Card Games - Rules of Zole

Rules of the Zole Card Game

Zole is played with 26 cards. The diamonds (kāravi) range from ace to seven, and the other suits from ace to nine. The trump cards, ranked by importance, are as follows: all queens; then jacks; and finally the rest of the diamonds. Queens and jacks are ordered: clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds. Diamonds are ranked: ace, ten, king, nine, eight, and seven. Points are counted as follows: ace - 11, ten - 10, king - 4, queen - 3, jack - 2; nine, eight, and seven - 0. The next strongest card after the ace is the ten, followed by the king.

The dealer shuffles the cards, has them cut by the player to their right, and then deals 8 cards to each player: first 4 cards to the player on the dealer's left, then 4 cards to the next player, and finally 4 cards to themselves. The dealer then places 2 cards face down on the table and deals the remaining 12 cards, giving 4 to each player in the same order.

The player with the priority, i.e., the one sitting to the left of the dealer, after examining their cards, announces whether they will play or pass by saying "Pass". The next player then does the same, and if they also pass, the third player makes their decision. The player who opens the game plays against the other two, who count their tricks together.

The player who announces they will open the game takes the 2 cards set aside on the table and adds them to their hand. From these 10 cards, they can set aside 2 cards to their advantage. They typically try to set aside cards of a suit in which they have only one or two cards, lower than an ace, to trump that suit in the game. It is also desirable to set aside cards with high points, as these 2 cards are counted in the tricks received during the game. It is not recommended to set aside an ace if it is the only card of that suit, as it has a high chance of taking a trick. To win, the player must obtain at least 61 points. If the opponents collectively have 30 points, the player receives 1 point from each opponent; if they have less than 30 points - 2 points, and if they have no tricks - 3 points.

If a player believes they have such good cards that they can win without taking the 2 additional cards, they declare a "zole", meaning they play without taking the 2 additional cards. These cards are then counted towards the opponents' tricks.

If a zole player obtains at least 61 points, they receive 4 points from each opponent; if they have 91 points - 5 points; if they win all tricks - 6 points.

If the player, playing a regular game, does not obtain 61 points, they pay each opponent 2 points. If the player has less than 31 points, they pay each opponent 3 points; if they have no tricks - 4 points. If the zole player does not obtain 61 points, they pay each opponent 5 points; if they have less than 31 points - 6 points, and if they have no tricks - 7 points.

If none of the participants want to open the game and all pass, there are two possible outcomes. If it was decided to play a "table", this game begins. The goal is to collect as few tricks as possible. The loser receives -4 points. If the number of tricks is the same, points are counted. If playing with pools, one collective pool is added. This repeats each time all players pass. Then the cards are shuffled and dealt again, as in the first time, but now the dealer is the player who had priority in the previous game. The next game, the cards are dealt by the next player, and so on.

Repeated passing can accumulate several pools. The next player, winning the game, receives the appropriate number of points not only from the opponents but also an additional point from each player. This, of course, is only possible as long as there are deposits in the bank. If there is at least one pool, and the player, playing as the big one, loses, they receive a personal pool. They can withdraw it themselves by winning the game but do not receive additional points. If another player withdraws the personal pool, they receive an additional 2 points from the pool owner.

After the cards are dealt, the game begins, and the 2 additional cards are exchanged (in the case of zole, the exchange of 2 cards does not take place). The player with priority plays one card of their choice. The player who takes the trick plays next.

The partner (third hand) cannot throw their card before the partner with the second hand. The so-called card pulling in advance is not allowed either.

A correctly played card cannot be exchanged.

A card must always be answered with a card of the same suit, and queens and jacks are trumps. If a player does not have a card of the required suit, they can either add a card of another suit or trump it.

If someone mistakenly does not give the required suit but discards another suit or trumps, they can correct the mistake before the trick is taken from the table (the computer version does not allow playing incorrectly). If the middle hand made the mistake, the last hand can also change their card if needed. If one partner has taken their card back, in future plays, the other partner can play the revealed suit only with the player's consent.

If, during the course of the game or only at the end, it turns out that someone incorrectly handled the required suit, the opposing side is considered the winner. If the guilty side had already won up to the point of incorrect play, they only benefit from the tricks received up to that point. Therefore, tricks taken before the end of the game should not be mixed to always be able to establish a violation of the game rules. Before the end of the game, the last trick can be reviewed or requested from the opposing side.

