Wizard Review

Simply a great card game that your whole family & friends can enjoy!
Wizard is fun, addictive, cut-throat strategy and the best Card Game in Town!

Looking at a normal deck of cards! Now add 4 Jesters and 4 Wizards for a pack of 60 cards.
Jesters allow you to avoid a suit any time. With wizards the first one lead wins!
Think of wizard as collection of other well known card games all rolled into
one simple game. Think of a card game that will have the trump aspect of Euchre,
the control of Hearts, and the bidding action of Bridge...but really easy to learn!

Learning the game is easy! The game is a lot of fun with an aspect of luck,
but definite strategies to be learned for those who want to go to the next step
and become an advanced player!
You can have it all in one card game! Fun, luck, skill and easy to learn.

George Wellsbury (Merlin) Whitby Ont.

Every single review by every person says only great things about the fun and addicting game of Wizard. Although I am fairly new on the site, Wizard has been a pastime for both me and my family. Let there be many more years of trump and underbidding.

Carolyn from Burlington, Ontario
Creates fabulous family time!
This card game is the best ever! My husband play it with our children and our children's friends. Everyone, no matter what age, can enjoy this card game. A fabulous christmas present for every family!

Name Rating Comment

Chris Pizula (Pazcat)
10 Play Wizard. You can't go wrong.

Stewart Tame (StewartTame)
10 Very addictive trick-taking game. The more players, the better. Especially evil when everyone has only one card and two or more people have bid one ...

Dave OConnor (daveo1234)
9 Basically Oh Hell with the Wizard and the Jester in it. I'm just sorry I never knew this one in college! I could have spent all those hours playing Spades playing this instead. BTW, go get the German version - the cards have killer artwork on them!

Tim Reddy (Shooter)
8 Fun trick-taking game. Classic.

Chris Farrell (cfarrell)
8 The Wizard and Jester cards do not exactly increase the skill element in Oh Hell generally, but this is still a fun game that, like classics like Liar's Dice/Call My Bluff and Can't Stop, is eminently accessible due to it's popular game roots and is fun for gamers. The best of the many Oh Hell knock-offs, IMHO.

Bridgette Morehouse (biddy)
8 Fun trump-taking card game

Bonnie Delaney (BonnieD24)
8 As advertised, it is "the ultimate game of trump!"


Tom Utterback (noisycrow)
8 The addition of the extra cards makes for a great game. Good for the "non-"gamers who like trick taking games (Hearts, etc.)

Joshua Miller (Glamorous Mucus)
8 A distinct improvement on the already-enjoyable traditional game Oh Hell.

Dave Shapiro (qrux)
8 This and Rook are the best of the trick taking games. Note: you have probably played this game under a different name.

Larry Winckles (LWinckles)

8 This used to be our family's favorite game until we were introduced to the german style games. It is still a favorite to play when visiting Grandma and Grandpa at their summer cottage.

Robert Patton (pattonre)

7.5 I don't own the set shown in the picture, but the game is one of the better trick taking card games I have ever played.

Chris Sjoholm (Chris Sjoholm)
7 My copy was published by Bicycle in 1998 or 1999. They published a line of light card games, including Crazy Rummy and Duo, among others.

Michael Becker (Michael Becker)
7 great trick-taking variant

Dana More (themore5@earthlink)
7 Best of the Oh Hell-variants.

Jason Gische (gische)
7 Simple, fun trick taking game.

Robert Martin (robartin)
6 One of the best trick taking games I have played, although I prefer partnership games. The Wizards and Jesters really do add a lot to the game.

Steven Brooks (SBrooksMia)
5 Classic battle of wizards. Low production value.

Kristian Roald Amundsen Østby (Anaesthetic)
3 The special cards are too important and makes for a less strategic game. Play without them. But then you could just play the public domain-version with regular playing cards. More fun

Frank Hamrick (Frank Hamrick)
2This one just doesn't do anything for me. Just another trick taking game.


Travis Eberle (cardshark28800)
It's Oh Hell, but with eight more cards. You could do the same with a deck of 52, and marking eight others.

Tim Thomas (Socal Tim)
Have owned it for years but have rarely played it for some reason. I remember enjoying it, as I do most trick-taking games. I like it better than Rage, because it's less random. Will have to dust if off and try it again!

