The dealer deals five cards to each player, then five cards face up in a line to the side of the table, such that one player is at each end. This line of cards is called the bar.

Player 1              (tricks are played here) Player 2

The game is a trick-taking game, where each trick consists of one card from the bar and one card from each player's hand. Unlike most trick-taking games, the winner of each trick only takes two of the three cards in it, and the object is not to get the most tricks but to get the most cards in one suit.

The non-dealer leads to the first trick by choosing one of the two cards on the bar closest to him and moving that to the center of the table. The dealer responds by playing a card from his own hand, following suit if possible and otherwise playing any card. Finally, the non-dealer plays a card from his own hand, following the suit from the card from the bar if possible and otherwise playing any card.

The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest ranking card, regardless of suit, aces ranking high. If two or all three cards share the highest rank, the last of these played wins the trick.

The winner of the trick chooses one of the three cards in the trick and takes it, laying it face down in a pile in front of him. The loser of the trick chooses one of the remaining two cards and takes it, and then the winner takes the last card.

The winner of the trick leads to the next by, as before, choosing one of the two cards on the bar closest to him and moving it to the center of the table. Play continues in this manner until all five tricks have been played.

At that point, the round is scored. Each player turns over the cards he has taken in tricks and sorts them by suit. Whichever player has the most cards in any suit gets to score for that round. He scores one point for the first card in that suit, two for the second, three for the third, and so on.

For example, suppose Player A has three spades, two hearts, a diamond, and two clubs, and suppose that Player B has four spades, two diamonds, and a club. Player B, having four hearts, wins the round, and he scores ten points -- one for the first heart, two for the second, three for the third, and four for the fourth.

In the event of a tie, the tied suits cancel each other out, and each player considers his next longest suit. For example, if Player A has four spades, two hearts, and two clubs, and if Player B has four hearts and three diamonds, then Player A's spades and Player B's hearts cancel each other out. So Player B would win with his three diamonds, which score six points total.

Another example: Suppose Player A has three spades, three hearts, a diamond, and a club, and Player B has a spade, three diamonds, and two clubs. In this case, Player B's three diamonds would cancel one of Player A's two sets of three, leaving the other to win the round for him. Player A scores six points.

Each round, only one player scores points, and he only ever scores for one suit.

Play continues to 50 points; whichever player surpasses 50 points first wins.