Levant · Trick-taking · Partners
Tarneeb: rules and how to play
طرنيب
Tarneeb is the trick-taking game of the Levant, played in homes and cafés from Beirut to Amman. Two teams of two sit across from each other, bid for the right to name the trump suit (the tarneeb itself), and race to 41 points. It rewards a good partner as much as a good hand.
At a glance
- Players
- 4, in two teams of two
- Deck
- 52 cards, ace high
- Goal
- Make your bid; first team to 41
- A game
- Several hands, to 41 points
01
How to play in one minute
- Deal all 52 cards, 13 each. Dealing, bidding and play go to the right.
- Bid once around the table: 7 to 13 tricks, each bid higher than the last, or pass.
- The highest bidder names the trump suit and leads the first trick.
- Follow suit if you can. If you can't, trump or throw any card. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
- Make your bid to score your tricks; miss it and lose the bid. The first team to 41 wins.
02
The rules
The deal
One 52-card deck, 13 cards each. Cards rank from the ace (high) down to the 2. The player on the dealer's right bids and plays first, and the deal moves one seat to the right after each hand.
Bidding
Starting on the dealer's right, each player bids once: a number of tricks from 7 to 13, higher than the bid before it, or pass. A bid of 13 ends the bidding at once. If all four players pass, the cards are dealt again (with the Dealer must bid rule, the dealer has to bid at least 7 instead).
Playing the tricks
The highest bidder names the tarneeb and leads. Follow the suit led if you can. If you can't, play any card: you may trump, but you don't have to. The highest trump wins the trick; with no trump in it, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner leads the next trick.
Scoring
- Bid made: the bidding team scores the tricks it took. A bid of 13 made scores 26.
- Bid missed: the bidding team loses the value of its bid, and the other team scores the tricks it took.
- Scores can go below zero. The game ends after a hand in which a team reaches 41; if both teams are there, the higher score wins, and a tie plays another hand.
You bid 8 and your team takes 9 tricks: you score 9. Take only 7 and you lose 8, while the other team scores its 6.
03
Tips from the table
- Count the trumps. There are 13 of each suit, so after two rounds of tarneeb you can usually tell who still holds them.
- Bid for the team, not only your hand. Your partner holds a quarter of the deck, and a strong suit plus a couple of aces from across the table often makes 8.
- When you win the bid with long trumps, lead them early to draw the opponents' trumps before they can cut your winners.
- Watch the score near 41: a team close to winning can push you into a bid you can't make.
Qahwa · قهوة
Play it in Qahwa
Switch the house rules before you deal:
- Dealer must bid: when everyone passes, the dealer bids at least 7
- Defenders keep the tricks they took even when the bid is made
- Bid until three players have passed
- Sweep bonus: all 13 tricks on a smaller bid score 16
04
Questions
What does tarneeb mean?
Tarneeb is the Levantine word for the trump suit. The game is named after it, and naming the tarneeb is the prize for the highest bid.
How many points is a game of Tarneeb?
Qahwa plays Tarneeb to 41 points, a common target across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
Can I play Tarneeb online with friends?
Yes. Open a private table in Qahwa, share the code with three friends and choose partners, or fill the empty seats with the computer.
Play it free: Tarneeb
Free on Android. iPhone coming soon.