematurely. Failure to follow suit when able constitutes reneging, or a revoke, which is considered a serious infraction in most games. To win a trick, the highest-ranking card of the led among those played determines the victor, unless a trump card is played, in which case the highest trump takes precedence—a explored further in trump-specific rules. Card ranking within suits follows the standard order, with highest, followed by King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 lowest, though some regional variations invert this or alter the hierarchy. Penalties for reneging vary by game but commonly include fines such as awarding extra points or tricks to opponents, or in severe cases, forfeiture of the hand; intentional revokes may lead to disqualification in competitive play. These rules ensure fair play and are often agreed upon in advance for casual games lacking codified penalties.

Trump Suits and Their Role

In trick-taking games, the trump suit is a designated suit that holds superior rank over all other suits, allowing any card from it to win a trick regardless of the numerical value of cards from the led suit. This mechanism introduces a layer of strategic depth by enabling players to override standard suit-following rules when unable to or strategically choosing not to follow suit. The trump suit is typically selected either through a process, where players compete to name the suit and commit to a number of tricks, or by a fixed method such as turning up a card from the deck after dealing, as seen in games like . Within the trump suit, cards maintain an internal that determines precedence among trumps, often following the standard ranking of high to two low, though variations exist where lower cards like the jack hold elevated positions. For instance, in , the jack of the trump suit, known as the "right bower," ranks highest, followed by the jack of the same-colored suit as the "left bower," then the downward. This ensures that the highest trump played to a trick prevails, even against lower trumps or any non-trump cards. Many trick-taking games also feature no-trump variants or contracts, where no suit is designated as trump, forcing players to rely solely on the led suit's to win tricks without the option to override with a superior suit. In , a no-trump contract is bid when a player believes their hand's high cards distributed across suits will suffice without trumps, scoring 40 points for the first trick above six and 30 for each additional one. This absence of trumps emphasizes control of long suits and careful cashing of honors, contrasting sharply with trump-based play. Strategically, trumps play a pivotal role in ruffing, where a player void in the led suit plays a trump to capture the trick, often to rescue a partner or disrupt opponents' plans. In games like Bridge, saving low trumps for ruffing defensive leads can secure essential tricks, while exhausting an opponent's trumps early prevents them from countering your leads effectively; this dynamic adds complexity to hand evaluation and play, as analyzed in computational models of trick-taking games.

Gameplay Elements

Bidding and Contract Systems

In trick-taking games that incorporate bidding, players engage in a pre-play to determine the , which specifies the number of tricks a partnership or individual must win and often the trump suit or other conditions. This process allows players to communicate information about their hands while competing to secure favorable commitments. Bidding typically involves declaring levels or points, with higher bids requiring more tricks and offering greater rewards upon success. For instance, in , bids range from 1 to 7, where each level represents one more odd trick beyond the base six, and a bid of 7 constitutes a grand slam. The proceeds in phases, starting with the dealer and moving , where each player may bid higher than the previous call, pass, or in some games, double or redouble to increase stakes. Bids must progressively increase in level or rank, preventing regression, and the concludes after three consecutive passes. In bridge, for example, a bid like 1♠ commits the partnership to at least seven tricks with spades as trumps, while a no-trump bid, such as 1NT, indicates a balanced hand without a designated trump , prioritizing high-card strength. Doubles challenge opponents' contracts, doubling penalties for undertricks while enhancing rewards for making the bid. Once the contract is set, the declaring side must fulfill it by capturing at least the specified number of tricks; failure results in undertrick penalties that deduct points, while success yields bonuses scaled to the contract's difficulty. In Spades, occurs in a single round without suit designation—since spades are always trumps—where players commit to a number of tricks from 0 to 13, with nil bids offering high-risk bonuses for taking zero tricks. Each player bids independently for the number of tricks they expect to take, with the partnership's total bid being the sum of partners' bids; individual accuracy remains key to avoiding bag penalties for excess tricks beyond the bid.

