Bluke is a newer trick taking card game which is played in the United
States, particularly in the Midwestern part of the country and the East coast. The game is primarily designed to be played by three or four, however the same rules as described can also be used if played by two. Variants for five or more players are described in the variants section below.
Bluke is played using one standard 52 card deck with the addition of two
Jokers (called the Blukes). These two Jokers should be distinguishable
from each other in some manner as one Joker is the Hi Bluke and the other
the Lo Bluke. Most decks contain one Joker printed in color and the other
in black and white, thus, typically the color Joker would be set as the
Hi Bluke and the black and white Joker the Lo Bluke. The Blukes are
always the highest ranked cards in the deck. The ranking of the cards in
each suit (including the designated trump suit) are as follows (from high
to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. However the
Lo Bluke is higher than any Ace (even the Ace of the trump suit), and the Hi Bluke is the highest card found in the deck.
Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be performed in a number of ways with a draw for high card common. Using this method, each player would draw a card from the shuffled, face-down deck. The players would then take their choice of remaining seats at the table in order of highest drawn card to lowest. The player drawing the highest card of all is set as the first dealer. If two or more players draw cards of the same rank, each of those player would discard those cards and draw again, continuing to draw until drawing a uniquely ranked card. After each hand, the deal rotates in a clockwise direction around the table. The player who draws the lowest ranked card is set as the scorekeeper for the entire game. This scorekeeper should retain an ongoing score during each hand recording each player's bid as well as tricks won during each hand and current ongoing score.
The game is dealt over a series of 25 hands, with each hand having fewer or more cards dealt than the hand before. Thus, on the first hand each player is dealt 13 total cards, the next hand 12, decreasing by one card dealt all the way until a hand in which one card is dealt to each player on the hand. After the one card hand is played, each subsequent hand will
then have one additional card drawn up to a total of a thirteen card hand. After this last hand, the game ends, scores are compared, and the winner of the game determined.
The dealer of a hand first thoroughly shuffles the deck, and offers the cards to the player at his immediate right to cut. After the cut, the dealer begins dealing the cards in a clockwise rotation around the table, starting with the player at his immediate left. He continues dealing the cards one-by-one and face-down until each player has the requisite number of cards for that round. He then takes the remainder of the pack (which may be as few as two cards) and offers it face-down to the player at his left. This player then cuts this stack of cards, with the bottom card of the top portion of the cut pack determining the trump suit for the hand. Alternatively the player at the dealer's left can simply tap the top of the deck which indicates the top card of the deck should be faced and sets the trump suit. The suit of this exposed card is then set as the trump suit for the hand and set aside, out of play. If the trump designator card is one of the Blukes, however, this hand is played using no trump suit.
After the cards have been dealt a single round of bidding occurs, starting with the player at the dealer's immediate left. Each player states a number (with one being the minimum bid and the maximum bid for that hand being the total number of cards dealt on that hand) indicating a number of tricks they will try to win during this hand. The scorekeeper should carefully record each players bid, as a player's score is directly based on his bid at the end of each hand.
After each player has stated his bid, the play of the hand begins. The player to the immediate left of the dealer plays the first card to the first trick and each other player, in a clockwise direction around the table, plays a card from his hand to the trick. Once all players have played one card, in order, to the trick, it is determined who wins the trick.
The leader to a trick may play any card from his hand to start the trick. Each other player, in turn, must then play a card of the same suit as played to the trick if he has one. If he has no cards of that suit he may play any other card from his hand to the trick (including a card of the trump suit). One of the features that makes this game unusual is the play of the Blukes. A player, on his turn, may always play a Bluke to the trick if he has one and prefers to play it, even if that player has another card of the suit originally led to the trick. If a Bluke is led to a trick, the player leading that card must state what suit that trick is to be played to (although that or another Bluke will always win that particular trick). If the Hi Bluke is played to any trick, the player of that card always wins the trick. If the Lo Bluke is played to a trick, that card will always win the trick unless the Hi Bluke was played to it. If no Blukes have been played to the trick, the highest card of the trump suit (if any) played to the trick will win it. If the trick contains no Blukes or no cards of the trump suit, the highest card of the suit originally led to that trick wins it. Cards won in tricks should be set aside, face-down and out of play near the player who won the trick, to help in determining if each player fulfilled his bid. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.
