Setup
Deal all 52 cards, 13 to each player. Cards rank A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 in every suit. Each deal has 13 tricks, and a match is 5 deals.
Calling
After looking at your hand, call the number of tricks you expect to win, from 1 to 8. Your call is your own target: there are no partners in Callbreak, and the four calls don't have to add up to 13.
Playing a trick
The leader plays any card. Going anticlockwise, everyone else plays one card:
- Follow suit if you can, and play higher than the card currently winning if you can. This “must beat” rule is what makes Callbreak different from Spades.
- If you have none of the suit led, you must play a spade (cut), beating any spade already played if you can.
- Only with no led-suit cards and no spades may you play anything else.
The highest spade wins the trick; if no spade was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads the next trick.
Scoring
- Made it exactly: call 4, win 4 → +4.
- Overtricks: each extra trick is worth 0.1. Call 4, win 6 → +4.2.
- Missed: win fewer than you called and you lose your call. Call 4, win 3 → −4.
After 5 deals, the highest total wins.
Tips to win
- Count your sure tricks: Aces, protected Kings and long spades. Call a little under when in doubt, since missing costs your whole call.
- Short suits are valuable: once you are void, you can cut with small spades.
- Because you must beat the winning card, a high card can be dragged out of your hand. Lead suits that force opponents to waste their big cards.
FAQ
Is Callbreak the same as Spades?
They are cousins. Both use spades as trump, but Callbreak has no partners, calls start at 1, and you must beat the winning card whenever you can.
What is the highest call?
In our app you can call from 1 to 8 tricks.
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