THE LAWS will be found at the end of the Whist Family of Games.
ILLUSTRATIVE WHIST HANDS.
A and B are partners against Y and Z. A is always the original leader, and Z is the dealer. The underlined card wins the trick, and the card under it is the next one led.
| No. 1. Long Suits; ♡5 turned. | TRICK | No. 3. Short Suits; ♡Q turned. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Y | B | Z | A | Y | B | Z | |
| ♣K | ♣5 | ♣7 | ♣3 | 1 | Q♢ | K♢ | A♢ | 2♢ |
| ♡10 | ♡J | ♡Q | ♡5 | 2 | 2♠ | A♠ | J♠ | 5♠ |
| ♣Q | ♣J | ♣2 | ♣10 | 3 | 4♢ | 10♢ | 3♢ | J♢ |
| ♡7 | ♡3 | ♡9 | ♡8 | 4 | ♡2 | ♡5 | ♡3 | ♡ Q |
| J♠ | 9♠ | 2♠ | 5♠ | 5 | ♡6 | ♡A | ♡4 | ♡ J |
| ♣A | ♡4 | ♡6 | 5♢ | 6 | ♣8 | ♣2 | ♣3 | ♣ K |
| 4♠ | ♡K | A♠ | 6♠ | 7 | ♡7 | 8♢ | 5♢ | 7♢ |
| J♢ | 7♢ | 2♢ | K♢ | 8 | ♡K | 4♠ | 6♢ | ♡ 9 |
| ♡2 | 3♢ | 4♢ | A♢ | 9 | K♠ | 7♠ | 6♠ | 8♠ |
| ♣9 | 6♢ | 3♠ | 8♢ | 10 | Q♠ | ♣4 | ♣5 | 10♠ |
| ♣8 | 9♢ | 7♠ | 8♠ | 11 | 9♠ | ♣Q | ♣6 | ♡10 |
| ♣6 | 10♢ | K♠ | 10♠ | 12 | ♡8 | 9♢ | ♣7 | ♣ J |
| ♣4 | Q♢ | ♡A | Q♠ | 13 | 3♠ | ♣A | ♣10 | ♣ 9 |
| No. 2. American Game; ♡8 turned. | TRICK | No. 3. Play to score; ♡J turned. | ||||||
| A | Y | B | Z | A | Y | B | Z | |
| 6♢ | J♢ | A♢ | 9♢ | 1 | K♠ | 4♠ | 3♠ | A♠ |
| ♡3 | 3♢ | 2♢ | 10♢ | 2 | ♡3 | ♡9 | ♡Q | ♡2 |
| ♣9 | ♣K | ♣A | ♣3 | 3 | 2♠ | 7♠ | 5♠ | ♡4 |
| ♡6 | 4♢ | 5♢ | ♣4 | 4 | ♣2 | ♣K | ♣6 | ♣3 |
| ♣Q | ♣8 | ♣2 | ♣7 | 5 | ♡5 | ♡7 | ♡8 | ♡J |
| ♣6 | ♡4 | ♡9 | ♣10 | 6 | ♡10 | ♣5 | ♡K | ♡A |
| ♡10 | 7♢ | 8♢ | ♣J | 7 | ♣8 | ♣J | 3♢ | ♣4 |
| ♣5 | ♡K | ♡A | 7♠ | 8 | 5♢ | J♢ | A♢ | 2♢ |
| 4♠ | Q♢ | ♡Q | ♡5 | 9 | 10♠ | 9♠ | 8♠ | ♡6 |
| 2♠ | 5♠ | ♡J | ♡7 | 10 | ♣Q | ♣7 | 4♢ | ♣A |
| A♠ | 6♠ | Q♠ | K♠ | 11 | Q♠ | J♠ | 6♠ | ♣10 |
| J♠ | 9♠ | 3♠ | 10♠ | 12 | 10♢ | 7♢ | 6♢ | ♣9 |
| 8♠ | K♢ | ♡2 | ♡8 | 13 | Q♢ | 8♢ | 9♢ | K♢ |
No. 1. This is a fine example of the Long-suit Game. The leader begins with one of the high cards of his long suit. Missing the 2, he knows some one is signalling for trumps, and as it is very unlikely that the adversaries would signal while he was in the lead, he assumes it is his partner, and leads his best trump. His partner does not return the trump, because he holds major tenace over the king, which must be in Y’s hand. At trick 5 B still holds major tenace in trumps, and leads a small card of his long suit to try to get A into the lead again. If A leads trumps again, his only possible card of re-entry for his club suit is gone. At trick 7, if B draws Y’s king, he kills A’s card of re-entry at the same time.
No. 2. This is an excellent example of the American Game. A has a three-trump hand, but his long suit is not headed by two honors in sequence, and the Queen of clubs cannot be considered as a re-entry, so A makes the gambit opening of the singleton diamond. His partner, having nothing in plain suits, immediately returns the diamond. A now leads an intermediate club, and B forces him again. At trick 6, A avoids changing suits. If the long spade suit is opened, and Z returns the diamond 10, A-B will make four tricks less on this hand.
No. 3. This example of the Short-suit Game is from Val Starnes’ Short-Suit Whist. This is sometimes called the Gambit opening. The leader, having no reason to lead trumps, even with five, and not having three honours in his long suit, prefers the gambit opening of the singly guarded queen. Y holds what is called a potential or imperfect fourchette, and covers, in order to make A-B play two honours to get one trick. B also makes a gambit opening by returning a supporting spade. Three tricks are gained by the two leads of the supporting cards, and five would have been made but for Y’s covering on the first trick.
No. 4. This is an example of Playing to the Score. The game is English Whist, 5 points, counting honours. The first lead of trumps shows Z that honours are divided, and that he must make 11 tricks to win the game. At trick 3, he must trump; to discard clubs would be inconsistent with refusing to trump in order to bring them in. At trick 4, if Y cannot win a trick in clubs and give Z a finesse in trumps, Z cannot win the game. At trick 7, both black queens are against Z, and he must take the best chance to win if the diamond ace is also against him. The adversaries cannot place the club ace, and so Z underplays in clubs as his only chance for the game.