In Arab countries, particularly in the Levant, a popular card game known as Tarneeb blackjack, or simply "rule" in the Arab Gulf states, captivates players with its engaging gameplay. The primary goal of Tarneeb is to win consecutive rounds, known as "groups." The game is played with four players, forming two teams of two, where each team competes until the end of the groups to determine the winner.
Tarneeb uses a standard 52-card deck, excluding Jokers. The game begins with the dealer distributing cards to the right, starting the bidding process with the player to their left. Each round consists of four players, with partners sitting opposite each other, forming a team.
The bidding, or "demand," starts at 7 and can go up to 13, known as "Cabot" or "livers." Bidding proceeds clockwise, beginning with the player to the right of the dealer. The highest bidder selects the Tarneeb suit, which becomes the trump suit for that round.
If a team fails to meet their bid, they face a penalty. For instance, if a team bids for 10 tricks but only wins 9, they lose points equivalent to the number of tricks they bid for (10 points), while the opposing team gains points for the tricks they won, say 4 points in this example. If the opposing team wins 5 tricks, any discrepancies in the score are revealed.
The game concludes when one of the teams reaches a predetermined score, either 61 or 31 points, depending on the agreement made before the game starts.
The card hierarchy in Tarneeb is as follows, from highest to lowest:
- A (Ace, known as "Cut")
- K (King, known as "Sheikh")
- Q (Queen, known as "girl")
- J (Jack, known as "born")
- Then descending from 10 to 2.
