Tarneeb is a popular middle eastern playing-cards game usually played at Sheesha joints or arabic coffee shops. There are different variations of the game which totally depends on the group of people you play with and what they are used to playing.
Tarneeb requires 4 players each receiving 13 cards (52 standard deck). Depending on the variation of the game, sometimes the "tarneeb" is fixed (hearts) or can be bidded for. If you bid for it, the highest bidder sets the tarneeb; obviously depending on what cards he holds. The game requires partnership between the 2 players facing each other to get the number of wins called for during the bidding process.
The game always remains in play until one team reaches either 31, 41 or 61 (depending on the variation of the tarneeb you play). When this happens, that team wins the game. The game relies heavily on 2 things: strategy and counting cards. You also need to be able to read your partner's expressions and interpret your partner's cards without talking. This requires playing a number of times with the same individual to get the hang of it.
I am not a master in tarneeb, but I enjoy playing it with my friends so I thought of sharing some of the tips and tricks we use in our games:
1. Bids of 7 or 8 are usually relatively easier to get given the right combination of cards between you and your partner. So, sometimes it is smart to ask for either call to force your competition to call for a higher number to outbid you (i.e. 9 or higher). When this happens, and even if your competition hold better cards on other suits than you and your partner, you will both still have a better chance on working as a team to not let your competition win, and this will lead to affecting the other team's score.
2. Try to choose the tarneeb depending on the number of face cards you hold of a certain suit. If let's say you hold the KQJ and 9 of one of the suits, don't worry too much about the competition holding the A, 10 or other "tarneebs" as most likely you can out-trick them in the total number of wins.
3. When you or your partner call for a certain tarneeb, try to start the game with that tarneeb. This will flush out the tarneebs that your competition hold to avoid being used against you on other suits that they may be out of.
4. When still at the beginning of the round, try to get rid of suits that you don't hold many cards in. This will help you use the tarneeb (especially the low tarneebs like 2, 3, 4 or 5) once you are out from that suit. This can be useful when the tarneeb is called by the competition.
5. When you are out of a certain suit but your partner plays a high card from that same suit in a way almost certain that the trick is for your team, either play a low card from a different suit that you still hold strong cards in or try to get rid of cards that can give you the chance to be also out from another suit.
6. If you are the third player to place the card, and the second player out-tricks your partner's card, play the highest card you have from that suit if it out-bids the second player's card even if you think it doesn't stand a chance in front of what the fourth player might throw in. This way, you will force your competition to either throw in their high cards in that suit or throw in a tarneeb which, in both cases, will increase your chances to win in future tricks.
7. Practicing tarneeb players ALWAYS count cards. So try to remember which cards exactly have already been thrown in as well so you can make a better judgement on what card you will play next. If you loose count, it may be easier for you to try to remember how many times a certain suit was played. If the suit has been played only once, chances are, nobody yet is still out of it (unless your unlucky and your competition is). If the suit has been already played twice, there is a very big chance that your partner or the competition or both are out of it; try to see how many cards from that suit is remaining in your hand to make a better judgement on how many cards your partner may have.
There are more strategies and tricks out there but that's all I can think of right now. I would love to read yours, so please do share!
Good luck and enjoy Tarneeb-ing ;)
Tarneeb requires 4 players each receiving 13 cards (52 standard deck). Depending on the variation of the game, sometimes the "tarneeb" is fixed (hearts) or can be bidded for. If you bid for it, the highest bidder sets the tarneeb; obviously depending on what cards he holds. The game requires partnership between the 2 players facing each other to get the number of wins called for during the bidding process.
The game always remains in play until one team reaches either 31, 41 or 61 (depending on the variation of the tarneeb you play). When this happens, that team wins the game. The game relies heavily on 2 things: strategy and counting cards. You also need to be able to read your partner's expressions and interpret your partner's cards without talking. This requires playing a number of times with the same individual to get the hang of it.
I am not a master in tarneeb, but I enjoy playing it with my friends so I thought of sharing some of the tips and tricks we use in our games:
1. Bids of 7 or 8 are usually relatively easier to get given the right combination of cards between you and your partner. So, sometimes it is smart to ask for either call to force your competition to call for a higher number to outbid you (i.e. 9 or higher). When this happens, and even if your competition hold better cards on other suits than you and your partner, you will both still have a better chance on working as a team to not let your competition win, and this will lead to affecting the other team's score.
2. Try to choose the tarneeb depending on the number of face cards you hold of a certain suit. If let's say you hold the KQJ and 9 of one of the suits, don't worry too much about the competition holding the A, 10 or other "tarneebs" as most likely you can out-trick them in the total number of wins.
3. When you or your partner call for a certain tarneeb, try to start the game with that tarneeb. This will flush out the tarneebs that your competition hold to avoid being used against you on other suits that they may be out of.
4. When still at the beginning of the round, try to get rid of suits that you don't hold many cards in. This will help you use the tarneeb (especially the low tarneebs like 2, 3, 4 or 5) once you are out from that suit. This can be useful when the tarneeb is called by the competition.
5. When you are out of a certain suit but your partner plays a high card from that same suit in a way almost certain that the trick is for your team, either play a low card from a different suit that you still hold strong cards in or try to get rid of cards that can give you the chance to be also out from another suit.
6. If you are the third player to place the card, and the second player out-tricks your partner's card, play the highest card you have from that suit if it out-bids the second player's card even if you think it doesn't stand a chance in front of what the fourth player might throw in. This way, you will force your competition to either throw in their high cards in that suit or throw in a tarneeb which, in both cases, will increase your chances to win in future tricks.
7. Practicing tarneeb players ALWAYS count cards. So try to remember which cards exactly have already been thrown in as well so you can make a better judgement on what card you will play next. If you loose count, it may be easier for you to try to remember how many times a certain suit was played. If the suit has been played only once, chances are, nobody yet is still out of it (unless your unlucky and your competition is). If the suit has been already played twice, there is a very big chance that your partner or the competition or both are out of it; try to see how many cards from that suit is remaining in your hand to make a better judgement on how many cards your partner may have.
There are more strategies and tricks out there but that's all I can think of right now. I would love to read yours, so please do share!
Good luck and enjoy Tarneeb-ing ;)
I love playing tarneeb :) Bas inu Rami all of this and you're "not a master" looool keef ba2a ?!?!? ;p We should play soon and see who wins ;)
ReplyDeleteMy problem is I don't count cards properly...i loose track! Yalla, we definitely should play soon :)
ReplyDeleteNice post Rami! Tarneeb is the best :)
ReplyDeleteYou should check out Tarneeb.com (www.tarneeb.com) where you can play the game with friends and other Tarneeb fans in a new and original gaming concept. Let me know what you think :)
Hi Sally...yah, I came across that website a while back. Thanks for the referral :)
ReplyDeleteWhich tarneeb do you play and also, do you have any particular tricks you use?