Kout Bo 4 — the complete rules
Kout Bo 4 (كوت بو أربعة) is the Kuwaiti bidding classic as Tonj’s engine plays it: four players, two fixed partnerships, a 36-card deck, and an auction from باب (5) to باون (9). This guide is the rulebook the engine implements — verbatim.
Play Kout Bo on TonjWhat is Kout Bo 4?
The four-player heir of the kout bo family: bid 5–9 tricks with your partner, the winner names the trump (الحكم), and the two jokers — الجيكر and الميكر — outrank everything on the table.
Kout Bo 4 is live on Tonj
Tables are create-and-share-by-code: send the link, the seats fill with rivals or bots, and every deal is provably fair — the seed publishes only at game over. Spectators are welcome too.
How a match goes
Bid — باب to باون
From the dealer’s right, each seat speaks once: 5 (باب) up to 9 (باون), every overcall higher — or pass (طاف). Everyone passing forces the dealer ملزوم for 5 or more.
Declare الحكم and lead
The winning bidder names the trump suit and leads any card; الجيكر beats the trump Ace, and الميكر sits just under it.
Bank points to 101
Make your contract and bank the bid — 36 for a باون. Fail and the opponents double it. First team to 101 wins; 51 against a zero is the kout.
Kout Bo 4 rules in detail
Players and teams
Four players in two fixed partnerships — seats 0 and 2 against 1 and 3 — playing counter-clockwise; the deal rotates every deal.
The 36-card deck
The deck is 52 minus ranks 2–5 minus the two red sixes, plus الجيكر (the red joker) and الميكر (the black joker): 36 cards, nine a player, nine tricks a deal. Within a suit, 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K A, weak to strong.
The auction: باب to باون
It opens at the dealer’s right and each seat speaks once — a bid of 5 (باب) to 9 (باون) for their team, every overcall higher, or a pass (طاف). If everyone passes, the last speaker — the dealer — is ملزوم: 5 or more, no pass. The winner declares الحكم (the trump) and leads.
الجيكر, الميكر and the ladder of strength
The ladder: الجيكر above the trump Ace, the Ace above الميكر, both above the other trumps, trumps above the led suit. Leading a joker needs a bid of 9 (both), 8 (الجيكر alone), or all four top honours of the trump already played — and a legal joker lead forces the table to follow trump. Either joker may be thrown into any trick even holding the led suit; a leader holding nothing but an unleadable joker throws it rank-less — it can never win the trick.
Scoring and the finish lines
Make at least your bid and your team banks it — 36 for a باون. Fail and the opponents bank double the bid, except a failed ملزوم 5 which pays them 5. One side scores every deal. First team to 101 wins; 51+ against exactly 0 is الكوت; a باون made on the first deal wins instantly.
Kout Bo 4 scoring at a glance
| Contract made | The bidding team banks its bid — 5 to 8 points |
|---|---|
| باون (9 tricks) | All nine tricks — worth 36 points instead of 9 |
| Contract failed | The opponents bank double the bid — a failed ملزوم 5 pays 5 |
| الكوت | 51+ while the other team sits on exactly 0 — instant win |
| The match | First team to 101 points across the deals |
“Made” means at least the bid. A ملزوم seat may overbid voluntarily — and failing then costs the ordinary double. These are the exact settlement sheets the Tonj engine runs; nothing house-ruled.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kout Bo 4?
The four-player, two-team Kuwaiti bidding classic: 36 cards, an auction of باب (5) to باون (9), a declared trump (الحكم), two jokers above the trump Ace, and the race to 101.
Is Kout Bo 4 on Tonj?
Yes — live. Create a Kout Bo table, share the code, and play free in the browser against rivals or bots; the deals are provably fair and spectators can watch by link.
What is a باون worth?
A باون is the 9-trick bid. Made, it banks 36 points — and a باون made on the very first deal of the match ends it on the spot.
What does ملزوم mean?
The forced contract: if every seat passes, the dealer (the last speaker) must bid 5 or more. A failed ملزوم 5 pays the opponents only 5 — any other failure pays double.
When may I lead the jokers?
At a bid of 9 both may lead, at 8 only الجيكر, and once the trump’s J, Q, K and A have all been played both may. A joker lead is a trump lead — and the jokers can always be thrown into any trick, even holding the led suit.