HOW TO DEAL Start with a fifty-two-card deck, and deal thirteen cards to each player in batches of 1-2-2-2-2-2-2. Card rankings are standard, with aces always high.In Lebanon, 400 is the most common trick-taking game played. In some ways, the game is a mirror image of Spades, featuring a permanent trump suit (hearts in this case) and a single round of bidding. 400 has none of the complexity of Bridge or similar partner-based bidding games. For some players, this is a plus.
HOW TO DEAL Start with a fifty-two-card deck, and deal thirteen cards to each player in batches of 1-2-2-2-2-2-2. Card rankings are standard, with aces always high.
SCORING Scores are tracked for each individual player, even though 400 is a partnership game. The bid winner, if successful, earns the amount of her bid. A bid of 6, for example, scores 6 points; a bid of 8 scores 16 points (bids above seven are doubled). The converse is also true. If you fail to make a bid, subtract the bid amount from your game score.
In order to win the game, a member of either team must score 41 total points, and her partner’s score may not be negative. Otherwise, the game continues. If both teams earn 41 points or more in the same hand, the higher score wins.
HOW TO PLAY Hearts are the permanent trump suit. Once all cards are dealt, bidding starts with the player to the right of the dealer and proceeds counterclockwise. Players bid only once. The minimum bid is 1, and your bid commits you to winning that number of tricks.
Bids from 1 to 6 are worth that amount; all bids 7 and above are doubled (e.g., a bid of 7 is worth 14 points). If the sum of all bids is 10 points or less, the hand is dead and new cards are dealt.
Otherwise, the player to the right of the dealer leads the first trick, and the other players must follow suit if they can. If they cannot, they may play any card including trump (permanently established in hearts). Tricks are won by the highest trump or, if none, by the highest card in the leading suit. Scores are tallied after all thirteen tricks are played, and the deal rotates counterclockwise.
The cutthroat element comes from modified bidding rules. All other rules are identical to the main game. Bids from 1 to 4 are worth their face value; bids 5 and above are worth double points. Players must bid a minimum of 3 (not 1) with scores between 30 and 39 points; a minimum of 4 with scores between 40 and 49 points (above 41 points, your partner must have a negative score, thus preventing your team from winning).