• Welcome to Bid Whist Online Home to the most devoted Bid Whist players in the world. We had a little fun. Check out our commercial! If you want to play, follow these simple.
• 'I bid in lines, in the uber, during commercials and even in the bed.' - Some Chicago dude 'Wherever I can get a signal, I get a hand in.' - One Southern cat 'Thanks a lot Bid Whist.

• Bid Whist online, free Game

Enjoy Spades, Euchre, Hearts, Pitch, Bid Whist, Oh Hell, 500, or Contract Bridge. Trickster Cards supports them all with customizable rules to play the way you want to play. Trickster Cards’ House Rules options.

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Updated October 20, 2020
New trial accounts must sign up by email. This is temporary. Automatic web signups for new trial accounts are temporarily suspended. Paid accounts and pre-existing trial accounts remain unaffected.
To signup by email, complete the signup form, click the button and send the prepopulated email that pops up. Alternatively, compose the email yourself and send to feedback@bidwhist.com with the following info: Desired nickname/handle, Email address, Actual full name. Include 'New account request' in the subject line.

Updated April 9, 2020
If you are experiencing problems installing or launching the game, try the TableTop version, our web app playable on all platforms.
Login to Your Account.
Click the option Start Playing - using TableTop web app version.
Click the Connect button when it appears.
The game will pop up in a new tab or window of your web browser. You may have to enter your account credentials again, just for now on the preview version. Pro tip: Click the toggle widget on the left side margin to show/hide the controls for mouse and keyboard. Happy bidding.

Updated February 7, 2020
Starting February 8th, some members may have trouble starting the game. The solution is to upgrade to OpenWebStart (OWS) as a replacement to javawebstart (jws). Once OWS is installed, a few will also have to update the default file association so that OpenWebStart (OWS) launches all files ending with the '.jnlp' extension.If the existing jws, instead of the new OWS, still launches jnlp files, then the game will fail to start.

Updated December 20, 2019
Intel released a major security advisory to the public December 10, 2019. Fortunately, our datacenter installed security patches days prior on December 7 to address this widespread vulnerability in Intel CPU chips.
The security patches are why the site and game went dark December 7. The emergency reboot by the datacenter lead to an unexpected outage on our end. As a precaution, we migrated BidWhist.com to yet another new server. Unfortunately, this unplanned & rushed move caused access issues over the next few days. Additional days have been added to all accounts because of the inconvenience.
Thank you for your patience. All issues now appear resolved.
Here is one silver lining to the outage. Because a few key updates happened sooner, a big announcement can happen sooner, as in before December 25. So check back soon for a holiday surprise on the front page!

Updated December 9, 2019
Some members access the game via a jnlp file while others access the game via an installed exe binary. The latter group did not have access after the 2019-12-07 update. That access has been restored. Access through either exe or jnlp works.

Updated December 7, 2019
Site went down around around noon EST. Access will be off-and-on while upgrades are added during the downtime.

Updated September 25, 2019
Please upgrade your Bid Whist installations if you play on a Windows operating system. First uninstall any version used prior to September 25, 2019. Next, install the latest 3.0 version. Do so by returning to the home page at https://www.bidwhist.com and then click either the 'Start Playing' or the 'Windows' link.
Also, we are testing a new server. Logins may be briefly affected. Going to https://bidwhist.com instead of https://www.bidwhist.com may help for some members. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Updated February 1, 2018
We need to update security certificates and additional internal changes so we can continue to offer Bid Whist. This may take us several days to complete. We will add additional days to all accounts because of the inconvivence. We are particularly sorry because of the delays to the tournament players.

Updated February 25, 2017
Recent updates to Java have caused us to need to update various parts of the site. This is currently causing a problem with launching the game. We are working to resolve the problem. We will add time to accounts to make up for the lost time. We are sorry for the problems it may have caused you, your friends and the Bid Whist community.

Updated January 26, 2016
We have finished the security certificate update!. Sorry for the long delay and challenges some customers faced. Some users may need to restart their browser. We will add 10 days to all accounts.

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Updated January 20, 2016
We are updating the security certificate. We expect to resolve the message by Jan. 23. We are sorry for any problems and time wasted over the next 2 days. We will be adding a week of free time to ALL accounts. We are deeply sorry for the problems many of our users encountered.

