13 Trick Card Game
Learn how to play trick-taking card games built around a 52-card deck and 13 tricks per hand. Short rules, fair scoring, and a simple scorekeeper that stays in your browser.
- card standard deck
- 52
- card standard deck
- players, 13 cards each
- 4
- players, 13 cards each
- tricks in every hand
- 13
- tricks in every hand
Guide
How to Play the 13 Trick Card Game
A compact deal-and-trick flow for a standard 13-card hand.
1. Deal thirteen
Shuffle a 52-card deck and deal 13 cards to each of four players. The remaining deck is empty — every card is in play.
2. Lead the first trick
A nominated leader plays any card. Others play in turn. Follow suit when you can; otherwise play any card allowed by your table’s trump rules.
3. Win the trick
The highest card of the led suit wins, unless a trump is played and your house rules rank trumps above the led suit. Winner leads the next trick.
4. Finish all thirteen
Continue until 13 tricks are taken. Tally tricks (or agreed points), reshuffle, and deal the next hand.
One point per trick
Default scoring awards one point for each trick won in the hand. A perfect 13 is rare and memorable.
Running totals
Add each hand’s tricks to a running scoreboard. Play to a target (for example 50 or 100) or a fixed number of deals.
Optional bonuses
Tables may add small bonuses for taking exactly a bid, or penalties for taking zero. Agree before the deal.
Keep it visible
Use paper or the on-site scorekeeper so every player sees the same numbers after each hand.
Example
A Sample Hand, Trick by Trick
One illustrative hand with four players, showing who wins each trick and how the score adds up.
Ana, Ben, Cara, and Dev each hold 13 cards and play clockwise in that order. They agreed that spades are trump and that Ana leads first.
Trick 1: Ana leads K♠, Ben plays 4♠, Cara A♠, Dev 9♠. Cara wins with the highest spade and leads next.
Trick 2: Cara leads Q♥, Dev plays 3♥, Ana A♥. Ben has no hearts, so he plays 5♠, a trump, and wins the trick.
Trick 3: Ben leads J♦, Cara plays 10♦, Dev K♦, Ana 2♦. Nobody trumps, so Dev wins with the highest diamond.
Ten more tricks follow. At the end, Ana has 3, Ben 4, Cara 2, and Dev 4. The counts must add up to 13, a quick check for mistakes.
| Player | Hand 1 | Hand 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ana | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Ben | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Cara | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Dev | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Σ | 13 | 13 | 26 |
With bids and a 5-point bonus for an exact bid, hand 1 scores differently. If the bids were 3, 3, 2, and 4, Ana, Cara, and Dev hit theirs exactly and score 8, 7, and 9; Ben took one more than he bid and scores 4.
The scorekeeper on this site counts tricks for the current hand and stops at 13. Keep running totals and bonuses on paper.
Variants
Common Variants and House Rules
The deal and the tricks stay the same. Tables mostly differ on trumps, bidding, and scoring, so agree on these first.
Trump choices
Some tables fix one suit as trump for the whole game. Others turn up a card to set trump, let a player pick it, or rotate it each hand.
No-trump hands
With no trump, only the led suit can win a trick, so long suits and high cards matter more.
Bidding
Before the first lead, each player predicts how many tricks they will take. Scoring then rewards accuracy, such as a bonus for an exact bid.
Partnerships
Four players can play as two teams, partners sitting opposite. Partners combine their tricks, and the team that takes seven or more wins the hand.
House rules at a glance
| Rule | Default in this guide | Common alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Trump | None, or one suit agreed before the deal | Turned-up card, player's choice, rotating, or no-trump hands |
| Scoring | One point per trick | Exact-bid bonus, or points only when a bid is made |
| Zero tricks | No special rule | A penalty, or a bonus if announced in advance |
| Game end | Target score (50 or 100) or a fixed number of hands | Play on after a tie until one player leads |
Related trick-taking games
Several well-known games share this four-player, 13-card deal, each with its own full rules. Whist and Bridge are played in partnerships, Spades always makes spades trump, and Hearts has no trump. Oh Hell changes the hand size every round. This guide covers only the shared basics.
Play better
Table tips
Practical habits that improve play without complex conventions.
Count remaining suits
Track which suits are exhausted. When a suit is void, later tricks in that suit become trump or discard races.
Lead from strength
Early leads from long strong suits often pull out high cards and clarify who controls the hand.
Save an exit card
Keep a safe exit so you are not stuck leading into dangerous suits late in the hand.
Talk house rules first
Confirm trump selection, scoring target, and whether reneging is corrected before the first lead.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about dealing, tricks, scoring, and the local scorekeeper.
Rules vary from table to table. Settle house rules first, then keep one shared score.
Ready for the next hand?
Skim the rules once, then keep score locally while you play. No signup, no downloads.