Bid Whist
What Is Bid Whist?
Bid Whist is one of the most popular card games in African-American culture, with deep social roots going back generations. Four players form two partnerships and bid to win tricks. The winning bidder names whether cards rank high-to-low (Uptown) or low-to-high (Downtown), and whether there is a trump suit or No Trump. The two Jokers are always the highest trumps when trump is in play. It combines the depth of Bridge with the accessibility of Spades.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards plus two Jokers — 54 cards total
- Four players in two partnerships — partners sit across from each other
- Score pad
The Jokers
When a trump suit is named, both Jokers are the two highest trump cards. The Big Joker ranks above the Little Joker. Both outrank every other card including the Ace of trump. In No Trump games, Jokers are set aside and not used.
Uptown vs. Downtown
This is what makes Bid Whist unique. When a player bids, they also declare the direction:
- Uptown: Normal ranking — Ace is highest, 2 is lowest. This is how most card games work.
- Downtown: Reversed ranking — 2 is highest, Ace is lowest. Everything flips. A hand full of low cards becomes powerful Downtown.
Setting Up the Game
- Partners sit across from each other.
- Deal 12 cards to each player, face-down one at a time.
- Place the remaining six cards face-down in the center — these are the kitty.
- Bidding begins with the player to the left of the dealer.
Bidding
Each player bids the number of tricks above six they will win, plus a direction. The minimum bid is 1 (meaning 7 tricks total). Going clockwise, each bid must be higher than the previous one. You can also pass.
Bid examples: ‘3 Uptown Spades’ means winning 9 tricks with Spades as trump and normal card ranking. ‘4 Downtown No Trump’ means winning 10 tricks with no trump and reversed card ranking.
The highest bidder wins the auction. They pick up all six kitty cards into their hand (now 18 cards), then discard any six cards face-down to return to 12 cards. They name the trump suit (or No Trump) and direction based on their bid.
How to Play — Step by Step
- The winning bidder leads the first card.
- Going clockwise, each player must follow suit if they have a card of the led suit.
- If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card including a Joker or trump.
- The highest trump wins any trick where trump was played. If no trump, the highest card of the led suit wins — judged by the Uptown or Downtown direction declared.
- Winner of each trick leads the next. Play all 12 tricks.
Scoring
- Making the bid: The bidding team scores the number they bid. Example: bid 4, make it = +4 points.
- Failing the bid: The bidding team loses the number they bid. Example: bid 4, fail = −4 points. Scores can go negative.
- Non-bidding team: Score 1 point for each trick they win, regardless of the bid outcome.
Winning
First team to reach 7 points wins. A team whose score drops to −7 loses immediately.
Tips for New Players
- Downtown bidding completely reverses strategy — your 2s, 3s, and 4s become your power cards.
- The Jokers are automatically the top two trumps — holding both is a massive advantage.
- Use the kitty wisely — it gives you six extra cards to swap in, which can dramatically improve your hand or let you void a suit entirely.