How to Play

Tarneeb is the leading Levantine trick-taking partnership game. Four players bid for trump rights then race to fulfill their contract or set their opponents, with the first partnership to 31 or 41 points winning.

Tarneeb (Arabic for 'trump') is the dominant Levantine trick-taking partnership game and a national pastime in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and the Gulf. Four players in fixed partnerships bid the number of tricks their team will take from a 13-trick deal; the high bidder names the trump suit and must reach the contract to score, while the defenders score the tricks they make. The first partnership to 31 or 41 points (target agreed in advance) wins the match.

Players

Tarneeb is played by exactly 4 players in two fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite. There are 2- and 6-player adaptations but they are far less common; this guide describes the standard 4-player game.

Card Deck

• Use a standard 52-card pack with no jokers.
• Card rank within a suit, high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• The suit named by the high bidder is the trump suit (Tarneeb). All trump cards beat any card of any other suit.

Objective

Win the auction by bidding the highest number of tricks (minimum 7 of the 13), then nominate a trump suit and capture at least as many tricks as you bid. The defending partnership tries to set the bid by capturing enough tricks to push you under your contract. The first partnership to reach the agreed match target (31 or 41 points) at the end of a deal wins.

Setup and Deal

1. Cut for first dealer; the deal then passes counter-clockwise after each hand.
2. Deal all 52 cards face-down, 13 to each player, in batches of 4-4-5 (or one at a time, by tradition).
3. Auction: The player to the dealer's right bids first. Each bid names a number of tricks from 7 to 13 (suit not yet stated). Each subsequent bid must be higher than the previous, or pass. Once you pass you cannot bid again. Bidding ends when three players have passed in succession.
4. If all four players pass, the deal is annulled and the next player deals.
5. The high bidder declares the trump suit. They then lead the first trick.

Gameplay

1. Lead any card to start a trick. The bid winner leads to trick 1; the winner of each trick leads the next.
2. Follow suit if you can. If void in the led suit, you may play any card, including a trump.
3. Winning the trick: The highest trump played wins. If no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
4. Trick winner gathers the trick face-down in front of the partnership and leads to the next.
5. Play continues for all 13 tricks. Tricks captured by either partner count for the partnership as a whole.

Scoring

• Bid made (declarer takes >= bid tricks): The declaring partnership scores the actual number of tricks they won (NOT just the bid). For example, bid 8 and take 9, score 9.
• Bid set (declarer takes < bid tricks): The declaring partnership SUBTRACTS the bid amount from its score. For example, bid 9 and take only 8, lose 9 points (your score may go negative).
• Defending partnership: Always scores the number of tricks they actually won, regardless of whether they set the bid.
• 13-trick bonus: A partnership that bids and wins all 13 tricks scores a large bonus, commonly 16 (instead of 13) or doubles their bid; agree this rule before play.
• Add scores after every deal until one partnership reaches the agreed target.

Winning

The first partnership to reach the agreed target score (typically 31 or 41 points; some groups play to 61) at the END of a deal wins the match. If both teams cross the target on the same deal, the higher score wins. If tied, deal another hand.

Common Variations

• Tarneeb 41 (most common): Match target is 41 points.
• Tarneeb 31 (Lebanese): Match target is 31 points; shorter games.
• Tarneeb 61: Match target is 61 points; longer games favored by serious players.
• Tarneeb 400: A scoring variant in which point cards (Aces 11, Kings 4, Queens 3, Jacks 2, Tens 10) carry specific values; the contract target becomes 400 card points instead of trick counts. Used in Iraq and parts of the Gulf.
• No-trump bids: Some groups allow a no-trump (Sun) declaration that outranks a suited bid of the same number.
• Saudi Tarneeb: Allows a 'kabsh' (capot) bonus when a partnership wins all 13 tricks without claiming it in advance.

Tips and Strategy

• Bid your trumps and your aces. A reasonable rule of thumb: count one trick per Ace in any suit, plus one trick per trump above the third (so 5 trumps = 2 expected tricks, 6 = 3 trumps = 4 if you have a void).
• As declarer, draw trumps early. Lead high trumps in the first 2-3 tricks so opponents cannot ruff your side-suit Aces and Kings later.
• As defender, force trumps out. Lead the suit in which you (or the dummy-like partner opposite) is short, hoping the declarer must trump and weaken their hand.
• Watch the discards. When a partner shows out of a suit, log it; that suit is now ripe for ruff or for cashing winners.
• Save one master trump. When defending, holding back a single high trump for the moment the declarer leads their long side suit is a classic way to set a contract.

Glossary

• Tarneeb: Arabic for 'trump'; both the name of the game and of the trump suit.
• Bid: The number of tricks (7-13) a player promises their partnership will take.
• Set: Failing to make the bid; the declaring side subtracts the bid amount from its score.
• Capot / Kabsh: Winning all 13 tricks; carries a bonus when claimed in the bid (and sometimes when not).
• Eldest hand: The player to the dealer's right; bids first.
• Sun (Shams): No-trump declaration; an optional bid type used in some variants.