The hand continues until each player has played the last of his cards from his hand to
the last trick of the hand, after which time they count the number of tricks won to determine if the player was able to fulfill his contract. The scorekeeper thus records a score for each player based on the bid and whether that player was able to win at least as many tricks as bid. If a player wins fewer tricks than he bid (calling being set), that player earns a negative score for the hand, thus subtracting a number of points from his current score equal to ten points
multiplied by the number of tricks that player bid. It is possible (and quite common) for some players to have a negative score. If a player wins at least as many tricks as bid he earns a number of positive points on the hand equal to 10 multiplied by the amount of his bid, with one additional point added for each trick won over the number that player
had bid. The scorekeeper should thus record each player's score.
The game continues in this manner until all 25 hands have been played after which the total, accumulated scores for each player is compared. The player with the highest total is then declared the game winner.
Additional Players: Although best for three
or four players, Bluke can also be played by five or more. The game is
played very similarly to the 2, 3 and 4 player variant, however, due to
the limitation in the maximum number of cards in the deck, fewer rounds
would be dealt in games with more participants. The following chart shows the number of cards to be dealt on the first round and the number of rounds played based on the number of active players in the game:
| Number of Players | Number of Rounds per Game | Cards dealt on first and last hand |
|---|
| 5 | 21 | 10 |
| 6 | 15 | 8 |
| 7 | 13 | 7 |
| 8 | 11 | 6 |
| 9, 10 | 9 | 5 |
| 11, 12, 13 | 7 | 4 |
| 14, 15 | 5 | 3 |
Other than the number of rounds played and number of cards dealt in some hands, this version is played identically to standard 3 or
4 player Bluke.
New Jersey Bluke: An older version of the game, which is
still popular in New Jersey, is this variant. The game is played identically to the standard variant as described above, save the following two differences:
- The ordering of the rounds is played different than in the standard variant. In this variant, the first hand consists of exactly one card dealt to each player, the second card two, continuing with each hand having one more card dealt until a hand of thirteen cards is dealt. After this hand, each hand thereafter has one fewer card dealt until the last hand of the game in which each player again receives one card.
- The second difference in the New Jersey variant is the handling of the Blukes. In this variant, the Blukes are actually considered a part of the designated trump suit. The ranking of the trump suit would thus become as follows (from highest to lowest): Hi Bluke, Lo Bluke, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Being thusly considered a member of the trump suit, a Bluke may not be played at any time, but only when a card of the trump suit could legally be played. If a Bluke were turned up as the trump designator, indicating there is no
trump suit for the hand, the other Bluke is thus considered the one and only trump suit in the game, but can only be played if
first led to a trick or if the player of that card has no cards of the suit led to the current trick.
In all other aspects New Jersey Bluke is played the same as is the standard game as described above.
Back Alley: Back Alley is a card game which bears a strong resemblance to the newer game Bluke, and is probably a direct ancestor of that game. Back Alley is sometimes called Back Street Bridge, Back Alley Bridge
or Blooper. The game is thought to have been developed by members of the United States Armed Forces, in the early 1960's. An older version of the game also exists, described further below.
Back Alley uses the standard 52 card deck with the addition of two Jokers. These Jokers should be distinguishable from each other, one being called the Big Blooper and the other the Little Blooper. The game is played by four players, playing in two partnerships consisting of two players each. Each player should sit at the table directly across from his partner.
