Oh hell or contract whist is a trick-taking card game of British origin in which the object is to take exactly the number of tricks bid. It was first described by B. C. Westall around 1930 and originally called oh! well. It was said to have been introduced into America via the New York clubs in 1931. Phillips and Westall describe it as "one of the best round games".
Name
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This English game was originally called oh! well, while John McLeod adds blob, so called because the player's predicted bid is overwritten with a black blob if not achieved.
History
The rules are first described by B. C. Westall around 1930 under the name oh! well, The game was introduced into the United States very shortly after appearing in Britain and was first recorded in the New York clubs in 1931. or from seven to one and back to seven again. The game has many alternative names, but "oh hell" is by far the most common.
The original version, known as "oh! well", was described as "one of the best round games".
Oh Pshaw
Oh Pshaw is an American variant recorded by Bicycle, who describe it as "an amusing game" with a worldwide following. It is an ascending only (⇗) variant and the rules are as described above with the following additions:
Bicycle says that 4 to 5 players are optimal. The game consists of a fixed number of deals. In the first, the dealer distributes one card to each player and turns the next for trump. In subsequent deals, the number of cards given to each player increases by one each time up to the maximum possible. So for example, if four play, there will be 13 deals. If three play, Bicycle advises limiting the game to 15 deals, rather than the theoretical maximum of 17. If no cards are left over in the last deal, the game is played at no trump.
Like oh! well, but unlike contract whist, there is no restriction on the dealer as to the number of tricks s/he may bid. However, the scorekeeper must announce whether the bid total is "over", "under" or "even" compared with the available number of tricks in the deal/number of cards each player holds.
The normal scoring scheme is that players who achieve their bid score 1 point for each trick taken plus 10 bonus points. Players who fail to achieve their bid score nothing. The player with the highest score at the end of the game is the winner. If played for hard score, the winner is given a further 10 point bonus and then players settle with one another based on the difference in their scores. Scoring variations include all players receiving 1 point per trick taken whether or not they achieve their bid; those who do achieve their bid still earn a bonus of 10; and players who announce a bid of “None” may score 5 points, 10 points, or 5 points plus 1 point for each trick in the deal, depending on local rules.
British variant
Oh Pshaw as described by Bicycle is almost identical with another ascending only (⇗) variant that Parlett calls British oh hell! Again, the number of cards dealt ascends from one to a number dependent on the number of players. There are no trumps if all the cards are dealt and there is no restriction on the dealer's bid. Players only score for the bonus, not the tricks. In a further variation, players bid simultaneously by clenching fists on the table and, on a signal being given, extending as many fingers as they intend to bid.
- Blackout
- Bust
- German Bridge (Hong Kong)