Oh Hell
Bid exactly the tricks you’ll take. Not one more. 3–7 players.
Also known as Oh Pshaw, Nomination Whist, Up and Down the River, and Blackout.
How to play Oh Hell
- 1Hands start at 8 cards (fewer with lots of players), shrink by one each round down to a single card, then grow back up again.
- 2After the deal the next card is turned face up, and its suit is trump for the round.
- 3Starting left of the dealer, everyone bids exactly how many tricks they will take. The dealer bids last and can't make the bids add up to the number of tricks in the round, so someone is bound to miss.
- 4The player left of the dealer leads. Follow suit if you can; the highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.
- 5Take exactly your bid to score 10 plus your bid. One trick more or less scores nothing.
- 6After the last round the highest score wins.
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