Basra

How to play

1. Each player gets four cards and four go face up on the floor. Whenever the hands are empty, four more are dealt to each player until the stock runs out.
2. On your turn you play one card; there is no passing.
3. A number card (ace as 1, then 2 to 10) takes every floor card of its rank and every group of floor cards adding up to it. A card that can take must take.
4. A queen takes only queens and a king only kings.
5. A jack and the 7 of diamonds take the whole floor.
6. A card that takes nothing stays face up on the floor. At the end of the hand the floor goes to the last player to take.
7. A basra is taking the whole floor with one card. Never with a jack, and with the 7 of diamonds only when every floor card is a number and they add up to 10 or less.

Scoring

• 30 points for taking 27 cards or more. A 26 to 26 tie scores nothing at all that hand, and the 30 carries over to the next hand as 60.
• 1 point for each jack and each ace, 2 for the 2 of clubs, 3 for the 10 of diamonds and 10 for each basra.
• The first to 121 at the end of a hand wins; with four players, partners pool their cards.