The cards
32 cards: 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace in ♥ ♣ ♦ ♠. From lowest to highest: 7, 8, 9, J, Q, K, 10, A (the 10 is above the king). Every contract starts with a fresh shuffle, 8 cards each.
Players
Four players, each alone, in fixed seats. Everything turns counter-clockwise: choosing, playing, placing. The first to choose is drawn at random.
The game: 28 contracts
- Every player has their own seven contracts: dineri, damet, pli, farcha, ray, general and trix. Each can be chosen once.
- Each deal, the player whose turn it is to choose (the picker) looks at their hand, then picks one of their unused contracts. The turn to choose moves counter-clockwise after each contract, so there are 28 at most.
- Trix can be chosen only while holding a jack, and it must be chosen by your 6th pick at the latest: if it's still unused then, it's your only choice, jack or not. Your 7th pick is whatever is left.
- After each contract, its points are added to the totals. A total of exactly 1000 goes back to 0. A total over 1000 ends the game.
- Otherwise the game ends after the 28th contract. Totals can go below zero (thanks to trix).
- The lowest total wins; the highest loses. Equal totals are a tie.
Tricks (every contract but trix)
- The picker leads the first trick; whoever wins a trick leads the next.
- Follow the suit that was led if you can; otherwise play any card. You never have to play higher.
- The highest card of the suit led wins the trick. There are no trumps.
- Won tricks lie face down: you see only how many each player has. You may look at the last trick twice per contract.
The contracts
- Dineri (diamonds): +10 for each ♦ you take; all 8: +150 instead of 80. It ends once the last ♦ is taken.
- Damet (queens): +20 for each queen you take. It ends once the last queen is taken.
- Pli (tricks): +10 for each trick; all 8: +150 instead of 80.
- Farcha (the last trick): all 8 tricks are played; only the last counts: +100.
- Ray (the king of hearts): +100 for taking the K♥. It ends with that trick. Its holder may declare it on their first turn, before playing: then it's worth +200 to whoever takes it (the holder too), and if someone else takes it, the holder gets −50.
- General: dineri, damet, pli, farcha and ray all at once, with their special rules; all 8 tricks are played. Take all 8 tricks and you score 0 for the whole contract.
Doubled points
The picker's points for their own contract count double, and four times on their 7th, forced pick. The ray holder's −50 is never multiplied, and trix never is.
Trix
The only contract that brings your score down. Four stacks, one per suit, each starting with its jack and built up (Q, K, 10, A) and down (9, 8, 7).
- The picker places the first jack. (When trix was forced on someone without a jack, the first player after them who holds one starts.)
- Then, counter-clockwise, each player places a jack of a suit not started yet, or the next card up or down on a started stack.
- You must play when you can; you pass only when you have nothing to place.
- Placing an ace gives you another turn.
- The first to empty their hand scores −100, the second −50, and play stops there; the other two score 0.
At the table
The game starts as soon as four are seated. Anyone missing can be replaced by a friend or played by a bot, and a player who drops out gets their seat back when they return. On your turn, tap a card or drag it onto the table; before your turn, you can choose your next card in advance, and it's played when your turn comes if it's still allowed.