Call how many tricks you expect to win, then try to hit that number exactly.
Guide
How to Play
A practical guide to common Oh Hell rules and the way this scorekeeper handles them.
Traditional Rules
How Oh Hell Is Commonly Played
These are the core ideas most tables use. Exact details can vary by house rules.
Bidding usually starts to the dealer’s left, and the dealer bids last.
Players follow suit if they can. Highest card of the led suit wins unless a trump suit is being used.
Oh Hell has many local variations. This app supports a practical subset of the most common ones.
App Flow
Start a Game in This App
This is the fastest way to get a table running inside the app.
- Enter players in table order, starting with the dealer for round 1.
- Set the highest card count for the game.
- Choose scoring, Screw the Dealer, and whether the 1-card round is played twice.
- Start the game and enter bids before moving into trick tracking.
Scoring
Supported Methods
The app supports two scoring styles that cover the most common tables we discussed.
Exact bids score 10 plus tricks taken. Missed bids score tricks taken.
Exact bids score 10 plus tricks taken. Missed bids lose 10 points per trick off the bid.
Round Flow
During Play
Each round opens in bidding mode. Enter the table’s bids before switching to play.
After the hand is played, record how many tricks each player actually got.
A round only closes when the total tricks recorded matches the cards dealt for that round.
FAQ
Common Questions
The first player listed deals round 1. The dealer rotates in that same player order every round.
When Screw the Dealer is on, the dealer cannot make the total bids equal the cards dealt for that round. Illegal dealer bids are blocked before play can start.
A round is complete only after every player has a bid and a got value recorded, and the total tricks got equals the number of cards dealt that round.
It changes the round sequence from a single one-card midpoint to two one-card rounds in the middle of the game.
Yes. Completed rounds can be expanded and edited. Finished games can also be reopened if the saved results need correction.
The app saves a final-results view with standings, round history, and actions for rematch, reopen, or clearing the saved game.
No. It gives a solid overview of common Oh Hell play plus the exact rules this app supports, without trying to document every house variation.
Sources
External References
These references informed the general gameplay section.