THE STANDARD
OF THE GAME.

BEG — The lead player asks the dealer to give one point, verbally, by knocking the table, or by both actions. At the dealer’s option, additional sets of three cards may be dealt until a different suit is kicked.

BULLSEYE — The point awarded to a team for recording the first fourteen points during a game.

CUT — Touching or separating the pack into two piles without removing it from the table. Any variation may result in one chalk.

CUTTER — The player sitting immediately to the left of the dealer who must cut before the cards are dealt.

DEAL — The distribution of cards to each player.

DEALER — The player with the right to distribute the cards.

GAME — The points accumulated from face cards won by a team. Ten is worth 10, Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, and Jack 1. The team with the greater total earns two game points.

HANG JACK — An opposing player wins the same round in which the Jack of trump was played after playing the Ace, King, or Queen of trump.

KICK — The dealer turns over the top card after distributing the required cards.

LEAD PLAYER — The player immediately to the dealer’s right who must play or beg, or the player who won the previous round with the highest card or trump.

MISDEAL — Dealing more or fewer cards than required.

RENEGING — Playing a different non-trump suit while holding a card of the suit led.

SHUFFLING — Mixing the cards before they are dealt.

STAND UP — The lead player plays a card without begging.

STAND UP BLIND — The lead player plays a card before looking at any card and turns it away before the dealer kicks.

TRUMP — The suit matching the kicked card.

UNDER TRUMPING — Playing a lower trump in the same round, except when the player holds only trump and trump was not called by the lead player.

PLAYED CARD — A card that completely leaves a player’s hand and is face up on the board.

FLY SUB — A substitute who may return only to the table on which they played, provided the team has substitutes remaining.

FLOATING SUB — A substitute who may return on another table; a double-sub rule applies when returning to a different table.

LIFTS — A packed group of four cards previously played face up on the table.

No audible signs, calling cards, whispering, facial or hand signals, or other communication between partners is permitted. The pair is warned first; a repeated offense loses one point.

The winner of the toss may choose East/West or North/South seating and may choose to deal.

The deck must be broken in the presence of opponents. Running cards is permitted only at the start of the match.

The dealer has a maximum of two brews/beats per handling, within fifteen seconds. Repeated delay after a warning awards one point to the opponents.

When gathering, cards must not be pulled toward oneself; the bottom of the pack should face downward or away. Continued failure after warning awards one point.

The cutter has one brew and beat within fifteen seconds. Continued delay after warning awards one point and the pack must be returned playing-side down.

The cutter must return the pack as presented, without scattering the cards.

Anyone other than the dealer or cutter who handles the pack is warned, then loses one point for a repeated offense.

After shuffling, the dealer places the pack before the player on the left. The cutter has one play and must cut when asked; failure causes a one-point delay penalty.

Turning over cards while cutting loses one point and the dealer deals over.

A player may decline to cut by indicating this to the dealer. Touching the deck a second time constitutes a cut.

Once the pack is cut it must be dealt. Reshuffling or running cards after the cut is a misdeal and awards one point to the opponents.

The dealer must saddle the pack on the table, not in the hand. A wrong saddle must be corrected with a deal-over and no points.

Cards are dealt anti-clockwise, one or three at a time. Any other variation is a misdeal and awards one point; all cards must be face down.

If an opponent’s card turns up, that player must immediately accept or reject it. A rejected deal is dealt over; later-round kicked points are removed.

If the dealer’s or partner’s card turns up, it must be accepted unless caused naturally, in which case the player immediately chooses whether to continue.

Before kicking, the dealer may ask how many cards each player holds. Misdeals must be reported then. The kick must be one motion and not toward the dealer.

Cards that fall or separate from the deck during dealing constitute a landslide and a misdeal.

Only the dealer may move cards while dealing. Touching an opponent’s cards loses one bullseye; after the pack is set down, the dealer may only kick.

A misdeal found before the fifth card costs the dealer one point, forces a deal-over, and forfeits kicked points. When the dealer has ten or more, the pack may move on.

After the fifth card, a player with the wrong number of cards forfeits points made. The opponents receive one point and gamble; the deal moves on.

If a bullseye is completed during a misdeal, the deal passes to the next player in line.

Kick points: Jack three points, Deuce two points, Ace one point.

The pack must be face down before kicking. The dealer may not deal extra cards, look at cards, or peek at the kick. Offender loses one point, kicked points, and deals over.

Kicking multiple cards is a misdeal. If the underneath card is seen and correctly declared, it is a misdeal; an incorrect declaration awards the dealer one point.

When the dealer runs the deck after a beg, the original kick card goes to the bottom and dealing continues until a different suit is kicked. Variation costs one point.

If the pack runs out after a beg, the dealer retains the pack and kicked points. If those points complete a bullseye, the deal moves to the next player.

A player may beg verbally or by knocking; the dealer may give in the same ways. If the dealer picks up the pack and the player denies begging, the pack is replaced and play continues.

Standing up without trump loses one bullseye unless the stand is blind.

To stand blind, a card is played away from the player before the kick. If the player looks first, trump must be held or the bullseye is lost.

If a player stands blind and no trump is played, only gamble is contested; High and Low are not awarded.

A dealer cannot give one without trump; the offender loses one bullseye.

Players may not look at cards or communicate before deciding to beg, stand, deal, or give one. Offender loses one point.

