Oh Hell
Also known as Up and Down the River or Contract Whist. Bid exactly how many tricks you will take, then take that many: no more, no fewer. Thirteen hands go from 1 card up to 7 and back down to 1.
How to play Oh Hell
Deal and trump
A game has 13 hands: 1 card each, then 2, and so on up to 7, then back down to 1. After the deal the next card is turned face up and its suit is trump for that hand. The deal passes to the left each hand, and the player on the dealer’s left bids first and leads to the first trick.
Bidding and the dealer rule
Everyone bids how many tricks they will take, from 0 up to the number of cards in the hand. The dealer bids last and may not pick the number that would make all the bids add up to the number of tricks, so at least one player is bound to miss. When you deal and a bid is not allowed, it is crossed out in the picker.
Playing and scoring
Follow the suit that was led if you can; if you can’t, play any card, including a trump. The highest trump wins the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led, and the winner leads next. Take exactly your bid to score 10 plus your bid (a bid of 0 that works is worth 10); take more or fewer and you score nothing for that hand. The highest total after 13 hands wins.
Controls
Tap a number to bid. Tap a card to lift it and tap it again to play, or drag it to the middle; with a mouse, a click plays it. When you must follow suit, the cards you can play sit higher and the others are dimmed. With a keyboard, use the arrow keys and Enter, and type a number to bid.
Questions
How do you play Oh Hell?
Each hand, everyone is dealt the same number of cards and a card is turned up to set the trump suit. Players bid how many tricks they will take, then play the tricks out, following suit when they can. You score only if you take exactly the number you bid. Here you play against three computer players, each playing for themselves, and none of them sees your cards.
What are the other names for Oh Hell?
The same game is also called Oh Hell!, Up and Down the River and Contract Whist, and many families have their own name and house rules for it. The name Up and Down the River comes from the hand sizes going up and then back down.
How does scoring work in Oh Hell?
If you take exactly as many tricks as you bid, you score 10 points plus your bid: a bid of 3 made is worth 13, and a bid of 0 made is worth 10. If you take even one trick more or fewer, you score nothing for that hand. Scores add up over the 13 hands.
Why can’t the dealer make the bids add up to the number of tricks?
This is the dealer rule, sometimes called the hook. If the bids could add up exactly, every player might make their bid. Because the dealer bids last and must avoid that total, the bids always come to more or fewer tricks than there are, so at least one player will miss. The deal moves round the table, so everyone takes a turn as the dealer.
What is a good Oh Hell strategy?
Count your sure winners, such as high trumps and aces, and bid low when in doubt. Once you have your tricks, get rid of your high cards on tricks someone else is already winning. Watch the other bids too: when they add up to more than the tricks available, the table will fight for every trick, and when they add up to fewer, someone will be forced to take tricks they don’t want.