Toutatout - the lost Bridge

In the spring of 1911, a new card game called "Tootatoo" (or "Tout Atout" in its more elegant French form, meaning "All Trumps") burst onto the social scene and briefly threatened to dethrone bridge as the fashionable card game of choice. Though largely forgotten today, newspaper accounts from London to New York heralded it as the next big thing in card games, with one master bridge player famously declaring, "I am afraid it is going to be the death of bridge."

Origins and Discovery

The game first appeared in America, introduced to the public through the New York Sun sometime around 1911. According to accounts, its inventor claimed the game was suggested by a paragraph that appeared in the Sun's "Live Topics" about two years earlier. The name "Tootatoo" was an anglicization of the French "Tout Atout," though several newspapers humorously noted it was often "misspelled" as "Too Tatoo."

After its American debut, the game quickly crossed the Atlantic. The Strand Magazine gave "the first account of it in this country" in its March issue, introducing the game to British audiences. By May 1911, newspapers were reporting that Tootatoo had "captured London" and was winning converts among serious card players.

The Unique Mechanics

What made Tootatoo stand out was its novel approach to trumps. Unlike bridge or whist, all four suits became trumps in sequence: hearts first, then diamonds, clubs, and finally spades. When the last card of one trump suit was played, the next suit in line immediately became trump. This created fascinating strategic situations impossible in other card games.

Players had to think several tricks ahead, sometimes holding onto the last card of a trump suit to delay the promotion of the next suit. The game required clear reasoning, quick deduction, and planning—the luck of the draw mattered less than in many other card games.

The Brief Craze

The excitement around Tootatoo peaked in May 1911, when multiple newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic ran nearly identical articles about the game's popularity. The Daily Mirror in London, The Inquirer in Philadelphia, and several other publications carried stories with headlines like "Is Bridge Doomed?" and "Death of Bridge in 'Tout at Out'."

Card game enthusiasts praised Tootatoo for being "absolutely fair" with problems "utterly unlike those in any other game." According to period accounts, the game spread rapidly through London society, with advocates claiming it required more skill and less luck than bridge.

Why It Faded

Despite the initial enthusiasm, Tootatoo's moment in the spotlight was brief. By the end of 1911, mentions of the game in newspapers had largely disappeared. Several factors likely contributed to its fade from popularity:

0. Learning curve: While proponents claimed you could teach someone to play in under five minutes, they admitted that "how much there is in the game probably will not dawn on one until he has played it for a year at least."

1. Bridge's entrenched position: Bridge was deeply established in social circles, with organized clubs and tournaments. Tootatoo never developed this infrastructure.

2. World events: The approach of World War I in the following years disrupted many social activities and pastimes.

3. Auction bridge's rise: The auction variation of bridge was gaining popularity, addressing some of the gambling concerns mentioned in Tootatoo articles.

The Game Preserved

Though it never achieved lasting fame, Tootatoo represents a fascinating chapter in the evolution of card games. Its innovative "sequential trumps" mechanic created unique strategic situations that still feel fresh and original today. The game demonstrated how even within the constraints of a standard deck of cards, there remained room for genuinely new ideas.

As one 1911 commentator noted about Tootatoo: "The capacities of a pack of cards seem to be practically inexhaustible, every year or two bringing forward something new in the way of a game."

More than a century later, this forgotten game offers both a window into the social pastimes of the Edwardian era and a unique playing experience that deserves rediscovery by modern card game enthusiasts.

While you can play it with any pack of cards you have to have, if you'd like to play with an old-style deck we have a new edition of the famous (infamous) Trophy Whist pack of 1895 available printed on demand at Make Playing Cards here.

Our Trophy Whist reissue

RULES OF TOOTATOO (TOUT ATOUT)

PLAYERS

4 players, in partnerships of 2 (similar to bridge or whist)

EQUIPMENT

Standard 52-card deck

SETUP

0. Players sit across from their partners

1. Deal 13 cards to each player

2. The player to dealer's left leads first

3. The dealer's partner lays their cards face up on the table and becomes the dummy for that deal

TRUMPS SEQUENCE

The four suits become trumps in this order:

0. Hearts (first)

1. Diamonds (when the last heart is played)

2. Clubs (when the last diamond is played)

3. Spades (when the last club is played)

GAMEPLAY

• The player to dealer's left leads any card for the first trick

• Players must follow suit if possible

• The highest card of the led suit wins the trick, unless trumped

• The winner of a trick leads the next card

• When the last card of a trump suit is played, the next suit in sequence immediately becomes trump

