Wizard
TRICK-TAKING BIDDING CARD GAME (1984) by CANADIAN designer KEN FISHER, published by AMIGO SPIELE (Germany). 3-6 players use a special 60-CARD DECK (standard 52 + 4 WIZARDS + 4 JESTERS). Signature: at start of each hand, players BID EXACTLY how many tricks they'll win. Score bonuses for exact bids, penalties for missing. Wizards always win, Jesters always lose (or are trump ordinal). Card counting + partner-neutral play. 45-60 min. Sold 1M+ copies worldwide. Family relative of OH HELL + SPADES + CONTRACT WHIST.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
3–6
Duration
~50 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇨🇦 Canada
Estimated origin
1984 Ken Fisher; 1986 AMIGO publication
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Win EXACTLY the number of tricks you bid; highest cumulative score after all rounds.
Rules
Basic rules
Round N: deal N cards each; N grows each round
Progressive card count.
Cut for trump; last card of deck = trump suit (Wizards/Jesters have variants)
Random trump.
Each player secretly bids # of tricks they'll win
Exact-bid signature.
Play tricks: highest trump wins; else highest of led suit
Standard trick-taking.
Wizards ALWAYS win their trick (top of trump); Jesters ALWAYS lose
Special cards.
Score exactly: 20 pts for exact bid + 10 pts per trick; -10 per off
Bonus vs penalty.
Scoring
20 pts base + 10 per trick if EXACT; -10 per trick over/under.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Bid exactly matched | 20 + (10 × tricks bid) |
| Bid missed by 1 | -10 |
| Bid missed by N | -10 × N |
Win condition · Highest total score after all progressive rounds are played.
Equipment
Wizard 60-card deck (52 standard + 4 Wizards + 4 Jesters)
Custom deck
Score pad
Tracking bids + points across rounds
Terminology
- Wizard
- Always wins the trick (top of hierarchy).
- Jester
- Always loses the trick (bottom).
- Contract / Bid
- Number of tricks you predict you'll win.
- Set
- Failing to make your bid (any deviation).
Where it is played
Governing bodies
AMIGO Spiele (publisher)
Founded 1980 · Germany
Frequently asked
Wizard vs Oh Hell — how do they compare?+
Very similar bidding trick-takers. OH HELL (folk game, 1920s+) uses a standard 52-card deck; total tricks bid CANNOT equal hand size (last bidder constrained). WIZARD adds 8 SPECIAL CARDS (4 always-winners + 4 always-losers), making bid math + tactics richer + more predictable when planning. Wizard is more commercial (AMIGO 1M+ copies); Oh Hell is a folk tradition. Both reward exact bidding + card counting.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Wizard— Wikipedia