A gamer from Vermont
8/3/2002


Great game
Our family loves this game. I had to buy one for my daughter who was moving to Wyoming. Recently we took it with us when we were visiting some Appalachian Trail hikers. They liked it so much that we gave them ours to take with them.

The wizards and jesters add a great twist that really frustrates those card counters in the game.


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Ralph H. Anderson from Norwalk, CT
7/15/2002


For Cut Throat Strategy - Play 3 Player
I love Wizard and have been playing it for years now. It is probably the most played game in our group over a number of years now. Our group likes to play three players as we feel with fewer players there is a greater amount of skill involved. I still find it tolerable at four, but once you get to five or six players you have entered a realm where there is a lot more chance to the play. Fun for some, but not as fun for me. With three players, you can directly affect both the other players with your card play- unlike with a higher number of players.

I've probably bought about 8-10 decks for myself because we've worn out the cards and I have given away about as many as gifts. Can't say that about any other game I've ever played. Give it a try - you won't be sorry!


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Terry from Tulsa, Oklahoma
7/3/2002


Fun, Addictive, the best card game ever
I love cards games and picked up Wizard in a game store on the owners recommendation. I have been hooked ever since. I have introduced Wizard to my family and friends and everyone loves it. I must have purchased over 20 decks as requested gifts. The great thing about Wizard is that the game is never the same. The strategies are endless. The game can be brutal because everyone likes to set the leader. It is also fun to see everyone develop their own style of playing. You can be aggressive, passive or somewhere in between and there are always options to add havoc to the game by using the Wizards and Jesters at different strategic times, i.e. taking an ace with a wizard when someone was counting on that trick. Most people think the Wizard card is the best card to have, however the Jester is without a doubt the best card to have in your hand. It can get you out of the lead, save you from taking an unwanted trick, and save trump. This game combines all the fun of hearts, spades or any other bidding card game and improves on it. Its an easy game to learn but is never boring to play. BUY THIS GAME!! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!!!!!!!!!


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Todd from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
12/15/2001


A great game combining strategy and luck
I hadn't played the game in about a year and then introduced it to a few other people for the first time last month. They loved it and were going out to get their own.

While several people have complained that the Wizard and Jester cards eliminate strategy, I did not find this to be the case. There are several times that you are counting on them to be played or not. I find that they merely add a strategic twist to the game. It is an adaptation of Oh Hell, but a good one. It is worth a few extra bucks to have a proper Wizard set of cards


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Chanel from Christchurch, New Zealand
6/28/2001


Hare-and-tortoise dilemma
This is one of the most fun and captivating card games I have played. Other critics have compared it to the likes of Oh Hell and Up the River, but the Wizard cards add a special dynamic.

In terms of strategy, there is a real hare-and-tortoise dilemma: do you bid conservatively for tricks in the hope of slowly but steadily accumulati
ng points, or bid rampantly--at the risk of being penalized for overbidding--in the hope of leaving your contenders reeling in the dust? Knowing just when to play your Wizard or Jester card is crucial.

A word of advice: take turns with the scoring; keeping track of all the penalties and bonuses (especially for 6 players) can be very hard on your concentration!


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John Zaleski from Niagara Falls, Canada
6/27/2001


Challenging game strategy and fun
Once you start, it is difficult to put the game down. Amaze your friends, conquer your enemies, pretend you are the wizard and you can be! Certainly one of the best games I would play when presented with a hi-tech game or Wizard as a choice. I would highly recommend this game.


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Will Murray from Christchurch, New Zealand
6/25/2001


A fun challenge to some card-playing traditions
Wizard is a fun game, but a large part of the appeal it has for me is the challenge it makes to some traditions of card-playing. The most obvious one of these is that winning tricks is necessarily a good thing. However, before I had ever played Wizard I knew a game called Up The River, which had a similar bidding and scoring system. The most interesting challenge is that posed by the special cards: the Wizards and Jesters. Learning how to adapt one's play to incorporate these cards and the likelihood of their turning up in other peoples' hands is a major highlight.

My friend has two Wizard packs and we recently played a variation using both of them. Not for the faint-hearted, as it took hours for 6 players to get from one-card hands up to those with 20 cards in them! Still, it was a lot of fun, and just goes to show how enthralling this game can be.


