Understand Scoring Variations in Whist

Video Transcript

Scoring variations are many in this game. If you're playing in a live tournament, the most popular format, which is used by Sharks, Inc., which is the name of the group SharksInc.com. They're the largest established live Bid Whist organization and I work with them. They prefer a system where everybody plays four hands per round. It's just nice, it's compact, there's no waiting for the rounds to get done. The rounds are done in about half an hour and the total points at the end of those four hands is declared the winner. You play three rounds. At the end of three rounds, they take their top 16 teams or top 32 or elite 8 and they play a best of three playoffs. They play single elimination playoffs. It's nice, it's neat, it's compact. However, if you're playing at home, you might want to consider using a progressive system and say okay let's set the game because 21 points, I mean the points come in this game pretty hot and heavy. You might want to play a 40 point match or even a 100 point match if you have the time. I'll just basically show you how it works. Your side starts out with 6 and 0 trump and you make it for 12. So you've got12 points right there. This side over here bids 5 uptown indicated by the arrow and they make it so there score is five. So we've got 12 to 5. Back and forth you go. Now let's just say that you wonder into 6 uptown and you get set. We put an X through that and they get the 6 points for 11. Remember, if you loose the bid they get the points, if they loose the bid you get the points. The score is always plus and you might indicate 40 point game or 49 point game. You can pick any arbitrary number you want. You might say okay, I like the shark sheik system let's play eight hands. That way everybody gets two deals. It's nice, it works, it's a fixed number of hands and the beauty of the eight hand system or the four hand system there's a strategy. If you get toward the end of the game and you're down by 12 points. Let's just say for the sake of argument, it's 32 to 44. There's no since in bidding anything other than 6 no trump to tie it or 7 no trump, if you just bid a numerical bid with a suit, you're going to loose. They're going to be glad to give it to you. So this gives you a little bit of a built in strategy. You bid to win the game. So I would recommend, pick a fixed number of hands or pick a total number of points. Work it that way. If you go to a live tournament, it's usually a fixed number of hands and match play which is a really good format.

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