Gambling terms, explained straight

Card Games

Solo whist rules

A four-player trick-taking card game where each player bids for the right to name trump and play alone, though temporary partnerships may form during a hand.

Players
4
Deal
13 cards each from a 52-card pack
Contracts
Prop (1 unit), Solo (1 unit), Abundance (3 units)1

Key points

  • The dealer turns the last card face up to indicate the prospective trump suit.1
  • In a Solo contract, the bidder must win at least 5 tricks using the turned-up suit as trump.1
  • Unlike fixed-partnership whist, solo whist uses bidding and each player ultimately acts for themselves.12

Where this term is used

Sources

  1. Solo Whist - card game rules - Pagat pagat.com Provides the full rules of solo whist, including the deal, bidding contracts, and trick-taking requirements.
  2. Whist - Kartenspiel Regeln - Pagat pagat.com Clarifies the distinction between fixed-partnership whist and solo whist's individual play.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.