Twenty-Nine: Play Online for Free (Solo & Multiplayer)

Twenty-Nine is a lively game played with a unique 32-card deck. Four players compete in two teams of 2, and the Jack of the trump suit is the strongest card in the game. Unlike games like Hearts, which is a trick-avoidance game, Twenty-Nine is a trick-taking game with bidding, similar to Spades.

You can play the game online for free, both as singleplayer and multiplayer. Play against our intelligent bots for an exciting challenge, and once you feel ready for it, you can join a public table to play with some of the friendly people on the site. You can even create a private table just for your friends and family, so you play only with the people you invite. So get ready to bid and outsmart your opponents with an exciting game of Twenty-Nine!

Rules

Here's enough to play your first hand. For the complete reference and an interactive tutorial that leads you through a real game, see our guide on how to play Twenty-Nine.

Objective

Twenty-Nine is a partnership bidding game for 4 players in two teams of 2, with partners sitting across from each other. The high bidder's team promises to capture a certain number of card points and gets to pick the trump suit in return. The first team to reach 6 game points wins, and a team that falls to -6 loses.

The deal and the bid

The game uses a 32-card deck containing only the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8 and 7 of each suit. The ranking is unusual. The Jack is the highest card, then the 9, and only then come the Ace, 10, King, Queen, 8 and 7. Each player starts with 4 cards. Beginning left of the dealer and going clockwise, each player either passes or bids between 15 and 28, and every new bid must beat the last one. Bidding ends when someone bids 28 or when three players in a row pass. If nobody is willing to bid at all, the dealer is forced to bid 15.

Choosing trump

The highest bidder picks the trump suit and keeps it secret. Nobody else learns it until later in the hand. Once trump has been chosen, everyone is dealt 4 more cards for a full hand of 8.

The play

The player left of the dealer leads the first trick, and play goes clockwise. You must always follow the lead suit if you can. The first time a player can't follow suit, the hidden trump suit is declared for everyone to see, and that player may then throw any card. The highest card of the lead suit wins the trick unless a trump has been played, since the highest trump beats everything else. The trick winner leads the next one.

Scoring and winning

Card points decide the hand. Each Jack is worth 3, each 9 is worth 2, and each Ace and 10 is worth 1, for 28 points in the deck. The team that takes the last trick gets 1 more, so every hand adds up to 29, which is where the game gets its name. If the declaring team captures at least as many points as they bid, they win 1 game point. Otherwise they lose 1. The defending team never scores.

The King and Queen of trump together are called the Royal Pair. After trump has been declared, the player holding both can announce them right after their team wins a trick. If the declarers announce the pair, their bid drops by 4, down to a minimum of 15. If the defenders announce it, the bid rises by 4, up to a maximum of 28. Hands are played until one team reaches 6 game points or falls to -6.

How to win at Twenty-Nine

These tips come from real games on this site. The two big skills are judging a bid from just 4 cards and squeezing every card point out of the tricks your team wins.

Bidding and choosing trump:

• You bid after seeing only 4 of your 8 cards. Bid on what those 4 can prove and treat the second deal as a bonus.
• It's risky to bid without at least two Jacks, or a Jack and 9 of the same suit. Jacks are the highest cards in the game and worth 3 points each.
• Even the minimum bid of 15 commits your team to more than half of the 29 points in the hand. Passing a weak hand is usually right.
• If you win the bid without a standout suit, pick the suit in which you hold the most cards as trump.
• If you hold the Royal Pair in your trump suit, you can bid more boldly. Announcing it after your team wins a trick drops your bid by 4 and makes a big bid much safer.

Playing:

• Lead with a Jack when you can. Only a trump can beat it.
• If you chose the trump suit, it's usually good to lead your highest trumps. That forces your opponents to spend their trump cards early.
• When your partner has played a card that looks likely to win the trick, throw your Aces and 10s on it. Points count the same no matter which partner takes them.
• Keep track of the high cards, especially the Jacks, 9s and Aces. There are only 8 cards of each suit, so if 4 of them fall in one trick, the next lead of that suit is likely to get trumped.
• The last trick is worth an extra point. When a hand looks close to the bid, it can be worth spending a trump to take it.
• As a defender, remember the trump suit stays hidden until someone can't follow suit. Watch which suits the bidder leads and which they avoid, since that often gives their trump away.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the game called Twenty-Nine?

Every hand contains 29 points. The four Jacks are worth 3 each, the four 9s are worth 2 each, and the Aces and 10s are worth 1 each, which makes 28. The team that takes the last trick gets 1 more.

What is the Royal Pair?

The King and Queen of the trump suit. After trump has been declared, the player holding both can announce them right after their team wins a trick. The bid then drops by 4 if the declaring team announced the pair, or rises by 4 if the defending team did.

How do I play Twenty-Nine with friends?

Create a private table and share its name. Click the Menu button, check Private Table, then click Change next to Name and enter a table name. Friends who enter the same name at their own private table land at your table.

Can I play Twenty-Nine against the computer?

Yes. Click the little grey robot next to any empty seat to invite a bot. You can fill all three seats with bots and play entirely solo, which is a good way to learn the bidding before facing live players.

Can 2 people play Twenty-Nine?

Twenty-Nine needs exactly 4 players in two teams of 2, so two people can't play it alone. You and a friend can share a private table, sit across from each other as partners and fill the other two seats with bots.

How long does a game of Twenty-Nine take?

About an hour on average across the games played on this site. A hand normally moves the score by just 1 game point and a team needs 6 to win, so games run a good number of hands.

What is the Seventh Card rule?

Seventh Card is a table option that lets the high bidder set trump by the suit of the seventh card dealt to them instead of naming a suit. That card is kept out of their hand and joins it only once trump has been declared, and no card has trump power before the declaration. You can check any table's setup under its table info link.

What are Double and Redouble?

On tables with the "Double / Redouble" option, the defending team can double the stakes once the bid is won and before the last cards are dealt, making the hand worth 2 game points instead of 1. The declarers can answer with a redouble that raises it to 4.

Does Twenty-Nine have ranked play?

Yes. Registered players can join ranked tables, where results feed the Twenty-Nine leaderboard.

Is Twenty-Nine free to play here?

Yes. Twenty-Nine is free in your browser with no download and no signup. You only need an account if you want to keep long-term stats or play ranked games.

What games are similar to Twenty-Nine?

If you enjoy Twenty-Nine, try the site's other trick-taking games, such as Sergeant Major, Sheepshead, Hearts, Spades and Euchre.