That player and their partner are now committed to taking at least the number of books indicated in the bid. The winning bidder's indication regarding either having no trump suit, or the ranking of cards is granted for the duration of the hand. A no trump bid takes out a trump bid.Īt the end of the bidding process, the player who has made the best bid is deemed to have won the bid. In other variations, however, a bid for higher-ranking cards and a bid for lower-ranking cards, each with the same number of books, are considered equal bids.Ī no trump bid can be made without an over bid and can be a high(uptown)or a low(downtown) bid. In some variations, a bid which indicates that there will be a trump suit, and that higher-ranking cards will win, can also be bettered by bidding the same number of books and indicating that there will be a trump suit and that lower-ranking cards will win. If the current bid already indicates there will be no trump suit, that bid may only be bettered by indicating a higher number of books. If not, and the current bid indicates that there will be a trump suit, then the player now bidding may better the current bid by claiming the same number of books but now bidding that there will be no trump suit. If a player wishes to bid the same number of books as the current, the next consideration is whether the current bid indicated there would be no trump suit. Bidding a lower number of books can never be sufficient. Bidding a higher number of books than the current bid is always sufficient for making a better bid. In determining what makes a bid 'better' than a previous bid, the initial consideration is the number of books being declared.

Most games set a minimum bid of at least four, though 'officially' three is the minimum bid.Ī player's bid consists of a declaration of the minimum number of books (over the required 6 books) that will be taken (turned) by that player and their partner, followed by an indication either that the player wishes there to be no trump suit for the current hand, or of whether the player wishes for higher-ranking or for lower-ranking cards to be victorious in the current hand. If the first three players pass, the dealer (the last player) must make a bid. In order to bid, a player must make a bid that is 'better' (see below) than the best bid made by a previous player for the current hand. Just as with the game play, the bidding starts with the player to the dealer's left and proceeds clockwise to each player in turn, ending with the dealer. If a player chooses not to bid, the player may pass. In bid whist, after all of the cards have been dealt, but prior to the beginning of game play, each player may submit a bid. The winner of the bid auction can use the kitty. And if two jokers are being used, the kitty will consist of six cards. If one joker is being used, the kitty will consist of five cards. If no jokers are being used, the kitty will consist of four cards. In most variations, a 'kitty' of four, five, or six cards is dealt separately from the cards delivered to each player. And lastly, the scoring of the game is handled differently. Thirdly, whether the ace is the highest-ranking card of the suit or the lowest-ranking card can change from hand to hand, depending on whether higher-ranking cards or lower-ranking cards win in that hand. Secondly, whether a trick is won by the higher-ranking card of the winning suit, or by the lower-ranking card of that suit is also determined by the outcome of the bidding process. In whist, the trump suit for a given hand is determined at random by the last card dealt, whereas in bid whist, the trump suit (or whether there will even be a trump suit) for a given hand is determined by the outcome of the bidding process. The general play of bid whist is similar to that of whist, with four notable exceptions.

Whist card games