About Ronda Moroccan Card Game

Ronda is one of the best-known card games in Morocco, played with the 40-card Spanish-suited deck of coins, cups, swords and clubs. It is a fast capturing game: you match a card on the table, sweep up any run that follows it, and try to catch your opponent out by landing on the card they have just played.

This version was made for Lmodire, and you play it against a computer opponent. Choose a quick game to 21 points or a full game to 41. The computer plays by the same rules as you and never looks at your hand. It only works from the cards that have already been seen, which means a good memory is your best weapon. Ronda here is played for points only, with no stakes of any kind.

How to play

You each get three cards, and four cards are placed face up on the table. Cards are numbered 1 to 7, then 10, 11 and 12. There are no 8s or 9s, and suits do not affect play.
Holding a pair at the deal is a Ronda, worth 1 point. Three of a kind is a Tringa, worth 5 points. If you both hold one, only the better hand scores.
On your turn, play one card. If it matches a card on the table, you capture that card, plus any cards that continue the run upward. Cards in your hand that can capture are outlined and labelled, so you can see what each one will take.
If your card matches nothing, it stays on the table for either player to capture later.
If you capture the card your opponent has just played, that is a hit for 1 point. The pair stays on the table, marked in gold, for one turn. If your opponent answers with the third card of that rank, they take it for 5 points. The fourth card takes it back for 10.
Clearing the whole table scores a Missa for 1 point, unless it happens on the last card of the hand.
After all 40 cards have been dealt, any cards left on the table go to the last player who captured. The player with more cards then scores 1 point for each card above 20.
The first player to reach the target score wins straight away, even in the middle of a hand.

Ronda's rules change from one city and family to the next. This is the two-player version used in this game, played for points only.

Tips

Be careful with a lone card. If you put down a card your opponent can match, you hand them a hit.
Holding a pair? Playing one of them can be a good trap, because a hit from your opponent lets you answer for 5 points.
Remember what has gone. If three of a rank have been seen, the fourth is the only one left, and a card of that rank is much safer to put down.
Look at the table before you capture. A card low in a run can take several cards, while the same run started higher takes fewer.
A point for clearing the table is usually worth more than a small capture, so check for a Missa before you choose your card.

New to the game? Read the full rules: How to Play Ronda: Rules of the Moroccan Card Game.

Questions about Ronda Moroccan Card Game

What does Ronda mean in the card game?

A Ronda is a pair held in your hand straight after the deal. It scores 1 point, unless your opponent also holds one and theirs is higher.

What is a Tringa?

A Tringa is three cards of the same rank in your hand after a deal. It is worth 5 points and beats any Ronda.

What is a Missa?

A Missa is when a single card clears everything from the table. It scores 1 point. In some places it has other names, such as mesa.

Why are there no 8s and 9s?

Ronda uses the 40-card Spanish deck, which goes from 1 to 7 and then 10, 11 and 12. Those last three are the court cards: Sota, Caballo and Rey.

Is this version played for money?

No. Ronda on Lmodire is played for points only. We take no payments, and there is nothing to win except the game.