Trix is a card game played by four players. It can be played in a standard format (without partnerships) or as a partnership game. We'll first explain the rules of the standard Trix game and then outline the differences between standard Trix and Partnership Trix.
Cards and Distribution
A standard deck of 52 cards (excluding jokers) is used. The game is divided into four "Kingdoms”, with each Kingdom having five requests. The player with the 7 of hearts becomes the owner of the first Kingdom. Players choose the requests they want, and after the cards are played, points are scored. The ownership of the Kingdom then passes to the player on the right. This process continues until all four Kingdoms are completed, marking the end of the game. The player or team with the highest points wins.
Cards are ranked from weakest to strongest: 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – J – Q – K
Requests and Gameplay
- King of Hearts
- Queens
- Diamonds
- Ltoosh
- Trix
The first four requests share a similar gameplay style. The player who owns the Kingdom starts by playing a card on the table. Each other player must play a card of the same type if they have it or any other type if they don't. The player who plays the highest card of the requested type takes the "Ltoosh" (trick) and becomes the one to lead the next round. Players must try to avoid taking tricks based on the demands of the current round:
· King of Hearts: Players try to avoid taking the King of hearts card.
· Queens: Players try to avoid taking any Queen card.
· Diamonds: Players try to avoid taking any card of the diamonds suit.
· Ltoosh: Players try to avoid taking any tricks “Ltoosh” in general.
· Trix: The fifth request (Trix) is unique; it doesn't follow the trick-taking system. Instead, each player must try to get rid of their cards by forming sets on the table based on their types. Each set starts with a Jack and extends to the Ace at the top and 2 at the bottom. A player can only play a card on the table if the preceding or following card is directly present in the set. If a player doesn't have cards to play, they can pass their turn.
Doubling
In the King of Hearts and Queens, a player who has the King of hearts or any Queen card can double the points of the card by revealing it to the other players at the table. This means that any player who takes the doubled card loses twice the usual points, while the player who doubled it gains the original card's points as additional points.
Scoring
- King of Hearts: The player who takes the King of hearts loses 75 points.
- Queens: Players lose 25 points for each Queen card they take.
- Diamonds: Players lose 10 points for each diamond card they take.
- Ltoosh: Players lose 15 points for each "Ltoosh" (trick) they take.
- Trix: 200 points are added for the first player, 150 points for the second player, 100 points for the third player, and 50 points for the fourth player based on the order of finishing the cards.
- The player or team with the highest total points wins the game.
Trix Partnership
Trix Partnership differs from regular Trix (without partnership) by introducing the principle of partnership. In this version, players sitting opposite each other at the table are partners, and their points are combined to determine the winning team at the end of the game.