Raw points and game points are different
Baloot scoring has two layers. Raw card points are the values printed by the rank rules for the cards a team collected. Game points are the converted values entered into the Sakka score.
Projects and Baloot are game-point add-ons. They are not mixed into the raw card count before conversion.
Correct order: count raw cards → add the last-trick raw bonus → convert one team → give the other team the complement → add eligible projects → compare the teams → award the deal.
Card values in Sun and Hukum
| Rank | Hukum trump raw value | Sun or non-trump raw value |
|---|---|---|
| J | 20 | 2 |
| 9 | 14 | 0 |
| A | 11 | 11 |
| 10 | 10 | 10 |
| K | 4 | 4 |
| Q | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | 0 | 0 |
In Hukum, only the trump suit uses the trump column. All other suits use the ordinary Sun values. Hukum cards total 152 raw points before the final trick; Sun cards total 120.
The final trick adds 10 raw points
The team that physically collects the eighth trick receives 10 extra raw points. This produces exactly 162 raw points in Hukum and 130 raw points in Sun.
The bonus belongs to card counting, not to projects. It follows the team that collected the last table under the recorded play.
Convert only one team, then use the complement
Normally, the nonbuyer is the counting team. After escalation, the counting team is the side opposite the latest escalation decision. Convert that one raw total; do not round both sides independently.
Hukum conversion
Divide the counting team’s raw total by 10. Raw units 0 through 5 round down; units 6 through 9 round up. The other team receives the complement to 16.
Example: 66 raw becomes 7 game points. The other team receives 9. Independently rounding the other team’s 96 raw to 10 would create an impossible 17-point pool.
Sun conversion
For raw units 0–4, double the tens. At exactly 5, preserve the odd middle point. At 6–9, double the tens and add 2. The other team receives the complement to 26.
Example: 65 raw becomes 13. A 65–65 Sun split therefore converts to 13–13.
Projects decide whether the buyer made the contract
For each team, compare converted card points plus its observed eligible regular projects and Baloot. The higher comparison total wins the deal.
| Contract | Counting side wins a tied comparison when raw units are | Buyer succeeds in a neutral tie when units are |
|---|---|---|
| Hukum | 2, 3, 4 or 5 | 1 |
| Sun | 1, 2, 3 or 4 | 0 or 5 |
These rules express which side surrendered value during rounding. At Double, Three or Four, a final tie is instead lost by the team that originally called Double.
Normal deal awards
| Result | Award |
|---|---|
| Buyer succeeds | Both teams keep their own converted card points. The regular-project priority team adds its eligible projects, and each valid Baloot remains with its owner. |
| Buyer fails | The buyer receives zero. The nonbuyer receives the full 16-point Hukum or 26-point Sun card pool plus all eligible projects and Baloot. |
A nonbuyer is not automatically zero when the buyer succeeds. It keeps the card points it earned and may own the winning project set.
Double, Three and Four card pools
| Final level | Hukum pool | Sun pool | Regular projects | Baloot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 16 | 26 | ×1 | ×1 |
| Double | 32 | 52 | ×2 | ×1 |
| Three | 48 | — | ×1 | ×1 |
| Four | 64 | — | ×1 | ×1 |
The latest escalation actor’s team carries buyer responsibility. The ×1 project rule at Three and Four follows the literal Saudi tournament sheet. Some reconstructions preserve the Double multiplier; ElBlot records that as a variant.
Kaboot, Reverse Kaboot and Gahwa
| Result | Hukum | Sun | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Kaboot | 25 | 44 | One team collected all eight tricks. |
| Doubled Kaboot | 25 | 44 | Saudi baseline; eligible Double project treatment still applies. |
| Three Kaboot | 75 | — | Provisional ElBlot fallback. |
| Four Kaboot | 100 | — | Provisional ElBlot fallback. |
| Reverse Kaboot | — | 88 plus eligible regular projects | Only when dealer-right is the effective buyer, that team takes no tricks, and that seat held an Ace in its original eight cards. |
A common variant doubles Kaboot to 50 in Hukum or 88 in Sun. The selected Saudi baseline keeps 25 and 44. Gahwa does not produce a numeric award: the deal winner wins the Sakka immediately.
Worked Baloot scoring examples
| Deal | Conversion | Decision | Final normal award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun: nonbuyer 65, buyer 65 | 13–13 | Neutral tie; buyer succeeds | 13–13 |
| Sun: nonbuyer 66, buyer 64 | 14–12 | Buyer fails | 26–0 |
| Hukum: nonbuyer 81, buyer 81 | 8–8 | Units 1; buyer succeeds | 8–8 |
| Hukum: nonbuyer 82, buyer 80 | 8–8 | Units 2; nonbuyer wins | 16–0 |
| Sun: nonbuyer 56 + Sira, buyer 74 | 12 + 4 versus 14 | Nonbuyer wins 16–14 comparison | 30–0 after buyer failure and transferred add-ons |
| Hukum: nonbuyer 56 + Fifty, buyer 106 | 6 + 5 versus 10 | Nonbuyer wins 11–10 comparison | 21–0 after buyer failure |
Winning the Sakka at 152
Deal awards are added to the standing Sakka score. A team that reaches 152 or more wins if it has the higher total. If both teams are tied at or above 152, play another deal. Gahwa overrides the numeric race.
Project eligibility and priority can materially change the result, so continue with the Baloot projects guide.