The big idea
Four players sit as two partnerships of two, partners opposite each
other. Everyone gets 13 cards. One suit is named trump — it outranks
every other suit for the whole round, even a 2 beating an Ace. Play all 13 tricks;
the team that wins 7 or more takes the round.
Set up
- Players: exactly four, in two fixed teams of two.
- Seating: partners sit directly across from each other.
- Deck: one standard 52-card deck, no jokers. Ace high, 2 low.
The deal
- The dealer shuffles and deals one card at a time, clockwise, starting with the player to their left.
- After everyone has five cards, Player 1 (to the dealer's left) looks at their first five and names one suit as trump. They can't pass and can't change it later.
- The deal continues until all four players hold 13 cards.
The one rule that trips people up. Trump is named mid-deal, from
just your first five cards — before you see the rest of your hand. It's a blind bet, and
it's the whole point of the game. Once named, trump beats every other suit.
Playing a trick
- The dealer leads the first trick by playing any card. Its suit becomes the led suit.
- Each player in clockwise order must follow suit — play a card of the led suit if they have one.
- If a player is void (no card of the led suit), they may play any card, including trump.
- The trick goes to the highest trump played, or if there's no trump, the highest card of the led suit.
- The winner takes the four cards and leads the next trick.
Worked examples
- Follow suit: Dealer leads ♥K, the table plays ♥3, ♥A, ♥10. ♥A wins.
- Trump beats an Ace: Dealer leads ♠A, Player 1 is void and plays trump ♦2. ♦2 wins.
- Two trumps: Led suit is clubs; Player 1 trumps with ♥9, Player 3 overtrumps with ♥Q. ♥Q wins.
- You must follow: Dealer leads ♦7, you hold ♦2 and trump ♠A. You must play a diamond.
Scoring & winning
- Play all 13 tricks, even after a team reaches 7.
- The team with 7 or more tricks wins the round (scores like 7–6, 8–5, … 13–0).
- The deal rotates left after every round.
- A match goes to the first team to win 3 rounds.
How to play online
Sundial runs the exact same rules in the
browser and teaches as you play:
- Solo: press Quick game and learn against three patient bots.
- Hot-seat: set seats to human and pass one device around — hands stay hidden.
- Friends online: host a room, share the code or link, and everyone joins from their own phone.