The Complete Thunee Tutorial
Every rule. Every call. Every trick. Learn by playing through staged example rounds that cover the entire game — from your first dealt hand to pulling off a Thunee call under pressure.
Contents
1. The Table & Teams
Thunee is played by 4 players in 2 teams of 2. Partners sit across from each other.
North
Your Partner
West
Opponent
East
Opponent
South
YOU
Teams
- Team NS — North + South (you and your partner)
- Team EW — East + West (your opponents)
Play goes counter-clockwise: South → East → North → West.
2. The Deck — 24 Cards That Matter
Forget everything you know about card ranking. In Thunee, the Jack is king. Strip out everything except J, 9, A, 10, K, Q from each of the 4 suits. That's your deck: 24 cards.
Card Ranking & Points
| Rank | Power | Points | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| J | 1st | 30 | The boss. Unbeatable within its suit. Worth more than A+10 combined. |
| 9 | 2nd | 20 | The wingman. J+9 of trump = almost guaranteed 50 points. |
| A | 3rd | 11 | Strong card but surprisingly only the 3rd strongest. |
| 10 | 4th | 10 | Solid point-earner. Leads a suit well when J and 9 are gone. |
| K | 5th | 3 | Low power, low points — but half of a Jodie (K+Q). |
| Q | 6th | 2 | The weakest card. But she completes the Jodie. |
Total points in deck: 304 (76 per suit × 4 suits). Each team fights for their share.
The Golden Rule
J > 9 > A > 10 > K > Q
This ranking applies within every suit. In trump, even the Q of trump beats the J of any other suit.
3. Ball Cards — How You Keep Score
In Thunee, the overall score is tracked in balls, not points. Points only matter within a single round to determine who wins that round's ball(s). First team to 12 balls wins the match.
How Ball Cards Work
Each team has a ball card — two playing cards stacked on top of each other, representing a score from 0 to 12. The six pips on each card give you 12 total pips.
0
Top card face-down, covering bottom entirely
1-5
Top card slides to expose 1-5 pips from the bottom
6
Top card flips face-up, covering bottom (6 pips showing)
7-12
Top card slides to expose pips from both cards
Team Ball Cards
- NS team: ♥ hearts (bottom) + ♣ clubs (top)
- EW team: ♠ spades (bottom) + ♦ diamonds (top)
The ball card system is a traditional South African scoring method — no pen and paper needed.
Ways to Win Balls
| How | Balls | Who Gets Them |
|---|---|---|
| Normal round win (no call) | 1 | Winning team |
| Round win with call/compensation | 2 | Winning team |
| Double won | 2 | Caller's team |
| Khanack won | 3 | Caller's team |
| Thunee won | 4 | Caller's team |
| Thunee failed | 4 | Opponents |
| Penalty (colour cut, fake Jodie, etc.) | 4 | Opponents |
| Blind Thunee won | 6 | Caller's team |
4. Your Hand — Reading Your Cards
You receive 6 cards total (dealt in two stages: 4 then 2). Let's say you look down and see this hand:
Your hand
Here's what you should be thinking:
- 1"I have J♠ and 9♠ — spades is my strongest suit." The two highest cards in any suit. If spades is trump, these are unbeatable.
- 2"I have K♥ + Q♥ — that's a Jodie!" A King and Queen of the same suit. Worth 20 bonus points when declared.
- 3"I have no diamonds or clubs." When those suits are led, you can trump in with spades. Being void in a suit is powerful when you have strong trumps.
Card Interaction
- Tap a card to select it (it lifts up). Tap again to play it.
- Flick up a card to play it instantly — no confirmation needed.
- Long-press & drag to rearrange cards in your hand.
5. Dealing — The 4+2 Split
Dealing happens in two stages. This split is what makes Thunee strategically deep — you must commit to a trump suit with only partial information.
The Cut
Player to the dealer's left can choose to cut the deck. This is optional but traditional.
First Deal — 4 Cards Each
Starting from the dealer's right, going counter-clockwise, each player gets 4 cards.
Trump Calling
The player to the dealer's right looks at their 4 cards and chooses the trump suit. Only their team knows what it is.
Second Deal — 2 More Cards
The remaining 2 cards are dealt. Now everyone has 6. Play begins.
Last Card Rule
If the trump caller is dealt a truly terrible first 4 cards (all 4 different suits with total value ≤10 points), they can demand a redeal before seeing the last 2 cards. The deck is reshuffled and redealt with the same dealer.
