Fishing · 2–4 players
Bastra
Capture equal cards or matching sums. Clear the whole board without a Jack for a ten-point bastra.
Choose your version
Which Bastra will you play?
The choice changes the game, illustrated guide and variant rules shown below.
Round complete
Cards counted
Fish for points.
Clear the board.
Follow the illustrated examples, then use the complete rules below whenever you need to check a detail. This online version is a two-player match against a bot.
Illustrated guide
See how a hand unfolds.
Examples are separate from the live game. The selected variant adds its own steps.
Complete rules
The core text describes the base game. Choose a version above to see its changes under Variants.
Origin & history
Bastra, also called Basra, belongs to the fishing family of card games: a played card collects cards already on the table. It is documented in Cyprus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Its exact place of origin is uncertain, and local rules differ.
Objective
Capture valuable cards, collect more cards than your opponent, and earn bonuses by clearing the board. Points accumulate over rounds; the aim is to finish with the higher total when the match target is reached.
Equipment & setup
Use a standard 52-card deck without Jokers. This online table has two players. In person, two or three may play individually; four may play individually or in partnerships.
For the base two-player game, deal four cards to each player and four face up to the board. Replace any Jack among those opening board cards, putting it under the deck. The player to the dealer’s left plays first. Keep the remaining cards as the stock.
Gameplay
Players take turns playing one card from their hand. If a capture is possible with any card in your hand, you must make one. A card may capture board cards of the same rank. Queens take Queens and Kings take Kings. A Jack takes the whole board; if the board is empty, it remains there.
For sums, an Ace counts as one and number cards count their printed value. A played 7 may take a 2 and a 5; it may also take several separate groups that each add to seven. Matching ranks and valid sums may be captured together. Picture cards do not take part in sums.
When no card in your hand can capture, lay one card face up on the board. When both players have played all four cards, deal four more each without adding board cards. Continue until the stock is empty.
Scoring & points
Each captured Ace and Jack is worth one point. The 2♣ is worth two points and the 10♦ is worth three. The player with the most captured cards earns three points; in the base game, both players receive those three points if their counts tie.
Clearing the entire board with a card other than a Jack earns a ten-point bastra. A Jack may clear the board, but earns no bastra bonus under the base rules. Record card points and bastra bonuses for the round.
End of game & winning
After the stock and both hands are empty, give any cards still on the board to the player who made the last capture. Count each player’s points and add them to their match total. Deal another round if necessary. In the base game, the match ends when a player reaches at least 100 points and has a higher score; if scores are tied, play another round.
Variants
The base game is described above. The playable regional versions are Egyptian Basra, Ethiopian Basra, Yemeni Basra, Lebanese Basra, Ashush, Palestinian Basra, Jordanian Basra, Syrian Basra, Homsi Basra, Mona Russsel and Sab’a Alkoomi. They change the deck, scoring, the 7♦, or which captures count as a basra. Choose one in the selector above to see its differences here.
Egyptian Basra
Use the base rules above, with these changes:
- 7♦: Takes the whole board. It earns a 10-point basra if every board card is numeric and their total is 10 or less. Otherwise it still takes the cards without a basra bonus. On an empty board, it stays there.
- Jack on Jack: A Jack taking a lone Jack earns a double basra worth 20 points. Other Jack sweeps still earn no basra bonus.
- Most cards: Earns 30 points instead of three. If tied, nobody gets the bonus; it carries over and grows by 30 next round.
- Match: Play to 101 points instead of 100.
Ethiopian Basra
Use the base rules above, with these changes:
- 7♦: Takes the whole board. It earns a 10-point basra if all board cards are numeric and total 10 or less, or can be split into two or more groups with the same total of 10 or less. For example, 10-4-6 forms 10 and 4+6. Picture cards prevent this bonus.
- Lone 7♦: If the 7♦ is the only board card, any card except a Jack can capture it and score a 10-point basra.
- Jacks: A Jack still sweeps the board, but never earns a basra bonus, even when it takes a lone Jack.
- Most cards: Earns three points, but neither player scores this bonus on a tie.
- Match: Play to 52 points instead of 100.
Yemeni Basra
Use the base rules above, with these changes:
- 7♦: Takes the whole board. It earns a 10-point basra if the numeric cards total less than 10; if the board has only tens, Queens and Kings; or if all its numeric cards split into two or more equal-sum groups, each below 10. For example, A-2-7-8 forms 1+8 and 2+7, each worth 9. Otherwise it still takes the cards without a basra bonus. On an empty board, it stays there.
- Jack on Jack: A Jack taking a lone Jack earns a double basra worth 20 points. Other Jack sweeps still earn no basra bonus.
- Most cards: Earns 30 points instead of three. If tied, nobody gets the bonus; it carries over and grows by 30 next round.
- Match: Play to 101 points instead of 100.
Lebanese Basra
Use the base rules above, with these changes:
- Deal: Give each player six cards instead of four. Keep four cards on the opening board. After both hands run out, deal another six cards each; there are four deals per round.
