About Tarneeb
Tarneeb is the most popular partnership card game in the Levant, played in homes and cafés from Beirut to Damascus and Amman. Four players sit in two teams: you and your partner Sami face Nour and Karim. Everyone bids how many of the thirteen tricks their team will take, from 7 to 13. The highest bidder chooses the trump suit, the tarneeb, which beats every other suit.
Follow the suit that was led if you can; if you cannot, cut with a trump or throw away a low card. Make your bid and your team scores the tricks it took; miss it and you lose the whole bid while the other team scores its tricks. Play counter-clockwise just like a real table, with smart computer partners and rivals, in a game to 31 or the longer game to 41.
How to play
- Bidding: choose a number from 7 to 13 that beats the highest bid, or pass.
- The winning bidder picks the trump suit and leads the first trick.
- Follow suit if you can. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
- Win all 13 tricks for a bonus. The first team to reach the target wins.
About Tarneeb
Tarneeb is the partnership card game of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, and a favourite at family gatherings. Your bid is a promise your team makes together, so reading your partner's cards is half the game.
Tips to score higher
- Bid on long strong suits: five or more cards of one suit make a great tarneeb.
- Lead your aces early, before your rivals can cut them with trumps.
- When your partner is already winning the trick, play your lowest card.
- Count the trumps that have been played to know when your small ones are safe.
Tarneeb FAQ
What happens if we miss our bid?
Your team loses the value of the bid and the other team scores the tricks it took.
Which direction is play?
Counter-clockwise, as on a real table in the Levant.
Try next: Hearts, Crazy Eights and Dominoes.
