Play Batak online with friends, free

How to play Batak

1. Four players, each for themselves. Everyone gets 13 cards from a 52-card deck, aces high. The deal moves one seat every round.
2. The player after the dealer speaks first. Bid how many tricks you will take, from 5 to 13 and higher than the last bid, or pass. A pass takes you out of the auction.
3. The auction goes round until only one bidder is left. A bid of 13 ends it at once.
4. If the first three players all pass, the dealer must take the contract, at 4 or at any bid from 5 to 13.
5. The auction winner names trump: ♠, ♥, ♦ or ♣. There is no no-trump. They also lead the first trick.
6. Follow the suit led, and beat the highest card of that suit if you can. With none of that suit you must trump, and over-trump if a trump is already in the trick.
7. Nobody may lead a trump until a trump has been played in the round, unless they hold only trumps.
8. The highest trump wins the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led. After 13 tricks the round is scored.

Batak scoring and rules at a glance

• Players: 4, each playing alone. Bids: 5 to 13, or 4 for a dealer forced to take the contract.
• Contract made: the auction winner scores every trick they took (bid 7, take 9: plus 9).
• Contract missed: the auction winner loses the bid (bid 7, take 6: minus 7).
• Everyone else scores the tricks they took, but a player who takes no trick at all loses the amount of the bid.
• Must beat: while the trick has not been trumped, you must play higher than the best card of the led suit if you can. Once it has been trumped, any card of that suit will do.
• With neither the led suit nor a trump, play any card.
• Winner: the best total after 5 or 10 rounds. Equal totals share a place.

Batak in Rayoosh

• Mode: Auction Batak. Bid 5 to 13, the winner picks trump, beat the best card if you can, and take at least one trick.
• Quick: 5 rounds, about 13 minutes. Full: 10 rounds, about 25 minutes.
• Players: 4. Computer players can take any empty seat.
• Rayoosh only accepts legal cards, so the must-beat rule is applied for you.
• Pearls by finishing place: 35, 15, 5 and 2 in Quick; 60, 25, 10 and 4 in Full. They are never bought or cashed out.
• Works on phones, tablets, computers and TVs with a remote, in Arabic, English and Hindi.

Tips to win at Batak

• Bid on the length and honours of your best suit. It will be trump, and long trumps win tricks late in the round.
• A made contract scores every trick you take, so bid what you can make, not more.
• As auction winner with five or more trumps, draw the other players' trumps once trump has been played, then cash your side aces.
• Short suits are useful: once you are out of a suit, you can trump it.
• If you didn't win the auction, get your first trick early. Finishing with none costs the whole bid, so spend a strong card on a trick it will surely win.
• Watch the cards. Everyone must beat when they can, so a player who follows low before the trick is trumped has nothing higher than the best card in it.

Play Batak with friends or the computer

Create a private table, choose Quick or Full, and send the link on WhatsApp, show the QR code or share the room code. Your friends join in seconds, with nothing to download.

• Computer players fill any empty seat, so you can start with just one or two friends.
• Text chat with quick phrases, voice chat, emotes and gifts at the table.
• Rayan's short lesson, then practice games against the computer whenever you like.
• Once Rayoosh is installed, you can play the computer even without internet.