How to Play The Boot

Game Overview

The Boot is a trick-taking card game for 4 players in partnerships. The goal is to win tricks containing valuable cards and achieve specific objectives.

Setup

  • 4 players in two partnerships, sitting across from each other
  • Standard 52-card deck
  • Deal 13 cards to each player

Card Rankings

From highest to lowest:

  1. Ace (High)
  2. King
  3. Queen
  4. Jack
  5. 10
  6. 9
  7. 8
  8. 7
  9. 6
  10. 5
  11. 4
  12. 3
  13. 2

Gameplay

1. Bidding

Each player bids on how many tricks they think their partnership can win. Minimum bid is 7.

2. Declaring Trump

The highest bidder chooses the trump suit for the round.

3. Playing Tricks

Follow suit if possible. If you can't follow suit, you may play any card. Trump cards beat all other suits.

Scoring

  • Making bid: Partnership scores 10 points per trick bid
  • Overtricks: 1 point each
  • Missing bid: Lose 10 points per trick bid
  • First to 500 points wins the game

Special Rules

  • No table talk allowed
  • Must follow suit if possible
  • Partnerships must be maintained throughout the game
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