Trick-taking games compared: 29, Callbreak, Hazari and Truco
Four trick-taking card games on Android compared: 29, Callbreak, Hazari and Truco. How each one scores, and which skills carry across.
Trick-taking games are the backbone of many card nights. You play a card, the highest card in the trick wins, and the winner leads the next one. Four well-known games in the trick-taking family are 29, Callbreak, Hazari and Truco. Each one scores differently, and each one rewards a different habit.
29: bid the points
Our how to play guide explains the game. The bidder says how many points the team can win and chooses trump. The Jack and nine carry the most points, so guarding them is the job of the defending team. 29 is for players who like planning a hand before it starts.
Callbreak: bid the tricks
In Callbreak, the bid is a number of tricks. Spades are trump, and the score depends on how close you come to your bid. Card Adda and Masti ADDA both include Callbreak, so you can try it in a bundle before you commit.
Hazari: split and race
Hazari is a partition game. Split thirteen cards into winning groups, and race to 1000 points. The Hazari guide explains the split, and Hazari Royal is a separate app from Evonix Ventures.
Truco: call and bluff
Truco King Offline from Play Boom Games adds bluffing. A call raises the stakes, and the other team has to decide whether to believe you. It is the most social of the four, even though the bots play every seat.
Which skills carry across
Watch the cards that have been played and the cards that are still out. Know when to win a trick, and when to let it go. Those habits work in every game here, even though the scoring is different.
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Questions people ask
What is a trick-taking game?
A game where each round is a set of tricks, and the card that wins each trick decides who leads the next one.
Which of the four is the easiest to start?
Callbreak, for many players, because the bid is a number of tricks. 29 takes more practice with its scoring.
Which game is most about bidding?
29 and Callbreak. Both ask you to say what you can win before you play.
Which game is most about bluffing?
Truco. A raise can be a bluff, and the other team has to decide whether to believe it.
Which skills carry across?
Counting the cards that have been played, reading the lead and knowing when to win a trick all help in every game here.
Where can I find these apps?
29 Master, Card Adda and Hazari are from Live Game Labs. Truco King Offline is from Play Boom Games. Masti ADDA includes Callbreak.