Wily Wizards
Game Style: A trick-catching partner game where Wizards bid on how many tricks they believe they will take before playing each hand. This game is similar to the card game known as Spades, except it uses Wizard Cards and the trump changes each hand based on the selection of the highest bidder.
Number of Players: Four or six (split up into teams of two so each player has a partner). Partners should sit across from each other as pictured below.
Number of Players: Four or six (split up into teams of two so each player has a partner). Partners should sit across from each other as pictured below.
Time to Play: 10 Minutes per hand, 60 Minutes per game.
Object: Each time the highest bidding team wins the number of tricks they bid or more they get one of the letters in the word “WIZARD.” Each time the highest bidding team fails to take the number of tricks they bid, the other teams each get one of the letters in the word “WIZARD”. The first team to get all the letters in the word “WIZARD” is the winner.
Set Up: Pick a dealer. The dealer shuffles the Wizard Cards and deals an equal number to each player until too few cards are left to deal another card to all players. The dealer places any leftover cards into a separate area known as “The Cauldron”. Note: for future hands the dealer will be the player to the left of the previous dealer for each round.
Each player looks through their hand and estimates how many tricks they believe they can catch. Note a “trick” is when each player plays a single card as described in Play section below and the highest card “wins” the trick.
Bidding: The player to the left of the dealer will provide a “bid” of how many tricks they believe they can catch this hand. They may also pass if they do not wish to bid. The next player to the left of the first bidder can pass or bid higher than the first player. Bid continues clockwise until all but the highest bidder passes.
For example, if the first player bids 4 tricks, the next player may pass or bid 5 or more tricks. If they bid 5 tricks the next player may pass or bid 6 or more. If the third player bids 6 and the remaining players pass, then the bid comes back to the first player who bid. They may pass or outbid the highest bidder. This continues until no one is willing to outbid the highest bidder.
Special Notes:
Most Important Note: The highest bidder gets to pick the trump suit for that hand. The “trump” suit is the suit that is the suit which will be higher than all values of the other suits. For example, if the trump suit is determined to be Fire, the Fire 2 will beat the Ice Ace, Sun King, or all other cards of other suits. However, the Fire 3 will beat the Fire 2 just like the normal values of non-trump suits.
The value of the cards from lowest to highest are as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Wizard.
Card Passing: After the trump suit is announced, players will pass three cards facedown to their partners. They don’t look at the cards passed to them until they have passed their cards.
Play: The high bidder plays first. They lay a card face up in the middle of the table to start the trick. The play moves clockwise with each player placing a card face up in the center of the table. Each player must play a card of the same suit as the lead card (if they have one of that suit). If they do not have the lead suit, they may play any card including a trump suit card. The player who plays the highest card is the winner of that trick. The cards from lowest to highest value are (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Wizard). If players played a trump suit card this will be the highest card. If multiple trump cards are played, the highest trump card wins. The winner will take all the cards of the trick and place them face down nearby (slightly offset from any previous tricks they won so they can count their winning tricks easily at the end of the hand).
The following are examples of tricks and who won each:
Object: Each time the highest bidding team wins the number of tricks they bid or more they get one of the letters in the word “WIZARD.” Each time the highest bidding team fails to take the number of tricks they bid, the other teams each get one of the letters in the word “WIZARD”. The first team to get all the letters in the word “WIZARD” is the winner.
Set Up: Pick a dealer. The dealer shuffles the Wizard Cards and deals an equal number to each player until too few cards are left to deal another card to all players. The dealer places any leftover cards into a separate area known as “The Cauldron”. Note: for future hands the dealer will be the player to the left of the previous dealer for each round.
Each player looks through their hand and estimates how many tricks they believe they can catch. Note a “trick” is when each player plays a single card as described in Play section below and the highest card “wins” the trick.
Bidding: The player to the left of the dealer will provide a “bid” of how many tricks they believe they can catch this hand. They may also pass if they do not wish to bid. The next player to the left of the first bidder can pass or bid higher than the first player. Bid continues clockwise until all but the highest bidder passes.
For example, if the first player bids 4 tricks, the next player may pass or bid 5 or more tricks. If they bid 5 tricks the next player may pass or bid 6 or more. If the third player bids 6 and the remaining players pass, then the bid comes back to the first player who bid. They may pass or outbid the highest bidder. This continues until no one is willing to outbid the highest bidder.
Special Notes:
- Once a person passes, they cannot bid again that hand. For example, if they pass the first go- around and the bid comes back to them, they cannot bid again.
- When playing with a partner you want to be wise about not outbidding your partner unless you have an exceptional hand.
Most Important Note: The highest bidder gets to pick the trump suit for that hand. The “trump” suit is the suit that is the suit which will be higher than all values of the other suits. For example, if the trump suit is determined to be Fire, the Fire 2 will beat the Ice Ace, Sun King, or all other cards of other suits. However, the Fire 3 will beat the Fire 2 just like the normal values of non-trump suits.
The value of the cards from lowest to highest are as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Wizard.
Card Passing: After the trump suit is announced, players will pass three cards facedown to their partners. They don’t look at the cards passed to them until they have passed their cards.
Play: The high bidder plays first. They lay a card face up in the middle of the table to start the trick. The play moves clockwise with each player placing a card face up in the center of the table. Each player must play a card of the same suit as the lead card (if they have one of that suit). If they do not have the lead suit, they may play any card including a trump suit card. The player who plays the highest card is the winner of that trick. The cards from lowest to highest value are (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Wizard). If players played a trump suit card this will be the highest card. If multiple trump cards are played, the highest trump card wins. The winner will take all the cards of the trick and place them face down nearby (slightly offset from any previous tricks they won so they can count their winning tricks easily at the end of the hand).
The following are examples of tricks and who won each:
The player who wins the trick plays the first card for the next trick. Play continues until all the cards in the players’ hands have been played.
Winning The Hand: Both players from the team that had the highest bidder counts their tricks and adds them together. If they caught the number of tricks the highest bidder bid or more, they add one letter from the word “WIZARD” to their score. If they do not catch the number of tricks they bid, the other team(s) adds one letter from the word “WIZARD” to their score.
Winning The Game: The first team to win enough letters to spell the word “WIZARD” is the winner of the game.
Variations to Change the Game:
Winning The Hand: Both players from the team that had the highest bidder counts their tricks and adds them together. If they caught the number of tricks the highest bidder bid or more, they add one letter from the word “WIZARD” to their score. If they do not catch the number of tricks they bid, the other team(s) adds one letter from the word “WIZARD” to their score.
Winning The Game: The first team to win enough letters to spell the word “WIZARD” is the winner of the game.
Variations to Change the Game:
- Partners’ Bids Combined – Play so that the combined trick count of both players on a team is their score. So, if their combined trick count is equal or higher than their combined bids, they win the letter for that hand. If their combined score is lower than their combined bid, the other team(s) gets a letter.
- Two Teams – With six players divide into two teams of three players each. Then, two players use the strategy to assist the third player in getting their bid.
- No Partners – Play the game with every player playing for themselves. In this way you can play with 5, 6, or 7 players. The game play is basically the same with the exception that the strategy of partner assistance will not come into play. Also, card passing is slightly different. Use the following method