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Game Strategy
Hand Selection Coming Out with Trumps  Pulling Trumps Dumping Points
Score Awareness Fishing  Signaling for a Suit Starting with a Weak Trump
Not Calling Re-bellot Remembering Room
 

   Hand Selection

 
   The process of hand selection is a difficult task for new players. Memorizing the Power Order of Trumps and the other suits is critical 
   for determining a good hand. Selection of a hand can depend on various factors:


1.   Your position relative to the Dealer. If the Dealer is to your left, you will be the player to Come Out when the Round begins. Coming Out first is important because you can probably take with only Jack and Minnel of Trumps and maybe an Ace and Ten in another suit. When Coming Out first, this would be a strong hand because you can start by pulling Trumps, then you can play your Ace and Ten.

2.   Your partner's position relative to the Dealer. If the Dealer is to your partner's left, then your partner will Come Out when the Round begins. Your partner Coming Out is important because they can start the Round by playing Trumps and possibly pulling a large Trump from an opponent's hand. 

   Example: Your partner plays the Ten of Trumps, your opponent must go over if they have a Trump larger than the Ten
   (namely the Ace or Minnel), they must play their larger Trump and hopefully since you took you have the Jack of Trumps to
   take this Lift.

3.   A hand with only small Trumps (King, Queen, Eight and Seven) may be a poor choice. If the other four more powerful Trumps (Jack, Minnel, Ace and Ten) end up in your opponent's hand, they can make life miserable during that Round and they will probably put you Down.

4.   Taking a hand because you have a Carry is bad idea, unless it is a carry of Jacks or maybe Nines (200 and 150 respectively). In most cases you want your opponent to Take because your Carry will probably put them Down in the Round.
 

   Coming Out with Trumps

 
   A common practice when your team has taken, is to Lead off a Round by playing Trumps. This will help to remove the other Trumps 
   from your opponents' hands and will allow your team to take more Lifts with your Aces, Tens and Kings without the fear of your 
   opponent Trumping your lift.
 
 
   Counting
 
   You should always keep track of the number of Trumps played in the Round. Each suit only has 8 cards, therefore each Round only 
   has 8 Trumps. Once you have mastered keeping track of Trumps, you can start to keep track of other cards, namely Aces, Tens and
   Kings in the other suits.
 
 
   Pulling Trumps
 
   A common practice when your team has taken, is to Lead off a Round by playing Trumps. This will help to remove the other Trumps 
   from your opponents' hands. You must practice Counting and keeping track of what your opponents have played. 
   If your opponents didn't play a Trump when Trumps were called then they obviously have no more. 

   Another indication of your opponent having no more Trumps is when your team Leads off with the Jack of Trumps and one of your
   opponents plays Minnel, they probably do not have another Trump, your opponent would much rather play a less valuable Trump on 
   your Jack than the Minnel (worth 14 points). 

   Calling for Trumps again will only pull Trumps from your partner's hand and you won't have those Trumps to take Lifts later in the Round.
 
 
   Dumping Points
 
   You should Dump Points for two reasons:


1.   Your opponent Took and your partner has played a card that should take a Lift. You may want to throw a valuable card (i.e. a Ten) on your partner's Lift to help increase the number of points collected by your team.

2.   Your opponent takes and they have shown Room with plenty of Trumps. In this situation you will not get many Lifts, if your partner has played a card that should take a Lift, you will want to throw a valuable card (i.e. a Ten) on your partner's Lift to help increase the number of points collected by your team.
 
   Score Awareness
 
   If the game is close to being finished, you will want to wait for a decent hand to make sure you do not go Down if/when you Take.

   Example: You have 960 points, your opponent has 800 points, if you Take and Go Down in a Round without Room the score will be:
   960 to 960, by Going Down you have helped your opponent get closer to winning.

   If your opponent takes when the score is 960 - 800, they will have a very difficult time stopping your team from getting 40 points.
 
 
   Fishing 
 
   The act of Fishing happens when one team is attempting to Flag the other team but they do not have the cards necessary to Flash.  
   They will continue to play Trumps or cards that can take Lifts hoping at the end of the Round their opponent may have not saved the 
   correct card/suit to pull the last Lift and avoid being Flagged.
 
 
   Signaling for a Suit 
 
   Signaling for a Suit happens when your opponent has played a particular suit, let's say Hearts and it looks like he/she will take the lift. 
   You don't have Hearts, the suit that was called and since your opponent has possession of the Lift you don't need to Trump so you play
   another suit, let's say Clubs to indicate to your opponent that you want them to Lead Off the next Lift with Clubs. 
   You will normally Signal for a Suit when you have cards that can take Lifts, i.e. Aces or Aces and Tens in the same suit.
 
 
   Starting with a Weak Trump
 
   A common practice when your team has taken, is to Lead Off a Round by playing Trumps. This will help to remove the other Trumps
   from your opponents' hands. However if your opponent to your right has a few Trumps in their hand, i.e. King and Minnel, and you Lead
   Off with the Queen of Trumps instead of the Ten, this will allow your opponent to play his King and save his Minnel. Remember the rule
   in Trumps: you must Go Over if possible or you must Hug. In this case, your opponent plays over your Queen with his King and 
   saves the Minnel.
 
 
   Not Calling Re-bellot
 
   There is only 1 reason for Intentionally Not Calling Re-bellot. Your team has taken but your opponents have dominated the Round and
   have taken many Lifts. The odds of being Down are great, by Intentionally Not Calling Re-bellot you will save 20 points from being added
   to your opponents score if you go Down. Not calling re-bellot is a difficult decision because the 20 points may help your team avoid 
   Going Down. I would only advise players with a keen sense in card counting and memorization to perform this move.
 
 
   Remembering Room
 
   At the beginning of a Round Room will be declared and shown to the other players at the table. Always try to remember the cards
   shown by your partner or your opponent. This information can be very valuable during the play of that Round.