- How To Play 28 Card Game In English
- 28 Card Game Download
- 28 Card Game Online Play
- Twenty Forty Eight Game
When the game starts you select 3 cards to pass to one of your opponents. Typically you want to pass your three worst cards to get rid of them. Which opponent you pass to varies, you start by passing to the opponent on your left, then in the next game you pass to the opponent on your right, third game. 28 Card Multiplayer Game is a popular South Indian Card Game, also playing in South Asian countries. 28 Card Multiplayer Game consists of 4 players with 2 players facing each other forming a team. 8.28 is a family push-your-luck card game where the object is to be the closest to 8 or 28 without going over. Each player starts out with one face-down card and has the opportunity to take more cards as the game progresses. The pot grows until no one wants any more cards and then is split between 8 and 28. 3 Player Drinking Games With Cards Naked Greased Up Monkey. Naked Greased Up Monkey is one of the more creative games on this list. The objective of the game is to push the center card off the table, by using cards in your hand to move it in certain directions. When it falls off the table whoever it fell closest to must drink the number on the.
This page is based on information from Raj Nair, John Hanson and Jeevan Ravi.
- Variations: Cot - Thani - 3-player game - 6-player game - 56
Introduction
This is one of a group of South Asian trick-taking games in which the Jack and the Nine are the highest cards in every suit. It is almost certain that they are related to the European family of Jass games, which originated in the Netherlands. Possibly they were brought to the Indian subcontinent from South Africa, by Asians who had been influenced by the Afrikaans game of Klawerjas.
28 (Irupathiyettu) is played in India in the southern province of Kerala. It is closely related to the similar north Indian game 29, and both are probably descended from 304, which is still played in Sri Lanka.
Players and Cards
28 is usually played by four players in fixed partnerships, partners facing each other.
32 cards from a standard 52-card pack are used for play. There are eight cards in each of the usual 'French' suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. The cards in every suit rank from high to low: J-9-A-10-K-Q-8-7. The aim of the game is to win tricks containing valuable cards. The values of the cards are:
| Jacks | 3 points each |
| Nines | 2 points each |
| Aces | 1 point each |
| Tens | 1 point each |
| Other cards (K, Q, 8, 7) | no points |
This gives a total of 28 points for cards, hence the name of the game.
Deal and Bidding
Deal and play are counter-clockwise; the cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by the player to dealer's left. Four cards are then dealt to each player, one at a time.
Based on these four cards, players bid for the right to choose trumps. Each bid is a number, and the highest bidder undertakes that his or her side will win in tricks at least the number of points bid. The player to dealer's right speaks first, and must bid at least 14. The only exception is if the first player has no point cards at all - only Kings, Queens, 8s and 7s. In this case instead of bidding 14 this player may (but is not obliged to) demand a redeal. All players throw in their cards, there is a new shuffle and cut and the same dealer deals again. The other three players have no right to demand a redeal at this stage however poor their cards may be.
After the first player has bid, subsequent players, in counter-clockwise order, may either bid higher or pass. The auction continues for as many rounds as necessary until three players pass in succession. There is one restriction during the bidding: if you wish to bid over your partner's bid, your left hand opponent having passed, you must bid at least 20.
The final bidder chooses a trump suit on the basis of his or her four cards, and places a card of this suit face down. The trump indicator card is not shown to the other players, who therefore will not know at first what suit is trumps: it remains face down in front of the bidder until at some point during the play someone calls for the trump suit to be exposed.
The dealer then completes the deal, giving four more cards to each player, so that everyone has eight. After everyone has seen their eight cards, the final bidder or the bidder's partner may increase the bid if they wish, but if they do so the new bid must be at least 24.
The Play
The play can be divided into two phases: before and after the bidder's face down trump card is exposed.
First phase:
The player to the dealer's right leads to the first trick; players must follow suit if possible, the highest card of the suit led wins the trick, and the winner of each trick leads to the next. If you have no card of the suit led you have two options:
- You may discard any card. This card cannot win the trick (unless the trump is exposed during the current trick and the card you played turns out to have been a trump).
- Before playing a card, you may call for the bidder's face down trump to be exposed. In this case, the bidder must turn this trump card face up for all to see, and it is then added to the bidder's hand. Having called for the trump to be exposed, you must play a trump to this trick if you have one; if you have no trump you may discard any card. From the moment when the trump is exposed, the play enters the second phase - see below.
During the first phase, the face down trump is not considered as belonging to the bidder's hand. If the bidder holds no card of the suit that was led, the bidder may discard any card of a non-trump suit without declaring trumps. Alternatively, if the suit led was not the trump suit, the bidder may reveal the trump card and play it.
During this phase the bidder is subject to the following restrictions:
- The bidder is not allowed to lead a card of the concealed trump suit unless there is no alternative. If after winning a trick, the bidder has nothing else in hand except cards of the trump suit then one of these must be led. The bidder must not reveal the concealed trump card at this point and the led card does not have the power of a trump. If the bidder wins the seventh trick and trump has not yet been revealed, then the bidder will reveal the trump card and lead it to the last trick.
