The games · Coolhand Cards

Court Piece

The partnership game of India and Pakistan, also called Rang. One player names trumps from their first five cards, and a sweep of seven tricks is a court.

Players: 4
Family: Trick-Taking
App: Coolhand Cards · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

Your partner sits opposite. Everyone is dealt five cards, and the player to the left of whoever dealt looks at those five and names trumps, a suit that beats the rest. Then the deal is completed, thirteen each, and the caller leads. A trick is one card each. Follow suit if you can, otherwise play anything. The highest trump wins the trick, else the highest card of the suit led. The first side to seven tricks wins the deal, and the deal stops there, unless that side has taken every trick so far, in which case it plays on. What counts over the whole session is courts. The side with the most courts after the deals wins, and if courts are equal, nobody does.

A good hand

Courts, and there are three ways to get one. Take the first seven tricks with none against you. Take all thirteen, which counts as fifty-two courts. Or win seven deals in a row, a streak that starts again after any court. For the caller, five cards is all there is to go on, so name the suit that holds your high cards, not just the most cards. A side that has taken every trick so far plays on, and should keep pressing for all thirteen.

The usual mistake

Saving a winner for later. The deal stops the moment a side reaches seven tricks, so an ace held back for the end may never be played at all. The other is letting one cheap trick go early: a single trick against you ends any hope of a court in that deal, and courts, not deals, decide the winner. And trumping a trick your partner already holds.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Court Piece goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.