- BGG rank
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- BGG rating
- 7.6
Nokosu Dice
- 3–5 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2016
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- BGG rating
- 7.7
Israeli Whist
Rules assistance for Israeli Whist
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4 players
- 45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for Israeli Whist
For 4 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Israeli Whist is a board game for 4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding and Trick-taking.
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About the game
Israeli Whist is a trick taking standard deck playing card game. In Israel, the game is simply called Whist but differs from classical Whist in significant ways. There are no partnerships, trump is determined by a Bridge-like auction rather than last card dealt, and each player makes an Oh Hell!-like forecast of number of tricks to take. Each hand of Israeli Whist includes an auction round to determine trump, a bidding round to specify number of tricks to take, and finally a card play round to determine who made their bid. Players who missed their bid, score -10 points for each trick over or under their bid. Players who made their bid exactly, score 10 points plus a bonus of the number of tricks taken squared. See variants for non-exponential scoring systems to reduce the likelihood of a runaway leader. One appeal of Israeli Whist is that the ability to judge a hand's strength is more important than relying on luck to get a good hand. For example, consistently making your bid outweighs consistently winning the auction to name trump. Although the standard game is for exactly four players, see the variant section for ways to accommodate 3-7 players.
Questions and answers
Israeli Whist supports 4 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Israeli Whist is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Israeli Whist for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Israeli Whist has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Israeli Whist belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding and Trick-taking. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The catalogue lists Israeli Whist as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.