TEKA
Hey there! Have you ever heard of Teka? It’s a super popular card game that people in Afghanistan love to play. It’s a bit like an auction, so if you enjoy a little bit of gambling, you’re in for a real treat! Teka is all about testing your luck and seeing if you can come out on top!
SETUP
Now, let’s talk about how to set up the game. First things first, you need to divide yourselves into two teams with two people each. It’s important to have opponents sitting on both sides of each player. Grab a standard deck of cards, where the suits are ranked from high to low, starting with the ace and ending with the two.
When we play cards, the first time we shuffle the deck to make sure everything is fair. But after that, we don’t shuffle anymore – we just cut the deck to mix things up a bit. After the dealer shuffles or cuts the cards, the player on their left gets to cut the deck. Then, each player gets dealt thirteen cards all at once. It’s a lot to look at!
When you look at your cards, you might be disappointed if you don’t have any aces, kings, queens, or jacks. But don’t worry, you can ask for a new deal if that happens. Once everyone has their thirteen cards, the game is ready to start!
LET’S PLAY!
First, let’s talk about the bidding process in the game. It all starts with the player to the right of the dealer, and each player only gets one chance to speak. They can offer a number between eight and thirteen, which means they are making a prediction about how many tricks they will win with the chosen suit as trump. If a player is feeling especially confident, they can announce “double thirteen,” which means they are not only making trump but also aiming to win all the tricks by playing alone. On the other hand, if a player doesn’t want to make any trumps, they can simply say “pass” or “ter.”
When it comes to bids, each subsequent bid must be higher than the previous one. The highest bid that can be made is “double thirteen,” but another player can still outbid with the same announcement later. The player with the highest bid becomes the declarer, which means they get to choose the trump suit and lead the first trick of the game.
When playing a game of cards known as “trump,” the first player must lead with a trump card. If the other players have a card of the same suit, they must follow suit. However, if they don’t have a card from the same suit, they can play any card from their hand. The highest trump card played wins the trick. If there are no trump cards in the trick, then the highest card of the first suit played wins.
After the first trick, any player can lead with any card. The player who made the initial bid, also known as the declarer, can try to increase the number of tricks they think they can win at any point during the game. The game ends when the declarer has won the majority of tricks or when it becomes clear that the declarer or the opponents cannot reach their goal.
When playing the game, partners aren’t allowed to use secret signs. All communication must be done openly. After the game ends, we start scoring. A bid earns points based on the number of tricks that were bid. If a Double thirteen bid is won, it scores 26 points. If it’s lost, it gives 52 points to the opponents.
GAME OVER
The game ends when a team reaches 104 points or more. At that point, they are declared the winners!
The game ends when a team reaches 104 points or more. At that point, they are declared the winners!