Updated January 18, 2014
We have resolved the problems with the recent Java update. You should be able to install and run the application smoothly once again. We are sorry for any problems and time wasted over the last 2 days. We will be adding a week of free time to ALL accounts because of the two days without service that many users encountered. We are deeply sorry for the problems many of our users encountered. You many need to restart your browser or computer to clear the cache so that the proper version will load.

Updated January 16, 2014
A recent Java update from Oracle has made the site inaccessible to many members. We are working on a fix. It should be resolved by Saturday evening if not sooner.We apologize for problem and will add additional days to all accounts after we have fixed it.

Updated January 14, 2005
Today we are testing a new layout. The new layout has a better chat space. Under play options it also has two different screen sizes. Users with higher resolution screens should try the larger version. If you default size is 800 x 600 you will need to use the smaller (default) version.

1. The comment box is blocked if you join another table. (fix should occur late tonight).
2. Problem with kicking people from tables. (Fix time not identified).

Updated January 10, 2005
We have found the source of the final problem that caused many users especially those with slow connections such as dialups to often experience disconnects during high traffic times. The problem has since been corrected. We have added 15 days to all accounts because of the lost playing time. Since the problems first occurred a total of 30 days have been added to all existing accounts. We sorry for the disruption to the service. Thanks for the tremendous patience that users have shown while we rectified the problems.

Updated January 8, 2005
We have done another update that will take place for Sunday, Jan 8, 2005. Hopefully this will help with the disconnect problem that has been particularly problematic for dialup users.

Updated January 5, 2005
We had a problem in the morning with a server restart that caused the game and website to be inaccessible.That issue is now resolved.
We are still attempting to reach a resolution on the dialup. We experiment with an AOL account last night and the speeds available were disturbingly low. If we were just downloading the file the speeds were 1/10the advertised rates. We are close to strongly suggesting that those who can get DSL. Especially if it cost the same as the dialup. In the Boston area for AOL this is true for many AOL users (you even get to stay with AOL).

Updated Decemeber 29, 2005
Two important items
1. New Year's Weekend starting as early as Friday we will be attempting to do system updates. Periodicoutages or interruptions to the games may occur.
2.We have received reports especially from AOL dialup users about problems staying connected.We are investigating but we don't have a clear answer. The updates occurring this weekend may help.If you use AOL on dialup and have any helpful information for us, let us know. We do know that some of the dialup users do not realize, for instance, that if they receive a phone during the game that may causea problem and cause the game to hang. If you lose your Internet connection for any reason during the game, thenthe game will have problems and may hang on you. If you know that your connection works better during certain times, please let us know.

Updated December 20, 2005
We have now corrected the problem which allows for memberships. If you joined after Oct. 9, 2005, you will need to join again. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will attempt to reply to emails sentbut we are still catching up.

Updated December 12, 2005As you may be aware we suffered a catastrophic failure of our hardwareon Saturday, December 3, 2005. We believe we have now resolved the major technicalissues created by this problem. The solutions will impact different users in differentways so please take the time to read this carefully. We apoligize for the extended delay. To theextend possible we are trying to make sure that everything is in order before we allow playto resume on the main site. This will allow us to minimize future disruptions. Unfortunately becauseof the nature of the changes, it has taken longer than we had planned to secure certainkey technical resources to resolve potential issues. We are very sorry because we know thishas not only disrupted our business but more importantly it has prevented the continued developmentof many friendships and the growth of the community of Bid Whist users.

First all paid users will have at least 15 days added to their account due to the lossof service between Dec 3, 2005 and Dec. 14, 2005. Games that we played after Oct 9, 2005 will notbe reflected in your history. We are very sorry for the disruption in service.Because of a material loss of some of our data, the impact on different customers will be different.

1. If you were a paid member before Oct 8, 2005 and paid using the online system and your account was current as of Dec 3, 2005, thenyour account should function as normal. If you at any point had multiple email addresses in thesystem, then some problems may exist.
2. If you were a paid member before Oct 8, 2005 and renewed after Oct 8, 2005 by mail, then we are stillprocessing your information. You should send us an email after Dec 16, 2005 if we have not updatedby then.
3. If you joined after after Oct 8, 2005 and paid, then we have had to recreate your account. You shouldreceive an email indicating how to login and your new password.
4. If you created a Trial Account after Oct 8, 2005, then your account not longer exists. You maycreate a new trial account for the service.
This is the information we currently have available.

