How to Play

Pasur is the traditional Iranian fishing card game. Capture face-up table cards by making your played number card plus one or more table cards sum to 11; Kings and Queens capture by rank-match; Jacks are wild and capture all non-K/Q cards on the table at once. Score: each Ace and Jack = 1, 2 of Clubs = 2, 10 of Diamonds = 3, most Clubs = 7, each sur (sweep) = 5. First to 62 wins.

Pasur (Persian: پاسور, sometimes spelled Pâsur or Pasoor) is the traditional Iranian fishing card game played with a standard 52-card deck. Its defining mechanic is unusual in the fishing-game family: number cards (A through 10) capture by summing to 11 with one or more face-up table cards (not to 10 or 15, as in Cassino or Laugh and Lie Down). Face cards capture differently: Kings and Queens capture only by rank-match (King takes King, Queen takes Queen), and Jacks are wild; a single Jack captures every non-K/Q card currently on the table at once, producing massive captures. Clearing every table card in one play is a sur (sweep), worth 5 points. Scoring emphasises a few specific cards: each Ace = 1 point, each Jack = 1, 2 of Clubs = 2, 10 of Diamonds = 3, most Clubs (7+ of the 13) = 7 points, each sur = 5. A match plays to 62 or more points across multiple deals. Pasur is the Iranian household card game, as ubiquitous in Iran as Cassino is in southern Europe or Chinese Ten in Taiwan.

Players

2 to 4 players, most commonly 2 or 4. With 4 players, play is in fixed partnerships: partners sit opposite and combine their scores. With 2 or 3 players, it is strictly every-player-for-themselves. Deal and play rotate anticlockwise (Persian tradition), though many modern players use clockwise; agree at the start. The first dealer is chosen by drawing the highest card.

Card Deck

A standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Ranks for capture purposes: Ace = 1, 2 through 10 = face value, Jack captures all non-K/Q table cards (wild), Queens and Kings capture only by rank-match. For the 'sum to 11' rule, only the played card plus one or more face-up table cards sum to 11 (Ace + 10, 2 + 9, 3 + 8, 4 + 7, 5 + 6, or multi-card sums like 3 + 4 + 4 or 2 + 4 + 5; any multi-card combination is allowed as long as the total is exactly 11). Face cards do not contribute to sums. There is no trump.

Objective

Capture high-value cards from the table (the Ten of Diamonds, the Two of Clubs, Aces, Jacks, the majority of Clubs) and make surs (sweeps). Over multiple deals, the first player (or partnership) to reach 62 or more points wins the match.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the 52-card deck. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
2. The dealer deals 4 cards face-down to each player, then 4 cards face-up to the centre of the table (the initial table cards).
3. Misdeal check: If the 4 initial face-up table cards contain any Jack, more than one Queen, or more than one King, the dealer shuffles and re-deals. A single face-up Jack requires shuffling it back in and re-dealing that card only; multiple face cards on the table would allow an over-strong first capture.
4. Play begins with the player to the dealer's right (or left, by local convention).
5. After each player has played their 4 cards, the dealer deals 4 more cards to each player from the stock. No more cards are dealt face-up to the table after the initial 4; captures shrink the table over time.
6. Continue dealing hands of 4 cards until the stock is exhausted. In a 2-player game, that is 6 deals; in a 4-player game, 3 deals.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, play exactly one card from your hand, face-up.
2. Capture by summing to 11 (number cards A through 10): If your played card plus one or more face-up table cards sum to exactly 11, you capture all of those cards. Example: you play a 7; the table shows a 4. You capture the 4 (7 + 4 = 11). Example: you play an 8; the table shows a 2 and a 1 (A). You capture the 2 and the Ace (8 + 2 + 1 = 11). Multiple combinations can each total 11 simultaneously and all be captured together. Face cards (J, Q, K) never contribute to sums.
3. Capture by rank-match (Kings and Queens only): A played King captures any Kings currently face-up; a played Queen captures any Queens. Kings and Queens cannot be captured by summing.
4. Capture by Jack (the all-captures rule): A played Jack captures every non-K/Q card currently face-up on the table at once. Jacks do not capture Queens or Kings. Playing a Jack when the table holds many low cards is enormously profitable.
5. Captured cards are placed face-down in front of you as your capture pile (or in front of your partnership in 4-player).
6. Trail (no capture): If your played card makes no sum-to-11 combination, no rank-match (for K/Q), and is not a Jack, it is placed face-up on the table and joins the future-capture pool.
7. Sur (sweep): If your play clears the table of every face-up card, you score a sur (one sweep) and call it out. The played card is still captured. Surs cannot occur in the final deal (some traditions) and cannot occur once a player already has 50+ points (to limit runaway wins; agreed in advance).
8. Final deal: When the stock is empty and the last hands have been played, any remaining face-up table cards are awarded to the player who made the most recent capture (not to any sur). This 'last capture bonus' caps the table and closes the deal.

