How to Play Oh Hell: A Complete Beginner's Guide

What Is Oh Hell?

Oh Hell is a favorite with our family because it's easy to learn but has a surprising amount of depth. The main twist is the bidding — after you see your hand, you have to predict exactly how many tricks you'll take. It's a fun mix of luck and strategy that keeps everyone engaged.

Setup

Its a competitive game that even kids can learn. Each player gets a hand of cards, and the number of cards dealt changes each round. The first round starts with 1 card each, then 2 cards in the next round, and so on until you reach a max hand size (usually 7 or 10).

How Bidding Works

You guess how many tricks you think you can win based on your hand. The catch? You have to be exact. If you bid 3 and take 3, you score points. If you're off by even one, you get nothing. It creates a fun tension where you want to be ambitious but not too risky.

Playing a Round

Highest card of a suit wins the trick. Follow suit if you can, and trump cards beat everything else.

Scoring

If you make your bid you get 10 points plus how many tricks you took. If you miss your bid, you get zero. The player with the most points after all rounds wins.

Tips for Beginners

Bid less tricks than you think you can take — it's better to be safe than sorry. Pay attention to what others are bidding and try to read their play style. And remember, it's all about having fun with family!

Play Oh Hell Online

You can play Oh Hell right now on Family Time — with AI opponents to practice against or real players via video chat. Try it free →