How many players can play Tarabish?

Tarabish can be played with 4 to 4 players.

How to Play Tarabish

The defining partnership trick-taking game of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. 4 players in teams of 2 use a 36-card deck with Belote-family rules, trump bidding starting at 50, rich melds (Bella, runs, four-of-a-kinds), and a 500-point match target.

How to Play

Tarabish (pronounced 'tar-a-bish') is the defining partnership card game of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, a Belote-family trick-taker brought to the island by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Four players in two fixed partnerships use a 36-card deck (6 through Ace in each suit, 2s through 5s removed). Deal is 3+3+3 with the middle 3 cards from the dealer's right-hand neighbour's packet optionally revealed for trump consideration. After the first 3 cards are dealt to each player, a trump-bidding auction establishes the trump suit; the winning bidder's partnership commits to scoring at least 50 of the 162 available card points plus potentially a last-trick bonus. Trump-suit card ranking follows the Belote family's distinctive J-9-A-10-K-Q-8-7-6 order with card values Jack = 20, 9 = 14, Ace = 11, 10 = 10, King = 4, Queen = 3, 8-7-6 = 0, giving 68 trump points and making the trump Jack (Jass) and 9 (Manille) the game's two most powerful cards. Non-trump ranking is the standard A-10-K-Q-J-9-8-7-6 with values A = 11, 10 = 10, K = 4, Q = 3, J = 2, giving 30 points per non-trump suit. Melding adds further scoring: Bella (K+Q of trumps) is worth 20, runs of 3/4/5+ score 20/50/100, and four-of-a-kind Jacks score 200, 9s 150, and other court quads 100. Total possible per hand is 162 card points + melds + 10 for last trick. First partnership to 500 wins the match; failing to make the bid (called 'bate' or 'going bate') transfers all hand points to the opponents as a penalty.

Download rules (PDF)

Quick Reference

Goal

With your partner, reach 500 points by bidding (minimum 50), melding, and winning tricks.

Setup

4 players in 2 fixed partnerships with a 36-card deck (6 to A in each suit).
Deal 3 cards each; bid at least 50 or pass.
Winning bidder names trump; finish deal with 6 more cards each.

On Your Turn

Declare melds before the first trick (tierce 20, quart 50, quint+ 100, four-of-a-kind J 200 / 9 150 / others 100).
Must follow suit; if void, must play trump; must overtrump if possible.
Trump rank: J-9-A-10-K-Q-8-7-6 (20-14-11-10-4-3-0-0-0).
Announce 'Bella' when playing the second of K-Q of trumps (+20).

Scoring

68 trump + 3 × 30 non-trump + 10 last trick = 168 per hand.
Bid failure = 'bate': all points transfer to opponents.
First partnership to 500 points wins the match.

Tip: Bid with the Jass and Manille (Jack and 9 of trumps); together they carry 34 of 68 trump points.

Players

Exactly 4 players in 2 fixed partnerships, seated across from each other. Dealer rotates clockwise. Play is clockwise. Partnerships last the whole match; no swapping. A typical match to 500 lasts 45 to 90 minutes. In Cape Breton the game is played in community halls, church basements, and tournaments drawing dozens of partnerships; it is considered the island's signature recreation.

Card Deck

36-card deck: a standard 52-card pack with all 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s removed. Each suit contains 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A.
Trump-suit ranking (high to low): J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7, 6.
Non-trump ranking (high to low): A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7, 6.
Trump card-point values: Jack (Jass) = 20, 9 (Manille) = 14, Ace = 11, 10 = 10, King = 4, Queen = 3, 8/7/6 = 0. Trump total = 68 points.
Non-trump card-point values: Ace = 11, 10 = 10, King = 4, Queen = 3, Jack = 2, 9/8/7/6 = 0. Each non-trump suit totals 30 points.
Hand total: 68 trump + 3 × 30 non-trump = 158 card points; adding the +4 'last trick' bonus (or +10 in some house rules) gives 162 to 168 per hand.

Objective

Each hand: the bidding partnership must score at least the agreed bid (minimum 50) in card points plus melds plus last-trick bonus, or transfer all their captured points to the opponents as a 'bate' penalty. Each partnership reports their score after the hand. First partnership to reach 500 points across multiple hands wins the match. Some groups play to 1000 for longer sessions.

Setup and Deal

Choose first dealer by cut (highest card deals). Deal rotates clockwise each hand.
The dealer shuffles; the player to the dealer's right cuts. Note: in strict Cape Breton play, cutting is mandatory and bad luck if skipped.
Deal 3 cards face down to each player clockwise from the dealer's left.
First bidding round: Starting with the player to the dealer's left, each player in turn examines their 3-card packet and may bid the named suit (minimum bid 50) or pass. Only the NAMED card from the TOP of the next 3-card packet may be used as trump consideration (varies by house rule).
If all 4 players pass in the first round, deal is thrown in and re-dealt. Some groups allow a second round with a 'no-trump' bid option.
The winning bidder declares the trump suit.
Finish the deal: deal the remaining 6 cards in batches of 3 to each player. Each player now holds 9 cards.
Each partnership may now examine their full 9-card hands before the first trick.

