Indore Journal 11 - Playing Cards

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! I finally won! Hurraayyyy!!! OK *breath* I finally won last night against my flatmate in the game of '29'.

Its a card game mostly played in rural areas and the terminologies are a bit different here. I knew how to play the game but I had always played that game with 4 players but he had different rules for the game in 2 players. And they are a bit different from the normal game I played.

Alright let me briefly explain the game to you. Out of the 52 cards from the pack, the game is played only by cards which have a denomination of 7 and above. Rest are waste cards which are kept aside. Which means that there are just 32 cards in the game. Now, 4 cards are distributed to each player first and on the basis of those cards you have to call out points that you would make with a minimum of 16. This is done like a bid first person calls 16, if the next person is confident that he can beat it then he says 17, then he can either say 'ditto' which means he can make 17 too or can pass and let him make it. And that is the objective of the game, on the basis of the 4 cards if you call to make lets say 18 points and if you are able to make 18 points you win otherwise you lose. Simple objective. Now the complications. The one who calls the points has an advantage that he gets to choose the trump card which is a particular suit (sign of cards) of cards and this suit if played on any other suit would make you win the hand (that particular bout). Now the points: every Jack (J) fetches 3 points, every 9 fetches 2 points and every A and 10 fetches 1 points each in which A being the bigger card, i.e. if I play 10 and you play A, then you win. Now after the 4 cards each you have in hand, next set of 4 cards are kept face down in front of you. So now there are 8 cards, 4 each, in front of you. Next set of 8 cards are kept over these face down cards, now you can see 4 cards of his and he can see 4 cards of yours and the last set of 8 cards is distributed 4 each which you can hold in your hand. So you have 8 cards in your hand and 4 face down and 4 face up cards on the table. Now you play and whoever has the bigger point card he wins. There is an additional element, if you have the Queen and King of the trump card suit, then you get a rebate of 4 points, these always turns the game around. Its called 'Royals' or 'Pyaar'. This is the most exciting part of the game. But you have to play to feel it. Every bid and win earns a red point and every bid and lose earns you a black point. If there are 6 blacks on the opponent or 6 reds on your side, then you win the game. Yesterday I made him have 6 blacks and I won.

I had been losing for the last 5 days and that too very decisively, I just changed a bit of my tactics today and it proved great. I was so happy to finally break the losing streak, I can so feel what Zimbabwe feels after winning a match against South Africa. hahahaha. Well I wrote all this so that I don't forget it when I get back home because I have to teach all this to people in Delhi, you may read it so that you are prepared to play this with me when I get back. :D