Introduction
Fortnight Whist is a trick taking card game based on the old game of whist combined with the use of poker chips to keep score. Whist, as is well known, was used as the basis for the game of bridge; however, unlike bridge Fortnight Whist has much simpler bidding and can be played by 3, 4 or 5 players. So if one knows the bridge terms “follow suit”, “trick”, “trump” and “no-trump”, one could begin playing Fortnight Whist almost immediately.
What you will need
To play the game the following will be needed: one pack of standard playing cards, a minimum of 20 white poker chips, 20 blue poker chips and 60 red poker chips. The white and blue chips are used for bidding and have no point value. The red chips are worth one point each and can be used to bid and keep score to determine the winner. The Chip Holder is optional, and if you would like to print your own, please click the button below the picture to download the .STL file. Please note: Access to a 3-D printer or a 3-D printing service is required to make use of the file.
Getting Started
Players draw cards (high card wins) to see who will be leader and have control of the distribution of the poker chips. This person is designated the “Domino” ( as in the Latin phrase “benedicamus domino” which means praise the master).
For 3, 4, or 5 player games, the Domino distributes 4 white bidding chips to each player. For 3 or 4 player games, the domino also reduces the size of the deck. (Please see the chart below). It is important to note that at anytime throughout the game, players who lack sufficient chips to make their bids may borrow blue bidding chips from the Domino. These borrowed chips can be returned to the Domino when nolonger needed.
Dealing the Cards
The player to the left of the Domino deals the first hand of 7 cards around the table then turns over the top card remaining in the deck to establish the trump suit. The deal proceeds clockwise around the table with each player dealing 7, 8 or 9 card trump hands until reaching the Domino who always deals a 10 card no-trump hand. This pattern of deals is repeated throughout the game for a maximum of 3 rounds of deals. See the deal sequence instructions below for 3, 4 and 5 player tables.
The sequence of deals for a 5 player game is as follows: 7 cards with trumps, 7 cards with trumps, 7 cards with trumps, 9 cards with trumps and the Domino deals a 10 card no-trump hand. The two remaining undealt cards may be revealed to the table at the discretion of the Domino.
For a 4 player game, the deck size is reduced by setting aside the 2’s, 3’s and the 4’s. This results in a deck of 40 cards. The deal sequence for a 4 player game is as follows: 7 cards with trumps, 7 cards with trumps, 8 cards with trumps and the Domino deals a 10 card no-trump hand. No cards remain.
For a 3 player game, the deck size is reduced by setting aside the 2’s through the 6’s. This results in a deck of 32 cards. The deal sequence for a 3 player game is as follows: 7 cards with trumps, 7 cards with trumps and the Domino deals a 10 card no-trump hand. The two remaining undealt cards may be revealed to the table at the discretion of the Domino.
Bidding and Playing the Round
Once the cards are dealt, the player to the left of the dealer examines his hand and bids how many tricks he might win. Players may bid 0,1, 2, 3 or more, up to the limit of the tricks in play. The player takes the appropriate number of white chips (and blue chips if needed) and places them directly in front of his place at the table. For a zero bid, no chips are laid out. The bidding proceeds clockwise around the table in the same manner back to the dealer who bids last. Once the players have established their bids, the player to the left of the dealer begins play by leading a card. The play proceeds clockwise around the table exactly as in bridge with players obligated to follow suit. If unable to follow suit, players can slough an unwanted card or trump in. High card wins the trick and that winning player maintains the lead. After all 7 tricks have been distributed to the players, the Domino scores the table.
Scoring and Winning the Game
If players make exactly the number of tricks that they bid, they are awarded points equal to the number bid. A successful bid of zero, therefore, earns no scoring chip. Successful bids of one or more earn red chips on a 1:1 basis. For example, a successful bid of three earns 3 red chips.
Unsuccessful bids incur a penalty (loss of white and/or red chips). Any difference between the number of tricks bid and the number of tricks actually obtained results in the loss of chips equal to the difference. For example, if a player bid 1 but made 3 tricks, two chips would be lost. Conversely, if a player bid 3 but only made 1 trick, once again two chips would be lost. Note: Players should sacrifice white chips first before giving up the valuable red scoring chips. Blue chips can only be used to mark bids and have no other function.
Note: Once a sufficient number of red scoring chips have been earned, players may use red and/or white chips for bidding. It is left to the discretion of each player.
THE GOAL is to be the first player to achieve a total of 14 or more points.
This is called “making a fortnight” thus the name of the game. If two players cross the winning threshold of 14 points simultaneously, the player with the higher point count wins. If the counts are identical, white bidding chips remaining in the possesion of the players may be used to break the tie. If still identical, another hand of cards may be played to break the tie.
Also, if no player has been able to achieve the 14 point threshold after the 3 round limit of deals, then the player with the highest score wins the game.
Note, on rare occasions a player may reach the 14 point threshold while retaining all 4 of the original white chips. This signifies that the player has successfully bid all of his hands and has achieved what is called a "fortnight jubilee".
NOTE: To shorten the length of games and to help players learn how to bid and play, a simplified version may be tried. Eliminate the penalty for unsuccessful bids, disribute four red scoring chips to each player and limit bidding to the number of chips in the possession of each player. Thus, only red chips are required. Players never lose chips and only advance their scores. All other rules remain the same.
Author's commentary on the game:
Given about 5 minutes for a hand of cards, a three player game should last about 30 to 45 minutes. A four player game may take up to an hour and a five player game may last more that an hour. Also, the competiveness of the games increases with more players. In a five player game, it more difficult to achieve the 14 point thresold and the game may end after the third round of deals.
Zero bids can be thought of as a defensive play to protect against the loss of chips. Zero bids are most often seen in five player games, less often in four player games and very rarely seen in three player games.
Ending game scores may be recorded thusly: 14-2. The "14" is the number of points achieved and the "2" is the number of white bidding chips remaining in the player's possession and reflects how successful bidding has been.
Players may wish to calculate their average score per hands played. For example, a score of 12 achieved over 8 hands equates to an average of 1.5 per hand. This is a good metric to track a player's performance over many games.
In Closing
Finally, a word about the emphasis on seven card hands and the word “fortnight”. As may or may not be known, the organization of a modern deck of cards is analogous to the structure of a calendar year. A deck of cards has four suits. The year has four seasons. There are 52 cards in a deck. There are 52 weeks in a year. Adding up the numbers 1 to 13 in each suit equals a total of 364, one day less than a year (the joker makes it 365). Fortnight Whist continues this analogy starting with seven card hands - a week’s worth of tricks; the goal of 14 points - a fortnight of points.
So gather some friends and try this simple yet elegant card game tied to the passage of time.
Copyright 2023 P.F.K. Stucki
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all my friends who have participated in the development of this game over the last seven years.They have provided valuable feedback and support during the many iterations of the game in the following locations: Princess Anne, Maryland; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Christ Lutheran, Vienna, West Virginia and the Senior Center, Vienna, West Virginia.
A special thanks for technical support goes to the Makerspace/BB2C of Marietta, Ohio and the IT department at West Virginia University, Parkersburg.
