Gameplay

Thunee, sometimes spelled Thuni, is a card game played by the Indian community in South Africa, especially in Durban, and also by Indian South African emigrants in North America and Australia.

Thunee is a trick-taking game with a 24-card pack, normally played by four players in fixed partnerships. The unusual card ranking J-9-A-10-K-Q together with the card values clearly identify it as a member of the Jass group of card games and the use of these ranks and values in all four suits, not only in trumps, places it in the Indian subgroup of that family.

While Afrikaners play Klawerjas, which was brought directly from the Netherlands and has remained close to its Dutch roots, Indian South Africans play Thunee, which was probably brought to South Africa by indentured labourers from India in the 19th century, having been introduced to India by Dutch colonists there. There is very little social interchange between the two communities in South Africa and most players of each game are probably unaware of the other.

South African Thunee
Players, Cards and Summary
It is generally agreed that Thunee is best for four players, and this version will be described first. There is also a six-player version of the game and a less interesting variant for two players.

The four players are in fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite so that each player sits between two opponents. The deal and play are counterclockwise.

The game is played with 24 cards from a standard international 52-card pack. In addition, the four Sixes from the pack are used to keep track of the score. The other 24 cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8) and the jokers are not used.

The ranks of the cards in each suit and their point values are as follows:

Jack 30 points
Nine 20 points
Ace 11 points
Ten 10 points
King 3 points
Queen 2 points
Teams score for cards in the tricks that they win; card points can also be gained or lost by calls before and during the game, and the team that loses the last trick must give 10 points to the team that wins it. The total number of card points in the pack is 304.

After the first four cards have been dealt to each player, players can ‘call’ in increments of 10: 10, 20, 30 and so on. The highest caller chooses the trump suit, but must give the called number of card points to the other team as compensation. If no one calls to make trumps, the trump suit is chosen by the dealer’s right hand opponent and there is no compensation. After this, two more cards are dealt to each player and the cards are played.

The opponents of the team that chooses the trump suit is known as the counting team. After all adjustments for calls before and during the game and the last trick, the counting team’s objective in normal play is to take at least 105 card points. If they have 104 or fewer the trump makers win.

The Sixes are known as ball cards: they are used to keep score. One team uses the Sixes of clubs and hearts and the other team the Sixes of spades and diamonds. The number of suit symbols (balls) exposed shows the team’s score, 12 being the number required to win the game. At the start each team places one of their ball cards face up on the table and the other face down on top of it, representing a score of zero. At the end of the play, the winning team moves their top ball card aside to reveal (‘open’) the appropriate number of balls – see scoring. When the team’s score reaches six the top card is turned face up and placed to cover the other card, and then moved aside again as more points are scored.

Dealing, Calling and Making Trumps
The first dealer is chosen by any convenient method. For example, cards may be dealt face-up from the shuffled deck, one card to each player in turn until someone receives a black jack: this player becomes the first dealer. The same player will continue to deal so long as the dealing team is behind in points (balls). If after scoring a hand the score of the dealer’s team is greater than or equal to the other team’s score, the turn to deal passes to the right.

The dealer shuffles and the player to dealer’s left may either cut the cards or refuse to cut and have the cards dealt as they are. The dealer deals a single batch of four cards to each player, starting with the player to dealer’s right and continuing counterclockwise.

The player to dealer’s right chooses the suit that will be trumps unless some other player ‘calls’. Trumps are normally chosen by placing one card of the desired suit from hand face down on the table. However, if the player to dealer’s right does not wish to make a choice on the basis of four cards, for example because he or she has one card of each suit, there is the option to call ‘last card’ instead. In this case, when the dealer deals the remaining cards the last card dealt to this player will determine the trump suit.

If the first four cards dealt to the player to dealer’s right are sufficiently bad, this player has the right to throw in the cards and demand a re-deal instead of choosing a trump suit. A re-deal can be demanded only if the four cards are all of different suits with a total value of not more than 10 points – so they must all be Kings or Queens with not more than two Kings. In this case the same dealer gathers the cards, shuffles, offers them to be cut and begins the deal again.

