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Ronda is one of the most popular card games in Morocco. It’s not just loved in Rabat and Marrakesh but across the whole country. Because of Morocco’s mix of cultures, the game has French, Spanish, and Arabic versions.
The game uses a Spanish 40-card deck with 4 suits:
- Khal (clubs)
- Copas (cups)
- Chbada (swords)
- Dhab/Dinar (coins)
Each suit has cards from 1 to 7, then 10 (jack), 11 (horse), and 12 (king). The 8s and 9s are not used in this game. If you don’t have a Spanish deck, you can use a standard deck by removing 8s, 9s, and 10s.
Ronda can be played by 2 players or 4 players (in 2 teams of 2).
The Deal
- The dealer is chosen, shuffles the deck, and the player to their left cuts it.
- Cards are dealt in sets of 3, starting with the player on the dealer’s right, going counterclockwise.
- After dealing cards to players, the dealer puts 4 cards face-up in the center of the table.
Important rule for table cards:
- These 4 cards must not be in sequence (like 2-3-4-5).
- They also can’t be pairs. If a pair or sequence appears, cards are reshuffled and replaced.
The Play
The player to the dealer’s right starts the game. Play moves counterclockwise.
What happens in a turn?
- Each player plays one card face-up to the table.
- If the card matches a card on the table (same rank), it captures it.
- Captured cards are kept in a face-down pile in front of the player (or one teammate in a team game).
After players finish their 3 cards, the dealer deals a new set of 3 cards.
No new cards are added to the table at this stage.
When these final cards are played, the round ends. All captured cards are counted, and the next dealer is the player on the right.
Special Calls: Ronda & Tringa
- Ronda: If you have two cards of the same rank, you can call Ronda for 1 point.
- Tringa: If you have three cards of the same rank, you can call Tringa for 5 points.
If two players call Ronda or Tringa, the higher-ranked combination wins. If there’s a tie, points are split (rounding down).
Capturing Cards
Capturing is the heart of Ronda:
- If you play a card that matches a card on the table, you capture it.
- You can also capture cards in sequence above the captured card (e.g., capturing a 5 lets you take 6, 7, 10, 11, and 12 in order).
If your card matches the one just played by the previous player, you score 1 point and say “One.”
- If the next player plays a third matching card, they say “Five” and score 5 points.
- If the fourth player plays the same rank again, they say “Ten” and earn 10 points.
Note: You don’t score for matching the dealer’s first card after a new deal.
Clearing the table:
If your play captures all cards on the table, you earn 1 point. This is called:
- Missa (French)
- Mesa (Spanish)
- Iahsa (Arabic)
No points are scored for clearing the table with the last card of the final round.
Scoring
- At the end of the game, count the captured cards.
- The player or team with most captured cards earns 1 extra point for each card beyond the opponent’s count (up to 20).
- If a player or team reaches 41 points, they win immediately.
Winning Ronda
The game is usually played over several rounds, with scores carried forward.
The first player or team to reach 41 points is the winner.
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