Wizard (card Game) - Variations

Variations

• Hidden Bid - Each player writes his bid on a piece of paper and all bids are revealed simultaneously before play begins. (Wizard bidding coins can also be used.)
• Delayed Reveal Bid - Similar to "Hidden Bid" but bids are not revealed until all the tricks have been played.
• Wizard Maximus- All cards are dealt out in every round of play.There are only 5 rounds of play per game. Trump changes in each round as follows, i. Clubs ii. Diamonds iii. Hearts iv. Spades v. No Trump. Everything else is the same.
• Wizard Saboteur - The dealer is always the “Saboteur”. The saboteur does NOT bid and always receives 20 points at the end of the hand. The saboteur tries to prevent other players from making their bids.
• Lost Weekend Bid or Hands In Bid - All players determine their bids and place a closed fist (or fists) on the table in front of themselves. On the dealer's count (usually three), all players reveal their bids with a corresponding number of fingers. (Fist remains closed for zero; one finger = bid of one, etc.) The scorekeeper records the bids at that time. Thus all bids are known but there is no advantage to, or burden on, the dealer. Commonly used at the Lost Weekend in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA.
• Hardcore rule - If there are 4 or more tricks in the hand the dealers must make the bid uneven regardless of score.
• Third Time's The Harm - Every third hand all players must bid before looking at their hands.
• Quick play - Hand size increases by 2 cards instead of 1 each round to speed up play. The final round should always use all the cards, thus 3, 5 or 6 player games start with a hand of 2 cards and a 4 player game must start with a 1 card round.
• Nannie's Rule - The game can also be played in reverse starting with the maximum hands and going down to 1, eliminating the lowest score after every second or third round.
• Jester bid - The bid is always 0, making the Jester the best card.
• Chatham Bid The bids aren't revealed until after the round has been played.
• Forehead card - When only one card is dealt the player does not look at the card, but instead places it facing out on his or her forehead. This allows the player to see the other player's cards, but not his or her own. Bids and play continue as usual.
• Smyrna Style - When a Wizard is turned as the trump card at the end of the deal, the dealer gets to designate the trump suit, but also specifies a special additional rule that applies to the next hand. The special rule is intended to cause confusion and chaos. Examples of the special one-hand rules are:
  • the Gizzard/Fester rule. When a Wizard is played, the player must call "Gizzard!" or else the card counts as a Jester. If a Jester is played, the player must call "Fester!" or else the card counts as a Wizard.
  • the pass one rule. After the bids are made, each player passes one card to the player on their left.
  • the pull one rule. After the bids are made, each player can pull one card from the hand of the player on their right.
  • the last card up rule. The last card of each hand is dealt up, so all players can see it.
  • the uber-wizard rule. The dealer specifies a card or class of card (Jesters, Suicide Kings, Queen of Spades) that trumps all trumps.
  • The points for tricks are as follows: 5-0, 10-1, 15-2, 20-3, and 25 for 4 tricks. No extra bonus for getting what you bid.