The game is won by the first player to claim 5 towers. A tower is a sequence of hands — as many as 7 or as few as 1 — ending when one player captures all the tricks. Dealing confers a significant advantage; rather than alternating, the privilege of the deal goes to the player that bids for — and takes — a majority of the tricks available.
A pack of 24 cards is used consisting of A K Q J 10 9 in each of the four suits: ♠ spades, ♣ clubs, ♦ diamonds and ♥ hearts.
In the trump suit, the Jack is the highest card, known as the Right Bower. The Jack of the same color is the Left Bower, the 2nd highest card. Trump rank: Right Bower → Left Bower → A → K → Q → 10 → 9 The Left Bower counts as belonging to the trump suit for all purposes. The trump suit has 7 cards; the same-color suit has only 5.
At the start of each tower, cards are flipped one per player until a black Jack appears. That player deals first.
Each hand starts with 7 cards, then 6, then 5, and so on. After dealing, the next card is turned face up as the up-card to propose a trump suit.
The non-dealer may accept the up-card's suit as trump, or pass. If they pass, the dealer may accept or pass. If accepted, the dealer discards a card and picks up the up-card. If both pass, the up-card is turned down. The non-dealer may name a different suit as trump, or pass again. If they pass, the dealer must name trump. The bidder (whoever set trump) is contracted to win the majority of tricks. The bidder may also declare "for 2" to elevate the stakes.
The non-dealer leads first. You must follow the led suit if possible. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, or the highest trump if trumped. If the bidder wins the majority, they deal next. Otherwise, the defender deals. If either player sweeps all tricks, they win a tower and a new tower starts at 7 cards.
If the bidder declared "for 2": • Bidder sweeps all tricks → wins 2 towers • Bidder wins majority → tower continues normally • Bidder fails majority → defender wins the tower • Bidder wins zero tricks → defender wins 2 towers
Failure to follow suit when able is a renege. A renege may be corrected before the next trick. If discovered later, the aggrieved player may claim the tower as a penalty. A false accusation before the final trick gives the accused the tower. In this app, reneging is not possible — the game only ever lets you play a legal card, so you can't accidentally (or deliberately) fail to follow suit. In a real-life game, though, it's something to watch out for: keep an eye on the cards played, since a renege is easy to miss and its penalty can decide the tower.