Basra is a card-capturing game for two players. On each turn you play a card from your hand and capture cards from the floor if you can, and the first to reach 121 points wins. The rules are fairly short, and this guide explains them in order.
What you need
- Players: two, each playing for themselves.
- Cards: a standard 52-card deck.
- The floor: the face-up cards on the table, starting with four cards.
The deal and the start
- The dealer gives 4 cards to each player and puts 4 face-up cards on the floor.
- If a Jack (J) or the 7 of diamonds (7♦) shows up among the first floor cards, they go back into the deck and are replaced until the floor has neither.
- The non-dealer starts, and the dealer alternates every hand.
- When both hands are empty and the deck is not, each player gets 4 new cards with no new floor cards, until the deck runs out.
There is no passing; you play one card on every turn.
How to capture
Card values matter here: an Ace counts as 1, the cards 2 to 10 count as their number, and the Queen (Q) and King (K) have no number. The Jack (J) and the 7♦ are special sweeping cards.
- By rank: your card captures every floor card of the same rank.
- By sum: a numbered card or Ace can capture a group of floor cards whose values add up to its own value.
- Combined in one play: the same play can take rank matches and several non-overlapping sum groups. For example, a 10 takes a floor 10 together with 4 + 6.
- Capturing is compulsory: if your card has a legal capture you cannot just leave it on the floor, but you may choose another card from your hand instead.
- A card with no capture is left on the floor.
- Q and K are captured by the same rank only, while the J and 7♦ sweep the whole floor and take Q and K with it.
If several capture plans exist because the groups overlap, you choose a plan by its number.
The Jack, the 7 of diamonds and the Basra
- The Jack sweeps the whole floor but does not give a Basra just for sweeping.
- The 7♦ also sweeps the floor, and gives a Basra of +10 if the floor had 10 cards or fewer before the play and no Q or K among them. The test is the number of cards, not the sum of their values.
- Any other card (not a J and not the 7♦) whose capture clears the floor completely scores a Basra of +10.
At the end of a hand, the cards left on the floor go to the last player who captured. They count toward that player's majority and special cards, but they are not a Basra and give no +10.
Scoring in numbers
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| 27 or more captured cards (majority) | +30 |
| Each captured Jack (J) | +1 |
| Each captured Ace (A) | +1 |
| 2 of clubs (2♣) | +2 |
| 10 of diamonds (10♦) | +3 |
| Each Basra | +10 |
If each player captures 26 cards, nobody scores the majority in that hand and the 30 is carried to the next hand. Another 30 is added with every repeated tie, and when the tie is broken the player with 27 or more takes it together with the majority of the current hand.
End of the match
The target of 121 points is checked after a complete hand. If only one player has reached it, they win; if both have, the higher total wins; if they are exactly tied, another hand is played with no coin flip.
Common beginner mistakes
- Trying to add a Q or K to other cards; they have no number.
- Leaving a card on the floor on purpose when it has a legal capture, which is not allowed.
- Thinking the Jack gives a Basra when it sweeps; it does not.
- Thinking the 7♦ Basra depends on the sum of values; here it depends on the number of floor cards (10 or fewer, no Q or K).
- Treating the cards left on the floor at the end as a Basra; they give no +10.
Quick FAQ
Can I pass my turn?
No, you play one card on every turn.
What is an Ace worth when adding?
1.
What if we tie 26 / 26?
Nobody scores the majority and 30 is carried to the next hand.
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