29 vs Call Break
One is a partnership game of hidden trumps. The other is every player for themselves.
In 29 vs Call Break, the main difference is what you score and who you play with. Twenty-Nine is a partnership game on 32 cards where you capture card points (Jack 3, Nine 2, Ace and Ten 1) under a trump the bidder keeps hidden. Call Break uses all 52 cards, every player scores alone, spades are always trumps, and you score by taking at least the number of tricks you called.
Side by side
| Twenty-Nine (29) | Call Break | |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | 32 cards, 7 up to Ace | Full 52 cards |
| Sides | Partnerships: you and the player opposite | Every player for themselves |
| Trump | Chosen by the auction winner and kept face down until someone who can't follow suit asks | Spades, always; no auction, no secret |
| What scores | Card points: Jack 3, Nine 2, Ace 1, Ten 1, 28 in the deck | Tricks: you call a number and must take at least that many |
| The bid | One auction, 16 to 28 points, for your partnership | Every player calls 1 to 13 tricks on our Call Break tables |
| A match | +1 or −1 game point a hand (2 or 4 if doubled or redoubled), first side to +6 | 5 rounds on our tables, highest total wins |
One hand of each
In 29 you see four cards and the auction goes round the table. Say your partner wins it at 18 and quietly picks hearts. For the next few tricks nobody but your partner knows the trump, so the highest card of the led suit takes each trick. Then a player runs out of a suit and asks; the heart is turned up and the hand changes. At the end you and your partner count the Jacks, Nines, Aces and Tens you took. 18 or more and your side moves up one game point.
In Call Break you see all 13 cards and call, say, 4 tricks. Spades beat everything from the first trick. You must follow suit and, on our tables, play higher than the best card already down if you can; with none of the led suit you must play a spade if you hold one. Take 4 and you score 4; take 5 and you score 4.1; take 3 and you lose 4.
The hidden trump
The trump in 29 is a secret, and that is the game. Until someone is void and asks, nobody but the bidder knows which suit it is, so the early tricks are played half blind: you count Jacks and Nines, watch who throws off-suit, and guess. Call Break is the opposite. Spades are trumps every hand, everyone knows it, and the fight is over who has to spend them when.
Partners or not
In 29 the bid belongs to the partnership, and a lot of good play is quiet help: dropping your Aces and Tens on your partner's winning tricks, saving trumps for the tricks with points in them. In Call Break nobody is on your side. Taking an extra trick can push another player under their call, and the follow-suit and must-trump rules often decide who that will be.
Which should you learn first?
- Call Break first if you are new to trick-taking games. The trump never changes and you only count tricks.
- 29 first if following suit already comes naturally. The hidden trump and the point counting give you more to think about.
- Both are free on CardsLobby, so you can try one hand of each and decide.
Next
- How to Play 29: the complete rules.
- 29 Card Points: J, 9, A, 10 and why the deck holds 28.
- 29 Strategy: bidding, the reveal and counting.
- How to Play Call Break: the full guide.