The ranking of the cards in the trump suit during a hand are as follows (from highest to lowest): Big Blooper, Little Blooper, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The cards in the non-trump suits rank similarly, with the
difference being the absence of the Bloopers; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
As in Bluke, the games consists of a series of 26 deals. The first hand consists of 13 cards per player, the second 12 cards per player, down to a hand with only one card dealt per player. After the first one card hand is played, a second one card hand is played, and then during each subsequent hand, one additional card is dealt, until a final 13 card hand is dealt.
After each deal, the dealer then turns up the next card in the remaining deck. The suit of the card exposed sets the trump suit for the hand. However, if the turned up card is either of the Bloopers, the hand is played with no trump suit. In this specific event, the player (if any) who has been dealt the other Blooper, should discard that card and draw one replacement
card from the remaining undealt cards.
After the cards have been dealt in each hand, there is one round of bidding. This bidding starts with the player to the immediate left of the dealer and continues in a clockwise direction around the table. During this round of bidding, each player has one opportunity to either pass or bid. A bid is a number of tricks that the player expects to win during the hand. This can be any number from one to the total number of cards dealt during that hand. If a player intends to win zero tricks during the hand, he must state "Pass".
If all players call "Pass", the cards are gathered and the same dealer
deals the same hand again (consisting of the same number of cards
dealt). There is also a special type of bid called "board" of which a
player can make during his turn. This is a bid obligating he and his
partner, between them, to win every trick during that hand. If multiple
players have made such a bid, this is called, "Double Board" for the
second "Board" bid, "Triple Board" for the third "Board" bid or even
"Quadruple Board" for the fourth such "Board" bid during the hand.
After each player has one opportunity to bid or pass, play of the hand begins (providing that all four players did not call "Pass"). If either member of a team made a call of "Board", that team must attempt to win every trick during that hand. If a team made a numerical bid, the obligation of that team is to attempt to win a number of tricks equal to the bid of each member of that team added together. A bid of "Pass" is equivalent to a bid of zero. If both members of the team made a bid of "Pass" (zero), that team has no particular target number of tricks during the hand (although their opportunity to score a higher number of points during the hand will be limited by this bid). This total bid should be noted by each team for use in scorekeeping at the end of each hand.
After the bidding round has completed, play of the hand begins. If any player made a bid of "Board", that player leads the first card to the first trick. If multiple players bid "Board", the last player to so make this bid leads this first card. If no players bid "Board" on that hand, the player making the highest individual bid is entitled to lead the first card. If multiple players are tied for the highest bid on that hand, the first player to make that high bid leads the first card to the first trick.
The leader to a trick may lead any card of his choice to start the trick, however he may not lead a card of the trump suit (including either of the Bloopers) to any trick except under
any of several specific circumstances:
- A card from the trump suit has already been played during a previous trick during the current hand (the trump suit having "been broken").
- That player or his partner have made any of the "Board" bids.
- That player only has cards of the designated trump suit in his hand.
After the lead to a trick, each other player, in a clockwise direction, must play one card,
from those remaining in their hand, to that same trick. If that player has a card of the suit originally led to the trick, he must play it. If he has no card of the suit originally led to the trick, he may play any other card from his hand. In addition to being considered members of the trump suit, the Bloopers, if led to a trick, enforce other requirements on the cards other players must play to the trick. If the Big Blooper is led to a trick, each other player (including the partner of the player who first played the Blooper) must play their highest card in the trump suit to the trick. If the player has no cards in the trump suit he may play any card of choice from his hand to the trick. If the Little Blooper is led to any trick, each other player (including the partner of the player playing the Little Blooper) must play their lowest card in the trump suit to the trick. If a player has no cards of the trump suit in hand, he may play any card from his hand.
After each player has played one card to the trick, in order, it is then determined who was able to win it. The player of the highest card in the trump suit to that trick is declared the winner of said trick. However, if the trick contained no cards in the trump suit, the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick is said to have won it. The cards from the trick are set aside, out of play. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.
