L’HOMBRE (OMBRE)

OBJECTIVE OF L’HOMBRE: Fulfill the contract or play defensively in order to win.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-4 players

NUMBER OF CARDS: 40 card deck (52 card deck with 8s, 9s, and 10s removed)

RANK OF CARDS: Contract dependent

TYPE OF GAME: Trick-Taking

AUDIENCE: Adult

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INTRODUCTION TO L’HOMBRE

L’Hombre or Ombre (for English Speakers), which is Spanish for man, is the name of a very old and fast paced trick-taking game. The game is believed to have originated in Spain around the end of the 16th century and is still played today. However, as the game evolved, its popularity was displaced by its descendants, such as Whist and Quadrille, eventually giving way to Contract Bridge. 

This game was recently popular in Denmark, however, at the turn of the 21st Century is largely died out. This was the first trick-taking game to introduce bidding into the process of play. The concept of bidding and the contract has defined a whole sub-family of trick-taking games. Due to the nature of the game, having travelled through many European countries and its age, it is unique in that its terminology uses Spanish, French, and Danish terms. In the rules below, only the Danish terms have been translated into English. 메이저토토

GENERAL GAME OVERVIEW

Players

L’Hombre is a trick-taking game that utilizes three hands. It can be played by four people with one person designated as the dealer and three active players OR the player opposite the dealer sits out and the rest of the players are active.

Cards

The game uses a deck of 40 cards – a 52 card deck with 8s, 9s, and 10s removed. Players are dealt 9 cards each, with the thirteen that remain forming the talon or stockpile.

Card ranking is dependent on the contract type.

Nolo Contracts have no trumps. Red and black cards are ranked differently:

Black: K, Q, J, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A

Red: K, Q, J, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

However, Game Contracts always have trumps. Black Aces are always trumps, no matter what the trump suit is. The Ace of Spades is called spadille (S) and the Ace of Clubs is called basta (B). The trump suit is ranked as follows:

Black: S, 2, B, K, Q, J, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3

Red: S, 7, B, A, K, Q, J, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Spadille is always the highest trump and basta is the 3rd highest trump, the second highest trump card is the lowest value card of the trump suit that was chosen (i.e. black 2 or red 7). This card is called manille (M). The first three trumps are referenced under the collective label matadors. The fourth highest trump in a red suit is an Ace, it is referred to as ponto (P). 

The Deal

The first dealer is picked randomly, after it rotates to the left. The dealer also is known as the backhand or Bh. The player to the right of the dealer is the forehand or Fh. The player to the left of the dealer is called the middlehand or Mh. Bh shuffles the deck while Mh cuts it. Players are given 9 cards from the dealer, three cards at a time. The dealer deals to themselves first. The 13 cards that remain form the Talon, this is set aside and used to exchange cards later in the game.

The Auction

Each hand starts with an auction. The winner of the bidding is dubbed the declarer. They play alone while the other two active players play in a partnership. These are the defenders. The declarer’s last bid determines what the contract is. They either play a game contract, in which they attempt to take more tricks than the defenders, or they play a nolo contract, where they try to take no tricks whatsoever.

During the auction, a player has the following options during their turn:

Pass: Drop out of the auction and forfeit the opportunity to become declarer.

Bid: Place a bid that is higher than the previous bid.

Self: Place a bid equal to the previous one.

The starting half of the auction is between Fh and Mh only. Fh bids first, and Mh and Fh take turns calling the bids until one passes. At this point, the auction between these two players is settled. After, Bh joins the auction. The winner of the previous round and Bh bid until that auction is settled. If all three players pass, the hand is called a wash-out, and there is no play. The deal resumes. The player who wins the auction becomes the declarer.