How to Play Twenty-Five
How to Play Twenty-Five
Twenty-Five is a quick Irish trick-taking game in which every trick is worth five points. You need a normal deck of cards and a few people ready to learn. If you need one, you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. This guide uses one common Irish version for 3–9 players; rules can vary by region or family, so agree on house rules before you start.
Quick facts
| Detail | Rule |
|---|---|
| Players | 3–9, playing individually or in agreed teams |
| Cards | One standard 52-card deck |
| Hand | Five cards per player |
| Goal | Reach 25 points first |
| Value | Each trick won scores 5 points |
What you are trying to do
Your aim is to win tricks until your score reaches 25. A trick is one round in which every player plays one card. The strongest eligible card wins that trick, and its player leads the next one. Since each trick is worth five points, a player or team normally needs five tricks in total, often across more than one deal. If you play in teams, partners combine their points.
There is no bidding in this beginner form. Instead, each deal has a trump suit, which is a suit that can beat cards from the other suits. The unusual ranking is the heart of the game, so keep the reminder “highest in red, lowest in black” nearby.
What you need
Use a standard 52-card deck with hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. You will also need paper and a pencil, or a notes app, for scores. Choose a dealer for the first deal. The deal passes to the left after each hand. For four, six, or eight players, you may agree to play in pairs with partners sitting opposite. For nine players, three teams of three are possible, although playing as individuals is also fine.
Set it up
The dealer shuffles and deals five cards to each player, usually two cards at a time and then three, or three and then two. Put the undealt cards face down in the middle, then turn the top card face up. Its suit is trump for the deal. The turned card is called the turn-up.
Before the first card is played, check whether someone holds the ace of the trump suit. That player may rob the turn-up: they discard one unwanted card face down and take the turn-up into their hand, or leave it face up and use it as though it were in their hand. Robbing is optional, but the chance disappears once that player has played to the first trick. If the dealer turned up the ace of trump, the dealer may rob it. If nobody has the trump ace, nobody may rob.
How to play
- Lead the first trick. The player to the dealer’s left plays any card. This is the lead card, and its suit is the led suit. A later trick is led by whoever won the previous trick.
- Choose a legal card. If a non-trump suit was led, you may follow suit by playing a card of that suit. You may also play a trump even when you could follow suit; this is called ruffing. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card. If trump was led, you must play a trump if you have one; however, you may keep the 5, jack, or ace of hearts when a lower trump is led, unless a better trump than the one you hold has already been led in that trick.
- Compare the cards. A trump beats every non-trump card. If no trump appears, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner gathers the cards, keeps the trick nearby, and leads the next trick.
- Use the special trump order. The five of trump is highest, followed by the jack of trump, then the ace of hearts. If hearts are not trump, the ace of the trump suit comes next, followed by that suit’s king, queen, and number cards. The ace of hearts is always trump, even when hearts are not the named trump suit.
- Remember the ordinary suits. In a non-trump suit, king is highest, then queen and jack. In red suits, number cards rank from high to low in the familiar direction. In black suits, number cards rank from low to high, so the two is strongest among the black number cards and the ten is weakest. Non-trump aces have their own place: the ace of diamonds is lowest in diamonds, while a black ace sits between the jack and two in its suit.
- Stop when the game is won. Continue playing tricks until a player or team reaches 25 points. The deal ends immediately at that point, even if some players still have cards. If nobody reaches 25 during the deal, play the remaining tricks so the scores can be counted, then gather the cards and deal again with the next dealer.
How you win
After each trick, add five points to the score of the player or team that won it. Record the running totals clearly. When a score reaches 25 or more, that player or team wins immediately. For example, a team on 20 points wins the game by taking one more trick. If nobody reaches 25 during the deal, finish the remaining tricks, write down the new totals, gather the cards, and deal again with the next dealer.
Because five cards are dealt to each player, there are five possible tricks in every deal. The game may end before all five are played, but do not award points for cards left in the undealt pile; only the tricks matter.
Easy first-game tips
First, memorize just the top three trumps: five, jack, and ace of hearts. Those cards can surprise new players because the ace of hearts is trump no matter what turn-up appears. Next, identify the trump suit as soon as the turn-up is shown and sort your hand into trump and non-trump cards.
Save a powerful trump for a moment when it can capture a valuable trick, but do not assume a high-looking card is safe. A king may lose to any trump, and black number cards run in the opposite direction from what you may expect. Watch which suits other players no longer have. If a player is out of the led suit, they can use any card, including a trump, so your lead may give them a chance to take the trick.
When trump is led, remember the special protection for the five, jack, and ace of hearts. You may hold one of those cards back when the trump led is lower than it, unless a better trump than the one you hold has already appeared in the trick. For your first few hands, say the ranking aloud before comparing cards. It is completely normal to pause over the black-suit order. The table will become much easier after a couple of deals.
Quick questions
Can I play a trump when I still have the led suit?
Yes. In this version, you may ruff with a trump whenever a non-trump suit is led, even if you could have followed suit.
Is the ace of hearts always a trump?
Yes. It is the third-highest trump in every deal, even when the turn-up chooses diamonds, clubs, or spades.