Melding

Bella: holding both the King and Queen of trumps. Worth 20 points. Announced by saying 'Bella' when playing the SECOND of the two cards in a trick (not both at once).
Tierce (3-card run): three consecutive cards of the same suit in sequence (e.g., 7-8-9 of hearts or J-Q-K of spades). Worth 20 points. Sequence uses non-trump rank order even in trump suits for run purposes.
Quart (4-card run): four consecutive cards of the same suit. Worth 50 points.
Quint or longer (5+ run): five or more consecutive cards of the same suit. Worth 100 points.
Four of a Kind (4 of a rank): Jacks = 200, 9s = 150, Aces = 100, 10s = 100, Kings = 100, Queens = 100. Cannot include lower-ranked sets; 8s/7s/6s are never four-of-a-kind scoring.
Declaration: melds are declared BEFORE the first trick is played by announcing the type and highest card. Both partners may declare; only the partnership with the HIGHEST single meld scores any melds.
Bella timing: Bella is a special exception; it is declared (announced 'Bella') only when the second of the K-Q of trumps is played to a trick, and it scores regardless of which partnership has the highest other meld.
Dispute resolution: if partnerships have equal-rank melds (e.g., both a tierce K-high), the meld in the trump suit beats non-trump; if both are in the same suit or both non-trump, the elder partnership (dealer's left) wins.

Trick-Taking

Leading: the player to the dealer's left leads the first trick.
Must follow suit: players must follow the led suit if they can. If they cannot follow suit, they must play a trump if they have one.
Must overtrump: if a trump is already winning the trick, a player who is void of the led suit must play a HIGHER trump if they have one. This is the strict Belote-family rule and applies in Tarabish.
Exception - partner winning: in some regional variants, a player void of the led suit is not required to overtrump their own partner who is currently winning the trick. Confirm this house rule before play.
Winning the trick: highest trump wins; if no trump is played, highest card of the led suit (by the non-trump ranking) wins. Winner leads the next trick.
Bella announcement: when you play the second K-Q of trumps in a trick, announce 'Bella' as you play. The 20 points belong to your partnership regardless of who wins the trick.
All 9 tricks played. Track captured cards in two separate partnership piles.

Scoring

Card-point tally: at end of hand, count card points captured by each partnership: trump values (J 20, 9 14, A 11, 10 10, K 4, Q 3) plus non-trump values (A 11, 10 10, K 4, Q 3, J 2).
Meld bonuses: add melds to the partnership with the highest single meld. Bella (if any) is scored separately and always goes to the partnership that holds K+Q of trumps.
Last-trick bonus: the partnership that wins the last (9th) trick scores a +10 point bonus (some local rules use +4).
Bid check: the bidding partnership must have scored at least their bid (card points + melds + last-trick bonus combined). If they meet or exceed the bid, both sides keep their hand score.
Bate (bid failure): if the bidding partnership's total is LESS than the bid, they 'go bate': all card points, melds, and last-trick bonuses from the hand transfer entirely to the opponents. This is the game's core risk-reward mechanic.
Match total: running totals are kept partnership-by-partnership. First to 500 points wins the match. If both reach 500 in the same hand, the bidding partnership wins the tie.
Silent Bella / missed declaration: a meld or Bella not properly announced is NOT scored, even if the cards were held. This rewards attention to ritual during play.

Winning

A match ends when one partnership reaches 500 points (or 1000 in long-form play) after a completed hand. The bidding partnership has priority in case of a simultaneous crossing. Tournaments in Cape Breton use standard 500-point matches for casual play and best-of-three 500-point matches for championship rounds.

Common Variations

Long Tarabish (1000): target is 1000 points for a longer, more strategic match.
Open hand bidding: first-round bid is based on all 9 cards rather than the initial 3.
50-minimum bid: the strict minimum bid is 50; some groups use 60 or 100 for higher tension.
Last-trick bonus variants: +10 is standard Cape Breton; +4 appears in some tournament rules. Confirm before play.
Overtrump to partner: in some groups, you do NOT have to overtrump if your partner is currently winning the trick.
Meld declaration deferred: some groups allow players to delay meld declaration until the end of the hand; others require strict pre-first-trick declaration. The latter is traditional.
No-trump contract: a rare high-risk bid where no suit is trump; all 4 suits use non-trump ranking. Scoring is 100% bonus for declaring partnership but bid minimum jumps to 150.
Coat (coat card / coatball): capturing ALL 162 points in a single hand gives the bidding team a 100-point bonus on top.
Club-league tournament rules: Cape Breton league play uses mandatory overtrump, pre-first-trick melds, and +10 last-trick bonus.