All conversations between partners about the game's course and method during the game are strictly prohibited.

If a player sees that they cannot win, they have the right, before the third trick is played, to declare themselves the loser. In this case, they lose only the simple game. Partners do not have the right to end the game prematurely; if one of them, placing the cards, admits defeat, this statement is binding on the other partner, but the player has the right to demand the continuation of the game if they hope to achieve a higher level of victory.

The rules of the game mentioned so far are binding for all participants. The following guidelines are not as mandatory, but they should still be followed, especially by beginners. After the cards are dealt, each player should carefully check their cards to decide whether to open the game. It is equally disadvantageous to pass a good game. Sorting cards in the hand by suits facilitates determining the situation; the position of individual suits in the next games should be changed so that the opponent cannot guess, based on the position of the card, how many and which cards of this suit are left in the hand of the opponent.

Completely reliable cards for winning are very rare, but with some practice, one can quickly calculate whether the received cards are suitable for opening the game. If there is a choice between a simple game and a zole, it is better to play the lower game in case of doubt (especially if there are deposits in the bank, which cannot be received in the case of zole).

If the first two hands have passed, the last hand with relatively weak cards can open the game, assuming that the two purchasing cards will be strong.

The first hand in opening the game again has the advantage of being able to, by playing strong trumps, take them from the opponent, and then safely play the aces. Each player should carefully follow the played cards to always know: 1) how many and which trumps have gone, 2) which cards of each suit are still in hand, 3) how many points are in their own and the opponents' tricks.

If the cards are weak, and one can win only by taking advantage of favorable circumstances, one should count the points in their tricks to discard or take a trick to get the missing points at the right moment. In the case of strong cards, one should count the points in the opponents' tricks to leave them in the dark, i.e., to have less than 30 points. It is more advantageous for the partner to count the points of their tricks.

One should count the cards of each suit that have gone to calculate where the remaining unplayed cards are; by the end of the game, one should know for sure (based on observations of the game) where the remaining trumps and higher-value cards are.

With weak cards, one can often win the game only by timely discarding, i.e., throwing a card into the opponent's trick (especially the third hand after the play). Being in the second hand, one can discard a useless card if the played card has few points; this trick must be taken with a trump if it is assumed that the partner has to add higher points from the corresponding suit, or this trick can decide the outcome of the game.

The third hand can discard a useless card on the missing suit (even with higher points) if giving this trick to the opponent does not immediately lose the game and the opponent gets fewer points than with the next trick, which would be given to the opponent if the corresponding card remained in the hand.

The outcome of the game largely depends on the correct play of the partners. Often a player with strong cards loses, and vice versa - a player with weak cards wins.

It is important not to give the player the opportunity to discard unwanted cards advantageously. Partners should try to arrange the game so that the player is in the middle hand, thus the partner can either advantageously add a card with higher points or trump. If the player is in the second hand, the partner should play the longest suit, i.e., the one with the most cards in hand. If this trick is taken by the player, they can play the same suit again to force the player to lay down a higher trump card and give the second partner a chance to discard a useless card.

If the player, after playing, finds himself in the third hand, he should play the card so that taking this trick, the second partner would start playing, leaving the player in the second hand. If the player is in the third hand, play the shortest suit, if possible, the only card of this suit.

If partners lack only a few points for victory, try to play a card with few points, hoping that the player will not want to use a high trump for this relatively insignificant trick; thus, the second partner will have a chance to take this trick even if they do not have strong trumps.

If the player, calculating that the partners may have only one trick left, and hoping that the partner with the decisive card will be able to discard it, plays reliable cards in turn, then the partner should keep the suit that the other partner discarded until the end.

If there is only one trump with small points in hand, it should be discarded into the opponent's trick as soon as possible, so that later you can throw cards with higher points into the tricks taken by the partner when playing trumps.

If there is a chance to get the right to play again, the player in the first hand, the partner should not discard the last smallest card of the suit from which all other cards have already gone. This card is very convenient for playing.

The card played by the player with higher points can be left without trumping if it is more advantageous to discard a useless card.

Zole is also played by 4 people. The dealer himself remains without cards. If the player wins, the dealer loses the same as both partners, and vice versa. You can also play with the agreement that the dealer does not participate.

Additionally, you can mention a type of zole called small zole. This is a game where the player must not take any tricks. Winning gets 6 points from each player, losing gives 7 points.