- If another player leads the concealed trump suit, the bidder must either follow suit from hand or discard a card of a different suit. The bidder is not allowed to reveal the trump suit on this trick.
- If another player leads a non-trump suit and the bidder has no cards of this suit, the bidder is not allowed to play a trump card from hand. The bidder must either discard a card of a different non-trump suit or reveal the concealed trump card and play it, thereby beginning phase two.
During the first phase, cards of the (concealed) trump suit have no special effect: each trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, even if it also contains cards of the suit that is subsequently revealed as trumps.
Second phase:
At the moment when the bidder's face down card is exposed, this suit becomes trumps. Each trick is now won by the highest trump in it. Tricks that contain no trumps are won by the highest card of the suit led. Players must follow suit if possible: if unable to follow, they may play a trump or discard a card of another suit, as they like. As before, the winner of each trick leads to the next. The bidder is under no special constraints and is now free to lead any suit, including trumps.
Notes
- If a situation is reached during the first phase in which the bidder has no trumps in hand, and another player leads the trump suit, the bidder can play any card, since the face down trump is not yet part of the bidder's hand. Of course the bidder has the option to expose the face down trump and play it, but if it is a low trump that cannot win the trick, it will probably be better to save it for later.
- Cards of the trump suit only become trumps from the moment that the trump card is exposed. Any cards of that suit that were previously played to the trick do not count as trumps.
Example. In phase 1 South leads the 8. Having no hearts, East discards the A without asking for trumps, hoping that West will win the trick. North also has no hearts and asks for trumps: the bidder exposes a club and North trumps with the Q. West follows suit with the A. This trick is won by North. The Queen of clubs is a trump but the Ace of clubs does not count as a trump because it was played before the trump was exposed. - If a player leads a card of the trump suit in phase 1 and another player who does not have that suit asks for the trump to be shown, then players who follow suit after the trump has been revealed will be playing trumps, and their cards will beat cards of the same suit played before the trump was revealed, even if their rank in the suit is lower.
Example: North leads the J. West, who has no spades, asks for the trump to be revealed and South, who made trumps, shows the 8. West discards a diamond. South plays the K. At this point South is winning the trick, since South's spade is a trump and North's is not. If East now plays the 9 East will win the trick, since the 9 is the highest trump played to the trick.
Redeal
In certain circumstances the deal is annulled. The cards are thrown in, the shuffle and cut are repeated and there is a new deal by the same dealer.
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- If any player's eight-card hand includes all four jacks, the player must show them and the cards are redealt.
- If it turns out that the bidding team has all 8 trumps, and the other team has none at all, the cards are redealt. This will of course not be known until the trump suit is revealed.
Scoring
When all eight tricks have been played, each side counts the card points in the tricks it has won. The bidding team needs at least as many card points as the bid to win; otherwise they lose.
The cumulative scores of the two teams are recorded on a piece of paper. The number of game points scored depends on the bid, not on the exact number of points taken in tricks.
- If the bid was 19 or less, the bidding team wins 1 game point if successful, but loses 2 game points if they fail.
- For bids from 20 to 24, the bidding team wins 2 game points or loses 3 game points.
- For bids of 25 or more, the bidding team wins 3 game points or loses 4 game points.
Bids from 20 to 24 are known as 'Honours'.
Variations
No Jack discard in an unplayed suit
Some play that if you hold no cards of the suit that is led, it is illegal to discard the Jack of a suit that has not yet been led. It is however, legal to trump with the Jack of trumps even if trumps have not yet been led.
Pointless hand may demand a redeal
Some play that any who player has a hand of 8 pointless cards (i.e. holds no Jacks, Nines, Aces or Tens) may show it and annul the hand. There is a new deal by the same dealer.
Cot
Some play a variation called 'Cot': if the winning team wins all the tricks they score twice the usual number of game points. To prevent this, their opponents can offer to surrender before the end of the play. If the winning side accepts the surrender, play ends and they just score the single amount for the bid; if the winning side insists on playing on and wins all the tricks, they win a double game, but if they lose any tricks at all, they lose a double game.
John Hanson reports a different form of Cot: in this version it is bid after only four cards each have been dealt. The remaining cards are not dealt and the Cot bidder has to win all four tricks. The cards of the Cot bidder's partner are placed face up on the table. I am not sure how this form of Cot is scored.
Thani
Some play that the bidder can announce 'Thani' (or 'Adi') after all eight cards have been dealt. This is an undertaking that the bidder win every trick alone without help from partner. The bidder leads to the first trick. If the bidder wins every trick, the bidder's team scores 4 points; if not they lose 5 points. (Presumably the Thani is lost if the bidder's partner wins a trick.)
John Hanson reports a version in which 'Thani' can be announced before the seventh trick by a player who has won the first six tricks. I am not sure how this form of Thani is scored.
Three-player version
It is possible for three players to play 28. In this case the Sevens and Eights are removed from the pack, leaving 24 cards. The compulsory minimum bid for the first player is 12, and the highest bidder plays alone against the other two in temporary partnership.