Partnerships and Team Play

In trick-taking games designed for four players, such as and , participants typically form fixed partnerships consisting of two pairs, with partners seated opposite each other to facilitate alternating play around the table. This arrangement, often labeled North-South versus East-West, ensures balanced competition and allows teams to accumulate points collectively over multiple hands. In some variants, partnerships may be determined randomly at the start via a draw of colored cards to promote fairness, though fixed pairs remain the norm in structured play like tournament Bridge. Team interaction relies on subtle, non-verbal communication through card play, as explicit signals or discussions are prohibited to maintain fairness. Common conventions include the high-low signal, where a player follows with a to encourage continuation of that suit or a low card to discourage it, thereby conveying attitude to their partner during defense. Additional signals may indicate (even or odd number of cards in a suit) or suit preference (suggesting a switch to a higher or lower-ranking suit), all executed via the order and choice of cards played in tricks. These card-based methods enable partners to coordinate without verbal cues, emphasizing and pre-agreed conventions disclosed to opponents. A key element of team strategy appears in games like Contract Bridge, where the declarer's partner becomes the "dummy" after the bidding phase, exposing their hand face-up on the table following the opening lead. The declarer then plays cards from both their own hand and the dummy, treating the exposed hand as an extension of their own to optimize trick-taking potential, such as by ruffing losers or establishing long suits. This mechanic demands precise planning, as the dummy remains silent and cannot interact or advise during play. In contrast, solo variants introduce asymmetric , where one player bids to play alone against the others or seeks a temporary ally. For instance, in Solo , a bidder may declare a "" to win at least eight tricks with a chosen partner (the first acceptor), forming a short-lived two-against-two alliance, or opt for a solo contract to secure five, nine, or all thirteen tricks independently against the trio of opponents. These temporary partnerships dissolve after each hand, shifting alliances based on bids and preventing fixed teams from dominating, while communication remains limited to the bidding process itself.

Declarations and Bonus Features

In trick-taking games, declarations refer to in-game announcements of specific card combinations, known as melds, that award players bonus points without necessarily contributing to trick-taking directly. These melds often include pairs or sequences, such as —King and Queen pairs of the same suit—which are common in games like . In single-deck , a royal marriage (in the trump suit) scores 40 points, while a common marriage (in a non-trump suit) scores 20 points, and these can be doubled for additional value when multiple pairs exist in the same suit. Similarly, features marriages as melds, with a trump marriage worth 40 points and a common marriage 20 points, alongside more complex melds like the trump sequence (Ace-10--Queen-Jack of trumps) for 250 points. Declarations are typically made at designated moments to maximize strategic advantage, such as after winning a trick or during a dedicated melding phase before full play begins. In , melds are declared immediately after the trump suit is established and cards are passed, with players laying combinations face-up for scoring before trick-taking commences; these points are added to those from tricks (Aces and Tens worth 10 each, plus 10 for the last trick). allows declarations only after securing a trick, limiting players to one meld per turn to prevent overuse of cards, which can participate in multiple meld types over the game but not simultaneously in the same category. In Schafkopf, announcements function similarly as declarations of special hands or sequences, such as runners (consecutive like three or more Obers in a suit solo), which score bonus payments equivalent to the base game value. These bonuses integrate with trump mechanics by often prioritizing trump-based melds, enhancing their value in play. Penalties for false or invalid declarations deter misuse, typically resulting in the loss of associated points or broader setbacks. In , if a declared meld is later found invalid during verification, it simply does not score, and severe bidding overreach tied to unsubstantiated melds can lead to the being "set," forfeiting the bid amount (often 250 points or more) from their total score. imposes no explicit penalty for false melds beyond denial of points, but procedural errors like declaring without a won trick void the attempt. Schafkopf enforces stricter consequences, where failing to fulfill a declared (e.g., a commitment to all tricks) doubles the loss, requiring the declarer to pay opponents the full game value plus extras like schneider or schwarz bonuses.

