TRICKSTACK standard
- 54 cards, three players, 17 cards each, and three bottom cards.
- Bids of 1, 2, or 3; a bid of 3 ends bidding immediately.
- All three passing causes a redeal.
- Landlord takes the bottom cards and leads.
- The listed 15 combinations are legal; anything outside them is rejected.
- Bombs and rocket double the multiplier; spring and reverse spring double again.
Common house-rule differences
| Area | Possible convention | TRICKSTACK choice |
|---|---|---|
| Bidding | Must bid at least 1 after a redeal | Passing is always allowed |
| Plane wings | Wing count may differ from body count | Wing count must match body |
| Bomb score | Some tables use a different doubling cap | Every bomb or rocket doubles |
| Spring | Some tables require no farmer play; others require no card played | Farmers must have played zero hands |
| Four with two | Single and pair wing variants | Both listed variants are recognised |
Why explicit rules matter
Ambiguous combinations create disputes and make AI training impossible. The engine parses each hand into one deterministic pattern. If a play is not in the rule set, the server rejects it.
If you introduce a house rule, define it before the first deal and apply it consistently to all three seats.