Bastra

Bastra is an interactive card game.

You can play it with your friends, online or against a bot.

The game is played with a 52 card deck and can involve two, three or four players, although the game is most interesting in the two or four player versions. In the four player version, the players can play for themselves or in two player teams. The first team or player to score 100 points is the winner.

The play

The dealer starts by dealing 1 card to each player, starting with the player on the dealer's left, until each player has 4 cards. The dealer then places 4 cards in the middle of the table, called the board. If 1 or more of the 4 cards is a jack, the dealer returns the jack(s) to the bottom of the deck and replaces it or them with the next card(s) from the top of the deck. The play begins with the player to the dealer's left until all cards are played out. The players either collect (fish) cards from the board or add a card to the board if they cannot fish any cards. After the cards are exhausted, the dealer then deals each player 4 more cards from the remaining deck. The dealer, however, does not deal 4 cards onto the board as done for the opening hand. The hands are played out until there are no remaining cards to be dealt.

In the two player version, each round has six hands, in the three player version, each round has four hands, and in the four player version, each round consists of three hands.

Scoring

The scoring is as follows:

The aces, which have a numeral value of 1, are worth 1 point each.

The jacks are worth 1 point each.

The two of clubs is worth 2 points.

The ten of diamonds is worth 3 points.

The player or team that collects the most cards in a given hand receives 3 points. In the event of a tie, each player or team receives 3 points.

The player or team that collects all the cards in play without benefit of a jack receives 10 points, or a bastra.