After all tricks in that hand have been played and won, scoring for the hand occurs. A team in which one member bid "Board", and which manages to win every trick during the hand earns a score equal to 10 multiplied by the number of cards bid to each player in that hand. However, if the
opposing team manages to win one or more tricks during that hand, the partnership
who had bid Board must instead subtract from their current score a number equal to 10 multiplied by the number of cards dealt to each player during the hand. This score is doubled for a bid of "Double Board", tripled for the "Triple Board" bid, and quadrupled for the "Quadruple Board" bid.
For a team that did not make a "Board" bid, but that team managed to win at least as many tricks as bid by that team, the team earns five points for each trick total that team bid, plus one point for each additional trick won during the hand. However, if they fail to win at least as many tricks as bid, that team loses five points for each trick in their total bid. For a partnership in which the total bid was 0, that team will win 1 point for each trick won during that hand (and no points if no tricks are won during that hand).
After each hand, the cards are then gathered, reshuffled and the next dealer, in a clockwise direction deals the next hand, dealing the requisite number of cards for that hand. After all 26 hands have been played, the team with the higher score is declared the game winner.
Back Alley - Individual Play: Although the partnership version of Back Alley, as described directly above is the more common such version of the game, the original,
and older version of the game is also still played. This variant can be played by two, three, or four players, each playing individually. This version is also believed to have been developed by members of the United States Armed Forces, but this version as early as the second World War. Another different is that this version does not include Jokers, and is thus played using only the standard 52 card deck.
The ranking of the cards is fairly standard, however, the trump suit selected for each hand always contains one extra card, the two of
diamonds (
♦). This card is considered not only a permanent member of the trump suit (and thus would be played at any time a card of the trump suit would expect to be played), but is also the highest ranking card in the designated trump suit. Thus, the ranking of the cards in the trump suit are as follows (from highest to lowest; Two of diamonds
(
♦), Ace of designated trump suit, King of designated trump suit, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Of course if the suit of diamonds is the designated trump suit, the two will still be the
highest ranked card in that suit. The ranking of the non-trump suits for the hand are as follows (from high to low); Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Of course it should be noted that the suit of
diamonds will not include a two (unless diamonds are the designated trump suit).
The individual play version of Back Alley is usually played by two, three or four players. Each game consists of exactly 14 deals. In the first deal each player is dealt 13 cards, the second deal each player is dealt 12, and each proceeding deal each player receives one fewer cards than in the previous deal. This continues until each player is dealt a hand of exactly one card. After this, one last deal is dealt, again consisting of exactly one card dealt per player.
After the cards have been dealt, the next card in the remaining stock is then turned over to designate the trump suit for the hand. The remaining cards from the deck are set aside, out of play. If the exposed trump designator card is the two of diamonds, diamonds are set as the trump suit for the hand. One exception to this is that, in the four player version, on the first deal of the hand, since all 52 cards will have been dealt out before this deal, the deck should be shuffled and a card randomly cut from the deck. The suit of that card will designate the trump suit to use for that hand.
After all cards have been dealt and the trump suit exposed, each player in a clockwise rotation, starting with the player to the immediate right of the dealer, has one opportunity to bid. A player's bid is the estimated number of tricks he expects to win during the hand. A player may also
call a bid of "Pass", which is a bid to win 0 tricks. A bid to win every trick during that hand is called Board. These bids should be noted down on the
score sheet for use during the scoring phase. If all players make a bid of pass, the cards are thrown in and the same dealer deals again, dealing the same number of cards per player.
The player making the highest bid is entitled to lead the first card to the first trick of the hand. If multiple players tie for the highest bid on that hand, the first player to state that bid amount on the hand has the privilege of leading to the first card.
The leader to a trick may lead any card still remaining in his hand to start the trick. Each other player, in a clockwise direction then plays one card to the same trick. If a player has a card of the same trick has originally led to the trick, he must play that card. If he has no card of the suit led, and the suit led was not the trump suit, the player must play a trump card if able. If another player has already played such a card, he must attempt to play a higher card in the trump suit to the trick. If a player has no cards of the suit led to the trick and no cards of the trump suit, he may play any card from his hand to the trick.
