Play Knockout Whist Online
Play knock out whist at a quiet garden table, free online with no ads or download. Win at least one trick to stay in as seven-card hands shrink toward a final single card. Knockout Whist includes complete matches against three CPU players and 20 original dog-life studies.
How to play Knockout Whist online
- Choose a full CPU match or a study. A match starts with seven cards each. The undealt indicator sets the first trump; in later hands, the survivor with the most tricks in the preceding hand chooses trump after seeing their new hand.
- Select a card and press Play card. Follow the led suit if possible. If you hold a dog-life card, use Knock / wait to keep it for a later trick, or play it now.
- Press Continue to collect a completed trick and Next hand after reviewing survival. The last remaining player wins, or the final one-card hand settles the match. In a study, rescue your dog life by winning one trick.
Controls
Tap or click a card, then Play card. Select a suit and Confirm trump when the choice is yours. Knock / wait immediately keeps your dog card. Keys 1–8 select options; arrows move focus, Enter or Space selects, P confirms, K knocks, H hints, U or Ctrl+Z undoes a study, C continues and Escape clears. Help and Score & rules open separate dialogs.
A tip before you start
A dog-life card does not have to be spent on the next trick. Compare its suit with trump, the card currently winning and the players still to act. Waiting can save the card for a better opening, but keeping it through the last trick still means elimination.
Four seats, clockwise play
You face West, North and East as individual opponents. The pack has 52 cards, with Ace high, then King, Queen, Jack and 10 down to 2. Play runs clockwise: You, West, North, East. Follow the led suit if able; otherwise any card is legal, without compulsory trumping or overtrumping. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the led suit.
From seven cards down to one
Each new hand deals one fewer card to normal players. Take at least one trick to survive. If only one player remains, that player wins immediately. Otherwise the final one-card hand determines the winner. After elimination, you can watch the remaining tricks or start a new match.
The first zero-trick result grants a dog life
The first time one or more players finish a hand without a trick, all those tied players receive one dog-life card next hand. This is one shared rescue event in the match, not a separate second chance for every player. After that event, any player taking no tricks is eliminated.
Play or knock with your single card
A dog may knock to wait on any trick, even when first to act. The first card actually played sets the led suit. Win a trick with your one card and you return to a normal hand next deal; the next clockwise player still holding cards leads after your win. Fail to win, including by keeping the card through the entire hand, and you drop out.
Trump choice and tied leaders
An undealt face-up card sets trump for the first hand. Later, the survivor with most tricks in the preceding hand chooses trump after seeing the new hand. Tied leaders cut cards. This app uses a separately shuffled full pack for the cut, with Ace high and equal ranks recut among tied players, followed by a fresh deal. Suits do not break a cut tie.
The next opening chance
The active player to the dealer's left opens a hand. After that hand, its opening seat becomes the next dealer, even when that player was eliminated. This preserves the next player's opening chance. Within a hand, the trick winner leads next, except when a dog has used its only card.
Twenty open-hand rescue studies
The studies begin at legally reached match positions with all hands deliberately visible. You have one dog-life card and must win a trick against defenders choosing the worst legal replies. Endings grow from two to four remaining tricks and from three to twelve cards across the table. Neither measure decreases; each successive study increases the remaining scale or the number of meaningful play-versus-wait decisions.
Hints and progress
Two successful hints are available per study. A hint preserves a guaranteed rescue or reports that no rescue is guaranteed; an exhausted search reports an unknown answer. Undo restores your choice and all automatic replies without refunding hints. Normal matches have no Undo, and their CPU players and Hint use only their own hand and public information. Study unlocks, best scores and sound preference save locally when storage is available.
Restarting and rule variants
Restart repeats the initial deal after confirmation; New match creates a fresh deal. Unfinished matches restart on reload. This version excludes card exchange, no-dog rules, first-hand immunity and the alternative trump-indicator tie rule. There are no cash stakes, timer, accounts or remote multiplayer.
Frequently asked questions
What if two players take no tricks at the same time?
If this is the first zero-trick event of the match, both get a dog life next hand. If that shared event has already happened, both are eliminated.
Can I knock when I would otherwise lead?
Yes. A dog can wait even in the opening seat. The first player who actually lays a card establishes the led suit.
Does a dog-life winner lead the next trick?
The dog has no cards left after playing. The next clockwise player who still holds cards leads, and the successful dog returns to a normal hand next deal.
Is knock out whist the same as German Whist?
No. This game eliminates players across shrinking hands and includes a one-card dog life. German Whist is a two-player game with a stock phase and a later scoring phase.
Do opponents see my cards?
Normal-match opponents and normal advice cannot inspect hidden hands or the undealt pack. The separate studies intentionally reveal all hands so you can plan against every legal reply.
Do I need the suggested move to pass a study?
No. Any legal choices that win your required trick pass. The two hints show safe choices, but you can find another successful continuation.
About Knockout Whist
Play knock out whist at a quiet garden table, free online with no ads or download. Win at least one trick to stay in as seven-card hands shrink toward a final single card. Knockout Whist includes complete matches against three CPU players and 20 original dog-life studies.
Play this puzzle / casual game in the embedded browser player. No app installation or MangoFun account is required. Follow the instructions shown inside the game; controls and device support depend on the title.
