TL:DR
Trick-taking is a fundamental card game mechanic where players compete in rounds called "tricks" by playing one card each, creating strategic depth through suit-following rules and trump cards.
- Trick-taking involves players playing one card per round, with the highest card of the lead suit typically winning the trick
- Trump cards override other suits and add strategic complexity, but players must follow the lead suit if possible
- Games vary in objectives: winning most tricks, capturing high-value cards, or avoiding specific tricks entirely
- Strategic decisions include when to play trump cards, how to lead tricks, and managing high versus low cards
- Modern games like Arcs use trick-taking for action selection rather than traditional scoring methods
The mechanic's ancient origins dating back to 800s China demonstrate its enduring appeal, whilst contemporary designs continue to innovate within this classic framework, proving that trick-taking remains relevant for both traditional card games and modern board game design.
What is trick-taking in board games?
A trick-taking game is a card- or tile-based game in which play centres on a series of finite rounds called tricks. These are each reviewed to determine a winner or 'taker' of that trick. The mechanic involves players taking turns playing one card each round. The trick goes to the player who played the highest card of the lead suit. Games featuring a trump suit allow trump cards to override other suits and add a layer of complexity to the simple structure.
The objective in a trick-taking game varies in different variants. Plain-trick games focus on the number of tricks taken. Players want to win as many tricks as possible. Point-trick games assign varying values to certain cards. The winner is determined by the total points accumulated from cards in taken tricks rather than the number of tricks won. Trick-avoidance games invert the standard objective and require players to avoid taking some or all tricks. Some games challenge players to predict the number of tricks they will win. Accuracy and timing become significant elements of gameplay.
Strategic depth emerges from multiple decision points during play. Players must balance the need to follow suit and manage both high and low cards in their hand. The decision of when to deploy trump cards and how to lead a trick creates player interaction and forward-thinking requirements. This strategic complexity exists despite the mechanic's ancient origins. Some of the earliest known card games were trick-taking games played in China during the 800s.
Trick-taking games accommodate various partnership structures and rule configurations. Players may compete against each other or form fixed partnerships with opponents sitting opposite them. They can also create temporary alliances based on contract outcomes. Trick-and-draw games allow players to replenish their hands after each trick. Other variants distribute all cards at the game's outset. The Texas 42 domino game demonstrates that the mechanic extends beyond card games to tile-based formats.
A trick from The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
How does the trick-taking mechanic work?
The basic turn structure
Each hand begins with a dealer distributing a prescribed number of cards to all players. A trick consists of each player playing one card face up to the table in rotation. The dealer function moves from deal to deal in the normal direction of play, which is clockwise in games originating from English-speaking countries. Once every player has contributed a card to the trick, the cards are reviewed to determine the winner, who collects them face down and starts the next trick.
Leading and following
Whoever leads plays the first card of the trick and establishes the suit that others must follow. The leading player has free choice over card selection in most games. Following suit means playing a card of the same suit as the lead card. Players must follow suit if they hold cards of the leading suit in their hands. Players may either play a trump card or discard a card from another suit when unable to follow suit. Playing a trump when unable to follow suit is termed "ruffing" or "cutting", while playing a non-trump card is called a "discard". Leading controls which suit others must play, and playing a suit of which the leader has many decreases the chance that others can follow suit.
Determining the winner of each 'trick'
The winner is the player who played the highest-ranked card of the suit led. The highest trump card wins the trick whatever the lead suit in games featuring a trump suit. Cards played off-suit, neither trumps nor of the suit led, never win a trick. Playing last to a trick provides an advantage, as that player has complete information about other cards played and can calculate exactly what card to play.
Common rules and variations in trick-taking
Trump cards and their power
Trump suits represent a most important variation introduced to European card games during the 1400s. A trump is a playing card lifted above its usual rank, with an entire suit nominated as the trump suit. These cards outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. The determination of trump varies in games of all types: it may be selected randomly by turning up a card, set by the game's rules, or chosen by a winning player.
Trump cards cannot be played if the player holds any cards of the suit led to the trick in most games, as the requirement to follow suit takes higher priority. But in a few games, trumps can be played at any time. Playing the first trump to a trick that has started is known as trumping or ruffing, whilst playing a higher trump over an existing trump constitutes an overruff or overtrump.
Must-follow vs optional suit rules
Most games require players to add a card of the same suit if able. The available options depend on game-specific rules if a player cannot follow suit. Players may play any other card from their hand. But some games mandate that players must trump or overtrump if unable to follow the led suit.
Scoring methods
Trick-taking games employ three common objectives:
- Plain trick games focus on capturing as many tricks as possible, or a specific number of tricks
- Point trick games award victory based on capturing specific high-value cards within tricks rather than the quantity of tricks won
- Trick avoidance games reverse the standard goal and require players to avoid capturing specific cards or tricks
Examples of popular trick-taking games
Arcs
Arcs employs trick-taking elements as an action-selection framework rather than a traditional scoring mechanism. Cole Wehrle designed the game and Leder Games published it. The game uses cards with suits that determine available actions and values that establish initiative for subsequent rounds. Players choose between surpassing the lead card with a higher card of the same suit, pivoting to a different suit, or copying the lead action by playing face-down. The designer hesitates to classify Arcs as a trick-taking game and cites that it does not track tricks taken over the course of play. The mechanic's influence remains fundamental to its strategic framework.
An example of a Trick from Arcs
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Trick Taking Game
This co-operative campaign spans eighteen chapters that follow Tolkien's novel. Each player assumes a character role with specific win conditions that must be satisfied at the same time to advance through the story. Frodo requires capturing ring cards while Pippin wants to win the fewest tricks possible. The game has limited communication rules that prohibit players from discussing their hands during play. The One Ring functions as the sole trump card, though rings cannot lead tricks until one has been played off-suit.
Skull King
Skull King combines simultaneous bidding with a hierarchical card structure over ten rounds. The sixty-six-card deck has five suits along with Escape cards and special characters like Mermaids, Pirates, and the Skull King. Players score twenty points per trick when meeting their bid and lose ten points per trick when incorrect. Special cards create a power hierarchy where Mermaids trump numbered cards, Pirates trump Mermaids, and the Skull King defeats all cards except Mermaids.
