Egypt · Fishing · Partners or head to head
Basra: rules and how to play
بصرة
Basra is the fishing game of Egyptian cafés and Iraqi homes. Instead of tricks, you capture cards from the middle of the table by matching them, and sweeping the whole table in one go is a Basra, worth 10 points. Quick to learn, hard to stop playing.
At a glance
- Players
- 2, or 4 in partners
- Deck
- 52 cards
- Goal
- First to 101 points
- A game
- Rounds of 3 to 6 deals
01
How to play in one minute
- Deal four cards to each player and four face up on the table.
- On your turn play one card. A number card takes the table cards of the same number, and any groups that add up to it.
- A queen takes only queens and a king only kings. A jack takes the whole table.
- The seven of diamonds takes the whole table too, and always scores a Basra when it sweeps.
- Clearing the table with a capture is a Basra: +10. Points are counted at the end of each round.
02
The rules
The deal
A standard 52-card deck. Everyone gets four cards and four go face up on the table; no jack and no seven of diamonds starts there. When all hands are empty, everyone gets four more cards, none to the table, until the deck runs out. With two players a round has six deals; with four, three.
Capturing
- A number card (ace = 1, then 2 to 10) takes every table card of the same number, plus as many groups of number cards adding up to it as it can.
- A queen takes only queens; a king takes only kings.
- A jack takes the whole table.
- The seven of diamonds takes the whole table too, courts included.
- If your card takes nothing, it stays on the table.
Scoring
Clearing the table with a capture is a Basra (+10). A jack sweep is not a Basra, and playing onto an empty table never is. At the end of the round the last player to capture takes what is left on the table. Then:
- Each ace and each jack: 1
- Two of clubs: 2
- Ten of diamonds: 3
- Most cards: 3 (nobody on a tie)
- Each Basra: 10
Two aces, the ten of diamonds, most cards and one Basra: 2 + 3 + 3 + 10 = 18 points.
03
Tips from the table
- Save your jack for a crowded table. It takes everything, even though it doesn't score a Basra.
- Never leave a single card on the table for the next player: it is an easy Basra.
- Track the seven of diamonds. Whoever holds it can sweep for a guaranteed Basra.
- In partners, leave numbers your teammate can add up, not ones your opponents can.
Qahwa · قهوة
Play it in Qahwa
Switch the house rules before you deal:
- A jack taking a lone jack is a Basra
- Two players head to head, or four in partners
04
Questions
What is a Basra?
Clearing every card from the table with one capture. It is worth 10 points, the biggest single score in the game.
Does a jack score a Basra?
No. A jack takes the whole table but is not a Basra. Qahwa has a house rule where a jack that takes a lone jack counts as one.
Is Basra the same as Chkobba?
They are cousins: both are fishing games. Basra uses the full 52-card deck and the jack sweep; Chkobba uses 40 cards and scores cards, diamonds and sevens.