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Mary from Indianapolis, Indiana
5/3/2001


Addictive
I picked up this game idly in a game store, and tried it on the weekly card group of cousins--we LOVED it--it's addictive--we wore out two decks (my only criticism is that the cards are not of high quality) and now play with plastic decks that we made out of standard plastic decks plus blank cards we ordered from the plastic card people and marked ourselves. We're pretty expert card players (ages 56 to 61) and aren't bored with it after 2 years. I can't understand why it's so slow to catch on. Maybe it's the quality of the cards originally supplied? Anyhow, we're nuts about it.


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Ryan Spain from Seattle, WA
4/24/2001


Excellent tweak of a classic trick-taking game.
Some of the reviewers of this game took points off because they didn't like the 'uber-trump' nature of the four Wizards in the deck, or because it is clearly based on the classic game, Oh Hell.

I think the addition of the Wizards and Jesters is genius, and the best things in life always stand on the shoulders of their predecessors.

Long-time card players frequently find the Wizards frustrating at first, because they throw off the traditional card strengths of a trick-taking game with trumps. You can be dealt the Ace of Trump and not take a trick in Wizard. Therefore, the Wizard 'unbalances' play because traditional certainties are suddenly not certain.

I disagree. The beauty of the game is in getting to know how the Wizards and Jesters affect the game, and learning to bid accordingly. Wizards and Jesters are both very powerful cards, but I don't feel they unbalance the game, they just make it different. If one person gets a large amount of Wizards over the course of a game, they will have an advantage, but getting lots of good cards in any game gives a player an advantage.

Since the deck is only
made different by the addition of Wizards and Jesters, you can also play any traditional trick-taking game with a Wizard deck if you want to shake things up a bit. Try Spades or Bridge--it's interesting (although probably sacreligous in the eyes of some).

I've worn through three Wizard decks of my own, and have given about ten copies as gifts. I have found that a broad range of gamers love Wizard, from the rare gamer to the card shark. Give it a try....


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Dana from Rhode Island
2/6/2001


Easily Learned Before One Game Is Over
Introduced to Wizards on an eight-day charter sailing the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. This game can be taught to anyone. It starts with a one card hand and then builds up from there. You learn the game and gain skill as each hand is played. Four of us (three had never played before) played every night of our trip and had a blast. There is strategy and luck of the deal. I picked up three extra decks just to give to friends who enjoy the occasional game of recreational cards.


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Jeffles from Austin
10/25/2000


Familiar with Bidding, or Oh Hell? Play that instead.
This game is basically a variant of Oh Hell.

You start with one card and work up to dealing out the entire pack. I like the more evenly divisable 60 cards, which creates the oddity that for the last round all cards are dealt and there is no trump. I also liked their scoring system.

What I did not like is the name of the game, and one of the two extra cards in the game: Wizards. I consider Oh Hell to be quite a skillful game, and Wizards goes ahead and reduces the skill needed without adding to gameplay. Basically these 4 Wizard cards are an ubertrump that you can play at any time to take a trick. The other new card allows you not to follow suit and avoid taking the trick. Anyone holding these cards has an overly powerful hand unbalancing the game. The combination of playing without following suits and automatically taking or avoiding the trick... just annoying. I'd much rather have a Cavalier as the extra card, and just have longer suits.


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A gamer from Chicago, IL
10/3/2000


The illusion is shattered
I thought this was a very original game when I first played it. I bought a deck while on a boating vacation with my family and we played it every night for the rest of the trip.

I was disappointed to learn that this game is not original at all. It turns out that it is the same as 'Oh, Hell', 'Oh, Pshaw', or 'Blackout'. The only difference is that it has 8 extra cards (wizards and jesters) to make an even 60 card deck.

There are a few minor tweaks to the game to make it different. I just find it odd that Hearts and Whist are mentioned when describing the gameplay. I guess using the slogan "It's Oh, Hell with 8 more cards!" on the box won't sell the game. I still think it's a good game, but I feel that's mostly because it's built on a good game.


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Audrey J. Cobb from Syracuse, New York
3/21/2000


An outstanding game for an evening of entertainment
This is such a popular game in our house that we are on our third copy--the other two have worn out! My daughters (aged 12 & 14) have discovered the strategy behind this, and have proved to be outstanding opponents.

