How to play 400

400

4 players

The 400 is a card game played by 4 players in two teams, where each player bids how many tricks they will take. The first team to reach 41 points wins, and that is where the name comes from. It takes bidding, counting, and a little nerve.

How to play

1 Players 4, partners opposite, but each bids and scores for themselves. 1

2 Deck 52 cards, 13 each. Hearts are always trump, every hand. 2

3 Bidding Each player bids how many tricks they will take, minimum 2, and the four bids must total at least 11, or the hand is redealt. 3

4 Play Follow the led suit, or trump with a heart or throw. The highest heart wins the trick. Each player counts their own tricks. 4

5 Scoring Make your bid and you score its value. Miss it and you lose that same value. Extra tricks score nothing. 5

6 Winning A team wins when one partner reaches 41 or more and the other partner's score is above zero. 6

Tips

Bid realistically

Extra tricks score nothing, so an accurate bid beats a brave one.

Count the hearts

Hearts are trump every hand, so track how many have fallen.

Watch your partner

You can't win while their score is below zero, so help them make their bid.

Variants and other names

Minimum total

At many tables the minimum total bid rises to 12 or 13 once a player nears 41.

Other names

Arba'meyye, or 41, across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine. A close cousin of Tarneeb.

Questions

How many players does 400 need?

Exactly 4, in two teams, though each player bids and scores alone. Missing a fourth? Kemlet finds you a player nearby.

What is trump in 400?

Hearts, always, every hand.

How is 400 different from Tarneeb?

In 400 each player bids alone and hearts are always trump. In Tarneeb the team bids and the bid winner picks trump.

What happens if the bids total less than 11?

The hand is thrown in and the cards are dealt again.

How long does a game of 400 take?

Usually 30 minutes to an hour.

400