Whist (a trick-taking game) is a classic card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries and was a development of an older game Ruff and Honours. Although the rules are extremely simple there is enormous scope for scientific play and since the only information known at the start of play is the player's thirteen cards (plus possibly the turned up trump card from the dealer's hand), the game is difficult to play well.

In its heyday a large amount of literature about how to play Whist was written. Edmond Hoyle, of "according to Hoyle" fame, wrote an early popular and definitive textbook. By the late 19th century an elaborate and rigid set of rules detailing the laws of the game, its etiquette and the techniques of play had been developed that took a large amount of study to master. In the 20th century, Bridge, which shares many traits with Whist, has displaced it as the most popular card game amongst serious card players. Nevertheless, Whist continues to be played in Britain, often in local tournaments called "whist drives".

Versions of whist