Tips and Strategy

Bid aggressively with the Jack and 9 of trumps. These two cards total 34 of the 68 trump points; holding both makes making 50 achievable even with mediocre non-trump holdings.
Count points during play. With only 162 points available, tracking captured points trick-by-trick is essential to know when your bid is safe. A running partnership tally is the mark of skilled players.
Declare melds aggressively. A tierce or quart in your hand adds 20-50 points for free; failing to announce costs the bid or the hand.
Lead trump early to strip opponents. If you hold strong trumps (J and 9), leading them first forces opponents to burn their few trumps and frees your side to run non-trump suits later.
Hold Bella for a winning trick. The K-Q of trumps are both moderate-rank trumps; play them when you are confident of winning the second card's trick, so the Bella announcement bonus scores for your captured side.
Overtrump discipline. The mandatory-overtrump rule can be exploited: leading a low trump forces the opponent void of the led suit to waste a higher trump or foul-revoke; watch for revoke opportunities.
Avoid bate at 400+ points. Going bate at 420 to 480 points costs you the hand AND gifts the opponents enough to win the match. Play conservatively when near the match target.
Partner communication via leads. Leading a suit you are strong in tells your partner to preserve that suit; a signal-lead is the core of Belote-family partner communication.

Glossary

Tarabish: the game's name; pronounced 'tar-a-bish' or colloquially 'tar-bish' in Cape Breton.
Jass: the Jack of trumps, the highest card at 20 points. Central to Belote-family games.
Manille: the 9 of trumps, worth 14 points. Second-highest trump.
Bella: holding the King and Queen of trumps; announced on play of the second card for 20 bonus points.
Tierce / Quart / Quint: 3 / 4 / 5+ card same-suit consecutive runs. Score 20 / 50 / 100.
Coat: capturing all 162 card points in a single hand, earning a bonus.
Bate (going bate): failing to meet the bid; all hand points transfer to opponents as penalty.
Overtrump: the obligatory rule that a void player must play a higher trump than any already in the trick, when possible.

Tips & Strategy

The Jack (Jass, 20 points) and 9 (Manille, 14 points) of trumps together hold 34 of the 68 trump points; bid confidently when you hold both. Count card points during play to know when you are safe on the bid; with only 162 points available per hand, a running tally is essential. Declare melds before the first trick: a tierce (3-run) adds 20 for free, a quart (4-run) adds 50. Lead trumps early when you hold the Jass or Manille to strip opponents of their trumps. Time the Bella announcement (20 bonus): play K and Q of trumps in successive tricks where your side will win both. Avoid going bate near 480 match points; conservative play is almost always right in the end-game.

Tarabish rewards tight point-counting and partner communication. The 162-point budget and 50-minimum bid mean the margin between making and going bate is often 10 to 20 points, which is exactly the value of the Bella or a single missed tierce. The mandatory-overtrump rule adds a layer of forced trump exchange that rewards aggressive trump leading. The melding phase is deterministic once hands are known, so precise declaration is more important than bluffing.

Trivia & Fun Facts

Cape Breton's Tarabish tournaments regularly draw crowds of 200+ players in community halls, and the game is a recognised part of the island's cultural identity alongside fiddle music and Gaelic singing. The name 'Tarabish' is derived from the Arabic 'tarabis' (a related game name) and the common Middle Eastern card-game name 'Belot'. The characteristic 'Bella' call (K+Q of trumps) is a direct survival of the French Belote terminology.

01What is the highest-ranking card in the trump suit in Tarabish, and how many card points is it worth?

Answer The Jack of trumps (called the Jass) is the highest-ranking trump, worth 20 card points. The 9 of trumps (called the Manille) is second at 14 points; together they hold 34 of the 68 available trump points.
02What is 'going bate' in Tarabish, and what is its penalty?

Answer A partnership 'goes bate' when they win the bid but fail to score at least the bid amount in card points plus melds plus last-trick bonus. The penalty is that all card points and melds captured during the hand transfer to the opposing partnership.

History & Culture

Tarabish was introduced to Cape Breton Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants, who brought the Belote-family game (related to French Belote and Middle Eastern Belot) from their homelands. The game took deep root among the immigrant community and gradually spread to Scottish-Canadian, Acadian, and Mi'kmaq neighbours, becoming the defining card game of Cape Breton by the 1950s. Tarabish leagues and tournaments have operated continuously since at least the 1960s; Cape Breton's annual Tarabish championship draws hundreds of partnerships.

Tarabish is the signature card game of Cape Breton Island and one of only a handful of New World Belote-family games to maintain continuous tournament play from the 1960s through today. It is culturally significant as a surviving trace of early 20th-century Lebanese-Syrian immigration to Atlantic Canada and is considered alongside fiddle music and the Gaelic language as a defining Cape Breton tradition.

Variations & House Rules

Long Tarabish uses a 1000-point match target. Open-hand bidding bases the bid on all 9 cards instead of the initial 3. Last-trick bonus is +10 in Cape Breton and +4 in some tournament rule-sets. No-trump is a rare high-risk high-reward contract. 'Coat' bonus (capturing all 162) gives a 100-point bonus. Cape Breton league play uses mandatory overtrump and pre-first-trick meld declarations.

New players should start with open-hand bidding (look at all 9 cards before bidding) until trump valuation becomes intuitive. For a quick match, play to 300 instead of 500. For tournaments, use strict Cape Breton league rules (mandatory overtrump, pre-first-trick melds, +10 last-trick bonus). Keep score on a shared scratch pad with melds recorded visibly so late-declarations can be cross-checked.