After the player to dealer’s right has placed a card face down or called ‘last card’, if a member of the dealer’s team wishes to make trumps that player can ‘call’. The first call is ’10’. If an opponent of the most recent caller wishes to make trumps, that player can call higher. Each subsequent call is 10 more than the last, up to 100. After 100 the next and final call is 104. The player who makes the last and highest call will choose the trump suit, and the calling team will give the number of points called to the opponents. For example if a player calls 40 and no one calls 50, the player who called 40 makes trumps and the counting team already has 40 card points towards the 105 they need to win: only 65 more are needed.

Players do not take turns to call: either opponent of the previous caller may make the next call, and calling continues until no one has any more to say. It may sometimes happen that the two opponents of the previous caller both call at the same time. In that case the call is increased by 20 and the other team decides which of them must make trumps. For example if the dealer’s partner calls 10 and then both members of the non-dealing team try to call 20, the call will count as 30 and if there are no more calls the dealer’s team will decide which of their opponents has to choose trumps.

If any numbers have been called, the player to dealer’s right takes back the trump card from the table, and instead the final caller places a card face down whose suit will be trumps. The caller cannot ask for the ‘last card’ to be the trump card but must use one of the four cards from hand.

The dealer now deals a final batch of two cards to each player so that everyone has six cards.

Calling Thunee
After the last cards have been dealt any player may call ‘Thunee’ which is an undertaking to choose the trump suit and win all six tricks. This supersedes all previous calls. A player who holds a complete suit of six cards is not allowed to call Thunee: the hand must include at least one non-trump card.

If there is no Thunee call the player to the right of the trump maker will lead to the first trick. To prevent this player from playing his first card prematurely, any other player who is considering calling Thunee should call out “wait for me”, “hold the game” or similar as soon as he has his six cards. The player who is due to lead must then wait until all players who have asked for the game to be held have decided whether or not to call Thunee. If two players on opposite teams wish to play Thunee the trump maker’s team has priority. If two players on the same team wish to play Thunee, one of them must voluntary withdraw and allow the other to call it. No discussion between the partners is allowed in this case – normally the less experienced player or the player who believes he has the weaker hand will withdraw spontaneously. If none of the other players asks the leader to wait, the player to the right of the trump maker can simultaneously lead a card and call Thunee.

If a player does not ask the leader to wait but calls Thunee at the same time as or after the first card has been played, then the opponents should call ‘marials on X’ where X is the suit of the card that was led. In this case the Thunee will not be allowed if suit X is a potential ‘catch’ for the Thunee – in other words if the Thunee caller has a card in suit X that could potentially lose a trick if they are allowed to play Thunee. For example if a spade was led, a late call of Thunee would not be allowed by a player with J-9-10 of spades because another player might have three spades including the Ace. If the player who wants to call Thunee is safe in suit X (he has only top cards or no cards at all in that suit), he can decide to go ahead with his Thunee. In that case the original leader takes back his card and the Thunee player leads instead. If the Thunee player decides to withdraw his call, the original lead stands and play continues normally.

To avoid the situation where the leader and an opponent both call Thunee as the first card is led, and the opponent accepts the marials on the suit led and insists on playing his Thunee as a member of the trump maker’s team, the leader may ask the opponents whether they wish to call Thunee before leading a card. If they answer no then the leader can play the first card calling Thunee, and the other players can no longer call Thunee against him.

The Play
If no one called ‘Thunee’, the player to the right of the player who made trumps leads to the first trick. That will be the dealer’s partner if there were no calls, or the player to the right of the final caller. Any card may be led. The trump suit is not known by the leader at this point. Immediately after the first lead the card that indicates the trump suit is exposed, so that all players know what suit is trumps.

When playing to a trick, all players must follow suit if able to. A player who has no card of the suit that was led may play any card. If any trumps are played the highest trump wins the trick; a trick with no trumps is won by the highest card of the suit that was led. The winner of each trick leads to the next trick.

