Partner play in 29: how to win with someone you cannot talk to
Partnership tactics for the 29 card game. Reading your partner's bid, feeding point cards to winning tricks, when not to trump, and how to play with a bot partner.
29 is a partnership game played in near silence. You and the player across the table are one team with one score, and you may not discuss your cards. Every message goes through the bid and the order in which you play. Teams that learn to read each other beat teams with better cards.
The bid is your first message
A partner who bids 16 holds something. A partner who bids 19 holds a suit. A partner who passes has nothing worth protecting. When you win a bid your partner opened, you know they will take one or two tricks, so you can bid a point higher than your own cards alone would justify.
If your partner wins the bid, your job changes. You are no longer trying to win tricks. You are trying to put points on the tricks your partner wins.
Feeding: the heart of partner play
A trick your partner has already won is a bucket. Fill it. Suppose your partner leads the Jack of trumps, and you hold the 9 and a 7 of trumps. Play the 9. Two points land in your team's pile instead of sitting in your hand waiting to be trumped.
The rule of thumb: when the trick is yours, add points; when it belongs to the opponents, add nothing. Throw 7s and 8s onto the opponents' tricks, and keep your Aces and 10s for your own.
Do not trump your partner
If your partner has already won a trick with a high card, trumping it wastes a trump. It also tells the opponents how long you are in trumps. Discard instead, and discard a point card if your partner's trick looks safe.
The exception is when an opponent who has not played yet can still trump. Then your partner's win is not safe, and an over-trump with a card the last opponent cannot beat secures the points.
Leading for your partner
If your partner won the bid, lead the trump suit as soon as you are in. It pulls the opponents' trumps out two at a time while your partner's high trumps stay safe. If you have no trumps, lead a suit your partner is probably short in, so they can trump the trick.
Counting for two
Keep track of the Jacks and 9s your partner has played. If they have used the Jack of trumps, their remaining trumps are lower than any Jack still out. If they have shown that they are void in two suits, they are probably long in the other two. You cannot ask, so you have to notice.
When your partner is a bot
In 29 Royale your partner is a bot. It plays legally in every situation, because the game checks each bot play against the same rules you are held to. It feeds points to your safe tricks. It bids from its own hand, with hidden cards allowed to inform the bidding decision only. It will not read your mind. Play the way this guide suggests, lead your trumps early and feed its winners, and it will do the same for you. 29 Royale is free on Google Play.
Questions people ask
Can I tell my partner what I have?
No. You cannot talk about your cards. Everything you communicate has to come through the bid and the order you play your cards.
What should I do when my partner wins a trick?
Feed it. Play your point cards onto a trick your partner is winning, so the points land in your team's pile.
Do partners sit next to each other?
No. Partners sit across the table from each other.
Should I trump my partner's winning trick?
Not unless you have to. Feed points onto their trick instead.
What if my partner is weak in trump?
Lead trump to draw out the other team's trumps, and keep your point cards safe until your partner can use them.
How does a team win the match?
By reaching six game points. A team that falls to minus six loses.