Also known as Oh Pshaw, Blackout, Bust, or Blob (among other names), Oh Hell is an individual trick-taking game where players bid the number of tricks they expect to take. A bonus is awarded for taking exactly that number of tricks. Trump is set randomly by turning up the first undealt card.

The most unique aspect of Oh Hell is the changing number of cards dealt per hand. Games are a set number of hands long. At the end of the hands, the player with the highestscore wins.

Oh Heck is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52 cards deck. To win, players try to score the most points. It is also known as Blob, Blackout, Oh Well!, Oh Hell!, Oh Pshaw!, Elevator, Up and Down the River, Contract Whist or Bust. This collection also includes several card games never before featured in a Hoyle game, such as Fan Tan, Oh Hell and Whist. Get right into the action with all these classic card games, plus the official rules, tips and strategies to give you the winning edge! Pull up a chair and deal yourself into Hoyle Official Card Games Collection!

Trickster Oh Hell offers four common hand patterns: 10..1..10, 1..10..1, 10..1, and 1..10. More on these patterns in The Deal, below.

The Deck

Oh Hell is played with a standard 52-card deck. However, not all cards are dealt on any given hand. In fact, the most cards dealt per hand with our current options is 40 (10 cards to each of 4 players). That leaves 12 cards out of play. In the extreme case when the hand consists of only 1 trick, only 4 cards are dealt – 48 cards are out of play!

The Deal

The number of cards dealt per player varies each hand going up one or down one from the previous hand. The starting and ending number of cards depend on the deal pattern selected (see Options, below). After dealing cards to all four players, the next card is turned face-up in front of the dealer. The suit of this card establishes trump.

Using the 10..1..10 deal pattern, 10 cards are dealt per player on the first hand for 10 total tricks. On the second hand, 9 cards are dealt per player, then 8, then 7, and so on down to 1 card per player. After the 1-card hand, the number of cards dealt increases to 2, then 3, then 4 up to 10 cards per player again. The game ends after that last 10-card hand.

Bidding

Following the deal and starting with the player left of the dealer, each player bids the number of tricks he or she believes they will take that hand. Allowed bids range from zero to the number of cards dealt. You are awarded a 10-point bonus for exactly making your bid so accurate bidding is valuable.

If playing with “the hook,” the dealer is restricted from bidding a value that causes the sum of the bids around the table to equal the number of cards dealt. For example, with 10 cards dealt and previous bids of 2, 3 and 1, the dealer is prohibited from bidding 4 as that would mean the sum of the bids would equal 10 (2 + 3 + 1 + 4 = 10). The hook is most troublesome on hands with a small number of cards.

You may create a game without the hook (see Options, below).

Play

The player left of the dealer leads the first trick.

Play continues clockwise following the led suit, if possible, or playing any other card if not. When all four players have played, the trick is taken by the player who played the highest trump, if any, or the player who played the highest card of the led suit.

The player who takes the trick leads the next trick.

Scoring

Each player receives 1 point for each trick taken. If the number of tricks taken exactly matches the player’s bid, he or she is awarded a 10-point bonus. For example, if the player’s bid is 2 and he or she takes 2 tricks, 12 points are awarded. However, if he or she takes 3 tricks only 3 points are credited.

The game ends after all the hands have been played according to the deal pattern. At that point, the player with the highest score wins.

Oh Hell House Rules Options

When:

“Now” creates a new game that starts immediately. Other options schedule a game for a time in the next 24 hours. Compete and Join games only.

Winnings:

Three levels of winnings based on the buy-in level—30, 110, 275 or 550 Trickster Chips. Compete games only.

Max cards dealt:

Affects game length by setting the most cards dealt in a single hand to “7”, “10”, or “12”.

Deal pattern:

Affects game length. “10..1..10” starts with the max cards dealt, ramps down to a 1-card hand, then ramps back to the max. “1..10..1” starts with 1, ramps to the max, then back down to 1. “10..1” ramps down to 1 and “1..10” ramps up to the max.

Players:

Sets the number of seats for players to “3”, “4”, “5”, or “6”.

Bid:

“In Order” means players bid around the table starting to the left of the dealer. “At Same Time” means players bid simultaneously. Players who have bid are indicated by the word “Bid” to the right of their player name. Card play begins when all players have bid.

Play with hook:

“Yes” requires the sum of the bids to not equal the number of cards dealt. The dealer is restricted from making a bid that would violate this. “No” allows the dealer to bid normally.

Oh Shoot Card Game Rules

Limits

Must be invited:

“Yes” hides this game from other players until they’ve been explicitly invited using the “Invite Friends” form. “No” allows all friends of players in this game to see it. Join games only.

Allow suggestions:

“Yes” to allow players to see bid and card play suggestions, depending on their personal setting. “No” prevents all players from seeing suggestions. Always “Yes” in Play games; “No” in Compete games.

Allow watching:

“Yes” allows up to 10 additional players to watch the game. They do not see anyone’s cards. “No” prevents anyone from watching. Join games only.

Chat during game:

“None” disables all chat during the game. “Preset” allows only the built-in chat messages to be used. “Text” allows full chat. Full chat is also always available before and after games.

Time to bid:

Specifies an optional time limit for a player to bid. “Off” means there are no time limits on bidding. “7s,”“15s,”, “30s” & “60s” sets a limit to bid of 7, 15, 30 or 60 seconds, respectively. Automatically set in Play games.

Time to play:

Oh Hell Card Game Scorecard

Specifies an optional time limit for a player to play a card. “Off” means there are no time limits on card play. “7s,”“15s,”, “30s” & “60s” sets a limit to play a card of 7, 15, 30 or 60 seconds, respectively. Automatically set in Play games.