Whist

Whist is the trick-taking game that filled English card rooms for two hundred years, and the one bridge grew out of. Four players sit in two partnerships, partners opposite one another, and the whole deck is dealt out thirteen cards at a time. There is no bidding and nothing to declare: the dealer's last card is turned face up, its suit is trumps, and the player on the dealer's left leads.

Take the bidding away and what is left is the part that rewards attention — remembering what has gone, reading what your partner meant by the card they chose, and knowing when a low trump is worth more than an ace. You play with a computer partner against two computer opponents at three strengths, or open a table and send the room code to three friends.