Make your Oh Hell prediction.
Look at your cards and the trump suit. Call the number of tricks you think you can win. Zero is a perfectly good bid.
THE CLASSIC TRICK-TAKING GAME
Oh Hell card game.
Play Oh Hell online for free against three computer opponents. Call your tricks, then try to win exactly that many.
Less is sometimes more.
THE HOUSE RULECall it. Win it.Exactly.
EST. FORGood timesAll skill levels welcome
June
ComputerTheo
ComputerFrankie
ComputerA LITTLE LUCK. A LOT OF NERVE.
Your Oh Hell table.
Guess your tricks. Trust your hand. Try not to say the name.
Free to play · No sign-up · Just cardsYOUR SEAT
Your next favorite card game.
Progress saved on this device
First time? Play a guided practice hand →Table rules: 1–7–1 cards · Exact bids only
Free, no account needed Three computer opponents Pick up where you left off
A LITTLE HELP AT THE TABLE
Find your next good move in Oh Hell.
01 / TRY IT
Learn Oh Hell by playing.
A guided hand, two tricks, and a clear idea of what to do next.
Start the practice →02 / THINK IT THROUGHBuild your Oh Hell bidding plan.
Build an Oh Hell bidding plan: judge strong cards, spot losing cards, and watch the table.
Read the strategy guide →03 / KEEP SCOREKeep an Oh Hell score sheet.
Check Oh Hell scores, record a card night, or print a sheet for four.
Open the score sheet →EASY TO LEARN. HARD TO CALL.Oh Hell rules,
Oh Hell rules,
at a glance.
The Oh Hell card game rewards accurate predictions. A trick is one card from each player; its winner leads next. Your aim is to take the number you called, even when that means choosing to lose.
Read the Oh Hell rulesFollow suit in Oh Hell.
Each player lays one card. Follow the first suit if you can. The highest trump wins, or the highest card in the led suit.
Score your Oh Hell round.
Hit your bid exactly and score 10 plus your bid. Our default rule gives zero for misses. After the final round, the highest total wins.
THREE DECISIONS TO TRY
Read your first Oh Hell hand.
Before you bid, check how many cards you hold and which suit is trump. Before you play, check the led suit and how many tricks you still need. Those are different decisions: the card that looks strongest at the start may become the card you want to lose later. These examples show what to look for at our table.
Try the free guided Oh Hell bidding practiceOh Hell bidding: zero can be a plan.
Suppose you hold only the 2 of clubs and hearts are trump. That card gives you little reason to expect a winner, so consider bidding zero. It is not a guarantee: the lead and everyone else’s cards still matter. If you are the dealer, also check which bid the restriction allows. A successful zero earns 10 points, just as an exact positive bid earns its bonus.
Oh Hell trump: check the led suit first.
Hearts are trump and someone leads the ace of clubs. If you hold a club, you must play a club, even if you also hold the ace of hearts. If you have no clubs, a heart can beat the led ace. You may instead discard another suit when you want to lose. A later, higher heart can still beat your trump; playing one does not always secure the trick.
Oh Hell scoring: stop at your target.
You bid one and have already won one trick. Another winner would miss the bid, so look for a legal way to lose your remaining cards. The follow-suit rule still applies; you cannot throw away a different suit just because it suits your plan. Under default scoring, finishing on one gives 11 points and finishing on two gives zero. Review the round score before choosing Deal next round.
YOUR HOUSE. OUR TABLE.Oh Hell.
Oh Hell.
Your house rules.
Play Oh Hell in a short 13-round session or a full 19-round game. Start with one card to learn the rhythm, or choose a down-and-up sequence if that matches your usual table.
Every table has its own traditions. By default, exact bids earn 10 + your bid, misses earn 0, and the dealer restriction is on. In New Game, you can also choose to earn points for tricks when you miss. Meet our house rules.
Know this game as Up and Down the River? That name is also used for Oh Hell, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. Match the deal pattern and scoring to the version you know. Our guide to other names explains why checking the rules matters more than the name.
BEFORE YOU ASKOh Hell questions,
Oh Hell questions,
answered.
Can I play Oh Hell online for free?
Yes. This game is free and needs no account or download. Choose “Deal me in” to play against three computer opponents in your browser.
Does this Oh Hell game have multiplayer?
This Oh Hell card game has three computer opponents. They choose bids and cards using their own hands and public table information. This version does not have online multiplayer rooms.
How many people can play Oh Hell?
Our Oh Hell online table has four players: you and three computers. For a physical card game, four to six is a comfortable group; other player counts work with adjusted hand sizes. See the players and deck guide.
Can I resume my Oh Hell game later?
Your latest Oh Hell game is saved in this browser when storage is available. Return on the same device and browser, then choose “Continue your game.” Clearing site data removes the save. Private browsing may remove it when you close the session.
What is a trick in a card game?
A trick is one card played by each person around the table. At our four-player table, that means four cards. One person wins the trick and leads the next one.
Which house rules can I change?
In New Game, choose 13 or 19 rounds, an up-and-down or down-and-up deal, and either exact-bid scoring or points for every trick plus an exact-bid bonus. You can also turn the dealer restriction on or off. These choices apply to the new game; the table always has four players.
Can I change the computer difficulty?
There is one computer difficulty in this version of Oh Hell. Settings lets you change turn speed, which changes the pace rather than the opponents’ decisions. For more thinking time, choose Slow or pause the table. The bidding strategy guide explains how to judge a hand without promising a winning bid.
How can I learn before starting a full game?
Try the guided Oh Hell practice. Five steps take you through a bid, two tricks, and the final score, with explanations of following suit and trump. The practice is separate from your saved game and does not add to your statistics. You can return to the table whenever you are ready.
Can I turn the sound off?
Yes. Use the Sound button above the table or the sound option in Settings to mute card effects and round chimes. Your choice is saved in this browser when storage is available. Sounds begin after you interact with the game, so a newly opened page stays quiet.
Is there a score sheet for playing with a real deck?
The Oh Hell score sheet lets you enter four players’ bids and tricks, calculate round totals, and save the sheet in this browser. Print a blank sheet or your filled results, or download them as CSV. It supports the same two scoring options as our online table; it does not synchronize a group across devices.