In Arab countries, particularly in the Levant, Tarneeb is a popular card game often referred to as "Blackjack" in this region. In the Arab Gulf states, it is known as "rule." The game's primary goal is to win consecutive Tarneeb rounds. It is played with four players, forming two teams of two players each, and continues until one team is declared the winner at the end of the rounds.
Tarneeb uses a standard 52-card deck, excluding jokers. The game starts with the player to the left of the dealer bidding first. The bidding process begins with a minimum of 7 and can go up to 13, also known as "Cabot" or "livers." Bidding proceeds in a clockwise direction starting from the player to the right of the dealer, and the highest bidder wins the right to choose the Tarneeb suit.
During gameplay, if a team fails to meet their bid, they lose points. For instance, if a team bids 10 but only wins 9 tricks, they lose 10 points, while the opposing team gains points for the tricks they won, which in this case would be 4 points if they won 4 tricks. If the opposing team wins 5 tricks, the bid is considered a "scam," and the results are revealed.
The game concludes when one of the teams reaches either 61 or 31 points, depending on the agreement made before starting the game.
The card rankings in Tarneeb are as follows:
- Ace (Cut)
- King (Sheikh)
- Queen (girl)
- Jack (born)
- Followed by 10 down to 2 in descending order.