Scoring and Winning Conditions

Point-Based Scoring

In point-based scoring systems for trick-taking games, victory is determined by accumulating points derived from the cards captured in tricks, rather than merely counting the number of tricks won. These points are typically assigned to specific high-value cards, known as honors or matadors, which contribute to a total score per hand or across multiple hands. For instance, in Skat, a three-player German trick-taking game, the deck's 32 cards have fixed point values totaling 120: aces are worth 11 points each, tens 10 points, kings 4 points, queens 3 points, jacks 2 points, and lower cards 0 points. The declarer must capture at least 61 card points in tricks to fulfill the , with bonuses for exceeding thresholds like 91 points (Schneider, adding a multiplier to the game value) or taking all tricks (Schwarz, another multiplier). This system emphasizes strategic play to secure not just tricks but the most valuable cards, influencing based on the number of matadors (consecutive high trumps held, from 1 to 11). In contrast, games like assign points primarily to tricks won toward the contract, with additional values for honor cards held in a single hand. Under the rules of , trick points are scored below the line as follows: 20 points per trick for clubs or diamonds, 30 for hearts or spades, and 40 for the first no-trump trick plus 30 for each subsequent one, all doubled or redoubled if applicable. Honor bonuses, scored above the line, reward holding four trump honors (ace, king, queen, jack) in one hand with 100 points or all five with 150 points; in no-trump, yield 150 points. These card points accumulate toward a game (100 points), with —gained after winning a game—affecting premiums and penalties in subsequent deals. Overtrick bonuses further incentivize exceeding the in Bridge, awarded above the line based on and doubling: undoubled overtricks score at the trick value (e.g., 30 for a heart overtrick), doubled non-vulnerable overtricks yield 100 points each, and vulnerable doubled ones 200 points, with redoubled values doubling those again. Slam rewards recognize ambitious bids: a small slam (12 tricks) earns 500 points if non-vulnerable or 750 if vulnerable, while a grand slam (13 tricks) scores 1000 or 1500 points respectively, with adjustments amplifying the risk and reward. Game progression in Bridge culminates in rubber scoring, where the first to win two games (each 100+ trick points) claims the rubber, earning a 700-point bonus if opponents have zero games or 500 if one, with the overall winner determined by total points including all bonuses. This layered system, combining trick values, honors, overtricks, slams, and rubber bonuses, creates depth in scoring that extends beyond single deals, fostering long-term in partnership play.

Trick-Based Victory

In trick-based victory systems, players or partnerships win by capturing a predetermined number of tricks during play, with scoring derived solely from the quantity of tricks taken rather than their card values. These emphasize over the number of leads and follows to meet or exceed thresholds, often across multiple hands accumulated toward a total score. Common in plain-trick games, this approach rewards precision in anticipating and securing tricks without reliance on point-valued cards. A fundamental example is found in , where aim to win a majority of the 13 tricks played per hand to score points. The side capturing more than six tricks earns one point for each excess trick, such as seven tricks yielding one point or ten tricks yielding four points; the first to reach five points wins the game. This threshold ensures that securing at least seven tricks— a simple majority—provides the minimal viable progress, promoting balanced risk in leading suits and managing trumps. is not used in standard Whist, distinguishing it from variants, though the core victory hinges on consistent majority captures. In contrast, Spades incorporates to establish personalized trick targets, heightening the stakes around exact fulfillment. Each bids the number of tricks it expects to take, scoring 10 points per successfully captured trick matching the bid; failure to meet the bid results in zero points for that hand, effectively penalizing undertricks by forgoing the anticipated score (e.g., bidding five but taking four yields no points instead of 50). Overtricks, termed "bags," add one point each but carry a severe penalty: accumulating 10 bags across hands deducts 100 points from the total. The game concludes when a first reaches 500 points, compiling scores from multiple hands to achieve this endgame threshold. This system incentivizes precise aligned with hand strength, as deviations amplify risks in trick accumulation.

