BATAK

OBJECTIVE OF BATAK : The final goal of Batak is to trick your opponents into allowing you to have the highest card at the end of the game.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS : 2-4 players

MATERIALS : A standard deck of 52 cards, casino chips or cash, and a betting table with a custom layout.

TYPE OF GAME : Trick-taking Card Game

AUDIENCE : Adult

OVERVIEW OF BATAK

The Turkish version of Bridge, Batak is a trick-taking game that involves 4 players. In this card game, a trump card is first selected and this will serve as the direction for the game. In some variations, the trump is a spade but the most common variation allows players to choose a trump card through an auction.

The game proceeds from the left of the dealer, with each player dealt their set of cards, exhausting the deck. Commonly with 10 plays, each player plays through the rounds, and the one with the highest score is determined as the winner.

SETUP

52 cards are shuffled and dealt equally to all players. Once the hands are received, the auction is initiated and the game begins. Each player uses up his cards to trump the cards of his opponents. The final score is determined based on how many plays a player has managed to win, as well as if their auction bid was matched.

GAMEPLAY

The round starts with the designated croupier dealing cards to a table of a maximum of 4 players. Once the cards are received, players will begin the auction step. Between numbers 4-7, players will choose the number of plays or rounds in the game that they think they can win. This is determined based on the cards they have at hand. The person with the highest bid will then go on to choose the trump suit and start the game.

The auction winner starts by placing a card from their hand in the center of the table. Starting from the left of the player, other players play their tricks. Players must first play a card higher than the current trick, within the same suit. Should that not be possible, a player is then allowed to play a card from the trump suit. If that is also not possible, then a card from any suit can be played to keep the game going.

The plays (or rounds) are usually between 10 – 15, depending on the variation. The total score of all the plays as well as the score of the auction will determine the winner.

GENERAL GAME RULES

  • Trump suit cards cannot be first unless the suit has been “freed” by a player playing a trump suit card in a previous trick or play. 
  • Maximum number of players for a deck of 52 cards is 4 persons.

END OF GAME

The number of plays each player has won is calculated. Anyone who failed to match up to their auction bids will receive a negative score, matching the value of their bid. The total scores for all 10 plays as well as the auction will be accumulated and the person with the highest score is declared the winner.

Nakoa Davis
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