Oh Hell

[MickyB]

Aim of the game - guess correctly how many tricks you are going to take. The first player to guess will be on lead. The last player to guess can't make the tricks "add up".

 

You are playing five-handed, and you are last to guess in the two card round. You pick up KQ trumps, and relax, expecting your "guess" to be forced. The first hand to act surprises you by stating he will make both tricks!

 

As expected, the next three players all state they won't make any. Do you state that you'll make both tricks, or just one?

[Guest Jlall]

If the first player is not a moron then they must have the ace of trumps here.

[helene_t]

If only 10 of the 52 cards have been dealt, the first player may expect to make a trick of trump jack. The probability of making two tricks of trump J10 is 58.6% I think.

 

But most of the hands which would expect two tricks and don't include trump K or Q indeed do include the ace. So I agree with Justin after all.

[Gerben42]

I will take 1 trick. I don't think the others are bluffing. The other possibility is ♠JT.

[Guest Jlall]

If only 10 of the 52 cards have been dealt, the first player may expect to make a trick of trump jack. The probability of making two tricks of trump J10 is 58.6% I think.

 

But most of the hands which would expect two tricks and don't include trump K or Q indeed to include the ace. So I agree with Justin after all.

The naked trump jack needs to dodge the A,K,Q of trumps as well as any hand with 2 trumps in it.

 

I suppose JT of trumps is possible, but Ace of trumps, ace, or ace of trumps trump is just so much more likely.

[TimG]

In the version of Oh Hell that we play, the bidding is simultaneous and if the tricks "add up" the dealer must change his bid.

[MickyB]

There aren't actually that many hands out there that should guess at two, I think. A weak ace or a weak jack should guess at one then lead the small card. First to act hadn't shown much sign of being competent at the game though B)

 

I went for one, he had J6 or similar.

[brianshark]

I think I've played a game similar to that under the name 'Misère'. It was great fun.

[han]

Definitely 1.

[Al_U_Card]

I think I've played a game similar to that under the name 'Misère'. It was great fun.

Especially the more you drink during the play. :unsure:

 

btw we called it Oh *****! (apologies to Jillybean)

[TimG]

btw we called it Oh *****! (apologies to Jillybean)

We call it Oh Heck. No apologies to Jilly.

[effervesce]

Is this the same game as 'spades'?

[blackshoe]

No.

[MickyB]

In the version of Oh Hell that we play, the bidding is simultaneous and if the tricks "add up" the dealer must change his bid.

Talking of alternative rules - you start off with the whole deck (or as much as possible) being divided between the players, and you work down to one card each then back up again. I suggested that the cards not dealt to anyone on the 'way down' should remain out of play until the way back up again, but we decided that would take a little too much concentration!

[NickRW]

btw we called it Oh *****! (apologies to Jillybean)

We call it Oh Heck. No apologies to Jilly.

If you look this game up on Wikipedia, it has many names. And many scoring variations. I first came across it in '84 and we called it "Game with No Name" because the chap that taught the group of us at work didn't know what it was called - he'd learnt it on holiday in Spain from someone else who also didn't know what it was called. There used to be 5 of us that played regularly - 10p in the kitty, winner takes all - it was quite a good source of extra loose change for me :)

 

Anyway, I'm calling 1, but wouldn't be surprised if I got stuck with both - and against some people in 1st seat I'd call 2 anyhow.

 

Nick

[Mr. Dodgy]

btw we called it Oh *****! (apologies to Jillybean)

We call it Oh Heck. No apologies to Jilly.

If you look this game up on Wikipedia, it has many names. And many scoring variations. I first came across it in '84 and we called it "Game with No Name" because the chap that taught the group of us at work didn't know what it was called - he'd learnt it on holiday in Spain from someone else who also didn't know what it was called.

:) Indeed, my father taught me how to play 'Oh Hell', and other the years I have discovered that many people know this game by disparate names - 'Up and Down The River' is another. We eventually decided that within the family it would be known as 'Gin and Tonic' because of this polynomenclature (Douglas Adams fans will understand).

 

A variation we use applies when there is only one card dealt to each player, whereby the player shows their card to all the other players by placing it face-out on their forehead without seeing it themselves until after having made their bid.

 

We include a Joker, I'll bid one.

[helene_t]

In Danish it's called Pirate Bridge. In Dutch it's called Farmer Bridge.

[vuroth]

I know it as Screw Your Neighbour. A common strategy is to try to stick the leader with an extra trick, or one too few.

 

With J6, I definitely bid 1. It's a tougher hand to bid thank KQ, but it's often easier to toss a potential winner than to pick up an extra trick.

 

With KQ, having heard a bid of 2, I bid 1.

[Gerben42]

To make the round with 1 card more fair, we changed the rules so that you see everyone else's card but not your own for this round.

 

If you see your own card in the round of 1, the player who must bid last is forced to make the losing bid, normally.

[matmat]

To make the round with 1 card more fair, we changed the rules so that you see everyone else's card but not your own for this round.

 

If you see your own card in the round of 1, the player who must bid last is forced to make the losing bid, normally.

indian poker meets oh hell...

[gwnn]

we actually call this Whist, with the 1 carded part cards on forehead.

[Rossoneri]

I know something similar called German Bridge, which we used to play after lessons in high school....

[skjaeran]

I also know this game under different names, Farmer Bridge is the most usual (I learned is as Selbu Whist in my youth - Selbu is a small place close to Trondheim).

 

With one card I'm used to putting this face up on your forehead, so anyone else might see your card.

 

All make their bids simultaneously in our version.

[jikl]

We used to play the round of one so that everyone was dealer for this round once, so for 5 players that would b 5 rounds of one in a row before going back up.

 

Sean

[brianshark]

In the variation I played, there were 10 rounds, with each player getting dealt the number of cards equal to the round number, and trumps alternating sequentially. I can't remember the exact order, but it was something like ♦s, ♥s, ♣s, ♠s, NT for the 1st 5, and the same order again for the next 5.

 

I had a quick look through the wikipedia article and didn't see that variation being described there. Nor did I see 'Misere' as one of the game's names. Strange.