Estimation online — rules and how to play
Estimation — Hand Saudi, or تقدير — is the Gulf’s prediction game: four players in two teams, thirteen cards each, and one question that decides everything — how many tricks can YOU take, exactly? Bid your call with a trump, your rivals estimate under it, and only the exact count scores. On Tonj you play estimation online right in the browser — 18 rounds, and bots fill the seats.
Play estimation nowWhat is estimation (Hand Saudi)?
A trick-taking game of exact predictions: 52 cards dealt 13 each, the Jack is the highest card in every suit, and success means taking EXACTLY the number you estimated — one more or one less fails. Eighteen rounds decide the winner.
Estimation on Tonj
Fixed 2v2 partnerships, a Dash Call window before every auction, public Avoid announcements, and a score sheet that shows every round’s math. The shuffle commits to a cryptographic receipt before the first card — no rigging possible.
How a match goes
Dash Call — hunt zero
Before the bidding, any player may declare the Dash Call (داش كول): no bid, and the commitment to win ZERO tricks this round. At most two dashes per round — a successful Dash pays +25 in an Over round and +33 in an Under round.
Call your tricks with a trump
Each player bids a number of tricks plus a suit — Sans (صانز, no trump) outranks ♠ then ♥ then ♦ then ♣. Rounds 14–18 preset the trump (Sans, ♠, ♥, ♦, ♣) and only a Super Call — 8+ tricks in another suit — can change it.
Estimate exactly
The rivals estimate their tricks under the winning suit, capped at its number; an estimate of zero is a Dash. The estimates must never sum to 13 — the forced deviation is a Risk. Take exactly your number to score; matching the caller’s number is With.
Estimation rules in detail
The table
One 52-card deck, four players in two fixed partnerships, 13 cards each, played counter-clockwise. The rank ladder runs 2 < 3 < … < 10 < A < K < Q < J — the Jack is the highest card in every suit.
The Dash Call
After the deal and before the auction, each player in turn may declare the Dash Call — sitting the auction out to win zero tricks. At most two players hold a Dash Call or a Dash per round.
Bidding and the Super Call
Rounds 1–13: each player bids tricks + trump, no passing; equal numbers break by suit order. Rounds 14–18 are fast: the trump is preset in the order Sans, ♠, ♥, ♦, ♣ and only a bid of 8+ tricks in a different suit — a Super Call — may replace it.
Avoid — the void call
While the tricks are running, a seat whose hand holds no card of a suit announces Avoid (أفويد) in it — once per suit per round, never consuming the turn. It is public information: the whole table plays on knowing that suit is dead in that hand.
Estimates, With and Risk
The non-callers estimate their tricks under the winner’s suit, each capped at the winner’s number; an estimate of 0 is a Dash. The estimates must not sum to 13: the last estimator is barred from the completing number, and the forced gap is a Risk (1), Double Risk (2) or Triple Risk (3+). Estimating exactly the caller’s number is With. A sum above 13 makes an Over round; below it, an Under round.
Scoring — exact or nothing
Success pays 10 + your trick count, +10 for owning the Call or being With, +10 as the round’s only winner, +10 as a Risk, and +25/+33 for a Dash Call made in an Over/Under round. Failure subtracts the same rows symmetrically, the trick gap included. If every player fails, the round is void — Sha’aida — and the next round’s scores double (×2, then ×4).
The estimation score sheet
| Success — the base | +10 + your tricks |
|---|---|
| Call owner or With | +10 / −10 |
| The round’s only winner | +10 / −10 |
| A Risk call | +10 / −10 |
| Dash Call made — Over / Under round | +25 / +33 |
| Dash Call failed — Over / Under round | −25 / −33 |
Failure subtracts the same rows symmetrically — the trick gap, the bonuses, the Risk. A void Sha’aida round doubles the next round’s deltas (×2, then ×4).
Frequently asked questions
What is the estimation card game?
Estimation — Hand Saudi (تقدير) — is the Gulf’s trick-taking prediction game: four players in two teams, 13 cards each, the Jack highest, and only an EXACT trick count scores. Eighteen rounds decide the winner.
Can I play estimation online for free?
Yes — on Tonj estimation runs right in your browser: a table with friends via invite link or bots filling the empty seats, no download and no sign-up.
What is the Dash Call in estimation?
The Dash Call (داش كول) is a pre-auction promise to win ZERO tricks — you sit the bidding out. Made in an Over round it pays +25, in an Under round +33; failing it costs the same. At most two dashes per round.
Why can’t the estimates sum to 13?
Because 13 tricks exist and a sum of 13 would let everyone land exactly on their number. The last estimator is barred from the completing number; the forced deviation is a Risk — daring pays +10, and failing it costs −10.
What is Sha’aida in estimation?
If every player fails their estimate the round is void — Sha’aida (صعايدة) — and the next round’s scores are doubled: ×2 after one void round, ×4 after two.