Trickster Cards
Trickster Cards operates a cross-platform online card game platform offering nine trick-taking games (Bridge, Euchre, Spades, etc.) with customizable rules, video chat, and club events. It serves hobbyist card players globally via a freemium model with VIP subscriptions and ads.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBellevue, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Trickster Cards does
Trickster Cards, Inc. is a Bellevue, Washington-based, privately held software company founded in 2014 by Tony Ross and Ted Johnson, both former Microsoft web browser developers. The company operates a cross-platform online card game platform — accessible via web browser, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Chromebook, and Windows — offering nine trick-taking card games (Bridge, Euchre, 500, Hearts, Oh Hell, Pinochle, Pitch, Spades, and Whist) with extensive rule customization, built-in video chat for private games, autonomous bots (including the open-source Bridgit Bridge bot), and a Clubs feature for community-organized multi-table events and tournaments. The core technology is a proprietary web-based engine that bridges devices across operating systems, a capability the founders emphasize was rare in 2014 when most apps could not connect between platforms.
The business runs on a freemium model: core multiplayer gameplay is free with pre-game ads served via Google AdSense/AdMob, while a VIP Pass subscription ($5.99/month, $14.99/quarter, $49.99/year) removes ads and unlocks features such as replay watching, friend messaging, club creation, and 2,500 monthly Compete chips. Additional revenue comes from the Trickster Chips virtual currency used in competitive Compete games (buy-in tiers of 30, 110, 275, and 550 chips) and a merchandise shop operated via Fourthwall. Distribution is global and self-serve through app stores and instant web play.
The company remains bootstrapped with just two co-founders, supported by strategic partnerships — notably with World Series of Spades (televised tournaments), Professor T (educational Spades lessons), Ralph Lipe (Bridgit bot), and influencer Korey Hines — to extend content reach. Customer segments are hobbyist card players spanning friends and family groups, organized club communities, competitive/duplicate players, and beginners. The platform celebrated its 10-year anniversary in August 2024 with continuous feature development documented across more than 70 releases from 2023 through mid-2026.
Trickster Cards firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trickster Cards
- Legal name
- Trickster Cards, Inc.
- Website
- https://trickstercards.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Trickster Cards operates a cross-platform online card game platform offering nine trick-taking games (Bridge, Euchre, Spades, etc.) with customizable rules, video chat, and club events. It serves hobbyist card players globally via a freemium model with VIP subscriptions and ads.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trickster Cards industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Multiplayer Card Games
- NAICS
- Other Gambling Industries (713290), Gambling Industries (7132), Amusement Arcades (71312)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sweepstakes/Free-to-Play & Social Poker Apps (MPAEAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online Casino Platform Providers (PAM, Wallet, CMS, Back Office) (MPAEABAK)
Keywords
Where Trickster Cards is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bellevue
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Trickster Cards business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- VIP Subscription (Ad-Free): Pre-paid VIP Pass removing ads and providing extras: 1-month ($5.99), 3-month ($14.99), 12-month ($49.99). Includes watching replays, ad-free hosting, watching compete games, messaging friends, and creating clubs.
- Advertising (Free Tier): Free users see brief ads before each game with no banners or popups during play. Uses Google AdSense and AdMob. Some iOS ads require tapping continue button.
- Trickster Chips (Virtual Currency): Virtual currency for Compete games with four buy-in levels: 30, 110, 275, or 550 Trickster Chips. Purchased through platform payment systems (iOS, Android, etc.). All sales final, no cash redemption.
- Merchandise Shop: Trickster Cards Shop sells merchandise including hats, T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs via fourthwall.com integration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with ads |
| Subscription | Monthly | 1-month VIP Pass |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 3-month VIP Pass |
| Subscription | Annual | 12-month VIP Pass |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Trickster Chips (Virtual Currency) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Trickster Cards product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trickster Cards operates a cross-platform online multiplayer platform for nine classic trick-taking card games (Bridge, Euchre, 500, Hearts, Oh Hell, Pinochle, Pitch, Spades, and Whist). The platform enables players to instantly match with real opponents via 'Play' or join private games with friends via 'Join', with built-in video chat, extensive rule customization, AI bots, clubs for organized events, and lessons. The service runs on a freemium model with an ad-supported free tier and a VIP Pass subscription for ad-free play and extras.
Product overview
Trickster Cards offers a unified online card game platform centered on the all-in-one Trickster Cards app, which packages nine distinct trick-taking card games (Bridge, Euchre, 500, Hearts, Oh Hell, Pinochle, Pitch, Spades, and Whist) into a single product. Each game is also available as a standalone app. The platform operates on a freemium model: core multiplayer gameplay is free with ads, while the VIP Pass subscription ($5.99-$49.99) provides ad-free play, enhanced Compete monthly chips (2,500), replay watching, friend messaging, and club creation rights. Additional offerings include Trickster Chips (virtual currency for competitive games), the Trickster Cards Shop (merchandise), built-in video chat, Clubs for community event management, Duplicate Bridge events, Spades Lessons by Professor T, and Daily Challenges. The platform launched in July 2014 starting with Trickster Hearts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bridgit: Bridge bot for Bridge bidding which powers the 2/1 preview, created in collaboration with Ralph Lipe, an ACBL Silver Life Master and software engineer
Products and services
- Trickster Cards (Unified App) Flagship all-in-one card game application offering nine trick-taking games (Bridge, Euchre, 500, Hearts, Oh Hell, Pinochle, Pitch, Spades, Whist) with multiplayer matchmaking, private games, clubs, video chat, customizable house rules, and daily challenges. Available on web, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Chromebook, and Windows.