6. Trump Calling — Choosing Your Power Suit
After receiving your first 4 cards (if you're the trump caller), you choose which suit will be trump. Trump cards beat every card from every other suit. The Queen of trump beats the Jack of any non-trump suit.
What makes a good trump call?
- ✓ J + 9 of the same suit — The dream. You can't lose those two tricks.
- ✓ 3+ cards of one suit — Depth in a suit means you control more tricks.
- ✓ Being void in a suit — When that suit is led, you can trump in immediately.
- ✗ No J or 9 in your strongest suit — Risky. You're gambling that your partner has them.
- ✗ 4 different suits, low points — Consider a redeal (Last Card rule).
Trump Is Secret
Only the trump caller's team knows the trump suit initially. Opponents must figure it out from the cards played. Trump is revealed when the caller (or partner) plays their first trump card.
Trump Cancellation
If neither opponent has any trump cards after all 6 are dealt, the deal is cancelled — no score, same dealer deals again. This prevents a lopsided round.
Example Round 1
Your First Trick
Learning to follow suit, trump in, and win hands
Let's play through a complete round. East is the dealer. You (South) are the trump caller. You pick spades as trump based on J♠ and 9♠.
Hands after full deal
Trick 1 — West leads
West leads with K♦. East follows suit with Q♦. North follows with 10♦. You (South) have no diamonds — so you can play any card. You play 9♠ to trump the trick!
What Just Happened
Even though K♦ was the highest diamond, your 9♠ (trump) beats it. Any trump card beats any non-trump card, regardless of rank. This is called "cutting" or "trumping in".
This trick also reveals trump to opponents — they now know spades is trump!
Trick 2 — You lead (you won Trick 1)
You play J♠ — the highest trump card in the game. West must follow suit: Q♠. East has no spades, discards 10♣. North has no spades, discards A♣.
Key Lesson
Leading with your strongest trump forces opponents to burn their trump cards or throw away points. East and North couldn't follow suit, so they had to discard — and you collected their valuable cards.
8. Follow Suit & Undercutting
Rule 1: Follow Suit
If a heart is led and you have hearts, you must play a heart. You don't get to choose. Playing trump when you could follow suit is called colour cutting — and it's a 4-ball penalty.
Rule 2: Trump When Void
If you can't follow suit, you can play any card — including a trump card to "cut" the trick. You can also throw away a low card if you don't want to waste trump.
Rule 3: The Undercut Rule
This is the rule that trips up intermediate players. If someone has already trumped a non-trump lead, and you also can't follow the led suit:
- • You must play a higher trump if you have one
- • If you can't beat the existing trump, you can play any non-trump card
- • You cannot play a lower trump (unless you have only trumps left)
Example: Hearts led, West trumps with 10♠. You have no hearts but have J♠ and Q♣. You must play J♠ (higher trump). If you only had Q♠ (lower trump) and Q♣, you'd play Q♣ instead — you cannot undercut.
9. Scoring — Points to Balls
After all 6 tricks are played, count the card points each team captured. The team that didn't call trump is the "counting team" — they need 105 or more points to win the round.
Round Score Calculation
Step 1: Count card points from tricks won (J=30, 9=20, A=11, 10=10, K=3, Q=2)
Step 2: Add +10 bonus for winning the last trick
Step 3: Add any Jodie bonus points (20/30/40/50)
Step 4: If there was a call, subtract the compensation amount from the counting team's total
Step 5: If counting team ≥ 105 → they get ball(s). If < 105 → trump team gets ball(s).
The Last Trick Bonus
The team that wins Trick 6 (the last trick) earns a +10 point bonus. In tight rounds, these 10 points are the difference between winning and losing. Save a strong card for the final trick!
10. Jodies — K+Q Bonus Points
A Jodie is a King and Queen of the same suit in your hand. After your team wins a trick, you can declare it for bonus points that add to your round total.
Jodie Values
Non-Trump K+Q
20 pts
Non-Trump K+Q+J
30 pts
Trump K+Q
40 pts
Trump K+Q+J
50 pts
The Jodie Bluff
Here's where Thunee gets devious. You can declare a Jodie you don't have. You're bluffing for 20-50 bonus points. But opponents have 5 seconds to call "Marials!" to challenge you.
- If you're bluffing and caught: 4-ball penalty to your team
- If you're legit and challenged: No penalty — the challenger takes the risk
- If nobody calls Marials: Your Jodie stands, real or fake
When Can You Call a Jodie?
You can declare a Jodie immediately after your team wins a trick. A brief Jodie window opens — if you or your partner hold a K+Q pair, the Jodie buttons appear. Miss the window and you'll have to wait until your team wins another trick.
