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Gamehelpbarbu
Goal
Your goal is to lose the least points you can.
Playing the game
The game is made of multiple hands (number of hands depends on the options you play):
- avoid making tricks (every trick counts -1 point)
- avoid taking hearts in tricks (every heart card counts -1 point)
- avoid taking queens in tricks (each queeen counts -3 points for a 52-cards deck and -2 points when playing with a 32-cards deck)
- avoid taking the King of Hearts (the Barbu) in your tricks (Barbu counts -12 point for a 52-cards deck and -8 when playing with a 32-cards deck)
Options availables
Option "geronimo"
When playing with this option, each player at their turn will choose the hand they want to play. Yet, during the game, all the players will have to play all the hands.
Option "Double"
After declarer picks a game but before the first trick is led, each of the other players may wager double against one or more of the other players. This operates like a side bet on the relative game score between the two players, who are said to have "business" with each other. The rules for doubling are:
- Each player gets one opportunity to double
- A player can choose to double only some players (declarer or non-declarer) or pass
- At a positive game, non-dealers may only double the dealer (who may redouble)
- Each non-declarer must double against declarer at least twice during the game for each declarer.
- Any player receiving a wager of double may redouble; "maximum" implies redoubling all received wagers as well as doubling the remaining players
- Declarer can not double, but may redouble as above. A "maximum" from the dealer therefore redoubles received wagers only
After the hand is played out and scores are tallied, modifications are made for doubles as follows:
- Between each pair of players who doubled, the difference in their scores is calculated. Player with the higher score for that round is awarded the amount of the difference and player with the lower score had the same amount subtracted from their score.
- Redoubled wagers are figured the same way, with the difference in scores doubled before awards and penalties are tallied.
Option "Salade"
Play an extra hand, the Salade when everything counts, so avoid making tricks, taking hearts, taking queens or the King of Hearts. All the point counts so Queen of Hearts is worth -4 points (with 52-cards deck), Barbu is worth -13 points (still 52-cards deck)...
Option "Anti-Salade"
Similar to the "Salade", the Anti-salade counts all the same points (tricks, hearts, queens, Barbu) with positive score.
Option "Last two"
In this hand, try to avoid taking the last two tricks (counts -4 points for the trick before last and -8 points for the last for a 52-cards deck and -3 points and -5 points for a 32-cards deck)
Option "Trumps"
Only when playing on geronimo mode, you can choose to play Trumps. The declareer choose the trump color and the goal is to take as much tricks as possible (tricks count +3 when playing 52-cards deck and +2 when playing 32-cards deck).
Some rules apply when you play with trumps:
- If a trump is led, each player must, if able, play a higher trump than those played before. Otherwise players follow suit, or discard if they are void in trumps.
- If a plain suit is led, players follow suit if possible.
- If they cannot and no trump has been played, they must play a trump card if possible or otherwise play a card of one of the other suits.
- If a non-trump has been led and trumped, a player must, if possible, play a higher trump than those previously played. Otherwise the player may slough off any card.
Option "Domino" (Klondike)
You can play an extra hand: the Domino.
During this hand, players have to play cards in a suite, starting from 2 (or 7 when playing 32-cards deck) to the Ace, for each of the 4 types.
When a player plays an Ace, they can play again. If a player can't play, they pass. But you can't pass if you can play any card (even if you wanted to).
Domino also counts points positively.
If you play with a 52-cards deck, the first player with no card left wins 25 points, the second 15 points, the third 5 points. The other players score nothing.
If you play with a 32-cards deck, the first player with no card left wins 20 points, the second 10 points. The other players score nothing.
Scoring
Scoring depends on the variant and the type of deck you play with:
| Scores | Deck type | No trick (per trick) | No hearts (per heart) | No queens (per queen) | No Barbu | Last two | Trumps | Domino |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic scoring | 32-cards | -1 | -1 | -2 | -8 | -5 for the ultimate -3 for penultimate |
+2 per trick | +20 for the first +10 for the second 0 for the others |
| 52-cards | -1 | -1 | -3 | -12 | -8 for the ultimate -4 for penultimate |
+3 per trick | +25 for the first +15 for the second +5 for the third 0 for the others | |
| Wikipedia scoring | 32-cards | -2 | -2
-6 for Ace of Hearts |
-6 | -20 | -20 for the ultimate -10 for penultimate |
+5 per trick | +45 for the first +20 for the second +5 for the third -5 for the other players |
| 52-cards |
3 or 5 players
The game is recommended to play at 4 players but you can play at 3 or 5 players. Some cards are removed from the game so that everyone has the same quantity of cards in hand. Here are the cards removed:
| Number of players | 32-cards deck | 52-cards deck |
|---|---|---|
| 3 players | 7 diamonds and 7 clubs | 2 diamonds |
| 4 players | nothing | nothing |
| 5 players | 7 diamonds and 7 clubs | 2 diamonds and 2 clubs |