Avoidance and Penalty Mechanics

In trick-avoidance games, a subset of trick-taking games, players aim to minimize their score by capturing the fewest tricks, often inverting the typical objective of maximizing tricks won. Instead of rewarding trick-taking, these games penalize it, with the lowest total penalty points determining the winner at the end of the deal or game. This structure encourages strategic discarding and careful play to force opponents into unwanted tricks, while standard suit-following and trick-leading rules apply as in conventional trick-taking games. A prominent example is Hearts, played with a standard 52-card deck by 3 to 6 players (commonly 4), where the hearts and serve as penalty cards. Each heart captured in a trick scores 1 penalty point to the winner of that trick, while the scores 13 points. The game begins with each player passing three cards to an opponent, and hearts cannot be led until they have been played to a previous trick. The misère element—avoiding all penalty cards—requires players to track the distribution of these high-risk cards throughout the 13 tricks. An advanced tactic in Hearts is "shooting the moon," where a player intentionally captures all 13 hearts (and often the Queen of Spades) in a single deal. Successfully doing so reverses the penalties: rather than adding 26 points to their score, the player subtracts 26 from it (or adds 26 to each opponent's score), turning a potential disaster into a major advantage. This high-risk strategy demands precise control over the lead and suit management, and variants may allow shooting the moon with just the hearts for a 13-point reversal. Last-trick variants further emphasize avoidance by making the final trick the sole or primary objective, often with penalties for winning it. In games like Twenty-Two, played with a 52-card deck by 4 to 8 players, the goal is to avoid capturing the last trick, which scores 1 penalty point; the first player to accumulate 22 penalty points is eliminated, while other tricks have no value. Players must follow if possible, but the focus shifts to maneuvering low cards in the closing rounds to dump the lead on opponents, ensuring the last trick falls to someone else. Similarly, in , a Dutch game for 4 players using a 32-card deck, the winner of the last trick avoids penalties but must ruff or overtrump aggressively earlier to control the endgame. These mechanics heighten tension in the final moments, rewarding foresight over brute force in earlier tricks.

Variations and Regional Differences

Modifications to Standard Rules

In trick-taking games, stock and draw mechanics often introduce a reserve of undrawn cards that players replenish from after completing initial hands, adding strategic depth by allowing adaptation to emerging plays. For instance, in , a traditional Italian fishing game for two or more players, the dealer initially distributes three cards to each player and places four cards face up on the table, with the remaining cards forming a face-down . After each player has played their three cards—typically resolving three tricks—the dealer replenishes each hand with three more cards from the , continuing this process until the is exhausted, at which point play proceeds with the final hands until all cards are captured. This mechanic ensures continuous play without full redeals, emphasizing capture efficiency over static holdings. Joker wild cards represent another common modification, serving as versatile high trumps or suit fillers to heighten unpredictability and power dynamics in the trump suit hierarchy. In Five Hundred, a partnership bidding game using a 43-card deck including the joker, the joker ranks as the highest trump, outranking even the jack of trumps and the left bower (jack of the same color as trumps), allowing it to win any trick unless another joker is played against it. This placement elevates the joker's value in bidding and play, often tipping close contests. In modern variants like the game simply called Joker, played with a 53-card deck, the joker can be announced as either the highest or lowest card in any suit when played, enabling flexible responses to tricks while requiring the player to declare its role immediately upon leading or following. Such uses extend to filling gaps in sequences or suits, though they must adhere to suit-following rules unless void. Melding before play integrates declaration scoring with subsequent trick-taking, rewarding initial hand strength and influencing tactical decisions during the round. In , a point-trick partnership game using a 48-card deck, players meld combinations such as (king-queen pairs), (queen of spades and jack of diamonds), or runs immediately after the deal and before the first trick, scoring points for these sets while retaining the cards for play. This pre-play phase allows up to multiple meld types per hand, with values like 40 points for a or 20 for a non-trump , directly combining with trick points to reach the 500-point target. During play, additional melding is possible in some versions upon winning tricks, but the initial meld establishes early momentum. This hybrid approach contrasts with pure trick-taking by prioritizing hand evaluation upfront. Adjustments for uneven player counts maintain balance in partnership-oriented games through mechanisms like dummy hands or bidding out, preventing exclusion while preserving core dynamics. In three-player variants of Whist derivatives, such as Spidge, a dummy hand is dealt alongside the active players' cards and placed face up after , controlled by the declarer to simulate a fourth partner, with play following standard suit-leading and trick-winning rules. The declarer selects cards from the dummy on its "turn," ensuring fair progression without altering trick counts. Alternatively, in L'Hombre, a three-active-player game often adapted for four, one player is designated to sit out each hand via bidding—the non-bidders form a temporary against the soloist, effectively "bidding out" the lowest or passed player to rotate participation evenly across rounds. These adaptations allow odd-numbered groups to engage fully, with the sat-out player resuming in subsequent deals.

