How to Play Estimation (Estimate!): The Bidding Trick-Taking Card Game

Estimation (also called Estimate! or The Estimation Game) is a bidding/trick-taking game where players predict their exact trick count. Not to be confused with the party game where you guess numerical answers.

Standard Partnership Estimation (4 Players)

Setup

• Deck: 52 cards, standard ranking (A high, 2 low)
• Deal: 13 cards each
• Trump: Rotates each hand: ♠ → ♥ → ♦ → ♣ → No Trump → repeat

Bidding

• Starting left of dealer, each player bids 0–13 tricks they'll win.
• Total bids cannot equal 13 (dealer constrained).
• Bid = exact tricks you commit to winning.

Play

• Declarer (highest bidder) leads first trick.
• Follow suit if possible; otherwise any card.
• Highest trump wins; else highest card of led suit.
• Winner leads next trick.

Scoring

• Make bid exactly: 10 points + bid amount (e.g., bid 4, make 4 = 14 pts).
• Miss bid: 0 points (some variants: -10 points).
• Nil bid (0): +50 if successful, -50 if failed (optional).

Game End

Play 13 hands (one full trump cycle) or to target score (e.g., 100/200). Highest total wins.

Variants

• Solo Estimation: No partnerships; every player for themselves.
• Progressive Estimation: Hand size changes (1→13→1).
• Party "Estimate!" game: Guess answers to trivia questions (different game entirely).

Key skill: Hand evaluation + table reading. Track suits, count trumps, adjust for partner's bid.