Knockout Whist

How to play

Everyone gets seven cards and the top card of the leftover stock is turned up — its suit is trump for the first hand.

Play tricks as in whist: follow the led suit if you can, otherwise play anything; the highest trump wins the trick (or the highest card of the led suit if no trump was played), and the winner leads next.

When the hand ends, anyone who took NO tricks is knocked out.

Whoever took the most tricks (on a tie, whoever won the later trick) picks the trump suit for the next hand — house rule here: the next hand is dealt first and the chooser picks after seeing their own new cards.

Hands shrink by one card each round — 7, 6, 5 … down to 1 — so the field thins fast. Last player standing wins.

Ways to play

• 🤖
  Against the computerPlay on one device against a computer opponent.
• 👪
  Play together, nearbyWith family and friends in the same room: up to 7 players, each on their own phone or tablet. No Wi-Fi or internet needed. In the Jambolaya app.
• 🎓
  Learn by playingA guided lesson on the real game teaches you the rules one step at a time.