Six-player version
28 can also be played by six players, using a pack expanded to 36 cards by adding the sixes, which are the lowest cards of the suits, and like other low cards have no point value. The game is played between three teams of two, partners sitting opposite, and all the cards are dealt out, three at a time, before the bidding. The minimum bid is 12. The team that bids highest plays against the other four players as opponents.
Fifty-Six
56 is a more sophisticated variant of 28, also played in Kerala, using a double pack.
Other 28 Web Sites
Here is an archive copy of Raj Nair's 28 page.
This page is based on a contributions from P.J.Ackerson and Bill Maher, supplemented with information from Peter Sarrett's poker variations web site.
Introduction
Seven Twenty-Seven is an American vying game for 4 to 10 players, in which players try to make a hand whose points total as near as possible to 7 or 27 points. There are several variations, especially on what counts as nearest, so it is essential to agree on the house rules you will use before beginning to play. You also need to agree the amount of the initial stake (ante) and the betting limits (the minimum and maximum amount by which the bet may be raised at one time).
The cards
A standard 52 card pack is used. In this game kings, queens and jacks are worth half a point each, and the numeral cards are worth their face value. Aces are worth 1 or 11 points each - and you are allowed to count the same ace as 1 for the purpose of making 7 and as 11 for the purpose of making 27. Thus five-ace-ace is a perfect hand that totals exactly 7 and 27 at the same time.
The deal
Everyone places the agreed initial stake in the pot and the dealer gives one card face up to each player and then one card each face down. The players look at their face-down cards and then each player in turn, starting with the player to dealer's left, may ask for an additional card, face-down.
Variation: Many play that each player is initially dealt two cards face down and one face up.
The betting
There is then a round of betting, which works in the same way as Poker betting, as follows. The player to dealer's left may either pass or bet any amount within the agreed limits, placing the amount of the bet next to the pot. If this player passes, the next player in clockwise rotation has the same options, and so on round to the dealer. If everyone passes the betting round is over.
If someone bets, subsequent players in rotation have the following options:
- to fold - which is to drop out of the play, abandoning any money already bet on the hand;
- to call - which is to stake additional money, so that the total amount you have stakes is equal to the total amount staked by the last player who bet or raised;
- to raise - which is to put in the amount needed to call, plus an additional stake anywhere between the agreed minimum and maximum.
If all the players except one fold, the remaining player takes all the bets, the cards are thrown in (without showing any of the face-down cards) and the next player deals.
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As long as more than one player remains in the game, the betting round continues until the stakes of those remaining in the game are equalised - which occurs when after one player bets or raises all the other players fold or call. The game then continues to the next stage - asking for an extra card.
Asking for an extra card
After each round of betting, if more than one player remains in the game, the remaining players, beginning with the one nearest to dealer's left and continuing clockwise around the table, can each ask for an extra card to be dealt face down or keep their hand as it is.
If no one wants an extra card there is a showdown. If one or more players do take extra cards there is another round of betting followed by another chance to take a card. It is legal to pass your chance to take a card, and then to take a card on the following round.
The showdown
Everyone who has not folded exposes their cards. The winners are the player whose total is nearest to seven, and the player whose total is nearest to twenty-seven. They each win half of the money in the pot. In the case of a tie, the tieing players split the relevant part of the pot. For example if two players had 6.5 points and one had 25, then the player with 25 would take half of the pot (for being nearest to 27) and the players with 6.5 would take one quarter of the pot each (for being equally near to 7).
Variations
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Some play that extra cards requested to the players are dealt face up rather than face down.
Rather than splitting the pot between 7 and 27, some groups require the players to declare which total they are going for, with the option of going for both. As in High-low Poker, declarations can be simultaneous or sequential, and a player going for both has to win both to take the pot, otherwise they win nothing. See the poker betting page for further details.
Players disagree about how to treat totals that are near 7 or 27 from above rather than from below. This is where it is really important to agree which version you play before beginning. The main possibilities I have seen are as follows:
| Variation | Explanation | Example: if four players have 5.5, 7.5, 26, 28, who wins? |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest wins | Just the difference from 7 or 27, above or below, counts | 7.5 wins half the pot, 26 and 28 split the other half |
| Over is bust | You have to be below or equal to the target to win. You can't win the 7 pot if you are over 7 or anything at all if you are over 27 | 5.5 and 26 win |
| Under beats over | If the differences are equal, it is better to be under the target number than over it. | 7.5 and 26 win |
Other possibilities (over beats under, inside beats outside, outside beats inside) are mentioned on Peter Sarrett's web page.
The 'over is bust' version is from P.J.Ackerson's contribution. In this version it is possible that the 7 pot will not be won, if no one who stayed in is below seven. Presumably if no one is below 7 the whole pot will be won by the player nearest to 27. When playing 'over is bust', anyone who draws a card that takes their total over 27 must immediately fold their cards and drop out. Thus it is possible that the hand ends in the middle of the process of taking extra cards, because all players except one is bust. The last remaining player then takes the pot.
Other web pages about 7-27
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There was a short description Seven Twenty-Seven on Peter Sarrett's Game Report site.