Whist: A Classic British Pastime

Whist is a trick-taking game that was extremely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, the popularity of Whist was eventually eclipsed by Bridge, a game that developed from Whist. Today, Whist is mostly played in Britain.

To play Whist, you need a standard deck of 52 cards and four players who will pair up into two teams. Partners sit across from each other. Each player is dealt 13 cards, while the final card is laid face-up on the table. The suit of this card establishes the trump suit.

Turns go clockwise. Usually it is the player to the dealer's left who starts the trick, leading with a card of his choice. All the other players must play a card of the same suit. When a player doesn't have a card for that suit, he can either discard a card or play a trump card. A player wins the trick by playing the highest card in the suit, or by playing the highest trump card. He is then able to lead the next trick.

Whist is a simple game to play, but to really be effective, you need to be able to remember which cards were played; this helps you outguess your opponents.

What do Whist and Hand 'n Foot have in common? Apart from the fact that they're both card games, and both are played by teams, not a whole lot. However, Whist is part of Hand 'n Foot's family history--a great-great-grandfather of sorts. Bridge evolved from Whist; elements of Bridge and Rummy are part of Canasta; Hand 'n Foot is closely related to Canasta. That sums up the distant relationship between Hand 'n Foot and Whist.