GERMAN WHIST

GERMAN WHIST was invented for two players who like whist and cannot find another pair. It is simple game but to play it well requires a good memory.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

German Whist is essentially a game for only two players.

CARDS

The full pack of 52 cards is used. Cards rank from Ace (high) to 2 (low). Each player is dealt 13 cards. The remaining 26 cards are placed face downwards between the players and the top card is turned face upward to denote the trump suit.

THE PLAY

The non-dealer leads to the first trick. thereafter the player who wins a trick leads to the next, and so on. A player must follow suit if he can. If he cannot he may either trump or discard. The winner of a trick takes into his hand the exposed card from the top of the stock; the loser takes the next card from the stock b(he does not show it to his opponent ) and turns up the next card of the stock.

When the stock is exhausted, the players play out the remaining 13 cards, and at this stage of the game the player with a good memory will know exactly which cards his opponent holds.

The game is complete in one deal, and the player who wins the majority of tricks receives an agreed number of points per trick for all in excess of those won by his opponent. If both players win 13 tricks, there is, of course, no score.

Although German whist is simple game it offers good memory training for those who aspire to succeed at more advanced poker games, and, at the same time, gives exercise in the technique of card play.

If a player hold a strong trump suit he should lead his trumps early in the game so as to command the game in the later stages of the play, and if the exposed card is a trump card is a trump it is always good play to make an effort to win it.

On the other hand, it is not always good play to win a trick. Much depends on the value on the value of the exposed card. The ♦ 9 is exposed. West leads the ♦ 7 and East holds ♦ Q 6 , 3. East should play ♦ 3, and allow West to win the trick.

It is not worth while wasting the ♦ Q which should be kept in hand for better things later in the game. By contrary, if the ♦ J is the exposed card, east should win the trick with the ♦ Q, because now he is exchanging the ♦ Q for an equivalent card and adding a trick to his total.

It is advisable to hold command of as many suits as possible, because it enables one to take a trick whenever the exposed card is work winning, without losing control of the suit.

West holds the hand in the illustration. Spades are trumps, and the exposed card is ♣ K. The ♣ K is worth winning, but leading the ♣ A is not the best play. West will win the trick, but the value of his hand will remain unchanged.

West should prefer to lead the ♦ K, because if it wins the trick his hand will be that much better, and if East is able to win the poker trick with the ♦ A, West’s ♦ Q has been promoted to top diamond.