The 10 Best Trick-Taking Card Games

Trick-taking is the oldest and most widely played family of card games on earth. These ten are the essentials: the games every serious card player learns sooner or later. They range from the gentle (Hearts, Euchre) to the deeply technical (Bridge, Skat) and span four continents' worth of tradition.

01/10 4 players

♠ Bridge

★ Editors' top pick

Bridge

4 players Long Difficulty Hard Age 10+

The greatest trick-taking game ever designed. A century of literature, tournaments on every continent, and a lifetime to master.

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02/10 3–6 players

♥ Hearts

Hearts

3–6 players Medium Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Trick-avoidance instead of trick-winning. The gateway to understanding why Bridge players obsess over the Queen of Spades.

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03/10 4 players

♣ Spades

Spades

4 players Medium Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Partnership bidding with a simple trump rule. The most popular trick-taking game in America and the cleanest one to teach.

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04/10 4 players

♦ Euchre

Euchre

4 players Medium Difficulty Easy Age 6+

The short, snappy Midwestern classic. Nine-card hands, a five-trick game, and the quirkiest rules you'll learn this decade.

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05/10 4 players

♠ Whist

Whist

4 players Medium Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Bridge's grandfather. Unadorned trick-taking at its purest, the way Victorians played it.

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06/10 3–4 players

♥ Skat

Skat

3–4 players Long Difficulty Hard Age 10+

Germany's national card game. One player against two, complex bidding, and arguably the most technically demanding three-player card game.

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07/10 2–4 players

♣ Pinochle

Pinochle

2–4 players Long Difficulty Hard Age 10+

Double-deck melding plus trick-taking. Deeply American and dense enough to reward decades of practice.

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08/10 3–7 players

♦ Oh Hell (Bidding Whist)

Oh Hell (Bidding Whist)

3–7 players Long Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Exact-bidding trick-taking. Fail to take exactly the number you bid and you score zero. A masterclass in humility.

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09/10 4 players

♠ Five Hundred (500)

Five Hundred (500)

4 players Long Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Australia's national card game and a missing link between Euchre and Bridge. Melding, bidding, and trump all in one.

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10/10 2–9 players

♥ Pitch

Pitch

2–9 players Medium Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Trick-taking with point cards. Win the Jack of trump, the ten, the ace, the two. American pub classic.

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