Central European Specifics

In Central European trick-taking games, particularly those from German and Austrian traditions, gameplay is often governed by strict compulsory rules known as Zwänge, which enforce disciplined card play to heighten strategic tension and prevent arbitrary discarding. These rules emphasize adherence to the led and an to contribute to the trick's outcome, distinguishing regional variants from more permissive international styles. Farbzwang, or suit compulsion, requires players to follow the led to a trick if they hold any card of that suit; only if void in the led suit may a player play from another suit or a trump. This rule ensures consistency in trick resolution and is a foundational element in games such as Schafkopf and Schnapsen, where failure to follow suit when possible results in penalties. Stichzwang, or trick compulsion, mandates that a player must play a higher-ranking card than the current highest of the led —or a trump if applicable—to attempt to win the trick if able, provided they can follow . This obligation prioritizes competitive play but is always secondary to Farbzwang; for instance, a player cannot ruff with a trump if they possess a card of the led . In Schnapsen, this combined enforcement creates intense tactical decisions, as players balance suit adherence with the drive to capture points. The integration of Farbzwang and Stichzwang is particularly pronounced in games like , where players face enhanced compulsion to follow and overplay to win tricks, amplifying dynamics and risk in solos or team bids. This duo of rules fosters a high-stakes environment, as seen in Doppelkopf's variable alliances formed by the queens of clubs and spades. Trumpfzwang, or trump compulsion, obligates players unable to follow suit to play a trump card if they hold one, rather than discarding freely; this applies specifically when a non-trump suit is led. Prevalent in Bavarian Schafkopf variants, it ensures trumps remain a potent tool for control, with hearts often serving as permanent trumps alongside selected suits. In Tarock games, such as Königrufen, Tarockzwang imposes special obligations for the 22 Tarock cards, which function as trumps: players must play a Tarock if unable to follow the led suit, and certain high Tarocks like the Sküs or Pagat carry restrictions against discarding or leading under specific conditions. This rule, akin to Trumpfzwang but tailored to the Tarot structure, underscores the unique hierarchy in Austrian Tarock traditions, where Tarocks dominate tricks and influence bidding for kings.

Global and Modern Adaptations

Trick-taking games have spread beyond , incorporating local customs and strategic elements in . In , Gong Zhu, also known as "Chase the Pig," is a popular avoidance game played by four or five players using a (or 50 for five players). Similar to Hearts, it involves no trumps, with players aiming to avoid penalty cards such as the Queen of Spades (-100 points) and various hearts (-10 to -50 points each), while bonuses like the Jack of Diamonds (+100) reward strategic play. The game originated among Weiqi (Go) players for relaxation during tournaments and features exposable cards that double penalties if revealed, adding a layer of . In and , (also called Rang or Rung) exemplifies partnership-based trick-taking with a element for trumps. Played by four players in fixed teams using a 52-card deck, the dealer distributes cards in batches, allowing the trump-caller to select the after the first five cards. The objective is to win at least seven tricks per deal, with "courts" scored for consecutive successful deals or slams (all 13 tricks, known as a "52-court"). This game, possibly influenced by Dravidian terminology for slams, emphasizes teamwork and precise following of , reflecting South Asian social play traditions. Across the Atlantic, has become a staple in African-American communities in the United States, evolving from 19th-century variants introduced during the Civil War by Union troops. Played by four players in partnerships with a 54-card deck (including jokers), it features bidding for the number of books (tricks) above six, from 3 to 7, combined with "uptown" (high cards rank normally), "downtown" (low cards rank highest in non-trumps), or "no trump" conventions that reverse strategies and demand adaptability. Its cultural significance lies in fostering intergenerational bonds at family gatherings and tournaments in cities like and New Orleans, where terms like "" denote a . The digital era has revitalized trick-taking games through online platforms and AI integration. Trickster Cards, launched in 2014, offers web and mobile access to variants like Spades, Hearts, and Bridge, enabling multiplayer matches with customizable rules and cross-platform play. In Bridge specifically, apps such as Bridge Baron and Funbridge incorporate AI opponents powered by advanced algorithms, allowing solo practice against bots that simulate human bidding and play. Recent advancements, like the 2022 NooK AI from NukkAI, have demonstrated superhuman performance by outperforming eight world champions in simulated matches, highlighting AI's role in training and analysis. Contemporary adaptations emphasize accessibility on mobile devices, with simplified Spades apps proliferating since the 2010s to suit quick sessions. Titles like AI Factory's Spades (released around 2012) and MobilityWare's Spades Classic provide offline AI play and online multiplayer, often streamlining bidding for beginners while retaining core trick-taking mechanics. This shift has fueled competitive ecosystems, including cash-prize tournaments on platforms like Skillz's Spades Cash, positioning trick-taking games as emerging esports contenders alongside mind sports like Bridge, which debuted at the 2023 Asian Games.

