Trix Card Game Rules

Overview

Trix (also known as Complex or Kings) is a popular card game across the Levant and Gulf region. It uses a standard 52-card deck with 4 players. The game consists of 4 kingdoms, each with 5 contracts, for a total of 20 contracts. Players score individually — highest cumulative score wins.

The Kingdom System

Each player takes a turn being the 'King.' When you are king, you choose which contract to play from the remaining unchosen contracts in your kingdom. Each kingdom has all 5 contracts available. The king picks the order in which their 5 contracts are played. After all 5 contracts in a kingdom are complete, the next player becomes king.

The 5 Contracts

Four contracts are trick-taking (avoidance) games, and one is a shedding (sequence) game:

1. King of Hearts (لطّش)

A trick-taking game. The player who captures the King of Hearts (K♥) in a trick loses 75 points. All other players score 0. Try to avoid winning any trick that contains the K♥.

2. Diamonds (ديمن)

A trick-taking game. Each diamond card captured in a trick costs -10 points. There are 13 diamond cards in the deck, so the total penalty distributed is -130 points.

3. Queens (بنات)

A trick-taking game. Each queen captured in a trick costs -25 points. There are 4 queens in the deck, so the total penalty distributed is -100 points.

4. Lutoosh (لطوش)

A trick-taking game. Each trick won costs -15 points. There are 13 tricks total, so the total penalty distributed is -195 points. Avoid winning any tricks at all.

5. Trix (تركس)

The only positive contract. This is a shedding game similar to Sevens (Fan Tan). The player with the 7♥ starts by playing it. Players then take turns placing cards that extend suit sequences up (8, 9, 10, J, Q, K) or down (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A) from the 7. You can also play a 7 to start a new suit's sequence. If you cannot play, you must pass. First to empty their hand scores +200, second +150, third +100, last +50.

Trick-Taking Rules

The following rules apply to all four trick-taking contracts:

• Cards rank from A (high) down to 2 (low). There is no trump suit.
• You must follow the suit that was led. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card.
• The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. The winner leads the next trick.
• Play proceeds counter-clockwise.

Scoring Summary

Points are awarded (or deducted) as follows:

• King of Hearts: Player who captures K♥ gets -75 points.
• Diamonds: Each diamond captured = -10 points (max -130).
• Queens: Each queen captured = -25 points (max -100).
• Lutoosh: Each trick won = -15 points (max -195).
• Trix: 1st out = +200, 2nd = +150, 3rd = +100, 4th = +50.

Winning the Game

After all 20 contracts are complete (4 kingdoms × 5 contracts), the player with the highest cumulative score wins. Since most contracts are negative, the winner is typically the player who avoided the most penalties and scored well in the Trix shedding contracts.