A flush hand of six trump cards may be played on either side.

A card is on board and considered played once it leaves the player’s hand face up.

When two cards are played together and both are visible, the bottom card stands. If hidden, it is hiding and costs one bullseye.

A player who leads out of turn before the proper lead may retrieve the card without penalty; the proper lead may play any card.

After the lead player’s card is played, any other card placed on board stands and cannot be retrieved.

If a top card shadows a bottom card, the bottom card is in play, the top is removed, and following players may replay.

A card used to lift another played card makes both cards played and both must go to board. Changing cards costs one bullseye.

No player may retrieve an opponent’s card and mix it into their hand. Penalty: one bullseye.

All players should count their cards before playing their first card to board.

Reneging from any suit at any time loses the bullseye.

Under-trumping at any time loses the bullseye, except when holding a flush.

Reneging to save or throw a Jack to avoid a hang loses two bullseyes, and the Jack is recorded as hung.

When checking a renege, only the last lift may be reviewed by captains or an official. Going beyond the last lift invalidates the claim.

Hiding, palming, stealing, or dishonesty loses one bullseye, requires substitution, and may lead to removal from the tournament.

Players may not enter their own or an opponent’s lift without permission. Own-lift violation costs one point; opponent-lift violation costs one bullseye.

If the pack falls before the kick, deal over with no penalty. If after the kick but before play, the responsible pair concedes one point and kicked points are forfeited.

A stray card found after the kick is null when everyone otherwise has the correct count; it returns to the pack after the issue is played.

Proven card marking may lead to fines or a ban. If damage cannot be attributed, captains agree to a replacement deck.

A lift taken by mistake may be passed to the rightful pair after notification without penalty.

A forgotten card may be played before the round is packed. After the round is packed, the extra-card player loses one bullseye for stealing.

No points may be written in front of an opponent or across the center in front of a partner. After warning, the player loses those chalks.

Taking a card from an opponent’s hand or from a face-down table card and playing it costs one bullseye.

Teams involved in buying or selling a match may be fined and lose by default.

A player may ask opponents to pause for official clarification. Ignoring the request may result in a warning.

A game officially begins when the pack is cut.

Prematurely packing a round requires cards to be restored when possible; if the next round is also packed, the extra-card player loses one bullseye.

If a slammed card exposes a non-kick card, the opponent may continue or take one chalk and require a redeal. Kicked chalks are forfeited on the redeal.

Players have fifteen seconds to beg/stand after the kick, dealers fifteen seconds to give/run, and players ten seconds to play after the previous card. Continued freezing after a count concedes a bullseye.

A table plays four consecutive games before a five-minute break. Players late after the break concede a bullseye for each additional five-minute period.

Leaving before four games requires an extenuating reason and opponent permission. Failure to return within five minutes may concede a bullseye; opponents may pause play.

Players may remain within arm’s length and change sides after a bullseye. Refusing to return when called back concedes a bullseye.

Points are awarded in this priority: High (1), Low (1), Jack (1) or Hang-Jack (3), and Gamble (2).

Chalks must be marked in the order made and on the correct corner. After a warning, incorrectly placed or joined chalks become null and void.

Players must wait until all cards are played and opponents concede before writing. Repeated early writing is treated as stealing and concedes a bullseye.

Errors may be corrected before cards are packed. After packing and scoring, points cannot be recalled; an incorrect mark may cost one bullseye unless clarified before the cut.

Adding points after scoring, or erasing an opponent’s points, is stealing and loses the bullseye.

Points transferred from one side of the table to the other must be confirmed and rewritten in the same order.

No player may handle the pack while gamble is contested. Only one opponent checks the cards. Handling both own and opponent lifts at once loses gamble.

A sure point may be shown or played to sing a bullseye without an under-trump or card-to-board penalty. A game is not complete until the bullseye is sung.

Points are recorded before singing. Players remain until the bullseye is confirmed on both sides. Erasing points before singing prevents the bullseye and play continues from zero.

Games start at zero and a bullseye is recorded at fourteen. If a pair fails to sing before the cut, it must wait until the issue ends; the higher total may sing, or High decides a tie.

A team receives an allotted number of substitutes, including fly and floating subs. Exceeding the allotment loses the game unless an additional change is required because a player becomes sick and leaves the venue.

After a substitution, mark S on the board after the completed game. A double substitution is marked SS; opponents mark X or XX.

In a match to seventeen bullseyes, Table 1 plays nine games and the next three tables play a maximum of eight.

When three or four tables are used, the table that sings each of the final three or four bullseyes is eliminated.

Both table captains have up to five minutes to resolve a dispute under the rules. If unresolved, the official’s decision is final and binding.

Leave all cards on the table. Mixing cards before resolution may automatically lose the dispute.

Walking away during a dispute forfeits the player’s right to participate in the decision.

A player arguing or refusing to play after a decision should be substituted immediately; otherwise the opposing team may be awarded the game.

Abandoning a table causes the defaulting team to concede the maximum applicable bullseyes and closes that table for the match.

If captains or the official decide a table must be scrapped, the abandonment rule applies.

Only captains and officials may become involved in a table dispute. Others may be substituted or removed from further participation.

A situation not governed by the rules is decided by the committee and officials in the best interest of the tournament.