After each player has played one card to the trick, the trick is won by the player of the highest card in the trump suit played to that trick. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit originally led to that trick. The won tricks are set aside, and the winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.
The scoring for the first 12 hands of the game are as follows:
- If any player bid "Board" and manages to win every trick during the hand, that player earns 6 points per trick
bid (and won). However, if a player bids Board and loses one or more tricks, he loses 6 points per trick bid.
- If a player wins at least as many tricks as bid he earns 3 points for each trick bid, plus one more point for each
additional trick won beyond the number bid.
- For a player who bid 0 tricks, the player wins 0 points if they in fact win no tricks, during the hand. If that player wins one or more tricks during that hand, the player earns one point per such trick won.
- If a player wins fewer tricks than bid, that player loses three points per trick bid (regardless of how many tricks actually won by that player).
On the two, one card deals, the scoring is somewhat different. During these one card hands, each player only has two choices of bid, one trick won (Board) or no tricks won (Pass). Thus, if a player bids Board and manages to win the trick in that hand, he earns 13 points. However, if he loses the trick on that hand after bidding Board, he loses 13 points. Any players who did not bid board, earn no points on that hand, even if winning the trick on that hand.
After all 14 hands have been played, the scores are tallied and the player with the highest total (or least negative score as it is very possible and somewhat common for some or all players to have negative scores) is declared the game winner.
Joker: Joker is the name of a game from the European nation of Georgia
and it is played somewhat similarly to Bluke. Joker uses 36 card deck. This deck can be created by removing all cards of denomination 2, 3, 4, and 5 from the deck as well as removing the sixes of clubs and spades. Lastly, two Jokers are added to the deck used for play. The normal ranking of the cards in this deck are as follows (from highest to lowest): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. The Jokers each have special properties if played to any trick (see below). The game is designed for play by four players, each playing independently.
Determination of first dealer and seating positions can performed in a variety of ways, with draw for high cards common. Using this method, the players would each draw a card from the shuffled deck. The players would then take their choice of seat at the table based on the ranking of the card draw, from highest to lowest. The player drawing the highest card of all is set as the first dealer, and thereafter the role of dealer rotates around the table in a clockwise direction.
After the shuffle and cut, the dealer distributes the cards around the table, starting with the player as his immediate left and continuing in a clockwise direction. He deals the cards one-by-one and face-down to each player. The hand is played over the course of four sets, each of which consists of a certain number of deals. The number of cards dealt on each hand changes based on which set and hand is currently being played in a game which consists of exactly 24 hands. The following shows the number of cards dealt during each hand:
| Set Number | Hand Number | Cards Dealt to Each Player | | | Set Number | Hand Number | Cards Dealt to Each Player |
|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | | 3 | 13 | 8 |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | | 3 | 14 | 7 |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | | 3 | 15 | 6 |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | | 3 | 16 | 5 |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | | 3 | 17 | 4 |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | | 3 | 18 | 3 |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | | 3 | 19 | 2 |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | | 3 | 20 | 1 |
| 2 | 9 | 9 | | 4 | 21 | 9 |
| 2 | 10 | 9 | | 4 | 22 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | 9 | | 4 | 23 | 9 |
| 2 | 12 | 9 | | 4 | 24 | 9 |
After the dealer has dealt out the requisite cards to each player, he then deals out the next card from the deck to the middle of the table. The suit of this dealt card sets the trump suit for the hand. The remaining cards from the deck, including the card dealt to determine the trump suit are set aside and out of play. On the hands in which each player is dealt nine total cards, since the entire deck will be dealt out, the last card which is dealt to the dealer is instead dealt face-up, with this card, and all other cards of this same suit set as the trump suit for the hand. After all the players have the opportunity to see this trump card and suit, the dealer adds it into his hand. If this exposed card dealt is a Joker, that hand is played with no trump suit.
