How to Play

Trex (Trix) is a Middle Eastern compendium game beloved in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. 4 players play through 4 kingdoms, each consisting of 5 deals under different contracts: 4 trick-avoidance contracts and 'Trex' itself (a layout shedder around the Jacks). Totals always sum to zero; highest positive wins.

Trex (also Trix) is a Middle Eastern compendium game beloved in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Four players play through four full kingdoms, each consisting of five deals under a fixed set of contracts: four trick-avoidance contracts and the contract-deal 'Trex' itself (a shedding-game layout around the four Jacks). The player who holds the during the dealing round chooses the order of contracts within their kingdom. Total game length is 20 deals, taking around 90 minutes. Final scores are the sum across all 20 deals, and the points always add to zero.

Players

Exactly 4 players, each for themselves (no partnerships). Seating is arranged so each player has the player opposite as a visual reference for who plays to their right. The first dealer is chosen by any agreed method; the deal rotates each hand. Play proceeds counter-clockwise.

Card Deck

One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. All four suits and all thirteen ranks are used. Rank order within each suit: Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (low). No trump suit in any of the four trick-taking contracts; the Trex contract uses no ranking in the trick-taking sense (see Contract 5).

Objective

Across 20 deals (4 kingdoms × 5 contracts), finish with the highest total score. Four of the five contracts are penalty avoidance (negative points) and one (Trex) awards positive points. Because the five per-kingdom contract totals are fixed (-75, -130, -100, -195, +500), the overall sum at the end of every kingdom and the end of the game is always zero; positive totals win.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the 52-card deck thoroughly; the dealer offers a cut to the player on the right.
2. Deal 13 cards to each player, counter-clockwise, in any agreed pattern (commonly 4-4-5).
3. The player who is dealt the is the kingdom holder for the next 5 deals; they choose which of the five contracts to play on each of those 5 deals (in any order, without repeating). After 5 deals the kingdom passes to the right; once all four players have completed their kingdoms (20 deals total), the game ends.7♥
4. Redeal requests: A player who holds only the , only the , or both, or a hand with 5+ hearts including the , may show their hand and request a redeal before contract selection; similar redeal triggers exist for other specific hand weaknesses at group discretion.K♥A♥K♥
5. Misdeal: A void deal if cards are exposed or counts are wrong; same dealer redeals.

The Five Contracts

1. 1. King of Hearts (Roi de Coeurs, -75 points): Play follows clockwise from eldest hand. Players must follow suit if able; no trumps; highest card of the led suit wins the trick. The player who captures the in a trick loses 75 points. Hearts cannot be led until a heart has been discarded. Optional rule: a player holding the may double it by showing it before the first trick; if doubled and captured, the capturer loses 150 points (double) and the original holder gains 75 points. Doubling adds strategic drama.K♥K♥
2. 2. Queens (Femmes, -25 per queen, -100 total): Same trick-taking rules. Each queen captured in a trick costs 25 points (4 queens x 25 = 100 total available penalty). Captured queens are placed face-up in front of the capturer. Optional doubling on any queen shown before the first trick: doubled queen captured = 50 penalty; a 'pillow' (a card placed under) or 'blanket' (a card placed over) marks doubled queens distinctly.
3. 3. Diamonds (-10 per diamond, -130 total): Same trick-taking rules. Every diamond captured costs 10 points (13 diamonds x 10 = 130 total). This is the highest-point-density trick-avoidance contract and the one players typically try to set up for their strongest hands.
4. 4. Collections (Slaps / Lutoosh, -15 per trick, -195 total): Same trick-taking rules, but every trick taken costs 15 points (13 tricks x 15 = 195 total). Pure trick-avoidance; capturing zero tricks is the optimal outcome.
5. 5. Trex (the shedding contract, +500 total): Not a trick-taking contract. Each player in turn must play a card to a central layout. The layout builds outward from each Jack: after a Jack is played, cards of the same suit extend upward (Queen, King, Ace) and downward (10, 9, 8, ..., 2) from it. Play begins: the player to the dealer's right (first in counter-clockwise order) plays if they hold any card legally; if not, they pass. Players go out by emptying their hand. Scoring order: 1st out = +200, 2nd = +150, 3rd = +100, 4th (last) = +50. If a player holds four 2s or three 2s and the matching third card of another suit they cannot play, they can force a redeal.A♠K♠Q♠J♠

