Whot!

This article is about the card game. For the American radio station with these call letters, see WHOT-FM.

Whot is a card game played with non-standard deck in five suits: circles, crosses, triangles, stars and squares. It is a shedding game similar to Crazy Eights and was one of the first commercial games based on this family.

Whot

Origin	England
Alternative names	Whot!
Publisher	W H Storey & Co Waddingtons Winning Moves
Type	Shedding
Players	2+
Skills	Hand management
Cards	54
Playing time	Varies
Chance	High
Related games
Crazy Eights • Uno

The game has been adapted into different formats, the most popular of which in Africa is the Nigerian Whot Game, where it has been described at Nigeria's national card game.

Origins

The game was invented by William Henry Storey a game designer and printer from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. Storey trademarked Whot in 1935, and it was originally published by W.H. Storey & Co. Ltd. of Croydon.

Waddingtons acquired the game and it was popular in Britain in the 1950s and 60s and printed until the 1990s. The name of the game is given an exclamation mark ("Whot!") on later packs. The game is currently distributed by Winning Moves.

Gameplay

Deck

A standard Whot deck contains 54 cards from 5 suits: circles, squares, triangles, stars and crosses. These are numbered between 1 and 14 although not all numbers are included for each suit. The remaining 5 cards are special cards called "Whot" cards and designated the number 20.

Cards in the deck

Suit	Cards
Circles	1	2	3	4	5		7	8		10	11	12	13	14
Triangles	1	2	3	4	5		7	8		10	11	12	13	14
Crosses	1	2	3		5		7			10	11		13	14
Squares	1	2	3		5		7			10	11		13	14
Stars	1	2	3	4	5		7	8
5 "Whot" cards numbered 20

Rules

To start, a dealer shuffles the deck and deals six cards to each player. The top card from the deck is placed face up to serve as the "call card" (a base on which other cards are played), and what remains of the deck is placed face down between the players as the draw pile (generally referred to as "market" in most parts of Nigeria).

In turn each player must either play a card onto the call card with the same symbol or number as the call card, play a "Whot" card, or draw the top card from the draw pile. Players do not have to play a card, but if they don't they must still take from draw pile (commonly known as market). The special "Whot" card can be played onto any call card, and allows the player to choose which symbol is used for the next player's turn.

The game continues until a player plays their last card, and they are the winner of the round. Play may be extended over multiple rounds by scoring. Once a player has played their last card all other players score points from counting up the value of the cards remaining in their hands (stars scoring double). Players may then be eliminated from the game once passing a certain cumulative score, or the winner may be the player with the lowest cumulative score over multiple rounds.

Rules and play-strategy of the Nigerian Whot-version

How many cards each payer gets at the start, is agreed between the players. It is usually three, four or five cards per player given from the mixed deck called market in a way that no player can see the other‘s cards.

The winner is the first player that doesn‘t hold any cards.

The last is the player whose card values add up to the highest number.

Turns

You either play a card or you pick a card. When you pick a card, it is the next players turn.

Whot! is normally played clock-wise, (next player is on the left side), but the direction can change as part of a playing rule, that the players agreed on. See "2-card“ and "5-card“ description below.

Strategy:

- Cards that can not be defended:

“14-card“ (General market): All other players must pick one card each from the deck (market) and the player that played the "14-card" can play again.

"1-card“ (Hold on - skips all other players): All other players are skipped and the player that played the „1-card" can play again.

"8-card“ (Skips the next player): The "8-card“ is similar to the „1-card", if there are only two players (left).

- Cards that can be defended:

"2-card“ (Pick 2) - Defended with a "2-card“: The next player must pick two cards from the top of the deck (market), unless the player plays a "2-card“ as-well, then the third player has to pick four cards from the market, unless the third player plays a "2-card“. This goes on until a player doesn‘t play, because the player doesn‘t have a "2-card“ or doesn‘t want to play it.

Then that player must pick two cards for every "2-cards“ that was played.

E.g.: If four "2-cards“ were played then the player that can‘t or doesn‘t want to play a „2-card“ has to pick eight more cards from the top of the deck (market).

Note: Do not play a "2-card“, if you think that all other players have "2-cards" as well and you can't defend yourself with another "2-card. If that were the case ,you would have to pick two cards from the market for every "2-card" that was played in a row. This would be a disadvantage for you, because you can only win, if you are the first to get rid of all your cards.

"5-card“ (Pick 3) - Defended with a "5-card“: The "5-card“ is similar to the "2-card“. The difference is:The player, that can't, or doesn't want to, defend against a "5-card“ by playing another "5-card“, has to pick three cards from the market for every "5-card" that was played in a row.

It is generally advisable to hold on to your "2- and 5-cards“ to be able to defend. Especially if the other players hold a lot of cards and therefore probably have "2- and 5-cards“ themselves.

It is generally advisable to play your "2- and 5-cards“, if the other players hold a small amount of cards, to prevent them from winning.

If you pay attention to how many "2- and 5-cards“ have been played, you can estimate the risk of playing a "2- or 5-card“ yourself.