Example Round 2
Jodies & Bluffing
Declaring King-Queen pairs, and the Marials challenge
New round, new deal. This time you're dealt:
Your hand (South)
You call hearts as trump (J♥ + 9♥). You also notice K♦ + Q♦ — a diamonds Jodie worth 20 points.
The Jodie Play
Trick 1: You win with J♥ (trump). A Jodie window opens! You tap the ♦ 20 button to declare your diamonds Jodie.
Opponents have 5 seconds to call Marials. They don't — your Jodie stands. +20 points added to your round total.
Trick 3: Your partner (North) wins with A♣. Jodie window opens again. But this time, North declares a ♥ 40 — a trump Jodie! North claims to hold K♥ + Q♥ (trump suit King-Queen).
East suspects a bluff and calls "Marials!"North actually has K♥ — but not Q♥. The bluff is caught. 4-ball penalty to NS! The round ends immediately.
Marials Takeaway
A caught fake Jodie is devastating — 4 balls to opponents and the round is over. Only bluff when you're confident opponents won't challenge, or when the risk is worth it (e.g., you're already losing badly).
12. Calling (Compensation)
After the trump caller picks their suit, the opponents can "call" to challenge for the right to choose trump themselves. This is a bidding war.
How Calling Works
Step 1: After trump is called, either opponent can "call 10" — bidding 10 points of compensation.
Step 2: The calling goes back and forth in increments of 10: call 10, 20, 30... up to 100, then 104.
Step 3: The last team standing chooses trump. But the compensation amount is subtracted from the counting team's points.
Example
EW calls trump (hearts). You (NS) think your hand is stronger and "call 10". EW responds with "call 20". You call 30. EW passes. You now choose trump — but NS needs 105 + 30 = 135 points to win the round (the 30-point compensation makes it harder). If you reach 135, you get 2 balls instead of 1.
Blind Call
Before any cards are dealt, the dealer's team can make a "blind 10" call — committing to 10 points of compensation without seeing any cards. It's a confidence play that can catch opponents off guard.
13. Double Khanack — Doubling the Stakes
When you're feeling dangerous. These are calls that multiply the round's stakes.
The Double
When: Called before the final trick (Trick 6) is played.
What it means: "My team will win all 6 tricks, AND I personally will win the last one."
Success: Your team gets 2 balls.
Failure: Opponents get 4 balls. That includes if your partner wins the last trick instead of you.
Backward Double: If the counting team calls double against the trump maker, success = 4 balls instead of 2.
The Khanack
Prerequisite: You must have called a Jodie earlier in the round.
When: Called before the final trick.
What it means: "Not only will my team win, the opponents' card total is going to be negative after Jodie points are counted."
Success: 3 balls (or 6 balls for a backward Khanack).
Failure: 4 balls to opponents.
Partner Catch
If you call a Double and your partner wins the last trick instead of you, that's a partner catch — 4 balls to opponents. The Double requires you personally to close it out. Coordinate with your partner!
Example Round 3
The Double in Action
When dominance meets confidence — calling double before the last trick
Score is NS 3 — EW 2. You're dealt a monster hand:
Your hand (South)
Five clubs including J, 9, and A? Clubs is trump. You're almost untouchable. You also have K♣ + Q♣ — a trump Jodie worth 50 points (K+Q+J of trump).
The Play
Tricks 1-4: You dominate with your clubs. NS wins all 4 tricks. After Trick 1, you declare your ♣ 50 Jodie (K+Q+J of trump).
Trick 5: NS wins again. 5 for 5. The Double button glows.
Before Trick 6: You call "Double!" You're betting that you personally will win the final trick too.
Trick 6: You lead your last club. Opponents have nothing left to beat it.
Double successful! NS earns 2 balls.
Round Score
North-South (NS)
248 pts
+50 Jodie pts
East-West (EW)
56 pts
NS Balls
+2
EW Balls
+0
NS dominated with 5 clubs. The 50-point trump Jodie plus winning all tricks made this an easy Double. Score is now NS 5 — EW 2.
15. Thunee Call — The Ultimate Bet
This is the call that gives the game its name. When you call Thunee, you're saying: "I will win ALL 6 tricks personally."Not your team — you.
The Thunee Call
The room goes quiet. Then it gets very loud.
When
Before any cards are played (after all 6 cards are dealt)
Requirement
YOU must win all 6 tricks. Not your partner — you.
Success
4 balls to your team. Game-changing.
Failure
4 balls to opponents. Catastrophic.
