What you need
- 4 players, each playing for themselves (no partners).
- One normal 52-card deck. Aces are high: A, K, Q, J, 10 down to 2.
- Spades are always trumps.
The deal
Each player gets 13 cards. The deal moves one seat on every round. In most Nepali games, if any hand has no spade or no face card (A, K, Q or J), the cards are thrown in and dealt again.
Calling (bidding)
Starting with the player after the dealer, each player calls once: the number of tricks they think they can win. Calls go from 1 to 8 in the usual game. There is no second round of calling and no minimum total.
Playing a trick
- The player after the dealer leads the first trick. Whoever wins a trick leads the next one.
- Follow suit if you can.
- Must beat: when you follow suit and no spade has been played on the trick, you must play a higher card than the best one so far if you have one.
- If you have no card of the suit that was led, you must play a spade. If a spade is already winning, you must play a higher spade if you can.
- If you can't beat the trick, play any card.
- The highest spade wins the trick. If no spade was played, the highest card of the suit that was led wins.
Scoring
| Result | Points | Example |
|---|---|---|
| You win at least your call | + your call, plus 0.1 for every extra trick | Call 4, win 6 = +4.2 |
| You win fewer than your call | − your call | Call 5, win 4 = −5 |
| You call 8 and make it | Wins the whole match at once (popular app rule) |
A match is usually 5 rounds. The highest total wins.
Tips to win
- Count your sure tricks before you call: high spades, aces, and kings with a small card of the same suit.
- Short suits are useful. With only one or two cards in a suit you will soon be able to trump it.
- Missing your call costs a lot more than a small call earns, so call carefully at the start.
- Watch which spades have gone. Once the ace and king of spades are out, your queen may be the highest left.
Ready to play?Callbreak is free on phone, tablet and computer.
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