Tarneeb Masrawy (Egyptian Tarneeb) is a partnership-based card game played by four players, forming two teams of two. It uses a standard deck of playing cards (52 cards, excluding the jokers) and is played in a counterclockwise direction.
Cards and Distribution
Players choose the first dealer randomly, and after each game, the dealing passes to the player on the right. The cards are shuffled, and each player is dealt 13 cards. Players arrange their cards by suit and rank, making it easier to identify the Tarneeb suit.
The Tarneeb suits are ranked from weakest to strongest: clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds, with clubs being the lowest. The ranking of cards in Tarneeb is as follows:
· 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A for Tarneeb suit.
· 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A for other suits.
Bidding
· Bidding starts with the player to the right of the dealer, who declares the number of tricks “Lama” they believe their team can win. The minimum bid is 1 (7 tricks), and the maximum is 7 (13 tricks), known as "Kabbout”.
· Players must state the Tarneeb suit along with the number of expected tricks. In case of a tie in the bid amount, the Tarneeb suit is considered when determining the winner of the bid.
· Each player has the right to bid a specific number of tricks, pass, or request a doubling of the round's score. The bid doubling is considered a pass, but if the player with the highest bid wins, the round's score is doubled at the end.
· A player does not lose the bidding right when passing and can raise their bid even if all other players pass.
· The turn passes counterclockwise, allowing other players to bid, with each bid being higher than the previous. If a player does not wish to bid in a particular round, they can request to "pass”.
How to Play
1. The player who won the bid starts by playing any card on the floor, and other players must play cards of the same suit.
2. If a player does not have a card of the same suit, they can play any other card. If the chosen card is from the Tarneeb suit, it becomes the highest card.
3. The winner of the tricks is the player with the highest card, or if a Tarneeb card is present, the player with the highest Tarneeb card wins. If multiple Tarneeb cards are present, the player with the highest Tarneeb card wins, and the next card is played.
4. The round ends when players run out of cards.
Important Notes
· At the beginning of each round, if any player in a team is "Dakak”, that team can bid starting from 2 (8 tricks).
· At the beginning of each round, if any player in a team is "Dakak”, the opposing team can bid starting from 5 of clubs or 6, depending on their choice.
· At the beginning of each round, if any player in a team is "Out of Call”, only that player cannot bid.
· A player is considered "Dakak" if the total points in their hand equal 4 or fewer (Ace: 4 points, King: 3 points, Queen: 2 points, Jack: 1 point).
· A player is considered "Out of Call" if they have 9 or more cards of the same suit at the beginning of the round.
Scoring
- The winning team, which successfully bids and collects the declared number of tricks or more, adds the points equal to the tricks collected to their score.
- If the bidding team fails to collect the declared number of tricks, points are deducted from their score, and the opposing team adds the collected tricks to their score.
- If a team wins all 13 tricks without bidding them, 16 points are added to their total score. If a team bids and wins all 13 tricks, 26 points are added to their total score.
- If a team bids 13 tricks and fails to win them, 16 points are deducted from their total score.
- The game ends when one team's total score reaches 31 points, and that team is declared the winner. The winning score can be adjusted from 31 to 41 points in the game settings when creating a new game.