Romanian whist is a variant of whist which is similar to the English or American game Oh Hell! It is currently popular in Romania, and there it is simply called "whist". The best chess-player in Christendom may be little more than the best player of chess; but proficiency in whist implies capacity for success in all these more important undertakings where mind struggles with mind. Edgar Allan Poe The game's popularity is declining, and regularly scheduled card games between close friends become a less common pastime altogether. Some players will keep a notebook with their scoreboards to keep their competitive spirit sharp. The learning curve is around 10 minutes, while the average person can play a decent game the second time they try. If not played online the game is most often untimed. A typical online game will last for 15 to 30 minutes as opposed to 30 to 60 minutes required for a decent face to face game. As with most card games, an experienced player will take into account both the mathematical and psychological aspects of play. Rules Romanian whist is a game for 3 to 6 players (best for 4). Each player plays alone. From a standard deck use 8 cards for every player (24 for 3 players, 32 for 4 players and so on, to 48 for 6 players). For 7 players a deck of 48 (6x8) cards is used and the dealer doesn't deal cards for himself, playing the so-called "dead hand". As the turn to deal advances around the table, each player plays "dead hand" several times during a game. There is also the possibility of adding 4 more cards to the deck, turning it into a 56 card deck (for example some decks come with 4 jokers which can be denominated as "1" card, the card with the lowest rank). In this case 7 players can play normally. The cards rank as follows: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, and so on. They have no value because it is a plain trick game. Deal The first dealer is chosen at random. Some players deal cards and the player who gets the highest one, starts. Then the turn to deal rotates clockwise after each hand. The number of cards dealt to each player varies during the game. For the first few deals each player gets only one card. This continues for as many deals