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Joker in the hole

August 3, 2026 · 3 min read · Josh

About

Joker in the hole is free open-source trick taking card game inspired by Oh Hell, Euchre, and Wizard. I designed this game when we wanted to play Wizard one day, but we forgot the custom cards.

So please, play it, share it, and enjoy.

Game Overview

  • Players: 3 to 6
  • Deck: Standard 52-card deck
  • Type: Trick-taking game
  • Rounds: 10 (3 – 5 players), 8 (6 players)
    • Round 1: 1 card dealt to each player
    • Continue increasing by 1 card each round

Setup Each Round

  1. Deal the appropriate number of cards for the round.
  2. Flip the top card of the remaining deck to determine trump:
    • Number / Face Card: That suit is trump.
    • Joker: No trump this round.
    • Ace: Dealer chooses the trump suit.
  3. Players look at their hands.
  4. All players count down from 3 and simultaneously show (on fingers) how many tricks they predict they will win.

Turn

  • The player to the left of the dealer leads the first trick.
  • Play proceeds clockwise with players choosing a card from their hand and playing it.
  • Players must follow suit if able, unless the first card played is an Ace or Joker.
  • If unable to follow suit, any card may be played.
  • The winner of each trick is the person with the highest value card in play.
  • The winner leads the next.

Card Rankings (Low → High)

Joker:

  • Always loses.
  • Exception: If a Joker is played immediately after another Joker, it counts as an Ace (see Ace rules below).

Non-Led Suit:

  • Cards of the non-led suit will always lose, with the exception of Trumps and Ace’s (see below).

Led Suit:

  • 2 → 3… → 10 → Jack → Queen → King

Trump Suit:

  • Any trump beats any non-trump (except an Ace, see below).
  • Among trumps, highest rank wins.

Ace:

  • The first Ace played automatically wins the trick, any subsequent Aces do not beat the first played.
  • You cannot play an Ace of a non-led suit if you still have cards of the led suit.
  • You may play an Ace of the led suit even if you have other cards of that suit.
  • You are not required to play an Ace to follow suit.

Scoring

After all tricks are played:

If prediction is EXACT:

10 points per trick won + 20 bonus points
Example:

  • Predicted 3
  • Won 3
  • Score: (3 × 10) + 20 = 50 points

If prediction is incorrect:

Lose 10 points per trick over or under your prediction.

Example:

  • Predicted 4
  • Won 2
  • Missed by 2
  • Score: –20 points

Score Sheets
A4 4x4 | A6 single page