Twenty-Five is Ireland's national card game. Each player gets five cards, each trick won is worth 5 points, and the first player to reach 25 wins on the spot.
Teach it in a minute
- The goal: Win tricks. Each trick is worth 5 points; the first to 25 wins.
- Your turn: Play one card. Follow the suit led or play a trump; if you have neither, play anything.
- How a hand goes: Five cards each and one turned up for trumps. Five tricks; the best card wins each one.
- What people get wrong: The card order: the 5 of trumps is the best card, then the Jack of trumps, then the Ace of Hearts. In black suits low numbers beat high.
- First-game tip: Save your top trumps to win tricks that matter, and watch for the 5 and the Jack.
Tricks
A trick is one round where each player plays one card. The best card wins the trick and its player leads the next one.
Trumps
After dealing, the next card is turned face up. Its suit is trumps for that hand. Any trump beats any card of another suit.
The card order (the tricky part)
- The best three cards are the 5 of trumps, then the Jack of trumps, then the Ace of Hearts. The A♥ is always a trump, whatever suit is trumps.
- Next come the Ace of trumps, King and Queen.
- "Highest in red, lowest in black": in red suits high numbers beat low; in black suits low numbers beat high (2 beats 10).
- Kings and Queens are always high. In black plain suits the Ace sits just below the Jack; the A♦ is the lowest diamond.
- The coach's thinking panel lists your cards in order of strength every turn.
Playing
- The player left of the dealer leads the first trick.
- You must follow the suit led or play a trump. You may trump even if you have the suit. If you have neither, play anything.
- If a trump is led, you must play a trump if you have one. But you may hold back the 5, the Jack or the A♥ if the trump led is lower ("reneging").
- The best card wins: the highest trump if any were played, otherwise the best card of the suit led.
Robbing
If you hold the Ace of trumps, you may swap any card for the turned-up card before play. If the turned-up card is an Ace, the dealer may take it. The app offers this when you can; opponents do it automatically.
Why it works like this
- Trumps beat every other suit. It means a weak hand in one suit can still win if it has trumps, so every hand has hope.
- The 5, the Jack and the A♥ are the top cards. It's the tradition of the game, and it means knowing the order is the main skill a beginner learns.
- You may trump even if you have the suit. It gives you a real choice: win now with a trump, or keep it for later.
- You may hold back a top trump (reneging). It protects the best cards from being forced out by a small trump lead.
- Robbing the turned-up card. It rewards whoever holds the Ace of trumps with an extra trump.
Common questions
- Can I play with friends? Yes. Press Play with friends to make a room, then send the link. The table has four seats; computer players fill any empty seat, and a friend who arrives later can take one over. Each player has their own coach, which only sees their own cards.
- Can the coach help at a real game? At home, yes: press Real table and tap in your cards and each card played. Using it at a card drive or club game is cheating.
- Why didn't my Ace win? Only the A♥ is always a trump. Other Aces are ordinary unless their suit is trumps.
- Why can't I play that card? A trump was led and you have a trump you must play.
- Do points carry over? Yes, until someone reaches 25.
At this table
Four players, each playing for themselves. No partnerships and no bonus for the best trump.
The quickest way to learn is to play a hand: the coach explains each rule the moment it matters. Start a game of Twenty-Five →