4 Player Card Games

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What is Oh Hell?

4 Player Games are multiplayer games where four players play simultaneously on a local computer. Play UNO or another free card game together with your best friends. Challenge 2, 3 or 4 player in one of our online parkour running games and try to win the race. Control a tank and fight in co-op mode against AI or human tank drivers. We polled experts on the best four-player board games, including Pandemic, Catan, Ticket to Ride, Isle of Skye, Eldritch Horror, Pictomania, Once Upon A Time, Sheriff of Nottingham, Meeple Circus.

Oh Hell is a unique take on the trick-taking genre, and has a number of alternative names, including Oh Shit, Oh Pshaw, Oh Well, Up and Down the River, Oh Heck and Oh Shoot. The game itself has multiple possible methods of play, but all follow a similar form to Contract Whist.

How to PlayOh Hell?

Oh Hell can be played with player counts of 3-7players. All you need to play the Oh Hell card game is the standard 52-card Anglo American deck,with no Jokers included.

The following examples assume the mostpopular variation with 3 players, though the game rules will remain constantregardless of player count

Card Ranks

In the Oh Hell card game, cards are ranked with Aces being the highest and 2s being the lowest.

Dealing

The dealer is determined at random, though deck splitting can be used if an unbiased choice is requested. Each player is dealt a certain umber of cards based on the current round. In this guide, we will follow the standard American rules, where the number of cards dealt to each player at the start of each round goes as follows:

This is the main part where different rule-sets differ. Some might find the game length to be too long using these standard rules. Hence, certain players prefer to skip even-numbered rounds, or to only go up to 7 before switching to a descending order.

Regardless of the selected rulesets, the only changing factor is the initial number of cards dealt to each player at the start of each round.

After the cards are dealt to each player, the remaining cards are set aside, and the top card is revealed to determine the trump suit for the round.

“Contracts”

Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, each player is required to make an estimate or prediction of how many tricks they can win before the round begins. Each player, in clockwiseorder, is required to make these predictions.

The only limitations to each player’s predictions are that they cannot exceed the number of cards dealt to hand (though it makes no sense to overestimate).

Also, the dealer, who is the final player to make an estimate, cannot bid a number that results in all players being able to make their estimates.

For example, in our 3-player game, assuming this round is a 4-card round. Player B bids 2 and Player C bids 1. Player A, the dealer, is not allowed to bid 1 or 0, as that makes it possible for all players to complete their bids.

On the contrary, if in the same round, Player B bids 2 and Player C bids 3, Player A, the dealer, can make any bid, since the other players have already made it so not everyone can win.

Bids are recorded by a score-taker.

Failing to complete each bid does not incur a penalty, but managing to complete each bid grants the successful player extrapoints.

Trick-Taking

After bidding, the trick-taking process begins. The player to the left of the dealer goes will lead the first trick, and turn order proceeds in clockwise order.

Each player will play out a single card until all players have played one card each. Note that in Oh Hell, players must follow suit if they have a card of the leading suit.

If no cards from the trump suit are played (unruffled trick), the highest ranked card that matches the leading suit will win the trick.

If cards from the trump suit are played (unruffled trick), the highest ranked card from the trump suit wins the trick.

The player who wins the current trick will take all cards used in the trick and place it by their side. This player will lead the next trick.

In the final round, the person winning the trick does not replace the dealer in the next round. The dealer remains constant until the all rounds are completed.

After all tricks are completed, the tricks taken by each player are counted, and compared with the “Contract” bid made earlier.

How to Win?

At the end of all rounds, the player with the higher score wins the game.

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Rules

The Oh Hell rules are:

• The dealer is determined.
• Each player is dealt a number of cards based on the current round requirements, the remaining cards are set aside and the top card is revealed, determining the trump suit.
• Each player makes a bid on howmany tricks they can win for the round, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer and rotating in clockwise order.
• The trick-taking process then begins, with the player to the left of the dealer leading the first trick, with turn order rotating in clockwise order.
• The player winning the trick leads the next trick.
• Once all tricks per round are played, the tricks are counted and compared with the initial bids.
• The next round proceeds until all rounds are played.

Scoring and Points

Oh Hell scoring is done based on the bidding process and the number of tricks won on each round.

If a player satisfies their initial bid exactly, they are awarded 10 bonus points.

The initial bids must be met to benefit from the bonus. This means a player who bids 7 but takes 8 tricks will not get the bonus.

Each trick taken will award the player 1 point, regardless of whether or not the bids are met.

For example, if a player bids 6, and takes 6 tricks exactly, they are awarded 10 points for meeting the bid and 6 points for the won tricks. This player gets 16 points in total.

Funnily, if a player bids 0 and takes 0 tricks, they still get 10 points for “losing” the round.

Example Play

The following is an example round of the card game Oh Hell with 3players.

In this round, Hearts are the trump suit. Player A leads the trick.

Player A: K♦ 5♦ 3♣
Player B: J♤ Q♦ J♦
Player C: 6♤ 5♣ 3♥

Player A leads the trick by playing the K♦.
Player B must follow suit and plays the J♦.
Player C is unable to follow suit, but has a card from the trump suit. Player C plays the 3♥.

