Play Basra Online
Play the Basra card game free online at an illustrated jasmine courtyard table. Match ranks, combine number cards and time a sweep to win the card majority. Choose a complete Egyptian-rules match against the computer or work through 20 progressive open-hand capture studies. No ads or download.
How to play Basra online
- Choose Study challenges or Full CPU match. Each player starts with four cards and four more lie face up on the floor. The nondealer plays first.
- Select a hand card and inspect the gold capture group. Take all matching ranks and any disjoint groups adding to your number. Use the Group arrows when alternative captures are possible, then press Play card.
- Refill both hands after each four-card batch. At the end of the round, count special cards, Basras and the card majority. A full match continues until someone has at least 101 points and an outright lead.
Controls
Tap a hand card, inspect its gold capture outline, optionally change Group, then press Play card. Keys 1 to 4 select hand cards; A and B cycle capture groups; arrow keys move focus; Enter or Space selects; P plays; H hints; U undoes a study. Dragging away or canceling a touch leaves the choice unchanged.
A tip before you start
A Jack clears a crowded floor but earns no Basra bonus. That can still be valuable when it gives you the card majority. Before playing the seven of diamonds, add the floor values: its sweep earns ten extra points only when every card is numeric and the total is ten or less.
The Egyptian Basra card game at this table
Basra uses a standard 52-card pack for two players. Four cards are dealt to each hand, starting with the nondealer, then four to the floor. Jacks and the seven of diamonds are buried and replaced if they appear on the opening floor. Six four-card batches use the complete deck. The dealer alternates between rounds.
Matching ranks and adding numbers
An ordinary card captures every floor card of its rank. An Ace counts as one and cards two through ten can also take separate groups adding to their value. For example, a nine can take a nine and a four-plus-five group in the same play. Queens capture Queens and Kings capture Kings; court cards never enter numerical sums. A card that cannot capture stays on the floor. You may choose any hand card, but you cannot decline a capture that your selected card can make.
Choosing between overlapping sums
A floor card can belong to only one sum group in a capture. Every offered choice includes all matching ranks and enough disjoint sum groups that no further complete group remains available. Sometimes these choices take different numbers of cards. The Group arrows cycle every legal choice and gold outlines show its exact contents. This is different from Scopa's priority for a single equal-rank capture.
Jack sweeps and the seven of diamonds
A Jack takes every card from a nonempty floor, with no Basra bonus. The seven of diamonds also sweeps. It earns a Basra only if the floor contains exclusively Aces and number cards totaling ten or less. A court card or a higher total removes that bonus. A Jack or seven of diamonds played to an empty floor simply stays there.
Basras, point cards and the card majority
An ordinary capture that clears the floor scores a ten-point Basra, including an actual capture on the last play. Leftover floor cards go to the last player who captured, without a Basra. Each captured Ace and Jack scores one, the two of clubs scores two and the ten of diamonds scores three. Most cards earns thirty points plus any majority bonus carried from earlier rounds. A 26–26 card tie carries another thirty onward. Scores are settled after the complete round.
Twenty studies with deeper decisions
Studies start from positions reached through legal play and show both final hands, with no hidden stock remaining. Finish the round ahead by at least the displayed margin against every legal opposing reply. All points already captured still count. Across the sequence, each hand grows from two to four cards and meaningful planning depth from one to three without decreasing. Positions where a human decision changes the best possible outcome increase at every level. Personal difficulty can still vary.
Full matches and fair information
In a normal match, the computer's hand and the future stock stay hidden. Computer choices and ordinary hints use only the acting hand and public information. Studies deliberately reveal both hands for exact analysis. Full matches have no Undo; study Undo restores your previous decision and the automatic reply, without refunding either of the two hints. A score of 101 or more wins only with an outright lead. Tied totals require another round.
Which regional rules are included
This table uses the Egyptian 101-point profile with a thirty-point majority bonus and four-card hands. It does not use Lebanese six-card dealing and three-point majority, a 121-point target, a Jack-on-Jack double bonus or extra diamond-majority scoring. The overlap rule is explicit: choose a maximal set of disjoint captures. There is no round timer, cash stake or remote multiplayer room.
Saving, restarting and sound
Unlocked studies, best results and your sound setting save locally when storage is available. An unfinished match resets after a reload. Restart repeats the initial position; New match creates a fresh deal. Both ask before replacing the current board. Full rules and a scoring breakdown open in separate panels, while the main board and essential actions stay together.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Jack count as a Basra?
No. A Jack clears a nonempty floor but never earns the ten-point bonus in this profile, even when the only floor card is another Jack.
When does the seven of diamonds earn a bonus?
Its sweep earns a Basra only when every floor card is numeric and their total is at most ten. A Jack, Queen or King prevents the bonus.
Can I capture a matching card and a sum together?
Yes. Your card takes all matching ranks and can also take disjoint number groups adding to its rank. Use the Group controls if overlapping sums create alternatives.
Must I choose the capture taking the most cards?
No. Every offered choice must leave no additional complete sum group, but some such choices capture fewer cards than others. The difference may matter for valuable cards and the majority.
What happens if both players capture 26 cards?
Neither receives the thirty-point majority bonus that round. It carries forward, so the next untied majority is worth sixty, or more after repeated ties. Special-card points and Basras still score normally.
Why is the challenge target a final lead?
A study tests the whole end-of-round result, including special cards, Basras and the majority. The displayed margin is guaranteed only when you choose a plan that succeeds against every legal reply. Both hands are visible for these studies.
About Basra
Play the Basra card game free online at an illustrated jasmine courtyard table. Match ranks, combine number cards and time a sweep to win the card majority. Choose a complete Egyptian-rules match against the computer or work through 20 progressive open-hand capture studies. No ads or download.
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