Points
0
Best
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Bid for the right to name trump, then chase four separate points: highest trump, lowest trump, the jack, and the card count.
Six cards each from a normal pack. You bid two, three or four for the right to lead first, and the suit of the card you lead becomes trump for the hand. If both of you pass, the dealer is stuck with a bid of two.
During the six tricks you must follow the suit led when you can, with one exception that shapes the whole game: a trump is always a legal play, even when you could have followed suit.
Then four points are settled, and not one of them is for winning the most tricks. High goes to whoever takes the highest trump that was played. Low goes to whoever takes the lowest trump that was played. Jack goes to whoever takes the jack of trump, but only if it appeared at all. Game goes to whoever collected the greater card value, counting each ten as 10, each ace 4, each king 3, each queen 2 and each jack 1.
If the player who bid takes at least as many points as they bid, they keep everything they scored. If they fall short, they lose the amount of the bid instead. The other player always keeps what they scored. Six hands are played and your score is your own running total.
Bidding two is nearly always right, and new players pass far too much. High and Low are the two points that are almost always available, and a hand with an ace of one suit and a small card in the same suit already has a fair claim on both. Passing hands the lead to the rival and lets them choose the trump that suits their hand, which is worth more than the risk of being set back two.
The lowest trump is worth exactly as much as the highest, and it is much easier to hold. A deuce or a three of your long suit is a point you can almost bank, because the only way to lose Low is to have the card taken off you, and nobody can take a card you never play. Hold it back and throw it on a trick you are already winning.
The jack is the point that swings hands, and the rule that a trump is always legal exists so you can go after it. If you suspect the rival holds the jack, lead high trumps to drag it out; if you hold it yourself, do not lead it and do not play it under a higher trump — wait until the ace and king are gone.
Game is decided by the tens, not by the number of tricks. A ten is worth as much as two aces and a king together, so a trick containing a ten is worth taking even with a valuable trump, while a trick of small cards is often better given away. When you are the bidder and already have High and Low locked up, count the tens left before you decide whether to fight for Game or simply protect what you have.