304 (Card Game)

304 (pronounced three-nought-four) is a card game popular in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra in the Indian sub continent. The game is played by two teams of two using a subset (7 through Ace of all suits) of the 52 standard Playing cards.

Overview

The cards are dealt by the dealer to all four players in a clockwise manner each getting four cards in the first round. Then the player to the left of the dealer looks at his cards and picks out a trump and places it face down on the table. He then shouts out a score for his team to score,which he trusts he can win with the cards he has. Then a member of the opposing team can pick their own trump, and must pick a score higher than that was named before for his team to score. When a score is agreed the rest of the cards are distributed and the game is started.

The game is played similar to the standard rules followed, where the players answer the suite played. But if they don't have the particular suite, then they can try to guess the trump and pass a face down trump to the player who has closed a trump card. If he guesses it right then he gets the hand or else the game goes on.

Points are scored according to the points shown in the table. After all the hands are completed, if the team has scored the required score they win.

Maharashtrian / Konkani Version

This is perhaps a more intellectual version of the game. The same set of cards are used in this version of the game. A few more interesting details are also added in this version. A concept of marriages is introduced, which consists of a K and a Q of the same suit. Last tricks also count towards the making or breaking of the bid.,

The Cards

All cards 7 through A of all the suits are used in the game, and the hierarchy is unique to the game. It runs as J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7. The points are same as those in the alternative version as given in the table above.

The Deal..

The dealing begins with four cards being distributed to each of the four players. Then each player looks at his cards and then determines if he wishes to call a Half-Coat. A half-coat is deemd to be made if the bidder collects all four tricks. He is permitted to call for a partner, typically a high card of a suit he is weak in. In a half-coat the caller plays first on all four tricks and the other players follow. If he and his partner make all four tricks, they are deemed to have won.

However a half-coat is a relatively rare occurrence and is discussed in further detail later on.

If no one wishes to call for a half-coat, then the dealer deals out the remaining cards.

The Bid....

Once all the cards have been dealt, the bidding begins. Starting from the player to the left of the bidder, bidding continues in a clockwise manner. A player may bid anything from 150 through 304, the maximum points that can be made in a game. If a player, depending on his cards feels he can make all 304 points, he calls for a Full-Coat, which is discussed later.

In his turn to bid a player may either raise the current bid or pass. Once he passes he cannot bid further in the game. A player wins the bid when all others have passed. then he is the bidder and chooses a trump, depending on his cards. He also calls for a partner by naming a particular card and the holder of the card becomes his partner.

The Trump....

The trump is literally the bidder's trump card, trump cards in this case. A trick which is cut by a trump is won by the player of the biggest trump. for example assume spades are played , P1 drops a J, P2 an 8 and P3 a 9. If P4 does not have spades, and he wishes to win the trick ( considering that it is worth 50 points, it is a heavy trick and it is advisable to cut unless it is his partner's jack)

Tamil Nadu Version

While similar in most respects to the version described above, the variation to this game accomodates six or eight players instead of the normal four. In case of six players, "3" is inducted as the card with the maximum points - 50, while J, 9, A, etc. retain the same values. The game then becomes 504, instead of 304. Similarly, if 8 players are in a game, "2" is also inducted into the game with a value of 100. Hence, the game becomes 904. In all cases, the number of teams remains at two and players from opposite teams sit next to each other to form a circle.

Also, in the standard four player version of the game, if a team has taken the first five tricks (or hands), at the time of leading the sixth trick (or hand), the player can say that he will "double" - thereby challanging the opponents into saying that his / her team will take all 8 tricks. Should they succeed (in taking all 8 tricks), the succesful team gets an extra point and should they fail, they lose an extra point. This option and only if the player from the team that has taken the first five tricks is going to lead the sixth trick.

Sri Lankan Version

In this somewhat flexible version, only six players participate, with every other player being in the same team. Only the cards 9 through Ace from each suit are used, and when dealing, three cards are dealt per player before the Bid and one card per player after the Bid(so that each player gets four cards). Since only six players participate, the bid is usually 200 upwards (out of 304).

Sometimes no player would want to bid, as his hand is not good. In this case, the first player to receive cards (that is, the player who is immediately next to the dealer) is obliged to bid at the lowest bid allowed, which is usually 200.

This version allows four players to play also, in which case four cards are dealt before the bid, and two cards are dealt after the bid, per player.

This version can be extended to include eight players also, in which case the cards 7 and 8 from each suit are introduced. Three cards are dealt before and one card after the bid, per player.

Apart from that, the usual rules apply.

External links

Rules of the game - http://www.sujee.net/projects/card304/docs/304rules.txt