Whist Wednesday: The Basics

If you were wondering what Whist was all about, don't worry because YOU will have your chance to play it at the Lafayette Ball! Just make your way from the Ball Room, through the garden walk, to the back Exhibits and Game Room where you will find at least one table set up for the playing of Whist. We will have staff available to remind you of rules, and a rules sheet at the table, but use the links below to familiarize yourself (and any friends and partners attending the ball with you!) with the game prior to the ball and you'll be sure to take all the tricks!

Due to its simplicity and scientific nature, Whist was a much preferred game during the Regency and is seen more in Regency novels than any other card game. Ironically, the name Whist refers to an observed silence while playing the game, despite the fact that the game itself was considered a social game and much talking was expected during its play.

According to George Hempl, who wrote a book about the game in the 19th century: “Whist was a favorite game with Josephine and Marie Louise, and it is on record that Napoleon used to play whist in Würtemberg, but not for money, and that he played ill and inattentively.” (Whist in the Georgian and Regency Eras)

Click the links below for 2 quick video demos on the basics of playing 4-person, 2-team Whist.

Now that you've got the basics down, enjoy some contemporaneous satirical cartoons lampooning the game.