Have one partner reach 41 points or more while the other is above zero, before the other team does.
The deck and the deal
Tarneeb 41 uses a standard 52-card deck with no jokers, ranked from the top: A, K, Q, J, 10 down to 2.
Each player gets 13 cards, dealt one at a time starting with the player to the dealer's right, so the dealer gets the last card. The first dealer is chosen at random and the deal then passes to the right after every hand.
Partners sit opposite each other. Dealing, bidding and play all go to the right (counter-clockwise).
Trump from the turned card
The last card the dealer receives is shown to everyone; the dealer keeps it in hand.
Trump is the other suit of the same colour: a heart makes diamonds trump, a diamond makes hearts trump, a spade makes clubs trump, and a club makes spades trump.
Trump is known from the start of the hand; nobody chooses it.
Bidding
Each player bids exactly once, in turn, starting with the player to the dealer's right. A bid is the number of tricks you alone promise to take, not your team.
Bids can be any number from 2 to 13 except 6. There is no pass, and your bid does not have to beat the ones before it.
If the four bids add up to less than 11, the hand is cancelled and the same dealer deals again.
Play
The player to the dealer's right (the first bidder) leads the first trick, and whoever wins a trick leads the next.
You must follow the suit led if you can. If you can't, play any card, trump or not; the app never forces you to trump.
The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
Scoring
After each hand every player is scored alone; partners' tricks are not added together:
- You took at least your bid: you score your bid. Extra tricks score nothing.
- You took fewer than your bid: you lose your bid.
- A player's score can go below zero.
How the game ends
The target is always 41; the table creator cannot pick another.
A team wins when one partner has 41 or more and the other partner is above zero. Reaching 41 while your partner is at zero or below is not enough.
If both teams qualify on the same hand, the team with the higher combined score wins; if they are level, another hand is played.
Tips for beginners
- Trump is known before you bid, so count your trumps first.
- Extra tricks earn nothing and a missed bid costs its full value, so bid what you are confident you can take.
- Watch your partner's score: you only win if it is above zero, so help them make their bid.
- Remember that the dealer holds the turned card.
Questions
How is Tarneeb 41 different from regular Tarneeb?
In Tarneeb 41 each player bids and scores alone, trump comes from the turned card with no auction, and the target is always 41.
How is trump decided in Tarneeb 41?
By the dealer's last card, which is shown to all: trump is the other suit of its colour, so a heart makes diamonds trump and a spade makes clubs trump, and the other way round.
Why can't I bid 6?
On Card Kings the allowed bids in Tarneeb 41 are 2 to 13, except 6.
What happens if the bids are too low?
If the four bids add up to less than 11, the hand is cancelled and the same dealer deals again.