Once the cards are dealt and the trump suit determined for the hand, a round of bidding begins, starting with the player at the immediate left of the dealer and continuing in a clockwise rotation around the table. Each player then announces the number of tricks he intends to win during that hand. This may be any number from zero (which can also be announced by stating "Pass") up to the number of cards dealt in that hand. The total sum of all bids is not permitted to equal the total number of cards dealt that round, so the dealer (the last player to bid) must bid in such a way that his bid does not cause the total of all bids to equal the number of cards dealt that round. Each bid should be recorded on the
score sheet for later reference at the end of the hand. Once the player's bids are recorded play of the hand can begin.
The player to the immediate left of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick, and each other player, in a clockwise rotation around the table adds one card to that same trick.
The leader to a trick can play any card remaining in his hand to start the trick. Each other player then must play a card of the suit originally led to the trick if they have one or may play a Joker. If a player has no card of the suit originally led to the trick, but does have one or more cards in the trump suit, he must play this card from the trump suit or a Joker if he has one. If he has no card of the suit originally led to the trick, and no cards from the trump suit he may play any card to the trick, including a Joker.
After each player has played a card to the trick, it is then determined which player played the card to win that trick. The highest card of the trump suit found in the trick is the winning card. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, it is won by the player of the highest card in the suit originally led to that trick.
As will be noticed a player can always play a Joker on his turn to a trick. When a player plays a Joker to a trick he must state if the Joker is High or Low. If the Joker is played to an existing trick and is announced by the player of that card as "High", that Joker always wins the trick unless a second Joker (also announced as "High") is played to that same trick. If the Joker is announced as "Low" as played to an existing trick, the Joker always loses the trick.
The Joker also significantly effects a trick when it is the lead card to a trick. If a Joker is led to a trick and announced as "high", the player must also announce the suit the other players must play. Each other player must then play their highest cards, still remaining in their hands or another Joker. If the suit specified is the trump suit, players may play any card of that suit. If a player has no cards of the suit specified, they must play a card of the trump suit if they have one (or the other Joker), or if having no cards of the designated trump suit may play any card from their hand. The Joker, if played as high leading to a trick always wins the trick, except if another Joker is played to that same trick (which thence wins that trick), or if, a player not having the announced non-trump suit, plays a card of the trump suit. In that case, the trick is won by the highest card of the trump suit played to it. Similarly if a Joker is led to a trick, but announced as low, the player of the card must announce the suit the other players must play to the trick. However, in the case of "Low", these players are not required to play their highest card of the suit led, but may play any card of that suit, if they have one (or the Joker). If the player has no cards in the suit announced, they must play any trump card, if they have one (or the other Joker). If they have no cards of the suit called for, they may play any card (or the other Joker). The Joker led to the suit as "Low", always loses the trick unless the trick contains no cards of the suit called for, no cards from the trump suit, or no other Joker. In that case, the Joker, even if played as low, still wins that trick.
Cards won in tricks should be se aside and out of play. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.
Once every trick during a hand has been played and won, scoring for the hand occurs with each players score for that hand added to an ongoing score retained for that player. If a player manages to win exactly as many tricks as bid (no more or no less), that player scores a 50 point bonus, plus 50 points for each trick won. If the player made a bid to win every trick on that hand, and manages to so win every trick, he earns a bonus of 100 points, plus 100 points for each trick won during that hand. If a player does not manage to win the exact number of tricks as bid, he scores 10 points for each trick won during that hand. As a final bonus, if one player manages to make his bid exactly as announced for each game in a specific set, that player earns a number of extra points equal to the highest number of points the player earned on any single hand during that same set.
Once all 24 hands have been played, whichever player has the highest score, accumulated over the course of the 24 hands, is declared the game winner.
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