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Welcome to the World of TREX!
TREX is an exciting and one-of-a-kind card game that people in the Middle East love to play. It’s unlike any other game you’ve played before. In TREX, each round consists of five deals, and during each deal, you have to follow a contract that determines how the game is played and how you can earn or lose points.
If you’re new to TREX, it might seem a little confusing at first. But don’t worry! I’ll be here to guide you every step of the way. And trust me, it’s going to be a lot of fun!
Let’s Get Started
The first thing you need to know is that TREX is played with a standard deck of 52 French cards. To decide who will be the first dealer and the scorekeeper for the game, each player should take a card from the deck. The player with the highest card becomes the dealer, and the player with the lowest card keeps score.
When we play Trex, the dealer has an important role. They need to collect the cards, shuffling them well, making sure they’re all mixed up. Then, the dealer deals each player 13 cards. Now, it’s time to begin the game.
Let the Game Begin!
The game of Trex is divided into four rounds, and each round is like a kingdom. During a kingdom, the dealer becomes the King. The King’s job is to deal the cards five separate times. But what’s really interesting is that the King gets to choose what kind of game we’re going to play. There are five different options, and the King can pick them in any order.
Four of the game options involve taking tricks, which means you try to win as many rounds as you can. The other option is about getting rid of your cards, called hand shedding. Each game option has its own rules for how to play and how to score points.
After we’ve played all five game options, the round is done. The dealer passes the cards to the next player on the left, and they become the new King. They get to decide the order of the game options for the next round. And the game continues like this, with each player getting a turn to be the King.
Time to Pick a Contract
When I’m the king, I can pick which contracts to play and in what order. I can’t play the same contract twice while I’m king. I make my contract choice after the cards are dealt and I’ve looked at my hand.
The dealer goes first. The other players have to play a card of the same suit if they have one. The highest card played in the suit that was led wins the trick. The player who wins the trick leads the next one.
If I win the trick with the King of hearts, I lose 75 points from my score.
So, here’s the thing: when the King of Hearts card is on the table, and I happen to have it, I have the option to let everyone know about it. If I choose to do so, I have to show the card to everyone else. By announcing that I have the card, I actually make it more valuable. But, here’s the catch – if I capture the King of Hearts later, I’ll lose 150 points from my score. However, on the brighter side, I’ll earn 75 points for announcing it in the first place. But wait, there’s more! If I happen to be the one who announces the card and then captures it, I’ll only lose 75 points.
When it’s time to start the game, the dealer takes the lead. And as the game progresses, each player must follow suit if they have the same type of card as the one played before. The trick is won by the player with the highest card of the same type as the one that was played first. And hey, the player who takes the trick gets to lead in the next round.
Oh, and here’s something interesting: during this particular round, every time a player captures a diamond, they lose ten points from their score.
When we play this card game, the dealer always starts the game with the first card. After that, everyone else has to play a card of the same suit if they have one. The person who plays the highest card in that suit gets to take all the cards in what we call a trick. The player who takes the trick is the next one to lead the game.
Oh, and here’s an interesting twist: if you happen to capture a queen, you lose 25 points. So you might want to try avoiding those queens if you can.
Now, let me tell you about this thing called the Ladies contract. When we announce the Ladies contract, players who have the Queens can choose to let everyone know they have them. They have to show their cards to everyone at the table. Here’s the catch: by announcing that they have the Queens, the value of those cards becomes double. But that also means that the players who capture those Queens lose 50 points each! However, the player who announces the card actually earns 25 points. Pretty interesting, right? But here’s another twist: if the player who announced the card ends up capturing it, they only lose 25 points instead of 50.
When we play this game, I put the captured Queens in front of me, face up. If I capture a doubled Queen, I cover half of the card with another card, face down. This covered Queen is called a blanket. If it’s just a regular Queen, I place the second card underneath it, like a pillow. This helps me remember the points I should lose.
The dealer always goes first. Then, the rest of us have to play a card of the same suit if we have one. The trick is won by the player who plays the highest card of the led suit. And the person who wins the trick gets to lead the next round.
If we win a trick, we lose 15 points. So the goal is to get rid of our cards, not win tricks. On my turn, I can only do two things: start a new row with a Jack, or add a card to an existing row while keeping the sequence going.
Let’s talk about playing cards! When the King starts the game by playing a Jack, it’s like laying down the first brick for a new building. The next player can either continue the row with a different Jack or add to it with a 10 or a Queen of the same suit that was previously played. Picture it like a puzzle, fitting the pieces together.
But what happens if you can’t make a move? Well, in that case, you have to pass your turn. It’s like taking a step back and waiting for the right moment to jump back into the game.
So the game goes on, with players taking turns and adding cards to the rows, until only one player is left with cards in their hand. It’s like a race to see who can get rid of all their cards first.
Now, let’s talk about scoring. Points add up over the course of four rounds. When a player runs out of cards in the first round, they earn 200 points. If they’re the second to run out, they get 150 points. The third player to run out earns 100 points, and the last one standing, well, they still get something for their effort – 50 points!