How to Play Oh Hell
Oh Hell is the trick-taking game where guessing right matters more than winning tricks. Bid exactly what you'll take, in deals that shrink from seven cards to one.
The deal
- Four players, everyone for themselves.
- The first hand has seven cards each, the next six, and so on down to one. The full game then climbs back up to seven.
- After the deal, the next card is turned over: its suit is trump for the hand.
Bidding
Starting on the dealer's left, each player bids the exact number of tricks they'll take, from zero up to the number of cards.
The dealer bids last and is hooked: they may not bid the number that would make all the bids add up to the number of tricks. So the bids never balance, and somebody must fail.
Play
- The player left of the dealer leads. You must follow suit if you can; otherwise play anything, including a trump.
- The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led. Aces are high.
- The winner leads the next trick.
Scoring
Hit your bid exactly: 10 points plus the bid (a bid of three made is 13; a bid of zero made is 10). Take one too many or one too few: nothing.
The highest total after the last hand wins.
Playing on kawu
- Short game (7 down to 1, seven hands) or the full game (7 down to 1 and back, thirteen hands) in the settings.
- Three computer levels, hints, and no undo: a card played is played.
Next, read the Oh Hell strategy guide. For the partnership version of bidding, try Spades.
Frequently asked questions
What is the hook?
The dealer bids last and may not bid the number that would make everyone's bids add up to the number of tricks. That guarantees at least one player misses their bid every hand.
What if I take more tricks than I bid?
You score nothing. Only an exact bid scores, which is why a bid of zero is often the safest call with a weak hand.
Is there ever no trump?
Not on kawu: with four players and at most seven cards each, there's always a card left to turn for trump.
Last updated 2026-10-20