Player C wins the trick by trump suit, and leads the next trick.

Strategy and Tips

• In Oh Hell card game strategy, the most important part is the bidding process.
• Don’t be afraid to bid 0, even on rounds with many cards per player. This changes the game style, where you are deliberately trying to lose.
• Count cards on high-card count rounds. While there are still unveiled cards, you can get a feel for other players’ hands.
• Low-card count rounds are very luck based, so focus on earning points in high-card count rounds.
• Don’t worry too much about the bidding phase, as you only lose the bonus.
• Remember that you can deliberately force a player to win if they are at their bid amount.

Alternative Names

This game has a significant number of alternative names. The most common ones are listed below:

• Oh Pshaw
• Oh Well
• Oh Heck
• Oh Shoot
• Up and Down the River (in Australia)
• Blackout
• Elevator (in France)
• Niggle Card Game
• German Bridge
• Kachuful (in India)
• Prediction Card Game

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play the Oh Hell card game online for free?

Yes. The Oh Hell card game can be played on online simulators, and most support multiplayer play as well.

What is the British variant of Oh Hell?

The British version of Oh Hell starts with one card per player, and just increases the card count until there are not enough cards to accommodate all the players. In Great Britain the game is sometimes called Contract Whist.

What is Devil’s Bridge Oh Hell?

In Devil’s Bridge Oh Hell, in 1 card rounds, each player holds their card at their forehead before bidding. The rest of the game followsas usual.

Are there alternate rules?

A unique variant of Oh Hell makes it so that players bid at the same time, with each player holding out a number of fingers corresponding to their bid

Playing cards have been around for quite a while — hundreds of years — and with all the games to choose from, both modern and classic, cards are even more fun today than they were in 867 BCE.

Whether you’re looking for a quick and simple game to play at parties or a strategic partnership game, there are plenty of games you can play with a standard deck of cards.

1. Party Games

These are games that are quick to teach, quick to play, and always hilarious.

Spoons

3 to 13 players

In Spoons, there are no turns — players are quickly passing cards to try to get a hand of four of a kind. There are several spoons (or similar objects) in the middle of the table, one fewer than the number of players.

You can pass as quickly or slowly as you want, but if you go too slowly, you might end up with a buildup of cards next to you. Once a player has four of a kind in their hand, they may grab a spoon from the middle. As soon as one player grabs a spoon, anyone else can grab one. The player who fails to grab a spoon loses a life, and play continues until there is a winner.

If you don’t have spoons, you can also play by having players stick out their tongue when they have four of a kind or when they see another player sticking out their tongue.

Cuckoo

3 or more players

This incredibly simple game is a great choice for families, though it works just as well in a bar.

Each player has three lives, which can be marked with a token or simply remembered. The dealer deals one card to each player, and the player to the left of the dealer goes first.

The objective is to avoid being the player with the lowest card at the end of a round. On your turn, you may choose to keep your card or swap it with the player on your left. After everyone has gone, the player (or players) with the lowest card loses a life. The last player in wins.

Stress/James Bond

2 to 5 players

James Bond is a lightning speed game of racing to make groups of four cards. The deck is divided into thirteen piles of four cards, with one pile dealt face up to form a central group of four cards that everyone can reach. The remaining decks are divided among the players.

When the game begins, each player can look at any one of their piles at a time and may swap cards with the middle cards. The first player to have only groups of four of a kind wins.

2. Strategic games

If you have a small group looking for a clever game of wits, there are many classics to choose from.

Hearts

4 players

This game for four pits players against each other to see who can take the fewest points.

The entire deck is dealt out, and players take turns playing cards in tricks (in which one card is played per player). The highest card of the suit led takes the trick.

Every Heart in the game is worth one point, and the dreaded Queen of Spades is worth a massive thirteen points, so winning tricks is usually a bad thing.

The endless strategies make it easy to play this game for hours and hours.

Spades

4 players

Grab a partner for this cunning game of trust and trick-taking.

Spades is a trick-taking game in which two teams of two make bids to guess how many tricks they can win. Spades is always the trump suit, so a Spade will beat a card of any other suit. Your team’s bid determines how many points you earn (or lose if you don’t take enough tricks). The first team to 500 points wins.

Knowing your hand—and trusting your partner—are key to this sometimes cutthroat trick-taking game.

Up Down

3 to 8 players

Also known as “Oh, Hell!,” this trick-taking game has its roots in other classics like Whist and Bridge.

Each player is dealt a number of cards (which will change from one round to the next) and must guess how many tricks they will win. The number of tricks in a round is equal to the number of cards the players are holding.

The trump suit changes from one round to the next. Because you can only score points if your bid is dead-on, this tense game leads to great failures and great victories.

Palace

2 to 4 players

Palace is a “shedding” game in which players are racing to be the first one with no cards left.

Each player is dealt three cards face down and a hand of six cards, of which they choose three to put face up on their three face down cards. Then, everyone is dealt a draw pile.

Players take turns playing cards from their hand to the center of the table. Each card played must be equal or greater in value than the previous card, or you must pick up the entire pile.

Once your draw pile is gone, you can start playing from your three piles. The first player to empty all three piles wins.

4 Player Card Games With One Deck

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