Another childhood favorite card game reminiscent of the summer vacations and get-togethers, Call Break, can now be played online. Call Break is also known as Spades, Lakadi, Lakdi, and Call Bridge in various regions of the Indian subcontinent. The game originated in ancient times and is still played on the streets of India and Nepal. Many Indians even play the 3-player version of this game, famously known as teen-do-panch or 3-2-5. The game’s versions and rules may slightly differ from one region to another; however, the core gameplay remains the same.
The Call Break game is perhaps one of the easiest forms of card games, so it is easy to master the call break game skills. Due to its ease of play and simple rules, the game attracts many card game lovers from different South Asian countries. Let’s look at the basics of Call Break before discussing the strategies to master the game.
Call Break Gameplay
The strategic trick-based call break game is played between four players (without partnership) and involves five rounds. The game uses only one deck consisting of 52 cards with cards of every suit ranking from 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A in a low to high order. Each player is dealt 13 cards, and the game is played counter-clockwise.
Making a call
Spade is a permanent trump in the call break card game, which players can use to win tricks. Once each player has 13 cards, every player takes turns to bid or call the number of tricks for that particular round. The bid begins from the player at the right of the dealer and goes counterclockwise. The calls are the number of tricks every player undertakes to win the round. Each player must call between 1 to 12 calls. The objective is to make hands equivalent to or more than the number of calls made at the beginning of the game. If a player doesn’t make the same number of tricks, the player receives a negative score by the number of tricks bid at the starting.
Playing tricks
The player seated at the dealer’s right starts with the first trick and can choose to play any card from the 13 cards. The other players have to follow by playing a card of the same suit. In case a player doesn’t have a card of the same suit, they can play a trump card to win the trick. The player to win the round leads the next trick in the next round.
3 tricks to master Call Break Game Skills
Although the call break game is a relatively easy card game, you still need to learn a few tricks to master it. Merely playing the game for fun will get you nowhere. So, if you are a novice and want to improve your call break skills, here are three simple tricks you can master in no time.
If you are a beginner in call break, you can also refer to this beginner’s guide of online call break game.
Calculate before calling
As you know, the call break game begins with each player calling the number of tricks for the round. How do you decide the number of tricks you can make in the round? The trick here is to analyze your cards and identify the easy hands before making a bid. For instance, if you have two Aces, you know for sure that the two Aces will be able to secure two hands. Similarly, if you have a King of a particular suit and a few other cards of the same suit, the chances are that you may be able to make a hand with the King. So, based on these calculations and predictions, you can call the number of tricks for that round. It is crucial to call the right number and not underestimate or overestimate the number because your points depend on the number of tricks you secured.
Memorize the cards
One of the most effective ways to master the call break game is to memorize the cards that have been played, at least the important ones. You don’t have to remember all the cards, but just the trump cards and the high-value cards. Memorizing the cards will help you make an effective move and win tricks. For instance, if you remember that a player has already played an Ace of Hearts and you have a King of Hearts, you can play the King of Hearts when you get a chance.
It’s highly likely that you would win the trick when you play the King of Hearts. But you also need to calculate the number of cards that have been played from that suit. Because if a player doesn’t have a card from the same suit, they may play a trump card, and you will lose the trick. Therefore, it’s essential to keep track of the cards and play your cards confidently.
Secure the easy hands at the earliest
It’s always best to play the cards you know will win the trick at the earliest. There may be times when even an Ace goes to waste if another player uses a trump card in the game. So, if you have an Ace or a higher card, try using these cards at the initial phases so that you can win more tricks. Saving the good cards till the end may not be the right decision. However, you can save the Ace of Spades to use later when you want all the players to lose their trump cards.
Another impressive strategy is to get all the players to lose their trump cards at the beginning of the game. But that is possible if you have an Ace of Spades, a King of Spades, and any other trump card. Using these trump cards, you can ensure no other player has any trump card left, and then you can play the other good cards and be sure that no other player wins the tricks by playing a trump card.
Final Thoughts
You will get better at the game the more you play. However, if you understand these tricks and use them to your advantage, no one can guess that you are a novice. Using these strategies, will polish your call break game skills and lead to winning multiple tricks. Now that you have the secret sauce to winning the call break game, you can play call break online on MPL and experience the difference in your game strategy.
