How to play Baloot

Baloot in one minute

• Players: exactly four.
• Teams: two teams; partners sit opposite each other.
• Deck: 32 cards—A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, and 7 in each suit.
• Contracts: Sun has no trump; Hukum names one suit as trump.
• Play: every deal contains eight tricks.
• Match: teams keep scoring deals until one team wins the Sakka at 152 or more.

The deck and card order

Baloot removes cards 2 through 6 and all Jokers. The suits are spades ♠, hearts ♥, diamonds ♦, and clubs ♣.

• A
• K
• Q
• J
• 10
• 9
• 8
• 7

The important beginner lesson is that card strength changes with the contract.

How the cards are dealt

1. The dealer starts with the player on the dealer’s right and continues around the table.
2. Each player receives a packet of three cards.
3. Each player then receives a packet of two cards.
4. The next card is placed face up as the upcard.
5. Players bid while holding five private cards.
6. After a contract is chosen, the upcard goes to its lawful recipient. That player receives two more cards and every other player receives three.
7. Every player finishes with exactly eight cards.

After a normally completed or All Pass deal, the next dealer is the player on the dealer’s right. Boushat and approved pre-contract annulments retain the same dealer.

Choosing Sun or Hukum

Bidding begins with the player to the dealer’s right and uses no more than two rounds.

The dealer does not say Bas or Wala. After the three non-dealers say Bas, the dealer chooses a lawful purchase or opens the second round. After three Wala responses, the dealer chooses a lawful purchase or All Pass. All Pass cancels the deal without score; there is no third bidding round.

Advanced rules cover Sun pulls, who may use Ashkal, the Ace-upcard restriction, and Hukum escalation through Double, Three, and Four. Read the official ElBlot Baloot rules and the focused Sun versus Hukum guide for those boundaries.

Playing the eight tricks

The player to the dealer’s right leads the first trick, whether or not that player bought. Each player contributes one card. The trick winner leads the next trick.

In Sun

1. The leader may play any card.
2. Every later player must follow the led suit if possible.
3. A player without the led suit may play any card.
4. The highest card of the led suit wins.

In Hukum

You must still follow the led suit whenever possible. If you cannot follow suit, trump and overtrump obligations can apply—especially when an opponent currently wins the trick. A trump card beats every non-trump card; among trumps, J then 9 are the strongest.

• If trump was led and an opponent is winning, you must play a higher trump when you can.
• If a non-trump was led, you are void, and an opponent is winning, you must win with trump when one of your trumps can do so.
• Baloot includes special partner-winning exceptions. Do not assume the generic rules of another trick-taking game.

If no trump appears, the highest card of the led suit wins. A card from another non-trump suit cannot win the trick.

Projects in your hand

Projects are combinations in a player’s original eight-card hand after dealing is complete. Regular sequences must be consecutive cards of one suit. Announcement, priority, reveal timing, and non-overlap rules decide which team can score them. See the complete Projects and Baloot guide.

Baloot exists only in Hukum. It is called while the owner plays the second of the trump King and Queen and before that card settles on the table, unless it is recognized automatically inside a qualifying sequential project. Regular project priority and Baloot are separate.

How scoring works

Card values are counted as raw points, then converted into Baloot game points. The eighth and final trick adds 10 raw points to the team that collects it.

Hukum

Raw card points total 162 including the last trick. Converted card points complement to 16 before projects.

Sun

Raw card points total 130 including the last trick. Converted card points complement to 26 before projects.

Eligible regular projects and Baloot points are added to the converted card points. The buyer’s team must make the contract; losing the deal can transfer or change awarded points according to the contract and escalation level.

Double, Three, Four, Kaboot, Gahwa, ties and project transfers are explained with worked examples in the Baloot scoring guide.

Winning a Sakka

Both teams begin at zero and add awarded deal scores. A team wins when it reaches at least 152 and has the higher total. If both teams are tied at or above 152, another deal is played.

Choose a game mode and play Baloot.

Useful Baloot terms