29 Card Game Rules: How to Play, Single Hand Rule, Reverse Trump

The 29-card game, also known as ‘Twenty-Nine,’ is a popular trick-taking card game played primarily in South Asia, especially in countries like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Four players typically play it with 32 cards, including eight cards of each suit. It involves strategic gameplay and teamwork, with two players forming one team each and competing against each other. The goal is to score maximum points by winning tricks with valuable cards, with jacks considered the highest-value cards and aiming to reach  29 points.

29 Card Game Rules

The rules of 29 card game are as follows:

• Before the beginning of the game, players are assigned their roles, including which player will be the dealer.
• The dealer initially offers each player four cards.
• The game begins with the player sitting to the dealer’s right and starts with the bidding.
• The first bid must be more than 15, and then the other players can begin to raise the bid.
• The player who offers the highest bid gets to select a secret trump card that they can only see.
• The highest bid allowed in this game is 29.
• After the bids are placed, each player receives four more cards, making a total of eight cards.
• The player sitting to the dealer’s left begins to play the first card.
• On their turn to act, every player must discard cards of the same suit as those used by the player who played before them. 
• If a player cannot follow the same suit, they have to announce the same.
• If they have a trump card, they can declare it instead of discarding a card of the same suit.
• Players add their points after each round, and the game continues until a team has +6 or -6 points.
• The player with the maximum points wins the game.

How to play 29 Card Game?

In the 29-card game, players score points by winning tricks and making strategic bids. Here are the simple steps to understand how to play the 29-card game:

Objective:

The main objective of a 29-card game is to win tricks containing valuable cards and win points. The team that first reaches a predetermined point target, typically 30, 40, or 50 points, wins the game.

Players:

Players sit opposite their partners. The game can also be played among three or five players with some rule variations.

Deck:

The 29 Card game is played with a deck of 32 cards, which is a standard deck of 52 cards with the 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s removed. The cards are ranked in a specific order, with certain cards carrying higher point values.

Value of Cards:

In the 29 Card game, the value of the cards is as follows, from highest to lowest:

• Jack ( J ): Jack is the highest-ranking card in the game and is worth 3 points.
• Nine ( 9 ): A 9 is the second-highest-ranking card worth 2 points.
• Ace ( A ): The Ace is worth 1 point.
• Ten ( 10 ): A 10 is also worth 1 point.
• King ( K ): The King is not worth any points.
• Queen ( Q ): The Queen is not worth any points.
• Eight ( 8 ): 8 is not worth any points.
• Seven ( 7 ): 7 is the lowest-ranking card and is not worth any points.

Players bid based on their assessment of how many points they can win in tricks, and the goal is to achieve their bid while preventing the opposing team from doing the same. The point values of the cards, particularly the Jacks and 9s, make these cards highly valuable in winning tricks and accumulating points in the 29 Card game.

Dealing Cards

The dealer shuffles the cards, and then the player to their right cuts the deck. The dealer then distributes four cards to each player clockwise, starting from the player to their right. After the first round of dealing, the dealer distributes four more cards to each player, for a total of eight cards per player.

Bidding

After the cards have been dealt, players bid to determine the trump suit for the round. The player to the dealer's right has the first opportunity to bid, and subsequent players can either bid a higher number or pass. The highest bidder gets to choose the trump suit and declare it, while the other players must play accordingly.

Gameplay

The player to the dealer's right leads the first trick, and the other players must follow suit if they have a card of the led suit. Players who cannot follow suit may play any card from their hand.

The player who wins a trick leads the next one. The team that wins the most tricks accumulates points based on the cards they've collected.

Scoring

After playing all the tricks, each team calculates its score based on the collected cards. The team that won the bid must earn more points than the opposing team's bid to score any points. If they fail to reach their bid, they receive negative points.

Winning

• The game continues for a predetermined number of rounds or until one team reaches the target score.
• The team that reaches the target score or has the most points when the game ends is declared the winner.

The Single Hand Rule in 29 Card Game

In the 29-card game, the ‘single hand rule’ states that if any player wins all the tricks during a round, they will score double the points for that particular round.

For example, in a 29-card game, if a player wins all eight rounds, they get 16 points. Instead, if another player wins 7 out of all the eight rounds, they would have got 7 points, not 14.

The Rule of Reverse Trump in 29 Card Game

Reverse Trump means when a player plays a trump card, and the other player does not carry that suit, hence unable to play that suit. Then the suit played by the second player becomes the new trump.

It is a strategic move that players can exploit to gain an edge over their opponents. For example, suppose a player has strong spade ♠ suit cards. Then, they can play with the current heart ♥ suit Trump card to extract the last Trump card they hold. Once Trump has been changed, and the new Trump becomes Spade ♠, they can play aggressively with the reverse Trump.

