Trick-Taking Game

Bridge, hearts, euchre, spades — if you’ve played cards with grandparents, you’ve probably played a trick-taking game without ever hearing the term. The pattern is the same across all of them: everyone plays a card, one card wins the “trick” based on the rules in play that round, and the winner leads the next one. Repeat until the hand’s empty, then tally up.

What separates one trick-taking game from another is usually how tricks get won — matching suit, highest card, or a designated trump suit that beats everything else — and what winning a trick is actually worth. In some games you want every trick you can get; in others, winning the wrong one costs you. You’ll find a handful of these on the shelf, from the straightforward kind to the trickier trick-and-bid variety.