Hand Saudi is the Saudi take on Hand (Yad, or Hand 51), the rummy-style card game played in majlis gatherings and family nights across Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and the wider Arab world. Two to four players draw and discard, build runs and sets, and race to be the first to empty their hand, using two full decks plus two jokers.
Everything you know from Hand applies, with one twist that changes the whole feel of the game: the opening bar climbs. It starts each round at 51 points, but every time a player goes down, the requirement for everyone still waiting rises with the opener’s total. Open early and cheaply, or risk being locked out by a big opening and paying the flat 100-point penalty. It is a race, a bluff and a calculation all at once.
On Dananeer you can play Hand Saudi online free on iOS, Android or the web at play.dananeer.io. Invite friends to a private room and chat over live voice and video at the table, play at public tables, or practise Hand Saudi offline against bots. No real money is involved, just the game.
What you need to play Hand Saudi
Hand Saudi uses 106 cards: two standard 52-card decks plus 2 jokers, so every ordinary card appears twice.
The Ace can be low (A-2-3) or high (Q-K-A) in a run, but runs never wrap around: K-A-2 is not allowed.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 to 9 | Face value (2 to 9) |
| 10, J, Q, K | 10 |
| Ace | 11 |
| Joker (left in hand) | 15 |
Hand Saudi setup and the deal
The dealer moves one seat each round, and the player after the dealer starts.
- Shuffle all 106 cards and deal 15 to the starter and 14 to every other player.
- Place the rest face down as the stock. The discard pile starts empty.
- Set the opening bar to 51 points for the new round.
- The starter already has an extra card, so their first move is a discard. Everyone else starts their turn by drawing.
The objective of Hand Saudi
Each round, be the first to get rid of all your cards by laying them in melds and discarding your last card. Over the match, finish with the lowest total: points are penalties, and the round winner scores below zero.
How a turn works in Hand Saudi
- Draw one card from the top of the stock or the top of the discard pile.
- Optionally go down or add cards to melds on the table, as many times as you like.
- Discard one card face up; play passes to the next player.
- If you take the top discard and then discard that same card, it simply goes back: your draw is undone and you draw again.
- When the stock runs out, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new stock.
Melds: sets and runs
- Set: 3 or 4 cards of the same rank in different suits, such as Q♦ Q♠ Q♥ Q♣.
- Run: 3 to 13 consecutive cards of one suit, such as 5♣ 6♣ 7♣.
- Jokers can replace any card, but a meld cannot start with two jokers, and a 3-card meld can hold only one joker.
Going down: the rising opening bar
To go down in Hand Saudi you lay one or more valid melds in a single action whose points reach the current opening bar. The bar is 51 at the start of every round. Each time a player goes down, the bar for everyone who has not yet opened rises in line with the size of that opening, so later openers need a bigger total. The bar never falls during a round and resets to 51 on the next deal.
Example: the first player opens with K♦ K♠ K♥ (30) and 9♣ 10♣ J♣ (29), a total of 59. The bar climbs from 51 in line with that 59, so a player holding exactly 51 points of melds is now shut out until they build a bigger opening.
- The bar only applies to the move that takes you down; once you are down, further melds and lay-offs are free.
- You must keep at least one card to discard after going down.
- If you took the top discard this turn and go down, that card must be in your melds.
Laying off and reclaiming jokers
Once you are down, you can add single cards to any meld on the table, yours or another player’s, as long as that player is down too and the meld stays valid. You must keep at least 2 cards in hand after a lay-off.
If a meld holds a joker and you lay off the exact natural card it stands for, your card replaces it and the joker moves into your hand.
Hand Saudi scoring
The round ends as soon as one player empties their hand. Each player then scores:
| Player | Round score |
|---|---|
| Round winner | −30 |
| Never went down | +100 (flat, whatever the cards) |
| Went down but still holds cards | Total points of the cards left in hand |
How to win a Hand Saudi match
A match lasts 5 rounds by default, or one round in a quick match. Round scores add up into a running total that can go below zero. After the last round, the lowest total wins, and players tied on it share the win.
How Hand Saudi differs from Hand
The rising opening bar is the only rules difference. In Hand, every player needs the same 51 points to go down all round. In Hand Saudi the bar starts at 51 but climbs with every opening, so the order in which players open, and how big they open, becomes a major part of the strategy. The deck, deal, melds, jokers, lay-offs and scoring are all the same as in Hand.
Strategy tips
- Open as early as you can: the first opener only needs 51, and every opening after that makes it harder for those still waiting.
- If you can open big, consider it. A large opening can shut out opponents who are sitting on a modest 51 or 55.
- Never going down costs a flat 100, so when the bar climbs out of reach, focus on keeping your hand cheap instead.
- Aces are worth 11: great for reaching the bar, costly to be caught with.
- Once you are down, lay off on every meld you can and keep the natural card that frees a joker on the table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hand Saudi?
Hand Saudi is a variant of the Hand (Yad) rummy card game in which the points needed to go down rise each time a player opens.
How many points do you need to open in Hand Saudi?
The first player to open needs at least 51 points. After each opening, the bar for players who have not opened rises with that opening, so later players need more.
Does the opening bar reset in Hand Saudi?
Yes. The bar never falls during a round, but it resets to 51 at the start of every new round.
How many cards and players are in Hand Saudi?
It uses 106 cards (two decks plus 2 jokers) and is played by 2 to 4 players, each for themselves. The starter gets 15 cards and the others 14.
How is Hand Saudi scored?
The round winner scores −30, a player who never went down scores a flat 100, and players who went down score the points left in their hand. Lowest total wins.
What is the difference between Hand and Hand Saudi?
Only the opening requirement. Hand keeps it at 51 all round; Hand Saudi raises it every time someone goes down.
Can I play Hand Saudi online with friends or offline?
Yes. On Dananeer you can play Hand Saudi online free in private rooms with voice and video chat, or offline against bots.
