How to Play Tarneeb: Rules, Bidding and Scoring

Updated September 29, 2026

Tarneeb is the classic partnership bidding card game of the Arab world: four players, two teams, one trump suit and thirteen tricks to fight over. This guide explains the Tarneeb rules exactly as they are played on Kroot, so by the end you will know how to bid, pick a trump and score every round.

What is Tarneeb?

Tarneeb (طرنيب) is a trick-taking game from the whist family, hugely popular in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, and widely played across the Gulf, Egypt, Iraq and the Arab diaspora. The name means “trump” in Arabic, and every round revolves around an auction to decide which team must win the most tricks and which suit will be trump. It is quick to learn, deeply strategic and built on teamwork.

Players and cards

• 4 players in 2 fixed teams. Partners sit opposite each other, so play alternates between the two teams around the table.
• Standard 52-card deck, no jokers.
• Card ranking in every suit, from high to low: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
• Direction of play is counterclockwise. The first dealer is chosen at random, and after each round the deal passes to the right.
• 13 cards each, so every round has exactly 13 tricks.

On Kroot, if you do not have three friends ready, empty seats are filled by AI players, and if someone disconnects mid-game an AI keeps their seat warm until they come back.

Objective

Each round, one team commits to winning a certain number of tricks, and the other team tries to stop them while collecting as many tricks as it can. Points are added or subtracted after every round, and the first team to reach the target score wins the match. On Kroot the room creator chooses a target of 31, 41 or 61 points (41 by default).

Bidding

Bidding in Tarneeb is an auction for the right to choose trump. Here is how it works step by step:

1. The player to the right of the dealer bids first, and the auction continues counterclockwise.
2. A bid is the number of tricks your team promises to win, from a minimum of 7 up to a maximum of 13. A bid of 13 is called Kaboot (كبّوت): a promise to win every single trick.
3. Each new bid must be strictly higher than the current highest bid. If you cannot or do not want to go higher, you pass.
4. The auction ends when three players in a row pass after the latest bid. The highest bidder wins the contract for their team.
5. If all four players pass without anyone bidding, the cards are thrown in, reshuffled and dealt again by the next dealer.

Kroot displays bids as the actual number of tricks (7 to 13). Some Tarneeb apps count the same bids from 1 to 7, where a bid of 1 means 7 tricks and 7 means all 13 tricks. The rules are identical; only the label differs.

Each bidding turn on Kroot has a countdown timer. If it runs out before you act, you automatically pass, so the game never stalls.

Choosing the trump suit

The winner of the auction names the tarneeb, the trump suit: spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs. Trump is fixed for the entire round and cannot be changed.

On Kroot, you choose your trump suit at the same moment you place your bid. Your choice stays hidden from the rest of the table during the auction, and only the winning bidder’s trump is revealed once bidding ends. That keeps everyone guessing and stops opponents from reading your hand from your trump choice.

Any trump card beats any card of another suit, and within the trump suit the normal A-to-2 ranking applies.

Playing tricks

1. The winning bidder leads the first trick with any card from their hand.
2. Everyone must follow suit. If you hold a card of the suit that was led, you must play one.
3. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card: either a trump to try to win the trick, or a discard from another suit.
4. Who wins the trick: if any trump was played, the highest trump wins. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins.
5. The winner of each trick leads the next one. Play continues until all 13 tricks have been played, then the round is scored.

Whoever has the lead may play any card, trump included.

Scoring

Scores are kept per team. “Tricks won” means the tricks that team actually took this round. Here is the exact scoring used on Kroot:

Two quick examples:

• Your team bids 8 and wins 9 tricks. You score +9, and the defenders score +4 for their four tricks.
• Your team bids 10 but wins only 8 tricks. You lose 10 points, and the defenders score +5.

Because a failed bid costs the full bid value, team scores can go negative. The match ends as soon as a team reaches the target score (31, 41 or 61). If both teams cross the target in the same round, the team that won the bid that round takes the match.

Strategy tips for beginners

• Bid as a team, not alone. A bid of 7 already means winning more than half the tricks. Count your sure winners (aces, protected kings, a long suit) and assume your partner will contribute a trick or two, but do not bid on hope.
• Pick your longest suit as trump. Five or more cards in a suit with a high honour or two makes a strong tarneeb. Length in trump wins tricks late in the round when others run out.
• Defenders score every trick. Even when you cannot stop the contract, each trick you win is a point for your team, so never give up on a hand.
• Do not overtake your partner. If your partner is already winning the trick, play a low card and save your high cards for later.
• Count the trumps. There are 13 trumps in play. Track how many have fallen so you know when your remaining trumps and high cards are safe winners.
• Save Kaboot for monster hands. Making it earns 26, but failing costs 16 and hands the defenders their tricks. Near the end of a match, a well-judged high bid can close the game.

The fastest way to improve is to play: play Tarneeb free on Kroot against AI opponents while you learn.

Play Tarneeb online

Kroot lets you play Tarneeb online for free, right in your browser with no download needed. Create a private room and share the invite link or room code with friends, join a public table, or hit Quick Start to play instantly against AI opponents. Choose your target score, invite your partner and start bidding. If you enjoy Tarneeb, try another Levant favourite next: our guide on how to play Trix walks you through it. Ready for your first auction? Play Tarneeb free on Kroot.