If a non-trump is led, a player with no card of that suit plays a trump, and after that a second player with no card of the suit led players a lower trump, this is known as ‘undercutting’. Undercutting is only allowed if the player of the second trump has nothing but trumps in hand. So if a non-trump card is led and trumped (‘cut’), any subsequent player who has no cards of the suit led but holds a non-trump must either play a higher trump or discard a non-trump card.

If it turns out that neither opponent of the trump making team has any trumps at all, the deal is cancelled. There is no score, the cards are gathered up and the same dealer shuffles and deals again. This always applies, even if Thunee was called.

If Thunee was called, the player who called Thunee leads to the first trick and the card led determines the trump suit. The usual rules of play apply. The Thunee caller must win every trick to succeed: if any other player, even the Thunee player’s partner, wins a trick, the Thunee is lost. The caller’s partner will therefore try to cooperate by getting rid of any high cards that might win an unwanted trick.

Calls during the play
Jodie / Jorie / Chorie
If a player holds the King and Queen of a suit, or the King, Queen and Jack, this is known as a Jodie, or alternatively as Jodhi or Jorie or Chorie, and can be called at certain times during the play for extra card points. The value depends on whether the suit is trumps and whether the Jack is included:

King, Queen and Jack of trumps: 50 points
King and Queen of trumps: 40 points
King, Queen and Jack of a non-trump suit: 30 points
King and Queen of a non-trump suit: 20 points
The only times when player may call a Jodie are immediately after the first or third trick won by that player’s team. When a team wins its first or third trick, either or both members of that team may call a Jodie, or two Jodies if two are held. The player calls the value, e.g. “40 Jodie”. The caller of a 20 Jodie may also name the suit. In the case of a 30 Jodie, however, the caller must not reveal the suit of the Jodie.

At the end of the play, the value of any Jodies called is paid in card points to the team that called the Jodie by their opponents. Therefore the counting team will add the value of any Jodies called by their team and subtract any announced by the trump making team.

Double
A call of ‘double’ is a claim that the caller’s team will win all six tricks and the caller will win the last trick. It is called just before the caller plays a card to the last trick.

Most often, ‘double’ is called by a member of the trump makers’ team, usually by the winner of the fifth trick before leading a winning card to the sixth trick. However, it is also possible for a member of the counting team to call ‘double’ if they are able to win all the tricks. In the rare case where a member of the counting team calls ‘double’ against a team that has called 10 or more to make trumps, this is known as a ‘backward double’.

Khanaak / Kunuck
This call, which can only be made by a team that has called a Jodie, is sometimes also spelled Khanuck. It is a claim that the opponents’ final card point count, including the adjustments for Jodie and the last trick, will be less than zero. In this calculation there is no allowance is made for the amount called to make trumps. In addition, for a Khanaak call to succeed, the opponents must have won at least one trick and the Khanaak caller must win the last trick. Khanaak is called just before the caller plays to the last trick.

If the Khanaak calling team loses the last trick, or if a player inadvertently calls Khanaak when their team wins all six tricks, then the Khanaak is lost irrespective of the number of points taken by the other team.

So a call of ‘Khanaak’ by a member of the trump makers’ team succeeds if and only if the calling team has lost at least one trick, the caller wins the last trick, and the value of the calling team’s Jodies plus the 10 for the last trick is greater than the value of the actual cards won by the other team plus any Jodie calls by the opponents.

Example. Suppose the trump making team has called 50 Jodie, while the counting team has called 20 Jodie. In this case a Khanaak call succeeds if the trump makers win the last trick and the counting team takes less than 40 points in cards. (If the counting team took exactly 40 card points the counting team would have 20 for Jodie plus 40 for cards minus 50 for the trump makers’ Jodie minus 10 for the last trick, which amounts to zero). It makes no difference if the trump makers have called to make trumps: in this example even if the trump makers have called 60 to make trumps, a ‘khanaak’ call still succeeds if the cards in the counting teams’s tricks are worth less than 40 points.