The game is based on taking a previously predicted number of tricks, and utilizing appropriate strategies to do so. With each hand, each player is allowed to make a new bid, reflecting the strength or weakness of their hand. Each hand has a progressively increasing number of cards, with trump being changed at ev
ery hand. The presence of 4 wizard cards (universal high trump) and 4 jokers (universal low trump) make strategy a definite necessity for winning this game.

The scoring is based on the number of tricks taken, with penalties for an over or under bid.

What I appreciate most about this game is its universal appeal. We have even enjoyed it with grandparents, so its appeal is for all ages.

We seldom vacation or travel to any length without a copy of this close by.


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Brian Nicholson from Nova Scotia
12/2/1999


Best Card Game in Town!
Wizard is a game that I have had for a long time and over the years it has slowly grown on me, and I can now say it is may favorite card game.

It is both simple and elegant at the same time. A novice can easily pick up this game but it will take some time to learn its subtle inner workings. If you like hearts, you will love this game.

Here are a few variations that you may find might spice up the game:

Make the last hand count for double points--this gives those who are behind a 'fighting chance'.
Cut-throat play... The total number of bids for a round cannot equal the number of cards dealt. The dealer bids last, and at their option, takes one extra card from the deck into his/her hand and makes his/her bid (not being allowed to make a bid that would 'make' the bids equal the number of cards dealt) and then discards one back to the bottom of the reserve deck. This ensures that at least one person will not make their bid.

Enjoy this game! Buy it today!


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Wendy from Canada
5/31/1999


Simplest trick taking game around!
We play Wizard more than any other game!

It's very true to what is said about it... that it is probably the most addictive game ever.

We usually play with four, but have played with five and six.

If you are a Hearts player, then I'd recommend this as the next step to more adventure. As in hearts, you either take all point cards AND the Queen of Spades and 'go for control' (in which you get zero points and everyone else eats 26) or you try to sluff all hearts and the queen to someone else and end up with the least amount of point cards. But in Wizard, you score points by correctly predicting (at the beginning) how many tricks you think you will take. Wizards always win and Jesters always lose, so playing the highest trump is safe... only if there are no Wizards played that round!

Some of our gamers have said that it is difficult to catch someone way out in the lead and if you don't predict the amount of tricks (and are correct) right at the beginning, then you'll never catch up and win. But hey... this is from a guy who is a particularly BAD trick predictor... but is an EXCELLENT hearts player!

A strategy in Wizard is: if you have some Wizards but you're planning to take tricks via other cards and you see that it's getting to the end of the round and an opponent really needs to take a trick... you can dump a Wizard down and totally get him mad!

Very exciting... makes for a great night!!

Visit www.boardgamegeek.com
Do a search for "wizard". Read the reviews of hard core gamers then add your opinion to the mix.:cool:

Visit www.funagaingames.com
Do a search for "wizard" at the above site and write a review of your own.

A gamer from Vermont
8/3/2002
Great game
Our family loves this game. I had to buy one for my daughter who was moving to Wyoming. Recently we took it with us when we were visiting some Appalachian Trail hikers. They liked it so much that we gave them ours to take with them.
The wizards and jesters add a great twist that really frustrates those card counters in the game.

Ralph H. Anderson from Norwalk, CT
7/15/2002
For Cut Throat Strategy - Play 3 Player
I love Wizard and have been playing it for years now. It is probably the most played game in our group over a number of years now. Our group likes to play three players as we feel with fewer players there is a greater amount of skill involved. I still find it tolerable at four, but once you get to five or six players you have entered a realm where there is a lot more chance to the play. Fun for some, but not as fun for me. With three players, you can directly affect both the other players with your card play- unlike with a higher number of players.
I've probably bought about 8-10 decks for myself because we've worn out the cards and I have given away about as many as gifts. Can't say that about any other game I've ever played. Give it a try - you won't be sorry!


