Play 28, the Kerala card game, on a TV with phones
28, also called Irupathiyettu or Twenty-Eight, is the trick-taking card game played across Kerala and South India. On Our Console four friends play it with their phones as their hands: the table, the tricks and the scores are on the TV, and nobody can see anyone else's cards.
The rules in short
- Four players in two teams of two, partners sitting opposite. The pack has 32 cards: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8 and 7 in four suits.
- In every suit the Jack is highest, then the 9, Ace, 10, King, Queen, 8 and 7. Jacks are worth 3 card points, nines 2, aces and tens 1: 28 in all.
- Everyone gets four cards and bids how many card points their team will win, starting at 14. The highest bidder hides one card face down: its suit is the secret trump.
- Everyone gets four more cards. Follow suit if you can. If you cannot, you may ask for the trump to be shown; from then on the highest trump wins the trick.
- The bidding team needs at least its bid. Bigger bids win and lose more game points, and the first team to 4 game points wins.
Why it works well on phones
Your hand is private on your own phone, so there is no peeking and no dropped cards. The cards you are allowed to play stay lit and the rest are dimmed, so new players learn the follow-suit rule while they play.
The game does the counting: it keeps the card points and game points, checks the trump rules and moves on with a 20-second turn clock, so a game takes about seven minutes.
Tips for new players
- Count your Jacks and nines before you bid: they hold most of the 28 points.
- Pick as trump the suit you hold most of.
- Save your Jack for a trick your opponents want to win.
Questions
- How many players does 28 need?
- Exactly four, in two teams of two.
- Can I play 28 online with friends in different houses?
- Our Console is built for people in the same room, sharing one screen on the same WiFi.
- Is 28 the same as 29?
- They are close cousins with some differences in scoring and bidding. Our Console plays 28.