TallynightHow to keep score in Bid Whist
In Bid Whist, partners bid how many books over six they'll take. Make the bid and you score 1 for each book over six. Miss it and you lose the amount you bid, and at many tables no trump bids count double either way. The first team to 7 wins.
- Players
- 4, in two teams of partners
- Who wins
- First team to 7, or a team at −7 loses
- Cards
- 54 with two jokers: 12 each and a kitty of 6
- Each hand
- 13 books. The first six don't count
How a hand is scored
A book is a trick. Your team's first six books don't score, so a bid of 4 means your team will take at least 10 of the 13 books. Bids run from 3 to 7.
| Result | Points |
|---|---|
| Bidders make their bid | 1 for each book over six |
| Bidders miss their bid (set) | Minus the amount bid |
| A no trump bid, made or set | Double |
| The other team | 0 |
Bid 4 and take 11 books, and you score 5, not 4: every book over six counts. Bid 4 and take 9, and you score −4. Bid 4 no trump and take 9, and you score −8.
Books and the kitty
Each player gets 12 cards and 6 go face down as the kitty. The winning bidder picks up the kitty, puts 6 cards back face down, and those 6 count as the team's first book.
That makes 13 books in a hand: 12 tricks plus the kitty. The first six books a team takes score nothing, and every book after that is worth 1.
Uptown, downtown and no trump
When you bid, you also say which way the cards run.
- Uptown: high cards win, and the ace is the best card.
- Downtown: low cards win. The ace counts as the lowest, so it's still the best card, then the 2, the 3 and so on.
- No trump: there's no trump suit, and the winning bidder says uptown or downtown before play. A no trump bid beats an uptown or downtown bid of the same number, and it scores double, made or set.
In a trump bid, the big and little jokers are the two highest trumps. In no trump they can't win a trick.
When the game ends
Keep a running total for each team. The first team to reach 7 wins. A team that falls to −7 or below loses.
A Boston is all 13 books. Bid 7 and you're promising one: at many tables, make it and you win the game, and miss it and you lose. Some tables count a game won by a Boston as two wins.
Ways tables score it differently
- Minimum bid of 4: many tables don't allow a bid of 3.
- Playing to 21: some tables, often with a 52-card pack and a kitty of 4, play to 21. A set gives the bid to the other team instead of taking it off the bidders, so nobody goes below zero.
- Defenders' books: some tables give the defenders 1 for each book over six they take, or 2 in no trump.
- Too many sets: some tables say a team that's set two or three times in a game loses.
- No doubling: some tables score no trump the same as any other bid.
Bid Whist is a partnership game like Spades, but only the bidding team scores, and the race is to 7 rather than 500.
A scoring example
Ana and Ben are Team A, Cleo and Dev are Team B, playing to 7 with no trump doubled. Books taken includes the kitty.
| Hand | Bid | Books taken | Team A | Team B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team A, 4 uptown | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | Team B, 4 downtown | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Team A, 3 no trump | 8 | −6 | 0 |
| 4 | Team B, 3 uptown | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | −1 | 7 |
Hand 1: Team A needed 10 books and took 11, so it scored 5, one for each book over six. Hand 3: a 3 no trump bid needs 9 books, and Team A took 8. It lost 3, doubled to 6.
Team B reached 7 in hand 4 and won the game.
Keep score for Bid Whist in Tallynight
Bid Whist isn't one of Tallynight's built-in games yet, but it takes a minute to set up. Choose Something else, then Rounds, and under Who wins pick Highest. Leave Play to a target off, because targets go up in tens, and add each team as a player. Tap Add to favourites so it's ready next time, then Start game.
After each hand, type both teams' points: the bidders' books over six, or a minus sign when they're set. Tallynight doesn't count books or double no trump for you, so work out the hand first. Tap End game when a team reaches 7 or falls to −7.
- Both teams' points on one keypad, minus signs included
- The running totals after every hand
- Tap any hand to fix it
- A winner card for the family chat at the end
A Bid Whist score sheet to print
Playing on paper tonight? Print a free Bid Whist score sheet, or save it as a PDF.
Questions
How do you score Bid Whist?
If the bidders make their bid, they score 1 point for each book they took over six. If they miss it, they lose the amount they bid. No trump bids count double at many tables, and the other team scores nothing.
What is a book in Bid Whist?
A book is a trick. There are 13 in a hand: 12 tricks of play plus the kitty, which counts as the bidding team's first book. Only books over six score.
What happens when you get set in Bid Whist?
Your team scores nothing for its books and loses the amount it bid. Bid 5 and take 10 books, one short, and you lose 5, or 10 in no trump.
What do you play to in Bid Whist?
7. The first team to 7 wins, and a team that falls to −7 loses. Some tables play to 21 instead.
What is a Boston in Bid Whist?
Taking all 13 books. A bid of 7 is a promise to take a Boston, and at many tables making it wins the game outright.
What do uptown and downtown mean in Bid Whist?
Uptown means high cards win. Downtown means low cards win, with the ace counting as the lowest card, so it's still the best one.
Does no trump count double in Bid Whist?
At many tables, yes. Make 4 no trump with 11 books and you score 10. Miss it and you lose 8.