description Boston Whist Overview
Boston Whist is a historical trick-taking card game in the whist family, associated with eighteenth-century French card-game culture. It uses a standard pack and includes a bidding system that determines the contract and trump suit, giving the game a more structured form than ordinary whist. Boston Whist is of interest to players and historians studying the development of contract-based trick-taking games and the relationship between whist and later games such as bridge.
help Boston Whist FAQ
Where did Boston Whist come from?
Boston, also called Boston Whist or Bostogné, is generally described as an eighteenth-century French trick-taking game. It combined partnership Whist play with solo and alliance bids associated with Quadrille. [Pagat](https://www.pagat.com/boston/)
How many people and cards does Boston Whist use?
The common historical description uses four players and a standard 52-card pack, with each player receiving 13 cards and the hand producing 13 tricks. Historical rule sets vary, so older books may differ in dealing and scoring details.
What does bidding decide in Boston Whist?
Players bid for a contract that can specify the number of tricks, the trump suit, or a solo or alliance arrangement. That bidding is the feature that makes Boston more structured than ordinary Whist, where trump was commonly determined by the deal.
Is Boston Whist the same game as modern Bid Whist?
No. They are related Whist-family games, but modern Bid Whist commonly uses a 54-card deck with two jokers, while historical Boston descriptions usually use a 52-card pack and a different family of contracts. [Pagat](https://www.pagat.com/auctionwhist/bidwhist.html)
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