Notable Examples

Point-Trick Games

Point-trick games are a subset of trick-taking games in which players score points primarily based on the value of cards captured in tricks, often combined with melds or bonuses, rather than solely counting the number of tricks won. These games emphasize strategic card play to collect high-value cards like aces and tens while navigating or trump selection. Representative examples include Bridge and , each incorporating distinct mechanisms for accumulating points through trick-taking. In Bridge, played with a standard 52-card deck by four players in fixed partnerships, scoring revolves around rubber bridge for social play and duplicate format for tournaments. Rubber scoring accumulates trick points below the line to reach 100 points for a game, with the first side to win two games claiming the rubber and a bonus of 700 points if undefeated or 500 if the opponents won one game. Vulnerability arises after a side wins its first game, increasing penalties for undertricks (e.g., 100 points each when vulnerable versus 50 when not) and boosting premiums like game bonuses to 500 points. In duplicate bridge tournaments, identical deals are played across multiple tables, with vulnerability predetermined by board number, and scores awarded as matchpoints comparing pairs' results (1 point per pair beaten, 0.5 for ties) over 20-28 deals per session. Pinochle, typically for four players in partnerships using a double-deck of 80 cards (four each of , ten, , , jack in four suits), combines meld points revealed before play with points from cards won in tricks. Melds include combinations like a ( and jack of diamonds, worth 30 points for a double) or arounds (e.g., worth 100 points), with the same cards usable in multiple meld types. Trick points are tallied from captured cards— (1 point), ten (1 point), (1 point)—plus 2 points for the last trick, totaling 50 points available per hand, though traditional variants assign higher values like (11 points) and ten (10 points). A notable meld is the run (ace through jack of trumps), scoring 150 points for a double run, which can significantly boost a bid if combined with strong tricks. The bidding side must meet or exceed their bid in combined meld and trick points to add to their cumulative score toward 500 points for a game; failure deducts the bid amount.

Plain-Trick Games

Plain-trick games are a of trick-taking games where victory is determined solely by the number of tricks captured, without assigning point values to individual cards. In these games, players or partnerships aim to secure a of tricks or fulfill specific trick-based objectives, emphasizing strategic play in following , trumping, and predicting outcomes. Unlike point-trick variants, the focus remains on the quantity of tricks won rather than their qualitative value, fostering direct competition over control of the hand. Whist exemplifies the classic plain-trick structure, played with a by four players in fixed s, dealing 13 cards per player to yield 13 tricks per hand. The objective is for each to win at least seven tricks, with the winning more tricks scoring 1 point per hand; the first to 5 points wins the rubber, and ties result in no score for that hand. Originating in during the 16th century and peaking in popularity through the 18th and 19th centuries, Whist served as the foundational trick-taking game for the , directly influencing the development of Bridge by introducing play and trump suits while maintaining simple, non-bidding mechanics. Spades, a modern American adaptation, builds on plain-trick principles but incorporates to specify the exact number of tricks each player anticipates winning, using a 52-card deck for four players in , with spades always as the trump . Teams score points equal to fulfilled bids, with bonuses for overtricks (bags) accumulating toward penalties after ten, and the first to 500 points wins; nil bids allow a player to aim for zero tricks, awarding 100 points if successful but deducting 100 if failed. Emerging in , , between 1937 and 1939, Spades evolved from Whist-family games and gained widespread popularity in the mid-20th century, particularly within African American communities, for its blend of and risk in precise . A unique feature in Spades is the blind nil bid, where a player commits to taking zero tricks without viewing their hand, doubling the standard nil reward to 200 points if achieved, though it carries heightened risk due to the lack of hand assessment. This adds tension to high-stakes situations, often employed when a team trails significantly, and underscores the game's emphasis on bold in plain-trick play. , also known as Contract Whist, requires players to bid the precise number of tricks they intend to win each round, with penalties for over- or under-achieving, using a variable number of cards dealt (starting from one up to the number of players, then reversing) from a 52-card deck for 3–7 participants. Successful bids score points equal to the bid, while misses deduct the difference, and the first to 250 (or a set total) points prevails; no trumps are used, heightening reliance on control. First documented in in Britain and the , emphasizes psychological bidding and adaptability across fluctuating hand sizes, distinguishing it as a pure test of trick in the plain-trick category.

