Solo Whist♠

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Context and deal

Solo Whist reached Britain from the Low Countries in the late nineteenth century and is related to Boston. Players score individually despite changing alliances. Use 52 cards, A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 in each suit. Choose first dealer randomly; shuffle, cut on the right and deal clockwise from the left in packets of three, then a final single each:13 cards. Expose dealer’s last card as prospective trump; it belongs to dealer and may be lifted after the first trick if not played. Deal passes left.

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Contract ladder

Ascending order: Prop, Cop accepting Prop, Solo, Misère, Abundance, Abundance in Trumps, Misère Ouverte, Abundance Declared. Prop+Cop: the two bidders need at least 8 tricks together with the exposed trump; unit 1. Solo: at least 5 alone with exposed trump; unit 1. Misère: no tricks, no trump; unit 2. Abundance: at least 9 alone with a trump suit chosen after auction; unit 3. Abundance in Trumps: at least 9 with exposed trump; unit 3, used only to overcall Abundance. Misère Ouverte: no tricks/no trump, expose the bidder’s hand after the first trick; unit 4. Abundance Declared: all 13 tricks, no trump, bidder leads; unit 6.

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Repeated auction

Dealer’s left starts; clockwise, pass or bid higher. Cop is legal only after another player’s Prop. Continue until Prop+Cop survives all higher bids or three opponents have passed against a solo contract. Passing is final except dealer’s left, after an initial pass, may Cop if Prop was the only bid on the first round.

If an unsupported Prop receives only passes, proposer may convert to Solo or any higher contract; otherwise abandon for zero and next dealer deals. All-pass also scores zero. Abundance’s chosen trump is announced only after the auction, before play. Abundance Declared remains no-trump in this selected profile.

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Play and success

Dealer’s left leads except Abundance Declared. Play clockwise, follow suit if possible; otherwise any card, without compulsory trump or overtrump. Highest trump wins, otherwise highest led-suit card; winner leads next. No draw or exchange. Temporary allies pool tricks. Play all 13 tricks, though a lost zero-trick or all-trick contract may be conceded once failure is certain. No hand discussion among allies.

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Units and session

Use counters, not money. In Prop+Cop success each bidder gets+1 and each defender−1; failure reverses those signs. In every solo contract, successful bidder receives its unit value from each opponent; failure pays that value to each. Thus bidder gains or loses three times the unit, each defender the opposite one-unit-value amount. No extra points for overtricks or undertricks.

Our session lasts eight deals, counting abandoned auctions; highest cumulative balance wins, tied balances share places. These length/tie agreements are for teaching. Shuffle every deal rather than importing goulash procedures.

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Worked settlement

Abundance costs 3 per opponent. Taking ten tricks fulfils the minimum nine: bidder+9, each opponent−3. Taking eight instead gives bidder−9 and each opponent+3. Either way 9−3−3−3=0; the extra successful trick has no bonus.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

Common questions