Scoring

• Count each player's (or partnership's) captured pile. Score per deal:
• Each Ace captured: 1 point (4 Aces in the deck; maximum 4 points).
• Each Jack captured: 1 point (4 Jacks in the deck; maximum 4 points).
• 2 of Clubs captured: 2 points (the 'Little Two').2♣
• 10 of Diamonds captured: 3 points (the 'Big Ten').10♦
• Most Clubs (7 or more of the 13 Clubs in the deck): 7 points (a tie for exactly 6-6 is 0 points to either player; 7+ Clubs is the threshold).
• Each sur (sweep): 5 points.
• Maximum per deal (all Aces, all Jacks, 2♣, 10♦, most Clubs, multiple surs): varies with surs; typically 17-30 points in a strong deal.2♣10♦
• Surs cancel, not stack (4-handed partnership variation): Some partnership rules have opposing surs cancel each other instead of both scoring.
• Tally running totals across deals.

Winning

The first player (or partnership) to reach 62 or more points at the end of a deal wins the match. If both sides cross 62 in the same deal, the higher total wins. Some traditions use 51 or 11 as the target; the target is always confirmed before the match. A typical 4-player partnership match lasts 4-8 deals; a 2-player match lasts 6-10 deals.

Common Variations

• Sur-limit at 50 points: Once a player (or team) has 50+ points, subsequent surs do not score; prevents lopsided endings.
• Last-deal no-sur: Surs cannot be made on the final deal of the stock; prevents a finisher sur-sweeping a dominant win.
• Jacks not wild: In a milder variant, Jacks simply count as 11 for sum purposes (Jack alone captures single 11s and combinations totalling 11). Removes the Jack's power.
• Opposing sur cancellation (partnership): An opponent's sur cancels one of your own instead of adding to their score.
• 7-of-Diamonds bonus: Some local rules add 1 point for the 7 of Diamonds.7♦
• Fixed 11-deal match: Play exactly 11 deals regardless of score, highest total wins.
• 4-handed solo: Play 4 players individually without partnerships; each person scores for themselves.
• Children's Pasur: Drop the sum-to-11 rule and play matched-ranks only (like Go Fish with capturing).

Tips and Strategy

• Hold your Jack for a fat table. A Jack played when the table has 5+ non-face cards scoops all of them at once; a Jack played on a nearly-empty table captures only 1-2 cards. Wait for the table to accumulate.
• Set up your Jack. If you are close to having a Jack in hand, trail low cards into the table to build the pool. When you play your Jack, you reclaim everything you trailed plus any opposing trails.
• Do not leave an 8 on the table with a 3. Any opponent holding any card summing to 11 can capture both; leaving capture-bait ruins your own future plays. Trail instead cards that combine with a wider range (low cards like 2s) or with unlikely needs (a 10 on an empty table).
• Prioritise Clubs. The 7-point bonus for most Clubs is the largest single reward in the game. A player who hoards Clubs early can lock the bonus by trick 5.
• The 10 of Diamonds is worth 3; the 2 of Clubs is worth 2. These two cards alone = 5 points. If you can capture both, you have banked half a sur's worth of points.10♦2♣
• Track the 4 Jacks. Once all 4 have been played, the table can accumulate freely without fear of a sweep. Conversely, if you know 3 Jacks are in your opponents' hands, play defensively and never leave more than 2-3 cards on the table.
• Partnership signalling (4-handed). In partnership Pasur, leave table cards that your partner can capture but opponents cannot. A 3 left on the table when your partner holds an 8 is a silent pass; if opponents hold a 9 or higher, re-plan.
• Count the deck. Over 52 cards you see 48-52 (depending on last-capture rule). Late in the deal you should know which Clubs remain and where your Ace / Ten / Two probabilities sit.
• Do not sur when you are ahead at 55+ points. Under the 50-point sur limit rule, your sur is wasted; focus instead on denying opposing surs.

Glossary

• Pasur / Pâsur / Pasoor: Persian name of the game. The word relates to 'sweep' in Persian.
• Sur: A sweep; clearing the entire table with one capture. Scores 5 points.
• Table card / Face-up card: A card currently face-up on the table, available for capture.
• Trail: Adding your played card to the face-up table pool when no capture is possible.
• Capture by 11: The distinctive Pasur capture rule: your played number card plus one or more table number cards sum to exactly 11.
• Jack-capture: Playing a Jack to scoop every non-K/Q card on the table.
• Most Clubs: The 7-point bonus awarded to the player (or team) holding 7 or more of the 13 Clubs at deal end.
• Big Ten (10♦) / Little Two (2♣): The two highest-value specific cards: 3 and 2 points respectively.10♦2♣
• Last capture: The final capture of the deal; the last capturer also takes any unclaimed face-up table cards.