Posted Dec. 3, 2005 Due to a problem with our server we are experiencing significant difficulties.For temporary relief we have provided this server to play the game. Becauseof the temporary nature, this server has some limitations.

1. The game will run slower than normal.
2. Members who joined after Oct. 8, 2005 will not be ableto play on the temporary server
3. We are not accepting new permanent or trial memberships while weattempt to resolve the problem.
4. We are unlikely to response to any emails or provide any customersupport while we attempt to correct the situation.
5. Individuals connections directly from the computer to the site may not work orthey may find that JavaWebStart has multiple items labeled Bid Whist Online. Pleaseuse the Start Playing link at http://66.135.33.230.
6. Because of certain technical issues users may find that sometimesthey connect to this site and sometimes they can not.
We are very sorry for the disruption in service. We hope to have to resolvedby Monday, 5th December, however residual issues may persist. We will attemptto provide updates as we correct problems.


Thanks for your support of BidWhist Online.

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Spades Rules

These are the rules I use for Spades. I got them from John McLeod's pagat.com, which has rules for pretty much all card games. (C) John McLeod, 2011 - reprinted with permission.

The teams

The four players are in fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other. Deal and play are clockwise.

Rank of Cards

A standard pack of 52 cards is used. The cards, in each suit, rank from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The Deal

The first dealer is chosen at random, and the turn to deal rotates clockwise. The cards are shuffled and then dealt singly, in clockwise order beginning with the player on dealer's left, until all 52 cards have been dealt and everyone has 13.

The Bidding

In Spades, all four players bid a number of tricks. Each team adds together the bids of the two partners, and the total is the number of tricks that team must try to win in order to get a positive score. The bidding begins with the player to dealer's left and continues clockwise around the table. Everyone must bid a number, and in theory any number from 0 to 13 is allowed. Unlike other games with bidding, there is no requirement for each bid to be higher than the last one, and players are not allowed to pass. There is no second round of bidding - bids once made cannot be altered.

Example: South deals; West bids 3; North bids 1; East bids 4; South bids 4. The objective of North and South is to win at least 5 tricks (4+1), East and West try to win at least 7 (4+3).

A bid of 0 tricks is known as Nil. This is a declaration that that the player who bid Nil will not win any tricks during the play. There is an extra bonus for this if it succeeds and a penalty if it fails. The partnership also has the objective of winning the number of tricks bid by the Nil's partner. It is not possible to bid no tricks without bidding a Nil. If you don't want to go for the Nil bonus or penalty you must bid at least 1.

The Play of the Hand

The player to dealer's left leads any card except a spade to the first trick. Each player, in turn, clockwise, must follow suit if able; if unable to follow suit, the player may play any card.

A trick containing a spade is won by the highest spade played; if no spade is played, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads to the next. Spades may not be led until either some player has played a spade (on the lead of another suit, of course), or the leader has nothing but spades left in hand.

Playing the first spade is known as 'breaking' spades.

A Boston is when one team gets all 13 tricks in a round.

Scoring

A side that takes at least as many tricks as its bid calls for receives a score equal to 10 times its bid. Additional tricks (overtricks) are worth an extra one point each.

Sandbagging rule: Overtricks are colloquially known as bags. A side which (over several deals) accumulates ten or more bags has 100 points deducted from its score. Any bags beyond ten are carried over to the next cycle of ten overtricks - that is if they reached twenty overtricks they would lose another 100 points and so on.

Example: Suppose a team whose score is 337 bids 5 tricks and they have 7 bags carried over from the previous rounds. If they win 7 tricks they score 52, taking their score to 389 (and their bags to 9). If they win 8 tricks they score 53, but lose 100 because they now have 10 bags, and their score becomes 290 (337 + 53 - 100). If they win 9 tricks they score 54 and lose 100, bringing their score to 291.

If a side does not make its bid, they lose 10 points for each trick they bid.

If a bid of nil is successful, the nil bidder's side receives 100 points. This is in addition to the score won (or lost) by the partner of the nil bidder for tricks made. If a bid of nil fails - that is, the bidder takes at least one trick - the bidder's side loses 100 points, but still receives any amount scored for the partner's bid.

When a nil fails, the tricks won by the nil bidder do not count towards making the partner's bid, but do count as bags for the team.

Bid Whist online, free Game

The side which reaches 500 points first wins the game. If both sides reach 500 points in a single deal, the side with the higher score wins.