29 online
Bid for trump with a partner. Jacks are three, nines two, and trump stays hidden.
- Players
- 4 players
- Length
- 25–45 min
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Energy
- Calm, on your own screen
- On a video call
- Works well
- Type
- Cards · Bidding
What playing it feels like
- A hand of cards you hold close, played fast against a table that is watching your count.
- Mostly quiet: the action happens on each player’s own screen, so it holds up on a video call.
- Worth a short rules run-through before round one.
Good for
- Exactly 4 people
- A proper evening rather than a filler
- A video call, since nobody has to be heard over anyone
Maybe skip when
- There are fewer than 4 of you
- More than 4 of you want to play at once
- You want to be playing inside a minute
29 is a four-player partnership game played with only 32 cards, in which the jacks are the strongest cards in every suit and the nines come next. It is popular across Kerala, Sri Lanka and the Gulf, and it is a bidding game: before a card is played, the table auctions the right to choose trump.
The winner of the auction picks the trump suit and tells nobody. It stays hidden until the first player who cannot follow suit has to ask what it is, which is when everyone finds out together — and when a hand that looked quiet suddenly is not.
The server holds the trump back from everyone but the bidder, deals the second four cards only after it has been chosen, reveals it at exactly the right moment and counts the points, including the extra one for the last trick that gives the game its name.
How to play 29
- 1Create a room and share the 6-letter code. 29 is played by four players with a 32-card pack; partners sit opposite each other.
- 2You are dealt four cards. Starting after the dealer, bid from 15 to 28 or pass. The top bidder secretly names trump, then everyone is dealt four more.
- 3Cards rank J, 9, A, 10, K, Q, 8, 7 in every suit. Jacks score 3, nines 2, aces and tens 1 each; the last trick scores 1 more.
- 4Follow suit if you can. The first player who cannot has trump revealed, then plays any card. The highest trump takes a trick, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.
- 5The bidding side needs at least its bid in points to win a game point; if it falls short, it loses one. A side at plus or minus 6 ends the match.
29 FAQ
Why is it called 29?
There are 28 points in the cards — four jacks at three, four nines at two, and eight aces and tens at one — and one more for taking the last trick, which makes 29.
Does the game really use only 32 cards?
Yes. Each suit has only the 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K and A, which is why a hand is eight tricks and the points are so concentrated.
How does bidding work?
Starting with the player after the dealer, each player either bids higher than the last bid, from 15 up to 28, or passes. If everyone passes, the dealer has to bid 15.
How is trump revealed?
Only the bidder knows it at the start. The first player who cannot follow suit is entitled to ask for it, and it is shown to everyone straight away; they may then play any card, trump or not.
Are there pairs or royals?
Not in this version. Some tables let a side that holds the king and queen of trump change the bid by four after they win a trick; PartyDen plays the basic game without it.
How long is a match?
Each deal is about five minutes. A match ends when one side reaches plus or minus six game points, which the host can change.
Ready to play 29?
Create a room, share the code, and start in seconds — free.
More indian party games
Call Break
Call your tricks, spades always trump. Make your call or lose it. Five hands, highest total wins.
- 4 players
- 25–45 min
- Call friendly
Court Piece
Rang with a partner: name trump from five cards, take seven tricks, and string the wins into a court.
- 4 players
- 30–60 min
- Call friendly
Mendikot
Win the tens with your partner. No trump until somebody cannot follow suit, then their card names it.
- 4 players
- 15–30 min
- Call friendly
Seep
Capture the floor with a partner: match and add cards, build houses, and sweep the table for a seep.
- 4 players
- 30–60 min
- Call friendly