Last Updated on April 10, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team
Tarneeb is a trick-taking game for four players, featuring bidding and trumps. Widely popular across the Middle East, it is believed to have originated in Lebanon. The term “Tarneeb” is Arabic for “trump,” which plays a central role in the game.
There are two primary variations of the game. The simpler version, detailed here, involves bidding only the number of tricks a team aims to win. The more complex version, often played in Egypt, includes the trump suit as part of the bid.
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How to Play Tarneeb
Players and Cards
Tarneeb is played with four participants in fixed partnerships, with each pair sitting across from each other.
A standard 52-card deck is used, with cards ranked from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
The game is typically played counterclockwise.
Deal
The dealer is chosen randomly, and after each hand, the deal rotates clockwise. The cards are shuffled, cut, and dealt one at a time so that each player receives 13 cards.
Bidding
The bidding begins with the player to the dealer’s right and continues counterclockwise.
Bids are given as numbers, indicating how many tricks the team commits to winning. The lowest bid is seven, and the highest is thirteen. Each bid must be higher than the previous one.
A player who does not wish to bid may pass. Once a player passes, they cannot bid again in the current round.
If all four players pass on their first turn, the hand is canceled, and the cards are shuffled and redealt.
The bidding continues until all but one player have passed. The final bidder announces the trump suit (Tarneeb) and leads to the first trick.
An alternative option allows for a hand to be played without trumps.
Example of bidding:
- North (dealer) → West → South → East
- Pass → 7 → 8 → 10 → Pass → 11 → Pass
In this example, West begins, and after North’s bid of 10, the bidding ends when North passes. East now selects the trump suit.
Play
The player who won the bid leads the first trick. From there, the winner of each trick leads the next one.
Play proceeds counterclockwise. Players must follow the suit of the lead card if possible. If a player cannot follow suit, they may play a trump card or discard a card of a different suit.
Each trick is won by the highest trump card played, or by the highest card in the suit led if no trumps are played.
Scoring
The team that made the bid must win at least as many tricks as they bid. If they succeed, they score the number of tricks won, and the opposing team scores nothing. If the bidding team wins fewer tricks than their bid, they lose points equal to their bid, while the other team scores the number of tricks they won.
If a team wins all 13 tricks, known as “kaboot,” they score an additional 3 points, totaling 16 points instead of 13.
If the bid was 13 tricks and the team wins them all, they score 26 points. However, if they lose any tricks, they score -16 points, and the opposing team scores double the number of tricks they win.
The game continues until one team reaches a cumulative score of 31 points or more, winning the game.
Variations
- In some variations, the game is played clockwise, where the player to the left of the dealer begins the bidding.
- Some allow cards to be dealt all at once, with each player receiving 13 cards.
- In some parts of Lebanon, each player can only make one bid, and the dealer can only match the highest bid to take over the role of bidder.
- If the first three players pass, the dealer is forced to bid seven.
- In certain versions, players may be required to lead a trump card to the first trick.
- The target score to win the game can vary, with some settings using 41, 51, or 61 as the required score instead of 31.
Special Card Throw-In Rule: Some versions allow a player to throw in their cards immediately if they have no Ace, King, Queen, or Jack in specific suits, signaling they cannot take a trick in those suits.
Special Hand Rule: If a player holds 10 or more cards of a single suit, they may be forced to either pass, bid “kaboot” to win all 13 tricks, or discard their hand.
Egyptian Tarneeb
In the Egyptian variation, the bid specifies both the number of tricks and the trump suit. The suits are ranked from high to low: No Trump, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs. To overcall a bid, a player must either bid the same number of tricks with a higher suit or bid more tricks in any suit. The lowest bid is 7 clubs, and the highest bid is 13 No Trump.
Bidding proceeds until a complete round of passes occurs. The final bidder then leads the play, and the trump suit is as specified in the last bid.
In this version, players can “double” a bid, which multiplies the points won or lost, but it doesn’t affect the opponents’ score if the bidding side loses.
For example, if the contract is 10 hearts doubled:
- Winning 11 tricks earns 22 points.
- Winning 8 tricks results in -20 points for the bidders and 5 points for the opponents.
The target score to win is usually set at 41 in this Egyptian variant.
Egyptian Tarneeb Variations
- Redouble Option: Some allow the bidder or their partner to “redouble,” multiplying the score by four instead of two.
- Opponent Scoring: In some variations, a double or redouble multiplies the opponent’s score for tricks if the bidder fails.
Tarneeb offers a range of exciting variations, making it a flexible and dynamic game enjoyed across the Middle East. Whether you’re playing the classic version or exploring Egyptian Tarneeb, it promises strategic depth and thrilling competition.
