Four players in two partnerships, sitting across from each other. A thirty-two card deck, sevens up to aces. Eight tricks per round, and twenty-nine points on the table. Play passes to the right.
| Jack | 3 |
| Nine | 2 |
| Ace | 1 |
| Ten | 1 |
| King | 0 |
| Queen | 0 |
| Eight | 0 |
| Seven | 0 |
| Winning the last trick | 1 |
| Total | 29 |
Power runs jack, nine, ace, ten, king, queen, eight, seven. The jack and the nine beat the ace, which is what makes the game feel different from every other trick game.
Four cards are dealt to each player, then bidding opens at sixteen. Each player in turn either raises or passes, and passing puts you out for the round. The last bidder standing takes the contract, and their side must gather at least that many points.
Whoever wins the contract puts one card face down as trump, then the remaining four cards are dealt to everybody. Nobody knows the suit, including the partner. A player who cannot follow the suit led may call for trump, which turns the card face up and makes that suit powerful for the rest of the round. The player who called it must then play a trump if they hold one.
Setting a card aside as trump costs you that card for most of the round. So instead of picking one, the contract holder may call the seventh card. The rest of the deal goes out as normal, except that the seventh card to reach them is pulled face down before anyone sees it. Their hand stays whole and nobody knows the trump suit, the bidder included, until somebody calls for it. It is a gamble: you keep every card you were counting on, and find out what you were counting on it for later.
Follow the suit led whenever you can. Highest trump takes the trick, and with no trump in it, the highest card of the suit led. Make the contract and your side scores a point, two if the bid was twenty or more. Miss it and the other side scores instead. First to six wins the match. Once the contract is already made, or already out of reach, anyone at the table can finish the round early and move on to the next deal.