Occasionally it may be possible for the counting team to call ‘khanaak’ against a team that has called to make trumps: this is known as a ‘backward khanaak’.

Scoring
When the play has finished, if there has been no call of Thunee, Double or Khanaak, the opponents of the trump maker add up the values of all the cards in their tricks. This team, known as the counting team, needs 105 card points to win the game.

But before the counting begins, the losers of the last trick must give 10 extra card points to the team that won it. Formerly this was sometimes done by the losers of the last trick physically giving a card (or cards) worth 10 points to the winners, but it is simpler just to allow for these 10 points in the counting. So if the counting team lost the last trick they begin counting from ’10 out’ (meaning ‘minus 10′) and in fact require 115 points in cards to reach 105, whereas if they won the last trick they begin counting from ’10 up’ and only 95 more points are needed from cards.

In addition, before the counting begins, if a player called in order to make trumps, the amount of the call has to be paid to the counting team before the cards are counted, and all Jodies that have been called have to be paid for. So for example if the call was 30 but the trump makers called 40 Jodie and won the last trick, the counting team will gain 30 from the call but lose 10 for the last trick and 40 for the Jodies. They will begin counting from ’20 out’ and will need 125 points in cards to win.

In a normal game the winning team records their score by opening balls (revealing additional pips on their ball cards) as follows:

Trump makers win Counting team wins
No call to make trumps 1 ball 1 ball
10 of more called to make trumps 1 ball 2 balls
When a call of Thunee, Double or Khanaak succeeds, the calling team opens balls as shown in the table below. If it fails the caller’s opponents open some balls.

When Thunee is called, a ‘partner catch’ occurs when a card led by the caller is beaten by the caller’s partner. The play ends immediately if any of the caller’s cards is beaten: if the card that beats it is played by an opponent it is an ordinary catch, if it is played by the caller’s partner it is a partner catch.
A Double or Khanaak call automatically fails if the card played to the last trick by the caller is beaten by another player. If the player who beats the caller’s card is the caller’s partner this is a partner catch, but in this case the score is the same as for an ordinary failure of the call.
Call succeeds Call fails Partner catch
Thunee 4 balls 4 balls 8 balls
Double 2 balls 4 balls 4 balls
Backward Double 4 balls 4 balls 4 balls
Khanaak 3 balls 4 balls 4 balls
Backward Khanaak 6 balls 4 balls 4 balls
A team that manages to open 12 or more balls wins the game.

If neither team has as many as 12 balls open another deal is played. If the team that has just dealt has fewer balls, the same dealer will deal again. If the balls are equal or the team that just dealt is ahead, the duty of dealing passes to the next player to the right.

A team that has exactly 11 balls open is said to be sitting on ‘corner house’. A team on corner house is not allowed to call Double, and in fact there would be no point in doing so because only 1 ball is needed to win. If a player whose team is on corner house does inadvertently call Double, the opponents open 4 balls and there is no other score for the deal.

However, a player whose team is on corner house is allowed to call Thunee or Khanaak.

Penalties
The standard penalty when the rules are broken is that the offender’s opponents open four balls and there is no other score for the deal. If the 4 balls are not enough for the offender’s opponents to win the game, the cards are shuffled and there is a new deal. The 4-ball penalty applies for example in the following cases.

A player fails to follow suit even though holding a card of the suit that was led. This is known as ‘colour cutting’.
A player plays a card out of turn.
Partners communicate illegally by talking or sign language.
Jodie called by a player who does not hold the required cards.
Of course it is up to the playing group how strictly these penalties are enforced. In a friendly game occasional accidental errors could be forgiven.

One member of each team is in charge of that team’s ball cards, and must open the correct number of balls to show the new score before the cards are cut for the next deal. If this player forgets to open the balls that the team is entitled to before the cards are cut for the next deal, those points are forfeited. Under strict ru