29 Card Game Variations:

Here are some of the essential 29-card game variations:

28 Card Game

As the name suggests, a 28-card game is played for a total of 28 points with an overall deck of 32 cards, where all the cards below 7 are excluded from the deck. Here, Jack cards get a maximum of 3 points, 9 cards earn 2 points, Ace and 10 earn 1 point each and K, Q and 7 carry no points.

32 Card Game

This game derives its name from the number of cards used to play it, 32 from a deck of 52. Here, the winning bidder declares a trump from their deck of cards.

Blind Bidding

In this variant, luck takes the front seat as the players have to bid blindly without looking at the cards at their disposal. The rest of the game remains the same as the traditional 29-card game.

Double Trouble

This variant comes with the challenges of increased risk and reward. Here, the opponent team can double the stakes, which can get redoubled by the winning team later.

Kitty Addiction

There is a slight change from the original game: a kitty of four cards is kept face down, which can be replaced by the deck that the highest bidder has received. This variation adds spice to the game and an interesting angle to the overall dynamics.

10 Points Bonus

This variant is a bit more tricky and encourages aggressive gameplay. The team that wins eight back-to-back tricks is rewarded with a 10 additional point bonus.

Reduced Trick Requirement

To introduce the game to newer players and to pace up the game, the minimum bid is reduced in this variant (for example, the minimum bid is 10 instead of 13) to encourage more new players to enter the game. This variant becomes interesting in terms of how players alter their bidding strategies.

Sequential Play

In this variant, the Trump suit is not chosen by the winning bidder; instead, it is selected in a round-robin fashion, which means every suit gets a chance to act as the Trump suit. This variation eliminates the advantage that the maximum bidder has over their opponents.

Partner Call

In this variant, the partner of the highest bidder is decided by the players by calling out the name of a specific card, say the Ace of Diamonds. The players do not disclose their partner's identity until they make the first move. It is an interesting variation, and the partner call made by the highest bidder adds a layer of surprise to everyone playing the game.

Open 29

In this variant, the players know each other’s cards as they are dealt face-up to everyone. As everyone can see others' cards, the game becomes more strategic, with the scope of bluffing reduced to zero. The deck and everything else remain the same as the traditional 29-card game.

Tips and Tricks of 29 Card Game

• Bid Carefully: Your bid must be mindful and strategic, as it directly influences your chances of winning the game.
• Read opponent's cards: Pay attention to the cards discarded by your opponents during the game.
• Be Deceptive: Deceive your opponents with your moves to prevent them from understanding your strategy and guessing your game.
• Get rid of opponents' Trump Cards: Make your opponents discard their Trump cards as early in the game as possible.
• Discard low-ranking cards first: Focus on discarding your lower-ranking cards and save your higher-ranking cards for later in the game.
• Avoid using Trump Cards when your partner calls: Do not use your Trump card if your partner calls. If you have three Trump cards, consider calling.
• Hold your Trump Cards: You must wait for the right opportunity to use your Trump cards in the later stages of the game, as they are the strongest and can change the entire dynamics of the game.
• Remember Card Values: Each card has a different point value, so it is essential to know how much a card scores.
• Learn and Adapt: Create your strategies and enhance your gameplay based on your experiences in the game.

29 Card Game Rules At A Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the rules of the 29 Card game?

The 29 Card Game is played between four players in two teams. The goal is to win tricks with high-value cards and reach 29 points to win.

Are Rummy and 29 Card the same?

Rummy and 29 Card are different card games. Rummy is a matching-card game played with 52 cards, while 29-card is a specific trick-taking game played with 32 cards.

Why is 29 called a ‘29 Card’ game?

The game is named after its target score, typically 29 points.

How Many Cards are played in 29?

The game of 29 is played with a deck of 32 cards, consisting of 8 cards in each of the four suits.

How are points calculated in the 29-card game?

In the 29-card game, different cards have different point values. Jack is worth 3 points, nine is worth 2 points, Ace is worth 1 point, 10 is worth 1 point, and King, Queen, Eight, and Seven have 0 points each.

Each suit has a total of 7 points (3+2+1+1) when the points of the cards are added. Since there are four suits in total, 7 points multiplied by 4 equals 28 points. Additionally, one extra point is given for winning the last trick in the game, making the total points 29.

What are the rules for bidding in the 29-card game?

Bidding in the 29-card game begins with the player sitting next to the dealer. The bid has to be more than 15.

Conclusion

The 29 Card Game is an exciting and strategic card game quite popular in South Asia. It is played with four people, split into two teams, using a deck of 32 cards. In the game, players bid to decide which suit will be the trump suit, then try to win tricks to earn points. Team members must cooperate and support each other to meet their bids and not let the other team score. The first team to hit the predetermined points target wins the game. It is a fun game that requires skill, teamwork, and strategy.