In Arab countries, particularly in the Levant, the card game known as Tarneeb Blackjack, or simply "rule" in the Gulf states, is a popular pastime. The primary goal of Tarneeb Blackjack is to win consecutive rounds of Tarneeb. The game is played by four players, divided into two teams of two, with each team aiming to outperform the other throughout the rounds until a winner is declared.
The gameplay involves a standard 52-card deck, excluding the Jokers. The dealer distributes the cards starting from the player to their right. Bidding begins with the player to the left of the dealer, where players bid on the number of tricks they believe they can win, starting from a minimum of 7 up to a maximum of 13, known as "Cabot" or "livers." The bidding progresses in the same order as the card distribution, starting from the player to the right of the dealer. The highest bidder selects the Tarneeb suit.
If a team fails to meet their bid, they are penalized. For instance, if a team bids for 10 tricks but only wins 9, they lose points equivalent to the number of tricks they bid (10 points), while the opposing team gains points for the tricks they won, say 4 points in this example. Conversely, if the other team wins 5 tricks, any discrepancies or cheating are revealed.
The game concludes when one of the teams reaches either 61 or 31 points, depending on the pre-agreed target set before the start of the game.
The card hierarchy in Tarneeb Blackjack is as follows:
- Ace (Cut)
- King (Sheikh)
- Queen (girl)
- Jack (born)
- Followed by the numbers 10 down to 2 in descending order.