- Trickster Bridge Contract Bridge implementation supporting SAYC and 2/1 bidding systems, Chicago and Rubber variants, Duplicate Bridge events with matchpoint scoring, and MiniBridge for beginners.
- Trickster Euchre Euchre card game with classic and Bid Euchre variants (Pepper, Hasenpfeffer, Hoss, Pfeffer), supporting 2-6 players with various deck sizes and house rules.
- Trickster 500 500 trick-taking card game with American and Australian variations, supporting 3-6 players with various deck sizes, widow/kitty options, and misère bids.
- Trickster Hearts Hearts trick-taking game supporting 3-6 players with solo and team modes, shooting the moon options, and various house rules.
- Trickster Oh Hell Oh Hell individual trick-taking game with variable hand sizes and custom deal patterns.
- Trickster Pinochle
Quantifiable outcome
- 10+ years of continuous operation and updates since 2014
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Trickster Cards
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Trickster Cards technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
Trickster Cards partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- World Series of SpadescoreComedian Clint Coley and team elevate Spades to a spectator sport with televised in-person tournaments and remote competitions on Trickster Cards. They work with the company to make it the best place to play Spades online. Partnership includes promotional content and tournament integration.
- Professor T (Spades Lessons)coreExpert Spades player, core member of World Series of Spades, and college professor who partnered to produce Spades lessons. Creates educational content teaching players how to play and improve. Has Instagram presence (@_professort) for promotion.
- Ralph Lipe (Bridgit)coreACBL Silver Life Master and software engineer who created the Bridgit bot for Bridge bidding. Powers Trickster Cards' 2/1 bidding system preview. Like all bots, Bridgit is open source with code available on GitHub (github.com/TricksterCards/Bridgit).
- Korey 'KlutcH' Hines (Card Clubs)supportingBid Whist advocate and founding member of Capitol City Cardtel. Competes in card game events across the US and hosts events in the DMV area. Runs multiple online clubs on Trickster Cards while working with the company to refine the Clubs experience.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Trickster Cards competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BridgeBaseOnline: The largest dedicated online Bridge platform, offering multiplayer Bridge, tournaments, and ACBL integration. Directly comparable to Trickster Bridge on core Bridge play, although Trickster differentiates with cross-device play and broader card game portfolio.
- CardzMania: Online multiplayer platform offering 40+ card and board games with customization, private tables, and tournaments. Directly comparable to Trickster on breadth of card games, rule customization, and free-to-play multiplayer model.
- World of Card Games: Web-based multiplayer card game platform supporting Hearts, Spades, Euchre, and other trick-taking games. Closely comparable to Trickster's free, browser-based multiplayer card game experience and direct competitor for casual cross-device play.
- CardGames.io: Free, instant-play browser card game site with multiplayer rooms for Spades, Hearts, Euchre, and similar trick-taking games. Closely comparable to Trickster's no-download, web-first, ad-supported experience.
Broad incumbents
- MobilityWare: Long-standing mobile card game publisher behind Solitaire, Blackjack, and similar titles. Comparable as a card-game app incumbent with substantially larger distribution and marketing scale than Trickster.
- Zynga: Major mobile/social casual game publisher with a portfolio that includes poker, solitaire, and other card titles. Relevant as a large-scale competitor in free-to-play social card gaming with materially bigger marketing and LiveOps budgets.
- Pogo (Electronic Arts): EA-owned casual gaming portal offering card, board, and puzzle games including Hearts, Spades, and Euchre. Overlaps with Trickster on free ad-supported card play but operates as a broad casual hub rather than a card-game specialist.
Emerging players
- Grand Games: Mobile card game studio behind titles such as Solitaire Grand Harvest and card club apps. Comparable as a newer entrant focused on mobile card games with social and tournament features, overlapping with Trickster's Compete-style mechanics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Trickster Cards social profiles
Digital presenceTrickster Cards financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trickster Cards leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Trickster Cards funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trickster Cards M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trickster Cards
What does Trickster Cards do?
Trickster Cards operates a cross-platform online multiplayer platform for nine classic trick-taking card games (Bridge, Euchre, 500, Hearts, Oh Hell, Pinochle, Pitch, Spades, and Whist). The platform enables players to instantly match with real opponents via 'Play' or join private games with friends via 'Join', with built-in video chat, extensive rule customization, AI bots, clubs for organized events, and lessons. The service runs on a freemium model with an ad-supported free tier and a VIP Pass subscription for ad-free play and extras.
Is Trickster Cards a public or private company?
Trickster Cards is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Trickster Cards founded?
Trickster Cards was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Trickster Cards based?
Trickster Cards is headquartered in Bellevue, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trickster Cards make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. VIP Subscription (Ad-Free) is the primary driver. The others are advertising (Free Tier), trickster Chips (Virtual Currency) and merchandise Shop.
Who are Trickster Cards's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BridgeBaseOnline, CardzMania, World of Card Games and CardGames.io. Broad incumbents are MobilityWare, Zynga and Pogo (Electronic Arts). Grand Games is listed as an emerging player.
Does Trickster Cards have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trickster Cards.
What industry is Trickster Cards in?
Trickster Cards's product category is Online Multiplayer Card Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEAEAD, Sweepstakes/Free-to-Play & Social Poker Apps, with a secondary code of MPAEABAK, Online Casino Platform Providers (PAM, Wallet, CMS, Back Office). Its NAICS code is 713290 and its SIC code is 7900.