LET'S PLAY
GERMAN WHIST-LET
Did you know deck-building games didn’t start with Dominion or Ascension? Whistlet is a 19th-century card game that introduced the deck-building mechanic long before the genre even had a name. This two-player twist on Whist transforms trick-taking into a strategic battle where every card you win shapes the hand you’ll use to claim victory.
Object
Win more tricks than your opponent in the second phase of the game.
What You Need
1 52 Card Deck
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Card Ranks
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Cards are ranked from 2 (low) to Ace (high).
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The trump suit beats all other suits, regardless of rank.
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In each trick, the highest card of the lead suit wins unless a trump card is played.
Set Up
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Deal 13 cards to each player.
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Place the remaining deck as a draw pile.
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Flip the top card of the draw pile face up to reveal the trump suit.
Watch the step by step guide here!
Game Play In Two Strategic Phases
Phase One: Build Your Hand
The non-dealer leads the first trick.
Players must follow suit if possible; otherwise, they can play any card, including a trump.
The winner of each trick takes the face-up card from the draw pile. The loser takes the top face-down card.
Play continues until the draw pile is empty and each player has a final 13-card hand.
Strategy Tip:
Winning tricks here doesn’t score points. Focus on shaping the best possible hand for Phase Two.
Phase Two: The Real Battle
Play 13 tricks using the hand built in Phase One.
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You must follow suit if you can; otherwise, play any card, including a trump.
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The winner of the last trick in Phase One leads.
The player who wins the most tricks in this phase wins the game.
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Winning the Game:
Win at least 7 tricks in Phase Two to claim victory.
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Win all 13 tricks? You don’t just win—you get bragging rights for life!