For trick-taking games it is necessary that the cards be ranked. The rank for most games (from highest to lowest) is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The suits are not ranked. This ranking will be referred to in Hay's Rule Book as "Standard ranking, ace high". If the ace is considered the lowest card instead of the highest the reference will be "Standard ranking, ace low". Any variation from these rankings will be mentioned in the rules of the specific game.

After the hand has been dealt, the players will place their cards in their hands so that they, but no other players, can see them. Players usually hold the cards in their hand so that they may see them all at once.

Many trick-taking games have a round of bidding before the actual play of the hand starts. There are two types of bidding that may take place: declaration bidding and auction bidding.

Declaration bidding:

Declaration bidding starts with the player to the dealer's left and continues in a clockwise direction. A player bids by stating a number (or saying something that has meaning to the particular game). This number is usually a statement of how many tricks or points the player feels he can capture in the play of the hand. The scoring system of most games rewards players for coming close to their bid in the play of the hand. Usually, each player will only have one opportunity to make a bid, during a hand.

Auction bidding:

Auction bidding starts with the player to the dealer's left (sometimes the dealer) and continues in a clockwise direction. Each player bids by either saying "pass" or by naming a number (sometimes a number and a suit, sometimes by saying something else that has meaning to the particular game). The bid is an offer of a contract. The player bidding is saying that she or her team can capture a certain number of tricks or points in exchange for some privilege. The privilege may be the right to name the trump suit, or the right to exchange some cards in her hand for some others. The privilege may simply be the right to actually score points. As each player bids, their bid must have a higher value (according to the rules of the game) than the highest previous non-pass bid. There is also a minimum value for the first non-pass bid. Auction bidding may be limited to a single bid by each player or may continue until all players but one have passed. Most games do not allow a player to bid again during a hand after they have passed (Bridge being a notable exception). The player who wins the auction is commonly known as the declarer.

After bidding has concluded and any other necessary preliminaries are taken care of (e.g. picking a trump suit, exchanging cards), play of the hand begins. Play is in tricks. A trick consists of each player in turn, going clockwise, playing a card to the middle of the table. The rules of the game then determine who won the trick. The winner of the trick takes the cards from the trick and places them face down in front of him (if the game is played as a partnership game, either player on the team may take the cards). Many games are played with a trump suit. The trump suit is a suit of cards that outranks all the other suits. (It usually is one of the four suits, but may be a specific set of cards, or may contain cards from another suit). The trump suit may be determined by chance, or the winner of an auction bid may win the right to name the trump suit. The first person to play a card to a trick is said to be "in the lead" and may play any card they wish. The suit of the card they played is called the "lead suit". In most games, each player must play a card in the lead suit to the trick if possible (playing a card of the lead suit is referred to as "following suit"). If they do not have a card in the lead suit, they may play any card. The trick is won by the player playing the highest ranking trump card. If no one plays trumps, the trick is won by the player playing the highest ranking card in the lead suit. The winner of a trick is usually the person who leads to the next trick. The leader to the first trick is determined by the rules of the specific game being played. It may be the player to the dealer's left, the declarer, or the player to the declarer's left. The hand ends when all cards have been played out in tricks and the winner of the last trick determined. In Hay's Rule Book the phrase "standard trick-taking rules" shall refer to the following:

The player to the left of the dealer leads to the first trick.

Players must follow suit if possible. If not possible, they may play any card.

The winner of the trick is the person playing the highest trump. If no trump is played, the winner is the person playing the highest ranking card in the lead suit.

The winner of the trick leads to the next trick.

Many games have special rules that restrict even further what cards may be played to a trick. Two of the most common are "Required trumping" and "Required topping (or heading)". Required trumping means that if a player does not have a card in the lead suit, he must play a trump on the trick. Required topping means that a player must play a card to a trick that would win the trick, if possible, based on the cards already played to the trick (they still must follow suit if possible). Required trumping and required topping may both be used in the same game.

There are no set guidelines for dealing with infractions during the play of a hand. Usually, groups that play together will come up with guidelines based on their experiences and how seriously they regard the game. What I give below is just one possible guideline to go by. In general, when an infraction occurs, the least penalty possible should be applied consistent with not allowing the offending team to gain advantage from the infraction.

In trick-taking games the most common infraction is to play a card that may not legally be played at the time. This is called a revoke. If a player revokes and corrects their error before the next card is played there is no penalty unless the game is played in partnerships. In partnership games, the player must keep the illegally exposed card face up on the table and play it at the next legal opportunity. In social games, if the opponents believe the exposure was an honest mistake they may choose to waive the penalty. If the revoke is noticed before the trick is completed, but after additional cards have been played, the opponents can have choose to have the trick corrected or to have the revoke penalized. If the revoke is not noticed until further tricks have been played, the revoke will be penalized. The usual penalty for a revoke is a reduction in the offending player's (or team's) score by a set amount dependent on the game (the penalty is often the maximum amount possible in a hand of play). After discovery of a revoke, the hand is ended and the non-offending team does not score.

If a person bids out of turn there is not usually a penalty, but the bid may not be changed and opponents can use the knowledge of it when placing their bid. If the game is a partnership game where the bid may give illegal information the offending player's partner, a penalty of some sort should be applied. The penalty may take the form of not allowing the partner to bid, or requiring a bid of a set amount.