Wizard Card Game Rules

Wizard Card Game Rules

Welcome to our guide for the entertaining and strategic card game called Wizard. Originally designed by Ken Fisher of Toronto, Ontario in 1984, this trick-taking game is suitable for three to six players and can be enjoyed by both beginners and experienced card game enthusiasts. The game requires a deck of 60 cards, which includes the standard 52 playing cards with custom symbols and colors, as well as four Wizards and four Jesters. You can purchase the official Wizard card game on Amazon here.

Game Overview

Wizard is a trick-taking card game that originated in Canada and has since been printed commercially in several countries, including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan. It shares some similarities with the game Oh Hell and is a fun addition to your card game collection.

Objective

The main objective of Wizard is to correctly bid on the number of tricks that you will take in each round. Points are awarded for accurate bids and deducted for incorrect ones, with the player accumulating the most points at the end of all rounds declared the winner.

Setup

To set up the game, shuffle the Wizard deck and deal the cards to players. The number of rounds depends on the number of players, ranging from 10 to 20 rounds for three players, 15 rounds for four players, 12 rounds for five players, and 10 rounds for six players. In each round, the number of cards dealt increases by one until all cards are distributed. The top card of the remaining deck is turned over to determine the trump suit, with no trump suit if there are no more cards left or a Jester is turned over. If a Wizard is turned over, the dealer chooses the trump suit.

How to Play

Once each player has their cards, they examine them and place bids on the number of tricks they think they will take in the subsequent round. Players bid starting with the one to the dealer's left, and the bidding continues clockwise. After all players have placed their bids, the player to the left of the dealer starts by playing a card, followed by the remaining players playing cards in order, also following suit if possible.

If a player does not have the led suit, they may play a Wizard or Jester instead. If a suit is played but then a Wizard is played, the next players must follow the initial suit if they possess it. The Wizard beats all other cards except for the first one in a trick, which in turn beats all others. The Jester is beaten by all others, but if all cards in a trick are Jesters, the first one wins. If a Jester is played as the first card, the first suit card determines the suit to be followed. If a Wizard is played as the first card, players are free to play any card regardless of what others have played.

Scoring and End of Game

After each round, players receive points based on their performance. Players earn 20 points for correctly predicting the number of tricks they will take, plus an additional 10 points per trick taken. Conversely, they lose 10 points for each trick over or under their predicted number. The game continues until all rounds have been played, with the player accumulating the most points declared the winner.

Common Variants

There are several optional rules and variations that can be incorporated into Wizard to make the game more challenging or interesting:

1. Canadian Rule: If the dealer (last to bid) has more points than any other player, they may not bid a number of tricks equal to the number of cards in their hand unless they bid zero. This rule adds an extra layer of strategy and prevents one player from dominating the game.
2. Hidden Bid: Players write their bids on paper or use Wizard bidding coins and reveal them simultaneously before play begins.
3. Delayed Reveal Bid: Similar to Hidden Bid, but bids are not revealed until all tricks have been played.
4. Wizard Maximus: In this version, all cards are dealt out in every round of play, with only five rounds of play per game. Trump changes in each round, following the order Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, and no trump.
5. Wizard Saboteur: The dealer is always the "Saboteur" and does not bid. Instead, they try to prevent other players from making their bids.
6. Lost Weekend Bid or Hands In Bid: All players determine their bids and place a closed fist on the table in front of themselves. On the dealer's count, all players reveal their bids with a corresponding number of fingers. This rule is commonly used at The Lost Weekend in South Dakota, USA.
7. Hardcore Rule: If there are four or more tricks in the hand, dealers must make an uneven bid regardless of score.
8. Third Time's The Harm: Every third hand, all players must bid before looking at their hands.
9. Quick Play: Hand size increases by two cards instead of one each round to speed up play. The final round should always use all the cards, so three, five, or six player games start with a hand of two cards, and a four-player game must start with a 1 card round.
10. Nannie's Rule: The game can also be played in reverse, starting with the maximum hands and going down to one, eliminating the lowest score after every second or third round.
11. Jester Bid: The bid is always zero, making the Jester the best card.
12. Chatham Bid: Bids aren't revealed until after the round has been played.
13. Forehead Card: When only one card is dealt, the player does not look at the card but instead places it on their forehead for all players to see.
14. Tricksy Wizard: Trump is initially determined for each round as usual, but whenever a Wizard is played, the trump suit immediately changes to the suit of the Wizard card played if the deck shows suits on the Wizard cards, otherwise the player playing the Wizard may choose the trump suit.
15. All-Wizards, All-Jesters: Each round alternates between assigning all Wizard and Jester cards as either all wizards or all jesters, so that in any round there are either 8 Wizard cards in the deck and no Jesters, or 8 Jesters and no Wizards.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overconfidence: Players should be cautious not to overestimate their abilities and make unrealistic bids based on their hand.
2. Lack of Strategy: New players may neglect using the available strategies, such as bluffing or following suit when possible. It's essential to learn these tactics for better gameplay.
3. Ignoring Trump: Players should be aware of the trump suit and use it to their advantage when making bids and playing cards.
4. Not Paying Attention to Other Players' Bids: Keeping track of other players' bids can help in predicting which cards they might have and adjusting one's strategy accordingly.
5. Rushing: Taking too much time to think about one's bid or the next card to play can lead to mistakes, so finding a balance between thinking strategically and acting quickly is important.