- Basra: Score ten points only when you capture the board's lone card with a card of the same rank, or when one card was alone, the next player laid a numeric card, and you capture both with a numeric card equal to their sum. For example, a lone 3, then a laid 4, then a 7 taking both scores ten. Other board clearings do not earn the bonus.
- Jack and 7♦: A Jack taking a lone Jack scores ten points. A Jack sweeping any other board does not score a basra. The 7♦ has no special sweep power; it captures by the ordinary matching and sum rules.
- Most cards: Earns three points, but neither player gets this bonus on a tie.
- Match: Play to 101 points instead of 100.
Ashush
Use the base rules above, with these changes:
- Deal: Choose four or six cards per player before the match. With two players, four-card deals give six deals per round; six-card deals give four. The opening board still receives four cards.
- Basra: Score ten points only by capturing a lone board card with a card of the same rank. Clearing two or more board cards by a sum is an ordinary capture, even if one card had previously been alone.
- Jack and 7♦: A Jack taking a lone Jack scores a single ten-point basra. A Jack taking another lone card does not. The 7♦ has no special sweep power.
- Most cards: Earns three points, but neither player gets this bonus on a tie.
- Match: Play to 101 points instead of 100.
Palestinian Basra
Played in Palestine and Jordan. Use the base rules above, with these changes:
- Deck: Remove all four Queens and all four Kings. The 44-card deck keeps Aces, 2–10 and Jacks in every suit.
- Deal: Give each player four cards, or agree to five. Put four cards face up on the opening board. With two players, four-card deals make five deals per round; five-card deals make four.
- Basra: When a non-Jack card clears the board, score twice that card's numeric value instead of a fixed ten points. An Ace earns two, a 7 earns 14 and a 10 earns 20. A Jack taking a lone Jack scores no basra.
- Most cards: Earns three points, but neither player gets this bonus on a tie.
- Match: Agree on a target of 101 or 151 points. If both players reach it together, the higher score wins; if tied, play another round.
Jordanian Basra
This version, reported by Muthana Haddad, follows Palestinian Basra with these differences:
- Deck: Keep all four Queens and all four Kings. Play with the full 52-card deck.
- Basra: A Queen or King counts as ten when calculating the basra bonus, so either can score 20 points by clearing the board. They still capture only cards of their own rank. Other non-Jack cards score twice their numeric value; a Jack earns no basra, even when it takes a lone Jack.
- Deal: Four cards each makes six deals per two-player round. If you choose five cards each, the final deal gives four to each player so the whole deck is used.
- Other rules: As in Palestinian Basra, a tied count of captured cards gives neither player the three-point bonus. Agree on a target of 101 or 151 points; if both reach it together, the higher score wins.
Syrian Basra
Use the base capture rules above, with these changes:
- Deck: Keep all 52 cards, including Queens and Kings. Deal four or six cards to each player at a time; four cards on the opening board leave six four-card deals or four six-card deals.
- Basra: Clearing the board with an ordinary number card scores twice its value. A Queen matching a Queen to clear the board scores six points; a King matching a King scores eight. A Jack taking a lone Jack scores 25 points. Other Jack sweeps score no basra bonus.
- Other rules: The most-cards bonus is three points, with no award on a tie. Choose a match target of 101 or 151 points.
Homsi Basra
Use the base capture rules above, with these changes:
- Jack on Jack: When a Jack captures the lone Jack on the board, clearing it, score a 25-point basra. Other Jack sweeps score no basra bonus.
- Otherwise: Use the 44-card deck without Queens and Kings, deal four or five cards per player, and score other board clearings at twice the played card’s numeric value. The most-cards bonus is three points, with no award on a tie. Choose a target of 101 or 151.
Mona Russsel
Use the base capture rules with a full 52-card deck and four cards per player per deal. Scoring changes as follows:
- 7♦: Sweeps every card on the board, but never earns a basra bonus. Capturing the 7♦ itself adds one card point, whether it was played onto the board earlier or taken during a sweep.
- Basra: An ordinary non-Jack card clearing the board scores ten points. A Jack capturing a lone Jack scores a double basra of 20; other Jack sweeps score no basra bonus.
- Most cards: The player or team with more captured cards earns three points. On a tie, neither side gets them.
- Match: Choose a target of 100 or 200 points. If scores are tied at the target, play another round.
Sab’a Alkoomi
Use the base capture rules with a full 52-card deck and four cards per player per deal. Scoring changes as follows:
- 7♦: Sweeps every card on the board, but never earns a basra bonus. Unlike Mona Russsel, capturing the 7♦ gives no extra card point.
- Basra: An ordinary non-Jack card clearing the board scores ten points. A Jack capturing a lone Jack scores a double basra of 20; other Jack sweeps score no basra bonus.
- Most cards: The player or team with more captured cards earns three points. On a tie, neither side gets them.
- Match: Choose a target of 101 or 121 points. If scores are tied at the target, play another round.
Category
Fishing · Capturing
Also known as
Basra
Documented countries
Cyprus · Egypt · Yemen · Ethiopia · Syria · Lebanon · Palestine · Jordan