Pişti – Rules

Play Pişti against the computer

1. Overview

What is it about? Pişti is one of Turkey's most popular card games, played in every tea house and many families. A pile grows in the middle. Whoever matches the rank of the top card or plays a jack takes everything. Taking a single card with a card of the same rank, you call “Pişti!” – and score 10 points.

2. Cards and material

• Pack: 52 French cards without jokers.
• Rank: Only rank counts; suits don't matter.
• Jack: always takes the whole pile.
• Point cards:

• Face up and face down: Hands concealed, the three lower starting cards face down, the top one face up; captured cards face down.

3. Preparation and start

1. Shuffle and cut.
2. Pile: 4 cards in the middle – 3 face down, the top one face up.
3. Deal: Everyone gets 4 cards.
4. Start: The player right of the dealer begins.
5. Dealing again: When all hands are empty, everyone gets 4 new cards.

Start example: Player 2 deals. A 7 lies face up on top of the pile with three face-down cards beneath. Player 1 holds a 7, a jack and two other cards.

4. Goal and winning

• Hand: Lasts until all 52 cards have been played.
• Game: The first to 151 points wins.
• Tie: Play another hand.

5. Play in detail

A turn. You place exactly one card on the pile:

1. Same rank as the top card: you take the whole pile.
2. Jack: you take the whole pile.
3. Otherwise your card stays on top.

Pişti. If the pile holds just one card and you take it with a card of the same rank: pişti, 10 points. A jack on a single jack: 20 points.

End of the hand. Whoever captured last takes the remaining cards.

Example with Players 1 and 2.

1. A 7 is on top. Player 1 plays his 7 and takes the pile (5 cards, including the three face-down ones).
2. The pile is empty. Player 2 plays a 4.
3. Player 1 has no 4 – playing his jack now would take just one card, and a jack on a 4 isn't a pişti. He saves the jack and plays a 9.
4. Player 2 plays a 9 and takes both cards. As two cards were there, it is not a pişti.

6. Scoring

• Total without piştis: 16 points per hand.
• Recording: One column per player or team.

7. Special rules and situations

• Jack on top at the start: Reshuffle or slip it underneath.
• Jack on an empty pile: Takes nothing.
• Last card: A pişti with the very last card often doesn't count (variant).
• Tie on cards: Nobody gets the 3 points.
• Common mistakes: wasting jacks on small piles; leaving a single card your opponent can easily take for a pişti.

8. Variants

Standard in this description: 4 hand cards, 4 starting cards (3 face down), game to 151.

When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone you play with two to four players (with four, partners opposite), anticlockwise, to 51, 101 or 151 points.

9. Tips for beginners

1. Jacks for big piles: Play a jack when many cards are in the pile.
2. 10 of diamonds and 2 of clubs: 5 points together – take them along.
3. Keep count: Remember which ranks have gone.
4. Safe cards on an empty pile: Play a rank of which three have already gone – then no pişti is possible.
5. Many cards: 3 points for most cards are valuable.
6. Patience: Sometimes it's better to let the pile grow.
7. Last capturer: The leftovers at the end can be many cards.

10. Summary in 10 steps

1. 52 cards; 4 in the middle (top one face up).
2. 4 cards each.
3. Anticlockwise; right of the dealer begins.
4. Place one card on the pile.
5. Same rank as the top: take the whole pile.
6. Jack: take the whole pile.
7. Single card taken: pişti (10, jack 20).
8. Empty hands: 4 new cards each.
9. The rest goes to the last capturer.
10. Count points; first to 151 wins.

11. Frequently asked questions

What is a pişti?

You take a single card with a card of the same rank. It scores 10 points, 20 with jacks.

Is a jack on a single card a pişti?

Only if that card is a jack as well.

Which cards score points?

Aces and jacks 1 each, the 2 of clubs 2 and the 10 of diamonds 3.

Which direction is play?

Anticlockwise.

What happens to the face-down starting cards?

They go to whoever takes the pile first.

How long does a game take?

To 151 points about 30 to 60 minutes.

Origin & history

Pişti is the best-known Turkish card game and belongs to the fishing-game family of the eastern Mediterranean, closely related to the Greek Xeri. It is played in tea houses, families and online.