Tía — Icelandic card game rules
Tía is an Icelandic bidding trick game (no trump), played like Whist: each round you secretly predict how many tricks you will win, then try to hit it exactly. Play free against three computer players.
How to play
- You play 10 rounds: 10 cards each in round one, then 9, 8 … down to 1.
- Bids are made at the same time and hidden — predict how many tricks you'll take, then all bids are revealed.
- Play like Whist: follow the led suit if you can; the highest card in the led suit wins the trick and leads next.
- The forehand leads first and rotates between rounds.
Scoring
- Hit your bid exactly: 10 + your bid points (e.g. a bid of 4 → 14 points).
- A successful bid of 0: 5 points.
- Miss your bid: 0 points.
- Most points after 10 rounds wins.
How is scoring calculated in Tía?
You score only if you take exactly the number of tricks you bid. Do that and you get ten points plus the bid itself, so a bid of four is worth fourteen points. A successful bid of zero is worth five. Miss your bid and you score nothing at all, whether you took too few tricks or too many.
That is why deliberately losing a trick is sometimes the right play, which is the part that surprises people coming from ordinary trick taking games. There are ten rounds and the hands shrink as you go: ten cards in the first round, nine in the next and finally one. There is no trump suit and the highest card in the led suit takes the trick, so you follow suit when you can. Bids stay hidden until everyone has bid. Highest total after ten rounds wins.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you play Tía?
- Over 10 rounds (10 cards down to 1), you secretly bid how many tricks you'll take, then play like Whist with no trump. You score only if you hit your bid exactly.
- How does scoring work in Tía?
- Hitting your bid scores 10 plus the bid (a bid of 4 scores 14). A successful zero bid scores 5. Missing scores 0.
- Is there a trump suit?
- No — Tía is played without trump.