Tarneeb 41 vs 61
Two numbers, one game. Mostly.
In partnership Tarneeb, 41 and 61 are only target scores: the rules of each hand are the same, and the first side to reach the number wins. At 41, a side making 8 or 9 tricks a hand needs five or six good hands; at 61 it needs seven or eight. The confusion comes from Syria, where "41" is also the name of a separate game with individual bids and hearts always trump.
41 and 61 as targets
The hand is played the same way at any target: one auction from 7 to 13, the winner names the tarneeb, a made bid scores the tricks taken, a failed bid loses the number bid. Only the finish line moves. Here is what that means in hands, using our scoring:
| Target | Made hands at 8 tricks | Made hands at 9 tricks | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 4 | 4 | Pagat's standard target |
| 41 | 6 | 5 | Our tables; the usual Egyptian target |
| 61 | 8 | 7 | An agreed longer game |
Those counts assume nobody fails a bid, and somebody always does. A failed bid of 8 costs the bidders 8 and hands the defenders whatever they took, so one bad call can wipe out a whole good hand. At 61 there is time to recover from that. At 31 there often isn't, and a single made 13 (worth 26) gets you most of the way home.
Sources don't agree on which target is "the" standard. Pagat gives 31, with 41, 51 or 61 agreed before play. Wikipedia's article gives 41 and says some regions play to 31 or 61. Neither ties 61 to a particular country, so neither do we.
"41" the Syrian game
Pagat lists a game called simply 41, also known as 400, "much played in Syria, and to some extent in Lebanon". It shares Tarneeb's deck, partnerships and counter-clockwise play, but the auction and the scoring are different games entirely:
| Partnership Tarneeb (ours) | 41 / 400 | |
|---|---|---|
| Who bids | One winning team bid, 7 to 13 | Every player bids once, for themselves |
| Trump | Named by the auction winner each hand | Hearts, every hand |
| Before play | Three passes end the auction | The four bids must add up to at least 11, or the hand is redealt |
| Scoring | Team scores tricks won, or loses the bid | Each player scores their own bid, doubled for bids of 7 or more; extra tricks score nothing |
| Winning | First team to 41 | One partner reaches 41 while the other partner's score is above zero |
So when someone says "let's play Tarneeb 41", it is worth asking which one they mean before the first deal.
What our tables play
Classic partnership Tarneeb, to 41: one auction of 7 to 13 tricks, the winner names the tarneeb, made bids score the tricks won, and a kaboot (all thirteen) pays 16, or 26 on a bid of 13. Every game on this site runs to 41, and the app also offers a shorter game to 31. We don't offer 61 or the Syrian 41. The full rules are on How to Play Tarneeb, and they are the same rules the game enforces.
Keep reading
- Play Tarneeb Online: free in the browser, with the rules on the page.
- How to Play Tarneeb: one hand walked through, from the deal to the count.
- Tarneeb Variants: Lebanese bidding, Egyptian Tarneeb and other house rules.
- Tarneeb Scoring: a sample score sheet and a calculator.
- قواعد الطرنيب بالعربية: the rules in Arabic.
- Tarnib, Tarneeb or طرنيب: one game, three spellings.