Basra is the Arab world’s favourite fishing card game. From Cairo coffee houses to family evenings in Amman, Damascus and Baghdad, two players take turns dropping a card onto a shared pile of face-up cards and “fishing” out everything it matches. Clear the whole floor in one play and you score a Basra — the move the game is named after and the moment everyone at the table waits for.
The rules fit on a napkin, yet every hand is full of small decisions: which card to spend, which to hold back, and what you are leaving on the floor for your opponent. The Jack sweeps the table, the Seven of Diamonds — the famous “Komi” — can sweep it too, and a handful of point cards decide close matches.
On Dananeer you can play Basra free on iOS, Android and the web at play.dananeer.io: against a friend in a private room, against real players online with live voice and video chat at the table, or offline against bots when you just want a quick hand. There is no real-money gambling — just the classic game.
Cards and card values
Basra uses one standard 52-card deck without jokers. For capturing by addition, the Ace counts as 1 and the number cards 2 to 10 count at face value. The court cards — King, Queen and Jack — have no number value and are never part of a sum.
- Ace = 1, number cards = face value (used for sum captures).
- King and Queen capture only other Kings and Queens of the same rank.
- Jack: sweeps every card on the floor.
- Seven of Diamonds (the Komi): also sweeps every card on the floor.
Setup and the deal
Each player receives 4 cards, and 4 more are placed face up in the middle to form the floor. If a Jack or the Seven of Diamonds turns up on the opening floor, it is buried back in the stock and replaced, so the floor never starts with a sweeping card.
When both players have played all 4 cards, each gets 4 fresh cards from the stock — no new cards go to the floor. With two players the whole deck is used over six of these waves, which makes one complete hand. The deal alternates between players from hand to hand, and the player who did not deal plays first.
Objective
Capture as many cards as possible — especially the point cards — and score Basras by clearing the floor. Points carry over from hand to hand, and the first player to reach 121 wins the match.
Playing a turn
Players alternate, one card per turn. You play a card from your hand onto the floor; if it can capture, it takes the matching cards and itself into your pile. If it matches nothing, it simply stays on the floor and becomes something your opponent can fish for. You can always play any card in your hand — there is no obligation to capture.
On Dananeer the capture is worked out for you: play the card and the game takes every card it is entitled to, so you never miss a combination.
How captures work
- Matching: a card captures every floor card of the same rank — a 5 takes all the 5s, a King takes all the Kings.
- Adding up: an Ace or number card also captures any group of floor number cards that add up to its value. A 9 can take a 4 and a 5, plus a 6 and a 3 at the same time. All possible groups are taken in the same play.
- Kings and Queens: they only capture by matching rank, never by adding up.
- The Jack: takes the entire floor, whatever is on it.
- The Komi (7♦): also takes the entire floor.
- An empty floor: a card played onto an empty floor — even a Jack or the Komi — just stays there.
Scoring a Basra
A Basra is worth 10 points and happens when your capture clears the floor completely with an ordinary match or sum — for example, playing a 6 onto a floor that holds only a 6, or a 10 onto a floor of 7 and 3.
Sweeping the floor with a Jack never counts as a Basra, however many cards it takes. The Komi is special: its sweep counts as a Basra only when the floor holds nothing but Aces and number cards that add up to 10 or less. If there is a court card on the floor, or the total is higher, the Komi still takes everything, but without the bonus.
End of the hand
After the sixth wave, when the stock and both hands are empty, any cards still on the floor go to the player who made the last capture. Taking these leftovers is never a Basra. Then the hand is scored.
Scoring
Without Basras a hand is worth 43 points in total. If the cards split exactly 26–26, nobody gets the 30 for the majority that hand; it is held over and added to the majority bonus of the next hand, and it keeps building if the tie repeats.
| What you captured | Points |
|---|---|
| Most cards (27 or more) | 30 |
| Each Jack | 1 |
| Each Ace | 1 |
| Two of Clubs | 2 |
| Ten of Diamonds | 3 |
| Each Basra | 10 |
Winning the match
Scores add up across hands. The first player to reach 121 points wins. If both players pass 121 in the same hand, the higher total wins; if the totals are exactly equal, play continues with another hand. Quick games on Dananeer are a single hand, won by whoever scores more, and in a private room the host can choose a different target score.
Strategy tips
- Never waste a Jack on one or two cards — hold it until the floor is loaded, because it takes everything.
- Keep track of the Komi. Until it has been played, leaving a small floor of number cards adding up to 10 or less hands your opponent a possible Basra.
- When you cannot capture, throw a King or Queen rather than a low number card — courts can only be taken by a matching court, so they are harder to fish.
- Remember who captured last near the end of the hand: the leftovers on the floor go to that player, which can swing the 30-point majority.
- Count the point cards: the Ten of Diamonds (3) and Two of Clubs (2) are worth chasing, and so are Aces and Jacks at 1 each.
- Avoid leaving a single card on the floor when your opponent is likely to hold its match — that is the easiest Basra in the game.
Frequently asked questions
How many players play Basra?
Basra on Dananeer is a two-player, head-to-head game. You can play a friend in a private room, a random opponent online, or a bot offline.
What is a Basra in the card game?
A Basra is clearing every card from the floor with a single capture by matching or adding up. It is worth 10 bonus points.
Does a Jack count as a Basra?
No. The Jack sweeps the whole floor, but a Jack sweep never scores the 10-point Basra bonus.
What is the Komi in Basra?
The Komi is the Seven of Diamonds. It sweeps the whole floor like a Jack, and it counts as a Basra only when the floor is all Aces and number cards adding up to 10 or less.
How many points do you need to win Basra?
A standard match is played to 121 points. Each hand is worth 43 points plus 10 for every Basra, so a match usually takes several hands.
Which cards are worth points in Basra?
Each Jack and each Ace is worth 1, the Two of Clubs 2 and the Ten of Diamonds 3. Capturing 27 or more cards earns another 30.
Can I play Basra offline?
Yes. Dananeer lets you play Basra offline against bots, as well as online with live voice and video chat at the table.
Is Basra on Dananeer free?
Yes. Basra is free to play on iOS, Android and the web at play.dananeer.io, and there is no real-money gambling.
