Tarneeb 400 — known to many players simply as “400” or Arba’miyya — is a four-player trick-taking card game from the Tarneeb family, hugely popular in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine and among Levantine players everywhere. It keeps Tarneeb’s 52-card deck, its 13-card hands and its follow-suit trick play, but turns the bidding and scoring upside down.
In Tarneeb 400 there is no auction to win and nobody passes. Every player announces, once, how many tricks they personally will take. One suit is trump for the whole match, so there is no trump to choose. Each player is scored against their own promise, and bigger promises are worth dramatically more — a bid of 9 can be worth 27 points and any bid of 10 or more is worth 40. You still sit with a partner, and the partnership wins together: one partner must reach 41 while the other stays above zero. That mix of personal risk and team loyalty is why 400 is so addictive.
You can play Tarneeb 400 online free on Dananeer — on iPhone, Android or the web at play.dananeer.io. Invite friends to a private room and chat across the table with live voice and video, jump into cross-play matches with players on any device, or practise offline against bots. Dananeer is free and never involves real-money gambling.
Cards and card ranking
Tarneeb 400 uses a standard 52-card deck with no jokers. Cards rank from low to high 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace — the Ace is always high.
One suit is the permanent trump for every round of the match. A trump beats any card of any other suit; otherwise only cards of the suit that was led can win a trick.
Setup and the deal
Four players sit in two partnerships, partners opposite each other. In 400 the partnership matters only for winning the match — during play, every player bids and scores for themselves.
- The full deck is shuffled and each player gets 13 cards; the whole deck is used.
- Bidding starts with the player to the dealer’s left and goes clockwise, so the dealer always bids last.
- The player to the dealer’s left also leads the first trick.
- After each completed round the dealer moves one seat clockwise.
Objective of the game
Each round, every player tries to take at least as many tricks as they personally bid. Extra tricks earn nothing, but every trick you take is one your rivals — and even your own partner — cannot take.
Over the match, your partnership wins when one of you reaches 41 points and the other is above zero.
Bidding in Tarneeb 400
Each player makes exactly one bid, from 2 to 13 tricks, in turn order. There is no pass, no raising and no second turn. Bids do not have to beat each other — two players can bid the same number — and the four bids usually add up to more than 13, so someone is normally set.
Two minimums apply. Your personal minimum bid rises with your own score, and the four bids together must reach a table minimum that rises with the highest score at the table:
- If the four bids fall short of the table minimum, the hand is dead: cards are reshuffled and re-dealt by the same dealer, and bidding starts again. Nothing is scored.
- Because the dealer bids last and sees the other three bids, the dealer often has to bid high enough to keep the hand alive.
| Score | Your minimum bid (your own score) | Minimum total of all four bids (highest score at the table) |
|---|---|---|
| 29 or less | 2 | 11 |
| 30 – 39 | 3 | 12 |
| 40 – 49 | 4 | 13 |
| 50 or more | 5 | 14 |
Trump in Tarneeb 400
There is no trump to choose. A single suit stays trump for every round of every match, and there is no no-trump option. That means you know exactly how strong your hand is the moment you see it — count your trumps and your Aces before you bid.
Playing the tricks
Trick play is exactly the same as regular Tarneeb: you must follow suit if you can.
- The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick; each trick’s winner leads the next.
- You may lead any card, including a trump.
- If you have no card of the led suit, you may trump or discard — you are never forced to trump or to beat the cards on the table.
- The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
Scoring: the bid value table
Each player is settled on their own. Make your bid and you gain its value; fall short and you lose exactly the same value. Overtricks, sweeps and partial results earn nothing extra — only the size of the bid counts.
The value of a bid depends on your own score before the round. If you are on 29 or less, bids from 5 upward are doubled; on 30 or more, doubling starts at 7. A bid of 9 is always worth 27, and any bid of 10 or more is worth a flat 40.
| Bid | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10–13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value (your score 29 or less) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 27 | 40 |
| Value (your score 30 or more) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 27 | 40 |
Winning the match: the 41 rule
The target in Tarneeb 400 on Dananeer is 41. A partnership wins as soon as, after a round, one partner has 41 or more and the other partner’s score is above 0. Reaching 41 while your partner is on 0 or below is not enough — play continues until your partner climbs above zero, or the other team wins.
If both partnerships qualify in the same round, the one whose leading partner has the higher score wins; if that is equal, the higher combined score wins.
How Tarneeb 400 differs from Tarneeb
- Every player bids once, individually, from 2 to 13 — instead of a team auction from 7 to 13.
- There is no pass and no auction winner; the player left of the dealer leads first.
- Trump is one fixed suit for the whole match instead of being chosen each round.
- Scoring is per player, based on the value of the bid, not on tricks taken.
- A short total of bids throws the hand in for a re-deal.
- There is no Kaboot bonus, and the target is 41 with the “partner above zero” rule instead of 31.
Strategy tips
- Think about the value table, not just your hand. If you are on 29 or less, a bid of 5 is worth 10 — a big jump from a bid of 4, which is worth only 4.
- Bidding 10 is worth the same 40 points as bidding 13, so there is rarely a reason to promise more than 10 unless you want to take tricks away from others.
- Keep an eye on your partner’s score. If you are close to 41 but your partner is at 0 or below, a safe, makeable bid for them matters more than your own big score.
- Overtricks are free weapons. Once you have made your bid, keep taking tricks to set opponents who over-promised.
- As dealer you bid last and see every other bid — use that information, but be ready to raise your bid if the table total would otherwise fall short.
- As your score climbs past 30, 40 and 50, your minimum bid rises, so small safe bids stop being available. Plan for it.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to win Tarneeb 400?
On Dananeer the target is 41. Your partnership wins when one partner has 41 or more and the other partner’s score is above 0.
Can you pass in Tarneeb 400?
No. Every player must bid once, between 2 and 13 tricks, and must respect their personal minimum, which rises as their score grows.
Who chooses trump in Tarneeb 400?
Nobody. One suit is trump for every round of the match, so there is no trump selection and no no-trump option.
What happens if the bids are too low in 400?
If the four bids add up to less than the table minimum (11, 12, 13 or 14 depending on the highest score at the table), the hand is thrown in and re-dealt by the same dealer.
How much is a bid of 10 worth in Tarneeb 400?
Any bid of 10, 11, 12 or 13 is worth 40 points — gained if you make it, lost if you do not. A bid of 9 is worth 27.
Is there Kaboot in Tarneeb 400?
No. Tarneeb 400 has no sweep bonus and no doubling; you only win or lose the value of your own bid.
Can I play Tarneeb 400 online or offline?
Both. Dananeer lets you play Tarneeb 400 online free with friends using voice and video chat, or offline against bots on iPhone, Android and the web.