Terry from Tulsa, Oklahoma
7/3/2002
Fun, Addictive, the best card game ever
I love cards games and picked up Wizard in a game store on the owners recommendation. I have been hooked ever since. I have introduced Wizard to my family and friends and everyone loves it. I must have purchased over 20 decks as requested gifts. The great thing about Wizard is that the game is never the same. The strategies are endless. The game can be brutal because everyone likes to set the leader. It is also fun to see everyone develop their own style of playing. You can be aggressive, passive or somewhere in between and there are always options to add havoc to the game by using the Wizards and Jesters at different strategic times, i.e. taking an ace with a wizard when someone was counting on that trick. Most people think the Wizard card is the best card to have, however the Jester is without a doubt the best card to have in your hand. It can get you out of the lead, save you from taking an unwanted trick, and save trump. This game combines all the fun of hearts, spades or any other bidding card game and improves on it. Its an easy game to learn but is never boring to play. BUY THIS GAME!! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!!!!!!!!!


Dave Upstate New York
4/29/2003
A Great Game for lots of people!
We bought this game knowing already how to play OH Hell. This game is just as fun. It also comes with a score sheet which is a big plus. We cane play a couple of games of this as well as other games in a quick amount of time. I recommend this game highly. We have actually ended up buying 3 additional copies for our friends and relatives.


Todd from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
12/15/2001
A great game combining strategy and luck
I hadn't played the game in about a year and then introduced it to a few other people for the first time last month. They loved it and were going out to get their own.
While several people have complained that the Wizard and Jester cards eliminate strategy, I did not find this to be the case. There are several times that you are counting on them to be played or not. I find that they merely add a strategic twist to the game. It is an adaptation of Oh Hell, but a good one. It is worth a few extra bucks to have a proper Wizard set of cards.

Chanel from Christchurch, New Zealand
6/28/2001
Hare-and-tortoise dilemma
This is one of the most fun and captivating card games I have played. Other critics have compared it to the likes of Oh Hell and Up the River, but the Wizard cards add a special dynamic.
In terms of strate
gy, there is a real hare-and-tortoise dilemma: do you bid conservatively for tricks in the hope of slowly but steadily accumulating points, or bid rampantly--at the risk of being penalized for overbidding--in the hope of leaving your contenders reeling in the dust? Knowing just when to play your Wizard or Jester card is crucial.
A word of advice: take turns with the scoring; keeping track of all the penalties and bonuses (especially for 6 players) can be very hard on your concentration!


John Zaleski from Niagara Falls, Canada
6/27/2001
Challenging game strategy and fun
Once you start, it is difficult to put the game down. Amaze your friends, conquer your enemies, pretend you are the wizard and you can be! Certainly one of the best games I would play when presented with a hi-tech game or Wizard as a choice. I would highly recommend this game.


Will Murray from Christchurch, New Zealand
6/25/2001
A fun challenge to some card-playing traditions
Wizard is a fun game, but a large part of the appeal it has for me is the challenge it makes to some traditions of card-playing. The most obvious one of these is that winning tricks is necessarily a good thing. However, before I had ever played Wizard I knew a game called Up The River, which had a similar bidding and scoring system. The most interesting challenge is that posed by the special cards: the Wizards and Jesters. Learning how to adapt one's play to incorporate these cards and the likelihood of their turning up in other peoples' hands is a major highlight.
My friend has two Wizard packs and we recently played a variation using both of them. Not for the faint-hearted, as it took hours for 6 players to get from one-card hands up to those with 20 cards in them! Still, it was a lot of fun, and just goes to show how enthralling this game can be.

Mary from Indianapolis, Indiana
5/3/2001
Addictive
I picked up this game idly in a game store, and tried it on the weekly card group of cousins--we LOVED it--it's addictive--we wore out two decks (my only criticism is that the cards are not of high quality) and now play with plastic decks that we made out of standard plastic decks plus blank cards we ordered from the plastic card people and marked ourselves. We're pretty expert card players (ages 56 to 61) and aren't bored with it after 2 years. I can't understand why it's so slow to catch on. Maybe it's the quality of the cards originally supplied? Anyhow, we're nuts about it.


