How many players can play Knock-Out Whist?

Knock-Out Whist can be played with 2 to 7 players.

How to Play Knock-Out Whist

Knock-Out Whist is an elimination trick-taking game where players must win at least one trick per round to survive. Hands shrink each round until one player remains.

How to Play

Knock-Out Whist is an elimination trick-taking game where players must win at least one trick per round to survive. Hands shrink each round until one player remains.

Knock-Out Whist is a simplified elimination trick-taking game for 2 to 7 players. Every player starts the first round with 7 cards; hand sizes shrink by one each subsequent round. A player who fails to win at least one trick in a round is knocked out. The last player remaining, or anyone who takes all the tricks in a round, wins.

Download rules (PDF)

Quick Reference

Goal

Win at least one trick each round to avoid elimination; last player standing wins.

Setup

Deal 7 cards to each player in round one.
Turn up the next card to determine the trump suit.
Each subsequent round, deal one fewer card per player.

On Your Turn

Follow suit if possible; otherwise play any card.
Highest trump wins the trick, or highest card of led suit.
Player who won most tricks last round leads first.

Scoring

Win at least one trick to survive the round.
Fail to win a trick and you are knocked out.
Last player remaining wins the game.

Tip: Save your best trump for a guaranteed trick; you only need one to survive.

Players

2 to 7 players, every player for themselves (no partnerships). The first dealer is chosen by any agreed method; the deal rotates clockwise each round.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. All four suits and all thirteen ranks are used. Ranks within each suit: Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (low). A trump suit is set each round (see Setup and Deal).

Objective

Win at least one trick every round to survive to the next. Zero-trick players are knocked out. The match ends when only one player remains, or when a player sweeps every trick in a round.

Setup and Deal

Shuffle the 52-card deck thoroughly. The dealer offers a cut to the player on the right.
Deal 7 cards to each player in round 1, one at a time clockwise starting with the player to the dealer's left.
Turn the next card of the deck face-up beside the stock; its suit is the trump suit for round 1.
In each subsequent round, deal one fewer card per player (6 in round 2, 5 in round 3, and so on down to 1 in the final round). The final round with one-card hands is sometimes called 'the card'.
Trump in later rounds: The player who won the most tricks in the previous round chooses the trump suit for the next round; ties are broken by cutting the deck for high card.

Gameplay

Leading the first trick: In round 1, the player to the dealer's left (eldest hand) leads. In subsequent rounds, the player who won the most tricks in the previous round leads; ties are resolved by a cut.
Trick structure: Play proceeds clockwise. Each player plays one card face-up to the centre. You must follow suit if you hold any card of the led suit; if void, you may play any card (trump or discard).
Winning a trick: The highest trump played wins. If no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The trick winner collects the cards face-down and leads the next trick.
Elimination: At the end of each round, any player who won zero tricks is knocked out and takes no further part. They sit out for the rest of the game.
Dog's Life (optional): When first knocked out, a player may be given a 'Dog's Life' chance: in the next round, they are dealt just one card and may play it on any trick of their choice. If the card wins the trick, they are back in the game (and receive a full hand next round). If it loses, they are out permanently.
Instant win: If any player wins all the tricks in a round, the game ends immediately and that player wins, regardless of how many rounds have been played.
End of game: The game ends when only one player remains (all others eliminated), or when a player sweeps a round.

Winning

Match winner: The last surviving player after all others are knocked out; or any player who wins every trick in a round.
Tie-breakers: In the theoretical case of a multi-player tie on the final one-card round, the player who plays the highest card (with trump beating non-trump) wins.

Common Variations

Dog's Life: Once-per-player extra chance on elimination (described in Gameplay).
Trumps / First-round-trump-only: Trump stays the same (from the first round's flipped card) for every round; the most-tricks-won player loses trump-choosing privilege.
Hand-size variations: Start with 8 cards for fewer players, or 6 for more; the hand-size schedule adjusts accordingly.
Eliminated-player trump choice: Some houses let eliminated players vote on the next trump to keep them involved.
No trump final round: The one-card final round is played no-trump for a purer showdown.

Tips and Strategy

You only need one trick to survive; do not burn high cards trying to win extra tricks early in a round. Winning one and losing six is as good as winning six.
Save your best trump card as an insurance policy for the last trick you take. With 7 cards in round 1, cashing your Ace late is usually correct.
As hands shrink, every card matters. In the 2-card round, the Ace of trump is a guaranteed trick; plan around it.
As the trump-chooser after winning most tricks, pick a suit where you have length. Your long suit plus the other trump-length will usually guarantee you another round of survival.
In the Dog's Life round, play your single card on a trick where you have the best chance: often when an Ace of a long suit has been played and you can trump it.

Glossary

Trump: The suit that beats any non-trump card in tricks; chosen each round by the previous round's most-tricks winner.
Trick: One round of play in which every surviving player lays a card; the highest trump (or highest led-suit card if no trump) wins.
Follow suit: Play a card of the led suit when you hold any. Mandatory.
Knock out: Elimination from the game; happens when a player wins zero tricks in a round.
Dog's Life: The optional one-card comeback chance for a just-eliminated player.
Eldest hand: The player to the dealer's left; leads the first trick in round 1.
Sweep: Winning every trick in a round; instantly ends the game in the sweeping player's favour.

Tips & Strategy

Survival is more important than dominance. Do not overcommit strong cards in early tricks if you already have a guaranteed winning card for later.

In the early rounds with larger hands, identify your one certain winner and plan around it. In later rounds, every card matters and reading opponents becomes crucial.

Trivia & Fun Facts

The final round with one card each is essentially a coin flip, making for exciting and unpredictable finishes even between skilled players.

In Knock-Out Whist, how many cards does each player receive in the first round?

History & Culture

Knock-Out Whist evolved from the traditional game of Whist and has been popular in Britain and the Commonwealth as a casual, accessible trick-taking game.

Knock-Out Whist is widely played in British schools and pubs as an introduction to trick-taking games, bridging the gap between simple games and more complex ones like Bridge.