Tarneeb (), also spelled tarnibe and tarnib, and called hakam ( ) in the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

, is a plain

trick-taking A trick-taking game is a card game, card- or tile-based game in which play of a ''Hand (card games), hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of ...

card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

played in various

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

ern countries, most notably in the countries of the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

, and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. The game may be considered a variation of

Whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History In 1674, '' The Complete Gamester'' described the game Ru ...

, or a version of Spades.

History

Historically the game can be traced back to the Levant, however the game seems to have truly flourished only from the early 18th century.

Overview

The aim is to win a set of continuous hands. There are four players in partnerships of two teams. A standard 52 card deck is used, each suit

ranking A ranking is a relationship between a set of items, often recorded in a list, such that, for any two items, the first is either "ranked higher than", "ranked lower than", or "ranked equal to" the second. In mathematics, this is known as a weak ...

in the usual way from Ace (high) down to two (low). The game is played anti-clockwise. Teams stay together for all the games of a set. In a tournament, at the end of a set, the losing team is replaced for the next set.Hugh Miles, ''Playing Cards in Cairo'', pg. 1, Abacus Software (2008) Partners sit opposite each other, often at a table in such a way that no player can see the cards of other players (see seating charting image). Either player of a team may collect the winning tricks. The first

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is chosen at random; thereafter the

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passes to the right. The cards are

shuffled Shuffling is a technique used to randomize a deck of playing cards, introducing an element of chance into card games. Various shuffling methods exist, each with its own characteristics and potential for manipulation. One of the simplest shuff ...

then

cut Cut or CUT may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** ...

by the player to the dealer's left, and are all dealt out beginning with first hand, the player to the dealer's right. Cards are dealt either singly or in packets of 13, so that everyone has 13 cards.

Auction

There is now a round of bidding with immediate raise. First hand opens and bidding continues anti-clockwise. Players may

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or make a bid for seven or more tricks. A bid for a higher number of tricks outranking one for a lower number. A player may bid once unless outbid by a later player, in which case the earlier player may

raise Raise may refer to: Music *''Raise!'', a 1981 album by Earth, Wind, and Fire * '' Raise'' (album), a 1991 album by Swervedriver *'' Raised'', a 2022 album by Hailey Whitters Place names * Raise, Cumbria, England * Raise (Lake District), a m ...

. A player who has passed may not re-enter the

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

. If a player does not hold a leading suit (Jack/Queen/King), the player is allowed the right for a reshuffle. Some circles allow partners to share how good their cards are i.e., helpful, not helpful at all. However, this is normally against the rules.

Play

The objective of the declaring team is to take at least the number of tricks that they bid. The aim of the

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is to hinder the declaring team from reaching their declared bid. The player who won the auction leads to the first trick. In turn, players play a card to the trick and must follow

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

if they can; otherwise may play any card. A trick is won by the highest tarneeb (trump) in it, if any. If there are no tarneebs in the trick, the highest card of the

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wins it. The winner of a trick leads to the next. In some regions, the declarer must start the first trick with his declared tarneeb suit.

Scoring

Once all thirteen tricks are played, the scores of the two sides are calculated by adding the tricks each side has won. If the declaring side takes at least the number of tricks bid, then they score the number of tricks they have, otherwise, the bid is subtracted from their score and the opposing team scores the number of tricks they collected themselves. It is possible, therefore, to have a negative score. The set ends when one team reaches forty-one (41) and the losing team is replaced for the next set. A team can also win the game by either making a set of 13 tricks.

Scoring variations

*In some regions, a set ends when a team reaches 31 or 61 rather than 41. *A team can not win if 13 tricks are won if a lower bet was offered (in Falamanki Dubai as per Mr. Rabih) *A team can not win if their current score is below 0

Game strategies

*Keep tarneeb count: Every player should know how many tarneebs are out and how many are left at any point in the game. This is most crucial for the declarer who should always know how many tarneebs are out. *Tashleeh ( ): If you are the declarer, try to eliminate as many tarneebs from the game as possible. *Ta'leem ( ): If your partner is the declarer and you run out of tarneebs, signal to your partner what suit you want him to follow on the next trick by using a low card of that suit. *Hints: If you want your partner to return the same suit on the next turn, slam the card on the table as you play. Note that this practice is not allowed in some areas and generally frowned upon as not very professional behavior. *Na'f: When you finish a suit, throw the last card with a (flick) which hints your partner. This also is not always allowed. *Second lowest/third highest: for any trick, a good rule of thumb is for the second player to use the lowest card, and the third player to use the highest card.

References

External links

''Tarneeb''
at

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{{List of trick-taking games Auction Whist group Lebanese card games