Bid Whist rules
How to play Bid Whist
Thirteen books are on the table and six of them are free. Everything in Bid Whist, from the auction to the kitty to the direction you choose, is about how many of the remaining seven you can promise.
At a glance
The Big Mike Games default table
- Players
- Four, in fixed partnerships
- Deck
- 52 cards plus two jokers
- Hand
- Twelve cards, six-card kitty
- Bids
- 3 through 7, books above six
- Directions
- Uptown, Downtown, No Trump
- Match
- Plus seven or minus seven
Partners, deck, and the kitty
Partners sit opposite one another. The deck is a standard 52 plus the Big Joker and the Little Joker. Each player receives twelve cards and six go face down as the kitty. The deal rotates clockwise and the player to the dealer's left bids first.
Bid Whist calls a trick a book. Twelve are played from the hands, and the bidder's kitty discard counts as a thirteenth, which is why contracts are measured against 13.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Cardsharks official Bid Whist tournament rules; Detroit Parks and Recreation Bid Whist rules.
The auction: one time around
- Bidding travels the table exactly once. There is no second circuit.
- A bid is a number and a direction. The number counts books above six; the direction is Uptown, Downtown, or No Trump.
- No Trump outranks a suit bid at the same number. Uptown and Downtown are tied with each other by default, so neither can overcall the other at an equal number.
- The dealer is stuck. If the first three players pass, the dealer must bid. There is no advantage in bidding above the minimum, so the forced bid is normally the lowest one available, and that is what this table takes.
A bid of 3 does not mean three books. It means three above six, so nine of thirteen. A bid of 7 is every book on the table. This is the single most important thing to internalize about Bid Whist scoring.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist.
Taking the kitty
The winning bidder announces the trump suit, or for a No Trump contract chooses whether the hand runs Uptown or Downtown. They then take the six-card kitty into their hand and discard six cards face down.
Those six discarded cards count as the bidding partnership's first book. That is why a bid of 7 is possible at all: one of the thirteen is banked before a card is led.
The kitty stays private at this table. Some social tables "sport" the kitty by turning it face up during the exchange, and tournament rules generally forbid the practice. Big Mike Games does not show it to the other seats.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Cardsharks official Bid Whist tournament rules; Detroit Parks and Recreation Bid Whist rules.
Uptown, Downtown, and No Trump
The direction decides the whole ranking of the deck. Uptown is the familiar high-card order. Downtown turns it upside down, with one famous exception.
| Direction | What it means |
|---|---|
| Uptown | High cards win. The bidder names a trump suit. |
| Downtown | Low cards win, but the Ace stays on top. The bidder names a trump suit. |
| No Trump | No suit is trump and both jokers are dead. The bidder chooses Uptown or Downtown after the auction. |
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Detroit Parks and Recreation Bid Whist rules.
See the full ranking for both directionsPlaying the books
The bidder leads first. You must follow the led suit when you can; otherwise any card may be played. The highest trump takes the book, and with no trump played the highest card of the led suit takes it.
In No Trump the jokers cannot win anything, and Pagat allows you to throw one when you are void of the led suit. Several tournament rule sheets go further and require it, treating a held-back joker as a renege, so check which your table plays. If a joker is led in No Trump, the first ordinary card played sets the suit everyone must follow.
Completed books stay face up at the Big Mike table until you press Next book, so you can see the winning card before the pile collects to the winning seat.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Detroit Parks and Recreation Bid Whist rules.
Scoring in brief
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| Contract made | Every book above six, not merely the bid |
| Contract set | Minus the bid value |
| Defenders | No change either way |
| No Trump | Doubles both the gain and the penalty |
A match ends when a partnership reaches plus seven, or when it drives its opponents to minus seven.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist.
See worked scoring examplesTable options Big Mike supports
| Option | Default | Other choices |
|---|---|---|
| Match target | Plus or minus 7 | Plus or minus 14 |
| Minimum bid | 3 | 4, which is the common tournament floor |
| Jokers | Two | One or none; the kitty is always four cards plus the joker count |
| Downtown overcalls Uptown | Off | On, so Downtown outranks Uptown at an equal number |
| No Trump double | On | Off |
| Boston bonus | Off | Overall ×4 for taking all thirteen books |
| Sport the kitty | Never | On trump contracts, or always |
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Cardsharks official Bid Whist tournament rules.
What this version does not mix in
Permanent deuce-of-spades trump, replacing jokers from the kitty in No Trump, "joker playable at any time" No Trump, and the defender-award scoring used by some tournaments are all real Bid Whist traditions. Each changes suit membership, deck composition, or who can score, so Big Mike treats them as separate tables rather than as switches on this one.
Quick answers
Bid Whist rules FAQ
How many books do you need for a Bid Whist contract?
Six plus your bid. A bid of 3 needs nine of the thirteen books, and a bid of 7 needs every one of them.
What is the kitty in Bid Whist?
Six cards dealt face down at the default two-joker table, and always four plus the number of jokers in play. The winning bidder takes the kitty, then discards the same number, and those discards count as the bidding partnership's first book.
Are jokers used in Bid Whist?
Yes at the Big Mike Games table. The Big and Little Jokers are the two highest trumps in Uptown and Downtown. They are dead in No Trump and may be discarded when you are void.
Does No Trump beat Uptown in the auction?
Yes. At the same number, No Trump outranks both Uptown and Downtown. Equal-number Uptown and Downtown bids are tied and cannot overcall one another at the default table.
Put the rules to work
Play a guided Bid Whist hand
The tutorial covers the contract number, the declaration, the kitty, following suit, and book review inside a real hand.