Thunee Glossary
Every term, call, and piece of table slang you need to know. If someone at the table says something you don't understand, it's probably in here.
Ball
The scoring unit in Thunee. First team to 12 balls wins. You earn balls by winning rounds — or by your opponents failing their trump call.
Blind Thunee
Calling Thunee before looking at your second set of 2 cards. Absolute madness. Worth 6 balls if you pull it off. Some people live for this moment.
Call
To declare trump, Thunee, or a double. "Who's calling?" is the question that starts every round.
Colour Cutting
Playing trump when you could have followed the led suit. This is illegal — it's a 4-ball penalty. Whether intentional or not, you're paying for it.
Cut
To play a trump card when you can't follow the led suit. Cutting takes the hand unless someone plays a higher trump. "I had to cut" is sometimes an excuse, sometimes a strategy.
Dealer
The player who deals the cards. Rotates clockwise after each round. The dealer's right-hand player calls trump.
Double (Khanack)
When the opposing team challenges the trump caller's confidence by doubling the stakes. The trump team can then re-double. It escalates quickly.
First Deal
The first 4 cards dealt to each player. You call trump based on these 4 cards only — you haven't seen the remaining 2 yet.
Follow Suit
Playing a card of the same suit that was led. You must follow suit if you can. If you can't, you may play any card (including trump).
Getting Set
When the counting team (non-trump callers) reaches 105+ points, the trump caller's team is "set." The counting team earns balls. The shame of getting set is worse than the balls.
Hold
A call any player can make before the first card is played. Pauses the game for 5 seconds so players can consider calling Thunee before play begins. Available once per round in 4-player and 6-player games.
Jodie
A declaration of K+Q or K+Q+J of the same suit, called after your team wins a hand. K+Q is worth 20 points (40 if trump). K+Q+J is worth 30 points (50 if trump). The twist: you can bluff a Jodie — declare one without holding the cards. Opponents can challenge with Marials.
Marials
A challenge call made by opponents when they suspect a Jodie is a bluff. If the Jodie was fake, the bluffer's team gets a 4-ball penalty. Opponents have a 5-second window to call Marials after a Jodie is declared. Jodies is the declaration — Marials is the challenge.
Khanack
See Double. The term comes from the SA Indian community and is used interchangeably with "double." Some houses say Khanack, others say double — same thing.
Last Hand Bonus
Winning the final hand of a round earns a 10-point bonus. In tight rounds, this can be the difference between getting set and making it.
Lead
To play the first card in a hand. The winner of the previous hand leads the next one. Leading gives you control — you decide the suit.
Moenie
A call in 6-player Thunee. Roughly translates to "don't" in Afrikaans. Used to signal your team not to play a certain way.
Partner
In 4-player Thunee, the player sitting across from you. Your partner is your lifeline. Good partnerships are built on trust, bad partnerships are built on blame.
Pagat
A style of dealing where all cards for one player are dealt before moving to the next. Some houses use Pagat dealing, others deal in rounds.
Re-double
After the opponents double, the trump caller's team can re-double to quadruple the stakes. This is the card game equivalent of "say it to my face."
Reveal Trump
When the trump suit becomes known to all players. Happens when the trump caller (or their partner) plays a trump card for the first time.
Round
One complete cycle of dealing, calling trump, playing 6 hands, and scoring balls. A game consists of multiple rounds until a team reaches 12 balls.
Royal Thunee
Calling Thunee when your team already has 8+ balls. The stakes are elevated because you're close to winning. Miss it and you might not get another chance.
Second Deal
The remaining 2 cards dealt to each player after trump is called. The "reveal" — sometimes your second deal saves you, sometimes it ruins you.
Set
See Getting Set. "We got set" is the most common explanation for losing a round. It's always someone else's fault.
Slap
To play a card with authority — literally slapping it on the table. Not technically a rule, but absolutely a tradition. The harder the slap, the more confident the play.
Table
Where the game happens. "Set up a table" means starting a game. Online or offline, the table is sacred.
Thunee
The big call. A declaration that your team will win all 6 hands. Worth 4 balls if you succeed, costs 4 balls if you fail. The call that makes or breaks games — and friendships.
Hand
One round of play where each player plays one card. 4 players = 4 cards per hand, 6 hands per round. The highest card (considering suit and trump) wins the hand. (In other card games this is called a "trick" — in Thunee we call it a hand.)
Trips
A call in 6-player Thunee where a team bets on winning a certain number of hands. Adds another layer of strategy to the larger format.
Trump
The suit chosen by the trump caller. Trump cards beat all other suits. The Jack of trump is the most powerful card in the game.
Trump Caller
The player who chooses the trump suit. Sits to the right of the dealer. This player bears the responsibility — and the blame — for the round.
Missing a term?
Thunee terminology varies from house to house and community to community. If there's a term your family uses that isn't listed here, that doesn't mean it's wrong — it means Thunee is bigger than any one glossary.
Keep reading