Avoidance and Last-Trick Games

Avoidance and last-trick games represent a of trick-taking games where the primary objective inverts the typical goal of capturing tricks; instead, players seek to evade winning certain tricks or specific cards to minimize penalties or fulfill avoidance contracts. These games emphasize strategic discarding, management, and to force opponents into undesirable positions. Unlike point-trick or plain-trick variants, success here often hinges on precise control over which tricks are won, with penalties accruing for failures in avoidance. Hearts exemplifies an avoidance game where players aim to steer clear of penalty cards: each heart captured scores 1 point, while the Queen of Spades incurs 13 points, with the lowest total score winning after reaching 100 or more points. A key mechanic is the pre-deal passing of three cards among players, rotating directionally (left, right, across, or none) over four hands to balance hands and disrupt potential strong positions. Hearts cannot be led until "broken" by a heart being discarded to a non-heart lead, unless a player holds only hearts. The game introduces a reversal option known as "shooting the moon," where capturing all 13 hearts and the Queen of Spades allows the player to subtract 26 points from their score or add 26 to each opponent's, turning a potential into a strategic triumph. Ninety-Nine is a three-player exact-trick game that incorporates to commit to a precise number of tricks, effectively requiring players to avoid exceeding or falling short of their bid to score positively. Each player receives 12 cards from a 36-card deck (6 through ), setting aside three face-down as bid cards—whose suits indicate the bid (clubs for 3 tricks, hearts for 2, spades for 1, diamonds for 0)—allowing bids from 0 to 9 tricks before playing the remaining nine cards in trick-taking fashion with no trump suit. Scoring rewards exact fulfillment: 1 point per trick taken plus a bonus of 10, 20, or 30 points depending on the number of successful bidders (all three for 10 points, two for 20, one for 30), with premiums for declaring the bid openly (+30 points) or revealing the entire hand (+60 if successful). Failure to meet the bid results in no bonus, incentivizing careful play to avoid over- or under-taking tricks, though no special pot or last-trick mechanic alters the standard scoring. Barbu operates as a multi-contract compendium game for four players, where each participant declares seven distinct roles over 28 hands, several of which center on avoidance to accumulate the lowest penalty score. Using a full 52-card deck dealt into 13-card hands, contracts rotate, with doubling allowed to increase stakes (each player must double the declarer twice per cycle). Avoidance-focused contracts include "No Tricks," penalizing each captured trick at -2 points (total possible -26); "No Queens," charging -6 per queen taken (up to -24, ending after four queens); "No Last Two," where avoiding the penultimate trick scores -10 and the final -20 (total -30); "No Hearts," deducting -2 per heart and -6 for the (total -30, with no-heart leads unless void in other suits); and "Barbu" (No King of Hearts), a -20 penalty for capturing that card alone (with similar lead restrictions). These roles demand defensive play to dump penalty cards on opponents while preserving safe leads, fostering alliances and bluffs within the fixed contract sequence. Originating in in the early 20th century and popular in , Barbu highlights regional variations in compendium trick-taking games.

References

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