Ryan Spain from Seattle, WA
4/24/2001
Excellent tweak of a classic trick-taking game.
Some of the reviewers of this game took points off because they didn't like the 'uber-trump' nature of the four Wizards in the deck, or because it is clearly based on the classic game, Oh Hell.
I think the addition of the Wizards and Jesters is genius, and the best things in life always stand on the shoulders of their predecessors.
Long-time card players frequently find the Wizards frustrating at first, because they throw off the traditional card strengths of a trick-taking game with trumps. You can be dealt the Ace of Trump and not take a trick in Wizard. Therefore, the Wizard 'unbalances' play because traditional certainties are suddenly not certain.
I disagree. The beauty of the game is in getting to know how the Wizards and Jesters affect the game, and learning to bid accordingly. Wizards and Jesters are both very powerful cards, but I don't feel they unbalance the game, they just make it different. If one person gets a large amount of Wizards over the course of a game, they will have an advantage, but getting lots of good cards in any game gives a player an advantage.
Since the deck is only made different by the addition of Wizards and Jesters, you can also play any traditional trick-taking game with a Wizard deck if you want to shake things up a bit. Try Spades or Bridge--it's interesting (although probably sacreligous in the eyes of some).
I've worn through
three Wizard decks of my own, and have given about ten copies as gifts. I have found that a broad range of gamers love Wizard, from the rare gamer to the card shark. Give it a try....

Dana from Rhode Island
2/6/2001
Easily Learned Before One Game Is Over
Introduced to Wizards on an eight-day charter sailing the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. This game can be taught to anyone. It starts with a one card hand and then builds up from there. You learn the game and gain skill as each hand is played. Four of us (three had never played before) played every night of our trip and had a blast. There is strategy and luck of the deal. I picked up three extra decks just to give to friends who enjoy the occasional game of recreational cards.


Audrey J. Cobb from Syracuse, New York
3/21/2000
An outstanding game for an evening of entertainment
This is such a popular game in our house that we are on our third copy--the other two have worn out! My daughters (aged 12 & 14) have discovered the strategy behind this, and have proved to be outstanding opponents.
The game is based on taking a previously predicted number of tricks, and utilizing appropriate strategies to do so. With each hand, each player is allowed to make a new bid, reflecting the strength or weakness of their hand. Each hand has a progressively increasing number of cards, with trump being changed at every hand. The presence of 4 wizard cards (universal high trump) and 4 jokers (universal low trump) make strategy a definite necessity for winning this game.
The scoring is based on the number of tricks taken, with penalties for an over or under bid.
What I appreciate most about this game is its universal appeal. We have even enjoyed it with grandparents, so its appeal is for all ages.
We seldom vacation or travel to any length without a copy of this close by.

Brian Nicholson from Nova Scotia
12/2/1999
Best Card Game in Town!
Wizard is a game that I have had for a long time and over the years it has slowly grown on me, and I can now say it is may favorite card game.
It is both simple and elegant at the same time. A novice can easily pick up this game but it will take some time to learn its subtle inner workings. If you like hearts, you will love this game.
Here are a few variations that you may find might spice up the game:
Make the last hand count for double points--this gives those who are behind a 'fighting chance'.
Cut-throat play... The total number of bids for a round cannot equal the number of cards dealt. The dealer bids last, and at their option, takes one extra card from the deck into his/her hand and makes his/her bid (not being allowed to make a bid that would 'make' the bids equal the number of cards dealt) and then discards one back to the bottom of the reserve deck. This ensures that at least one person will not make their bid.
Enjoy this game! Buy it today!

Wendy from Canada
5/31/1999
Simplest trick taking game around!
We play Wizard more than any other game!
It's very true to what is said about it... that it is probably the most addictive game ever.
We usually play with four, but have played with five and six.
If you are a Hearts player, then I'd recommend this as the next step to more adventure. As in hearts, you either take all point cards AND the Queen of Spades and 'go for control' (in which you get zero points and everyone else eats 26) or you try to sluff all hearts and the queen to someone else and end up with the least amount of point cards. But in Wizard, you score points by correctly predicting (at the beginning) how many tricks you think you will take. Wizards always win and Jesters always lose, so playing the highest trump is safe... only if there are no Wizards played that round!
Some of our gamers have said that it is difficult to catch someone way out in the lead and if you don't predict the amount of tricks (and are correct) right at the beginning, then you'll never catch up and win. But hey... this is from
a guy who is a particularly BAD trick predictor... but is an EXCELLENT hearts player!
A strategy in Wizard is: if you have some Wizards but you're planning to take tricks via other cards and you see that it's getting to the end of the round and an opponent really needs to take a trick... you can dump a Wizard down and totally get him mad!
Very exciting... makes for a great night!!