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Ronda

The Moroccan card game of cafés and family evenings: play, take, surprise the other with a darba. Everything you need to know fits on this page.

The game

40 Spanish cards, 4 suits: oros, copas, espadas and bastos. Ten values, in this order:

Rank order, from lowest to highest

1234567101112

No 8 or 9: after the 7 come the jack (10), the knight (11) and the king (12).

With 2 or 3 players, everyone plays alone. With 4, you play in a team with the player opposite you. Play goes counter-clockwise.

The deal

  • Everyone draws a card: the lowest one deals (tie: draw again).
  • 3 cards per player and 4 on the table. With 4 players (option), the first deal is 4 cards each with an empty table.
  • The starting table never has a pair or 4 values in a row.
  • When all hands are empty, 3 more cards are dealt until the deck runs out.

Capturing

Your card takes every card of the same value on the table, then the run as long as it continues. Example: a 4 takes the 4, then the 5, the 6…

You clear the table? That’s a missa: +1 (except for the very last card of the hand).

You playsame rankchainchainstays
Your 7 takes the 7, then the chain 10, 11. No 12 on the table: the chain stops, the 2 stays.

Darba

Play the same value as the card dropped just before you:

  • 2nd card: darba, +1
  • 3rd card: hbel, +5
  • 4th card: joj hbal, +10

Whoever scored the previous step loses those points.

Ira playsYou followDarba +1King on king, right after. If Ira plays another 12: hbel +5 for them, and your +1 is gone.

Ronda and tringa

  • A pair in hand: ronda (1 point). Three of a kind: tringa (5 points).
  • You announce on your turn, before playing. Playing without announcing means passing.
  • At the end of the deal, the best announcement takes the whole pot. A tringa always beats a ronda.
  • Between two announcements of the same kind, the highest wins. Exception: with 4 players, when all 4 announce, the lowest wins.

End of the hand

  • Dealer’s last card (option): if they capture with the king (12), +5 for them; with the ace or without capturing, +5 for each opponent.
  • The rest of the table goes to the last player who captured.
  • Card count: 1 point per card above 20 (13 with 3 players).

Winning

The first to reach the target (25, 41, 61 or 81) wins, even in the middle of a hand. If two sides reach it at the same time, the higher score wins.