STRATEGIC ELEMENTS

• Holding the last card of a suit gives control over when the next suit becomes trump

• You can create a "no-trump" situation by holding onto the last card of the current trump suit

• Consider establishing strength in suits that will become trumps later

• Sometimes it's advantageous to exhaust a suit quickly to promote the next trump suit

SCORING

• Game point is 10 points

• Each trick taken counts as 1 point

• Honors are the three aces (diamonds, clubs, spades)

• Honors go to the side that WINS them, not the side they were dealt to

• The ace of hearts is not counted as an honor

• A grand slam capturing all three aces can win the game in one hand

SPECIAL RULES

• No player may give information about which suit is currently trump or how many trumps remain in play

• If a player incorrectly plays a card thinking it's a trump when it's not, there's no penalty except to take the trick from them and treat the card as a discard

• If a player revokes (fails to follow suit when able), the penalty is three tricks taken from the offending side

VARIATIONS

• In the original form, hearts are always the first trump

• In a later variation, the dealer can choose which suit will be first trump, or leave that decision to their partner

Tootatoo Example Game

This example hand demonstrates the unique mechanics and strategic elements of Tootatoo, showing how the trump suits change during play and the decision-making involved.

Card Distribution

Player A:

• Hearts: J♥, 8♥

• Diamonds: Q♦, J♦, 10♦, 5♦

• Clubs: K♣, J♣, 7♣

• Spades: Q♠, J♠, 7♠, 2♠

Player B (Dummy):

• Hearts: 10♥, 6♥, 3♥, 2♥

• Diamonds: 4♦

• Clubs: A♣, 9♣, 8♣, 2♣

• Spades: A♠, K♠, 10♠, 6♠

Player Y:

• Hearts: A♥, K♥, Q♥

• Diamonds: 6♦, 3♦

• Clubs: 10♣, 6♣, 3♣

• Spades: 9♠, 5♠, 3♠

Player Z (Dealer):

• Hearts: 9♥, 7♥, 5♥, 4♥

• Diamonds: 9♦, 8♦, 7♦, 2♦

• Clubs: Q♣, 5♣, 4♣

• Spades: 8♠, 4♠

Game Play

Opening (Hearts as Trumps)

1. A leads with the Q♦

2. B (A's partner), seeing A has strong diamonds, overtakes with the 4♦ and begins leading hearts to exhaust them quickly

3. On the third round of hearts, A discards a club, hoping to make two tricks with spades

4. B leads the A♦, which Y trumps with a heart

Middle Game (Transition of Trumps)

1. Z (the dealer) realizes he could lead spades and trump the third round with his last heart to make diamonds trumps

2. Z decides to exhaust diamonds to promote clubs to trumps (where he has strength)

3. Z leads three rounds of spades and trumps the third one with his last heart (4♥)

4. This exhausts all hearts, promoting diamonds to become trumps

5. Z leads the 9♦, taking out two diamonds while keeping one trump in reserve

Critical Decision Point

1. A now faces a dilemma for the odd trick:

2. Z likely has either the 8♦ or no diamonds left

3. If A leads a diamond to catch Z's last trump, he would take out B's small diamond too

4. This would promote clubs to trumps, allowing Z to trump A's Q♠ with a club

5. If A tries to slip the J♣ through the A♣, it won't help if B doesn't hold the Q♣

Endgame

1. A decides to lead the K♣, forcing Y into the lead with the A♣

2. This prevents Z from leading another diamond to exhaust that suit

3. Y has only clubs left, having discarded the spade

4. Z wins with the Q♣

5. Z can't profitably lead his diamond because it would make B's 10♣ good for a trick

6. A discards his Q♠ on the third club

7. A makes the last trick with his J♦, which is still a trump at the end

Strategic Insights from this Hand

This example illustrates several key strategic elements of Tootatoo:

1. The importance of controlling when suits become trumps

2. The value of maintaining high cards in suits that will become trumps later

3. How a player can strategically force opponents to lead certain suits

4. The complexity of counting cards when suits may be discarded before becoming trumps

5. How holding the last card of a trump suit gives a player control over when the next suit becomes trump

The shifting trump suits create unique strategic considerations that distinguish Tootatoo from other trick-taking games like bridge or whist.