Estimation Card Game Rules

Estimation Rules

Estimation is a fun, trick taking card.

The game is played over the course of 18 hands or rounds by 4 players who each play independently or in couples.

Cards and Dealing

Estimation uses the standard 52 card deck.

13 cards are dealt to each player, the cards in each suit ranking from low to high: 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - J - Q - K - A.

The suits are ranked from high to low: No Trump (NT), Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs.

The dealer is chosen randomly .for each subsequent hand, after the 1st, the deal rotates from player to player in a counter clockwise direction. The dealer begins distributing the cards to the players starting with the player to his immediate right.

Bidding

Bidding is used in the first 13 rounds of the game, and fixed bidding is used in the last 5 rounds.

Players bid in turn according to the estimated number of tricks they can get or declare.Players have to declare their trump suit along with their bid.

The "Declarer" is the player who estimates the highest number of tricks and stronger trump suit. After then, players are given a chance to estimate the number of tricks they will can get based on the trump suit that was selected by the "Declarer".

A "Dash Call", which means that the estimated number of tricks is zero. Repeated in the notes

Fixed Bidding

Round 14: No Trump (NT)

Round 15: Spades

Round 16: Hearts

Round 17: Diamonds

Round 18: Clubs

Notes

If a player estimates 0 tricks in the estimation round, it's called a "Dash".

No more than 2 players can declare a "Dash Call" or a "Dash" in any given round.

The total number of estimated tricks CANNOT equal 13. This means that the last person to estimate (called the "Risk" or "Double Risk") is not shown the number that would make the total estimated tricks equal to 13.

If the last player makes a bid which is 4 or more tricks higher or lower than13, he is said to play "Double Risk”, and if he makes a bid which is 2 or 3 tricks higher or lower than 13,he is said to play “Risk"

If a player estimates the same number as the winning bid, they are labeled as "With".

Play

The winner of the bidding round leads the first trick and players must follow suit. Each trick is won by the highest card and the winner of each trick leads the next.

Players who don’t have the led suit have the option to use "trump" cards, which are considered the highest among other cards. The winner of the trick is the player who uses a trump unless a higher trump is used.

The round ends when players are out of cards.

If no players win (i.e. no one gets their estimated number of tricks) then no scores are added and players move to the next round in which the score is doubled (called "Sa'aydeh" round).

Scoring

Players who get the EXACT same number of tricks as they estimated are considered winners. Points are calculated based on the following rules:

The number of tricks estimated by the player is added to their score if they won. The difference between the number estimated and the number of tricks taken is subtracted from their score if they lost.

Player won the bidding round: 20 points (win), -10 points (loss).

Dash Call: 33 points (win), -23 points (loss).

Regular player: 10 points (win), 0 points (loss).

Risk: 20 points (win), -10 points (loss).

Double Risk: 30 points (win), -20 points (loss).

With: 20 points (win), -10 points (loss).

With Risk: 30 points (win), -20 points (loss).

With Double Risk: 40 points (win), -30 points (loss).

10 points are added if the player is the only one to win in the round, 10 points are subtracted if the player is the only one to lose in the round.

If the total number of estimates is less than 13 and the player estimates 0 tricks, 10 points are added if they win, 10 points are subtracted if they lose.

Specific scores if the player estimates 8 or more.

Score can be multiplied if all players lost in the previous round.

At the end of the game, the player with the highest number of points wins.