Oh Hell card game
How to play Oh Hell
Oh Hell is a trick-taking game for three to seven players. It looks like Spades or Whist, but the goal is different: you must predict exactly how many tricks you'll win. Taking too many hurts just as much as taking too few.
The deal and trump
The number of cards dealt changes every round. In the most common version the first round deals as many cards as possible (up to 10) and each round deals one fewer, down to a single card. After dealing, the next card of the deck is turned face up; its suit is trump for the round. If no cards are left, the round has no trump.
Bidding
Starting left of the dealer, each player says how many tricks they expect to win. The dealer bids last, with one restriction: the dealer may not bid the number that would make all bids add up to the number of tricks. Someone always has to miss.
Playing tricks
- The player left of the dealer leads any card.
- Everyone else must follow suit if they can. If you can't, play any card.
- The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. Aces are high.
- The winner of a trick leads the next one.
Scoring
You score 1 point per trick won, and a 10-point bonus when your tricks equal your bid. A bid of zero that you make is worth 10. After the last round, the highest total wins.
Strategy
- Count sure things when bidding. Aces and high trumps usually win; Queens and Jacks usually don't, especially with more players.
- Bidding zero is a real option with a low hand and no trumps, but a single stray Ace can ruin it.
- Once you've made your bid, dump high cards on tricks that someone else is already winning.
- Watch what others still need. If a player needs one more trick, lead something that makes them waste a trump.
Questions
Why is it called Oh Hell?
Because that's what players say when they take one trick too many. The game is also called Oh Pshaw, Blackout, Up and Down the River and Nomination Whist.
How does scoring work in Oh Hell?
Here you get one point for every trick you win, plus a 10-point bonus if you win exactly the number of tricks you bid. Some families score only the bonus.
What is the dealer rule in Oh Hell?
The dealer bids last and can't bid a number that makes the total of all bids equal the number of tricks in the round. That way at least one player must miss.
Do you have to follow suit?
Yes. If you have a card of the suit that was led, you must play one. If you don't, you can play any card, including a trump.