Oh Hell!

Bid how many tricks you will win, then win exactly that many, no more and no fewer.

Designer: Geoffrey Mott-Smith
Published by: (Public Domain)
Editions by: University Games, Identity Games International B.V., Cadaco, Heraclio Fournier, Are You Game?, Twinson Company

Oh Hell! is a trick-taking card game for a standard deck, and the whole twist lives in the bidding. Before each hand you announce exactly how many tricks you will take, then you have to take exactly that many: one too many stings as much as one too few. Points only come from nailing your number, so a monster hand can be a burden and a lousy one a quiet gift. The bids are not forced to match the tricks on the table, which means somebody misses every single hand, and the table groans about it in chorus. A card-room favorite since around 1930, also called Oh Pshaw or Blackout, and happiest with five or six players.

Bid your exact trick count before each handExtra tricks cost points just like missing onesAt least one player misses every hand

Who it's for

You already know trick-taking games like Hearts or Whist and want a version where prediction matters more than raw card strength. Five or six of you is the sweet spot.

Not for you if…

You want a board, a theme or decisions beyond the cards in your hand. It is a plain deck and plain counting, and it needs at least three players.

Vibe's take

Tense in a funny way: you cheer for your good cards and then quietly hope not to win one trick too many. The table banters constantly, because everyone is counting everyone else's bids.