How to Play Oh Hell!
Bid exactly how many tricks you will take, no more and no less.
Also known as Oh Pshaw · Up and Down the River · Blackout · Nomination Whist
Learn Oh Hell! for 3–7 players: hands from 1 card up to 7 and back, the turned-up trump, the dealer's hook and the 10 points for an exact bid. Work through one hand, then play in your browser.
A 3-card hand with spades turned up
Four play and the 3-card hand is dealt; the 9♠ is turned up, so spades are trumps. You hold J♠, A♥ and 6♦ and bid 2: the Jack is a high trump and the Ace a likely winner. The next two players bid 1 and 0, and the dealer may not bid 0, since 2 + 1 + 0 + 0 would make 3, so bids 1. You take exactly 2 tricks and score 12.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Bids so far 2, 1 and 0 in a 3-trick hand | The dealer may not bid 0: that would make the bids total 3 |
| A♥ led, 4♥ and 10♥ follow, 6♠ from a player with no hearts | 6♠ wins: a trump beats every card of the other suits |
| You bid 2 and take exactly 2 | 10 + 2 = 12 points |
| You bid 1 and take 2 | 0 points, or −1 with the missed-bid penalty on |
| You bid 0 and take none | 10 points: a made bid of 0 still earns the bonus |
Follow suit if you can; otherwise anything goes. Only an exact bid scores, 10 plus 1 per trick, and the most points after the last hand wins.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Score the most points over the whole sequence of hands by winning exactly the number of tricks you bid in each one. The most points after the last hand wins; players tied for the most all win.
🃏 Oh Hell! Setup & Rules
- 3 to 7 players, everyone for themselves. One standard 52-card deck, Ace high, 2 low. App opponents can fill up to 5 seats.
- The hand size changes every deal: 1 card each, then 2, up to the largest hand (7 by default, 3 to 10 at setup) and back down to 1, so 13 hands at the default.
- After the deal the next card is turned up: its suit is trumps for the hand. With no card left to turn, the hand is played without trumps.
▶ How to Play Oh Hell!
- Starting at the dealer's left, each player bids the exact number of tricks they expect to win. Zero is a legal bid.
- The dealer bids last and may not make the bid that would bring the total of all bids to the number of tricks in the hand: someone must miss.
- The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. Follow suit if you can; otherwise play a trump or any other card.
- The highest trump wins the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick.
- When the hand's tricks are played it is scored, and the deal passes to the left.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Oh Hell!
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Oh Hell! and pick 3 to 7 seats. App opponents at Easy, Medium or Hard fill up to 5 of them, so a 7-seat table needs 2 people.
- Set the largest hand: 7 by default, from 3 to 10. The game runs 1 card up to it and back down to 1, so 13 hands at the default.
- The largest hand is capped at 52 divided by the number of players so a card is always left to turn: 10 with 3 to 5 players, 8 with 6 and 7 with 7.
- The missed-bid penalty is off by default. Turn it on and a missed bid scores minus the difference between bid and tricks instead of 0.
The deal and the bids
- You deal the first hand; the deal passes to the left after every hand. The cards go out one at a time from the dealer's left.
- The next card is turned up beside the stock and its suit is trumps. If the deal used the whole deck, the hand is played without trumps.
- Bidding starts at the dealer's left: bid any number from 0 to the number of cards in the hand.
- The dealer bids last and is barred from the hook: the bid that would make the bids add up exactly to the tricks in the hand.
Playing the tricks
- The player left of the dealer leads any card to the first trick.
- Follow the suit led if you can; if you cannot, play a trump or any other card.
- The highest trump wins the trick; with no trump played, the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick.
- The cards left over after the deal and the turn-up stay out of play, so not every card is in the hand.
Scoring the game
- An exact bid scores 10 points plus 1 per trick: bid 2, take 2, score 12. A bid of 0 made scores 10.
- Over or under your bid scores 0 for the hand, or minus the difference with the penalty option on.
- Scores carry over from hand to hand; the most points after the last hand wins.
- Players tied for the most points after the last hand all win.
📊 Oh Hell! Scoring
Take exactly the tricks you bid and score 10 points plus 1 per trick; anything else scores 0 for the hand. Turn on the missed-bid penalty at setup and a missed bid scores minus the difference between bid and tricks instead. The most points after the last hand wins, and players tied for the most all win. The app deals 1 up to the largest hand and back down to 1 only; the largest hand is capped at 52 divided by the number of players, so 7 at a 7-seat table.
❓ Oh Hell! — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Oh Hell!?
Oh Hell! is played with 3–7 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
What is the hook in Oh Hell!?
The bid the dealer may not make. The dealer bids last and cannot choose the number that would bring the total of all bids to the number of tricks in the hand, so at least 1 player must miss their bid.
How many hands does a game of Oh Hell! last?
The hand size runs from 1 card up to the largest hand and back down to 1. With the default largest hand of 7 that is 13 hands; set it from 3 to 10 at setup. It is capped at 52 divided by the number of players, so 7 at a 7-seat table.
What does a missed bid score?
0 by default, whether you went over or under. Turn on the missed-bid penalty at setup and it scores minus the difference instead: bid 3, take 1, lose 2.
How many can play Oh Hell! in the app?
3 to 7 players, everyone for themselves. App opponents can fill up to 5 seats, so a table of 7 needs at least 2 people.
