Card ranking
Uptown, Downtown, and where the Ace sits
Choosing Downtown does not simply flip the deck. The Ace keeps its crown and everything underneath turns over, which is why a hand full of low cards can be worth more than it looks.
Both rankings, highest to lowest
| Direction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uptown | A | K | Q | J | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Downtown | A | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K |
Read the two rows against each other and the pattern is clear: the Ace does not move, and every other rank reverses around it.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Detroit Parks and Recreation Bid Whist rules.
The jokers sit on top of both
In a trump contract the full order is Big Joker, Little Joker, then the trump suit in the chosen direction, then the plain suits in that same direction. The jokers belong to trump; they are not a suit of their own.
In a No Trump contract neither joker can win a book. They become cards you throw away when you cannot follow suit. If a joker is led, the first ordinary card played establishes the suit everyone else must follow.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Detroit Parks and Recreation Bid Whist rules.
Why Downtown is not just a gimmick
A hand of 2s, 3s, and 4s is nearly worthless Uptown and commanding Downtown. Because the auction lets you name the direction, half the skill of bidding is recognizing which way your hand already points before you commit to a number.
Worked example
The same hand, both directions
Holding the Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of spades gives you the five highest spades Downtown, because the order there runs A, 2, 3, 4, 5. Uptown those same cards are the Ace and four of the weakest cards in the suit. With spades as trump, remember the two jokers still sit above all of them, so those five are the top five spades rather than the top five trumps.
The Ace is the card that makes this work. Because it stays highest in both directions, an Ace is never a wasted card, and a hand built around Aces plus low cards is a Downtown hand waiting to happen.
Choosing after the auction
A No Trump bidder does not have to declare the direction while bidding. They win the auction first and then choose Uptown or Downtown. For a trump contract the direction is part of the bid itself, and only the suit is named afterwards.
Either way the declaration comes before the kitty is picked up, not after. You commit the ranking of the whole deck on the twelve cards you were dealt, and only then find out what the kitty adds.
Sources: Pagat: Bid Whist; Cardsharks official Bid Whist tournament rules.
Quick answers
Direction and ranking FAQ
Is the Ace high or low in Downtown Bid Whist?
High. The Ace is the top card in both directions. Downtown reverses everything below it, so the 2 becomes the second-highest card and the King becomes the lowest.
What is the lowest card in Downtown Bid Whist?
The King. Downtown runs Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King from highest to lowest.
Where do the jokers rank in Bid Whist?
The Big Joker is the highest trump and the Little Joker is second, in both Uptown and Downtown. In No Trump both jokers are dead and cannot win a book.
Does Downtown beat Uptown in the auction?
Not at the Big Mike Games default table, where equal-number Uptown and Downtown bids are tied and neither can overcall the other. Some tables let Downtown outrank Uptown, and that is a supported option.
See it at a table
Play Bid Whist
The table sorts your hand for the declared direction, so the ranking above is applied for you.