Blackout — the Card Game
Blackout is a common North American name for Oh Hell — the exact-bid trick-taking card game — often played with an all-or-nothing twist: miss your bid and you score nothing at all. It is the same game, with a stricter scoring system, and you can play it free online right now.
Why is it called "Blackout"?
Blackout is one of the most common names for the game across North America. The name is usually tied to the way a failed bid is marked and scored: miss, and your score for the hand is blacked out — zero. It sits alongside names like Oh Heck, Oh Pshaw, Up and Down the River, Nomination Whist, and German Bridge, all of which describe the same exact-bid game. A couple of closely related score-sheet names — Blob and Bust — come from the same idea of marking a busted bid.
Blackout scoring: exact or nothing
The defining feature people mean by "Blackout" is the scoring. Two systems are common:
| System | Made your bid | Missed your bid |
|---|---|---|
| Blackout / exact-or-nothing | 10 + tricks taken | 0 — nothing at all |
| Standard Oh Hell | 10 + tricks taken | Tricks taken only |
The difference changes how you play. Under standard scoring a busted bid still banks its tricks, so chasing a risky extra trick is cheap. Under Blackout scoring a miss wipes the whole hand, so a safe bid you can defend is worth far more than an ambitious one — see the strategy guide with that arithmetic in mind. The variants guide covers penalty and big-bid systems too.
The rest of the rules are just Oh Hell
Scoring aside, Blackout follows the standard Oh Hell rules:
- Each hand deals a set number of cards and turns one card up for trumps. The deal usually counts down from the biggest hand to single-card hands.
- Every player bids the exact number of tricks they will win before any card is played.
- Follow suit if you can; the highest trump, or the highest card of the led suit, wins the trick.
- Making your bid exactly scores the bonus; under Blackout scoring, missing it scores zero.
Play Blackout online, free
OhHell.app plays Blackout in your browser — free, no download, no account:
- When you create a room, turn on the Zero on Miss option to use Blackout scoring, where a missed bid scores nothing.
- Play now against bots to feel how much more cautious the all-or-nothing scoring makes you, or invite 3 to 10 friends with one shared room link.
- Scoring a game with real cards? The printable score sheet and the in-person score keeper handle the maths.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Blackout the same game as Oh Hell?
Yes. Blackout is a widespread North American name for Oh Hell — the exact-bid trick-taking card game. The name is sometimes reserved for the stricter version where missing your bid scores nothing at all, rather than the tricks you took.
How is Blackout scored?
Under the Blackout scoring most associated with the name, making your bid exactly scores 10 plus the tricks you took, and missing it — over or under — scores zero. That is harsher than the standard Oh Hell system, where a miss still banks the tricks you won, so a safe bid you can defend is worth far more.
Can I play Blackout online for free?
Yes. Create a room and turn on the Zero on Miss option to play Blackout scoring, where a missed bid scores nothing. It plays free in your browser with no download, against bots or 3 to 10 friends.