"2- and 5-card“ (Change direction): Before the game starts, the players can agree to allow the option of changing the playing direction e.g. from clockwise to anticlockwise, when a "2- or 5-card“ is played. This opens the possibility to attack the player on your other side, if that player is close to winning.

In this case say out loud: "Pick two and change direction" or "Pick three and change direction".

"Whot-card" (Symbol-change) - Defended with a "Whot-card": You can change the card-symbol of the call-card that another player demanded by playing a "Whot-card" and demanding for a call-card-symbol that you want. E.g. change the call-card from circle to triangle.

A player must pick a card from the top of the market. if the player doesn’t have the symbol demanded by the "Whot-card" player.

If a player has very few cards left, (one or two cards), then it‘s advisable to use a "Whot-card" and demand for a symbol that the player probably doesn't have, to prevent the player from winning. Otherwise demand for a symbol of which you have the most cards, so you can get rid of them.

It is often helpful to wish for a symbol of which you have a "14-card“, "1-card“ or "8-card“ so you can play twice or more times in a row, or skip the next player.

A "Whot-card" can be played onto any other card that doesn't force you to pick cards from the deck (market). So if your last card is a "Whot-card", it is easier for you to win.

Order of playing your cards: It is advisable to play the cards with the highest values first, because the smaller the added-up values of the cards you hold, after the game has ended, the more likely you will not be the last.

Order of sorting your cards: If you hold a lot of cards, it is helpful to sort your cards by grouping together:

- the same symbols

- all "14-cards"

- all "1-cards"

- all "8-cards"

- all "2-cards" and

- all "5-cards"

this will make it easier for you to play quickly and not overlook the best card you could have played.

It often happens that players with a lot of cards can get rid of them quickly and players that were close to winning have a lot of cards a few rounds later.

This is because the payer with a lot of cards has a high probability to play attacking cards, while the players with few cards are less likely to be able to defend and are less likely to have a card they can play onto the call-card.

Time: Usually every player has 10 second’s to play a card. Other time lengths can be agreed between the players.

If a player does not play a card within that time window, the player is demand by the other players to pick a card from the market for waiting to long. Then it’s the next players turn.

The players do not use a timer or look at their watches every few seconds, but react when the waiting time feels to long.

The time window prevents a player from not playing, when the player will probably end up last, or when another player is close to winning.

-Say out loud (To inform the other players):

If you play your…

- 1-card, say: "Hold on"

- 2-card, say: "Pick two", (Optional: "Pick two and change direction")

- 5-card, say: "Pick three", (Optional: "Pick three and change direction")

- 8-card, say: "Skip or Sustain"

- 14-card, say: "General market"

- Second-to-last card, say: "Last card"

- Last card, say: "Check up"

Failing to say:

If you fail to say "Last card" before the next player has played, you have to pick two more cards from the deck (market).

If you fail to say "Check up" in the moment you place your last card on the table and the next player continues playing, then you have to pick two more cards from the deck and the game continues.

Failing to say "Pick two", "Pick three", "Skip or Sustain" or "General market" does not have consequences, but it contributes to the liveliness of the game, if they are spoken out loud.

Example-1

Whot-Cards nigerian playing rules example1

In example-1, "4-circle" is the call-card. The player can play either "8-circle", "11-circle", "4-star" or the "Whot-card" by laying it on "4-circle". If "8-circle" is played the player on the left side (in clockwise play) is skipped (left-out) and it‘s the next players turn. If the "Whot-card" is played the player can choose the symbol that next player must play.

Example-2

Whot-Cards nigerian playing rules example2

In example-2, "3-cross" is the call-card. The player can play "14-cross", (by laying it on "3-cross", forcing all other players to pick one card each from the deck (market) and skip their turns, but the "14-cross"-player can not follow up by either playing another 14-card or a cross-card and therefore has to pick a card from the deck (market) as-well.

Online game: Whot King

There is a Nigerian version of Whot! called Whot King, that you can play online. Available in Apple- and Google-App stores.

Variations

In later versions of the game, playing a "Whot" card also allows the player to choose to reverse the direction of play, or force the next player to miss a turn.

Players might also be allowed to play multiple cards in a single turn when completing a "straight" (a run of cards of the same shape).

The impact of star cards on scoring and gameplay can also be modified. Players double their entire score for each star card remaining in their hand at the end of play, but are also able to play star cards using either the number in the top left or the doubled number written in the star.

Other cards might also be assigned special features. In one variant these special features include:

1, Hold On

every player other than the one who played the card loses a turn and the card player plays again

2, Pick Two

the next player draws two cards from the deck and loses their turn

8, Suspension

when played, the next player loses their turn

14, General Market

every other player draws a card from the deck and loses a turn

In another variant these special features include:

1, Hold On

every player other than the one who played the card loses a turn and the card player plays again

4, General Market

every other player draws a card from the deck and loses a turn

7, Pick Two

the next player draws two cards from the deck and loses their turn

8, Suspension

when played, the next player loses their turn

Some variants of the game include:

5, Pick Three

the next player draws three cards from the deck and loses their turn

External links

• Rules of Card Games - Whot!
• Video explaining the rules from Winning Moves