Gameplay

1. Kingdom structure: The holder picks the contract for the first of their 5 deals. After that deal is complete, they pick a different contract for the next deal. They must use each of the five contracts exactly once across the 5 deals; the order is entirely their choice.7♥
2. Trick-taking contracts (1-4): Play proceeds as standard trick-taking. Eldest hand (the player to the dealer's right, since play is counter-clockwise) leads any card to the first trick. Follow suit if able; otherwise any card (no trump, so off-suit plays cannot win). Highest card of the led suit wins the trick; winner leads the next.
3. Hearts-broken rule (Contract 1 only): In King of Hearts contract, a player cannot lead a heart until a heart has first been discarded on a non-heart lead. If hearts have not yet been broken and you hold only hearts, you may lead one by necessity.K♥
4. Doubling (Contracts 1-2, optional): Players may display specific cards ( in Contract 1, any Queen in Contract 2) before the first trick to double the penalty value of that card. If captured by someone else, double penalty; if the doubler collects it themselves, the doubler still loses the single (or quadruple in some houses) amount.K♥
5. Trex contract (5) play: The holder (kingdom holder for the round) is first to play. On your turn you may play: any Jack (to open its suit's Trex row), or any card adjacent in rank to an existing end of a same-suit Trex row (one higher on the up-end or one lower on the down-end). If you have any legal play, you must make it; only when you have no legal play do you pass. Players go out in turn as they empty their hands; the first to go out scores +200, second +150, third +100, fourth (last) +50.7♥
6. End-of-kingdom: After 5 deals, the kingdom passes to the right. The -holding player for the next round becomes the new kingdom holder; if the deal goes to a player who has already held a kingdom, it passes to the next eligible player.7♥7♥
7. Renege (revoke): Failing to follow suit in a trick-taking contract when able is a renege; standard penalty is that the offender takes all remaining penalty for the deal (for example -75 in Contract 1 if the has not been played yet, or the full -130 in Contract 3).K♥

Scoring

• Contract 1 (King of Hearts): -75 to whoever captures ; no points if not captured (impossible, since all cards must be played). Doubling: -150 to capturer, +75 to holder; variations of +/-75 apply.K♥
• Contract 2 (Queens): -25 per queen captured; maximum -100 per player; 100 total distributed.
• Contract 3 (Diamonds): -10 per diamond captured; maximum -130 per player; 130 total distributed.
• Contract 4 (Collections): -15 per trick taken; maximum -195 per player; 195 total distributed.
• Contract 5 (Trex): +200 for 1st out, +150 for 2nd, +100 for 3rd, +50 for 4th; 500 total distributed.
• Per-kingdom sum: (-75) + (-100) + (-130) + (-195) + (+500) = 0. Every kingdom contributes zero net, so the game as a whole always sums to zero across all players.
• Running totals: Keep a running score for each player across all 20 deals. Positive total = net winner; negative total = net loser.

Winning

• Game winner: The player with the highest positive total after 20 deals.
• Multiple positive totals: Because totals sum to zero, any positive total is a winning result, but the highest positive is the top 'champion'.
• Tie-breakers: If two players are tied on the top positive total, the kingdom-holder with most 1st-place Trex finishes wins; if still tied, play one tie-break deal of the contract of the tied players' choice.
• No forced end: The game always lasts exactly 20 deals; there is no early-end condition.

Common Variations

• Complex Trex: Combines multiple avoidance contracts into a single deal (for example, playing No Queens plus Diamonds simultaneously); scoring aggregates.
• Partnership Trex: Two teams of two; the holder's partner counts as the same kingdom holder; scoring is shared.7♥
• Exposed-2s Trex: The player with four 2s (or three 2s plus a specific card) can force a redeal before choosing a contract.
• Doubled Queens (Femmes Doublées): Any queen may be shown before the first trick to double its penalty value to 50 points.
• Reversed Trex scoring: The last to go out in Trex loses -50 instead of winning +50; all positive values shift downward.
• Open Trex (cards visible): A simplified variant with all hands face-up; reduces luck.

Tips and Strategy

• Contract selection is the kingdom holder's most important decision. With a long-diamond hand (6+ diamonds), play Diamonds last so you avoid as many as possible; with a short-diamond hand, play it first to dump your small diamonds early while opponents hold high ones.
• In King of Hearts, avoid leading hearts if you do not hold the ; leading hearts early lets whoever holds the dump it on your trick.K♥K♥
• In Queens contract, the and are the most capturable (hearts and spades have higher ranks than diamonds and clubs on average); if you hold them, play them off early on low-value tricks.Q♠Q♥
• In Collections, play your highest cards first to force other players to take tricks; save your lowest cards to duck when possible.
• In Trex, the Jack of your longest suit is the most valuable opener; playing it first lets you shed its suit before opponents can block.
• Doubling the is an aggressive play. Only double when you hold the plus protective low hearts; doubling a weakly-protected usually backfires.K♥K♥K♥

Glossary

• Kingdom: A 5-deal span in which one player (the holder) chooses the contract order; each of the five contracts is played exactly once.7♥
• Contract: One of the five deal modes: King of Hearts, Queens, Diamonds, Collections, Trex.K♠Q♠
• King of Hearts (Roi de Coeurs): Contract 1; -75 penalty for capturing .K♥
• Queens: Contract 2; -25 per queen captured.Q♠Q♥Q♦Q♣
• Diamonds: Contract 3; -10 per diamond captured.2♦7♦J♦
• Collections / Slaps / Lutoosh: Contract 4; -15 per trick taken.
• Trex: Contract 5; shedding layout around the four Jacks; positive scoring for finishing position.
• Doubling: Showing a high-penalty card (for example the in Contract 1 or any Queen in Contract 2) before the first trick to double its penalty if captured.K♥
• Hearts-broken: Contract 1's rule preventing a heart lead until a heart has been discarded on a non-heart trick.
• Eldest hand: The player to the dealer's right (because play is counter-clockwise).