Partner Catch on Thunee
If your partner wins a trick when you've called Thunee, it's even worse than normal failure. Opponents can get up to 8 balls (varies by house rules — 4, 6, or 8). Your partner should always play low to help you win, never compete with you.
Hold the Game
Before the first card is played, any player can call "Hold" to pause for 5 seconds. This gives everyone a moment to consider calling Thunee. If you're hovering on the decision, hold first. Available once per round.
Thunee Variants
Late Thunee
Called during play (after leading your first card). The led suit becomes trump. You must win all remaining tricks. Riskier but catches opponents off guard.
Blind Thunee
Called before seeing your last 2 cards (after the first 4 dealt). Your last 2 stay hidden until you've won 4 tricks. Success = 6 balls. Failure = 6 balls to opponents. The ultimate high-wire act.
Royals
Like Thunee, but with reversed card ranking: Q > K > 10 > A > 9 > J. The weakest cards become the strongest. Called after all cards are dealt. 4 balls at stake.
Example Round 4
A Thunee Is Called
The highest-stakes play in the game. 4 balls ride on every trick.
Score is NS 5 — EW 6. You're dealt a dream hand:
Your hand (South) — trump caller
Four diamonds including J, 9, A, 10. Plus J♥ and 9♥ — the top two hearts. If diamonds is trump, your 4 trumps are the top 4 in the game. And your hearts are unbeatable in their suit. This is a Thunee hand.
YOU CALL THUNEE!
Trick 1: You lead J♦ (trump)
The highest card in the game. Nobody can beat it. You scoop up 52 points. ✔
Trick 2: You lead 9♦ (trump)
Second highest trump. Opponents are forced to follow or discard. Another dominant win. ✔
Trick 3: You lead A♦ (trump)
Third highest trump. By now, opponents have likely run out of diamonds. ✔
Trick 4: You lead 10♦ (trump)
Your last trump. Only K♦ and Q♦ are lower — they're in opponents' hands (or already played). ✔
Trick 5: You lead J♥
Switch to hearts. J♥ is the highest heart. Nobody can beat it. ✔
Trick 6: You lead 9♥
Second highest heart. The last trick. Opponents can't top it. ✔
THUNEE SUCCESSFUL! NS earns 4 balls!
Score jumps from NS 5 — EW 6 to NS 9 — EW 6. A single Thunee flipped the entire game. That's the power — and the terror — of the call. If any one of those tricks had been lost, it would be NS 5 — EW 10 instead.
17. Cheating & Penalties — The 4-Ball Rule
Thunee has a strict penalty system. Most violations result in an immediate 4-ball penalty — the round ends and the offending team loses 4 balls worth of ground. The game enforces most of these automatically online.
Colour Cutting — 4 balls
Playing a trump card when you could have followed the led suit. The most common violation in traditional games. Online, the system prevents it — you literally can't do it.
Fake Jodie (Caught by Marials) — 4 balls
Declaring a King+Queen Jodie you don't actually hold, then getting challenged and caught. The bluff backfired.
Playing Out of Turn — 4 balls
Playing a card when it's not your turn. Online, the system enforces turn order — but in person, this is enforced by other players.
Partner Communication — 4 balls
Verbally or visually signalling information to your partner about your cards. In Thunee, your cards speak for themselves — through the cards you play.
Corner House Double — 4 balls
Calling a Double when your team is on corner house (11 balls). Not allowed — you can only score 1 ball per round at 11.
Wrong-Time Jodie — 4 balls
Declaring a Jodie when the Jodie window isn't open (e.g., your team didn't win the previous trick).
Online vs. Traditional
Online Thunee prevents most violations automatically — you can't colour cut, play out of turn, or undercut illegally. The system enforces the rules for you. But Jodie bluffs and Marials challenges are still fully player-driven — that's where the human element shines.
18. Corner House — One Ball Away
When your team reaches 11 balls (one away from winning), you're on corner house. Special restrictions kick in to prevent an anticlimactic ending.
Corner House Rules
- • You can only score 1 ball per round maximum (no 2-ball wins from compensation)
- • You cannot call Double (automatic 4-ball penalty if attempted)
- • You can still call Thunee and Khanack
- • Sometimes called "Two to Clear" — you need to win 2 more rounds to close it out
Why Corner House Exists
Without corner house, a team at 11 could win a 2-ball round and jump straight to 13. Corner house forces the leading team to grind out the final ball — giving opponents a chance to catch up. It adds tension to every endgame.
19. Blind Calls & Special Variants
Blind Call (Blind 10)
Before any cards are dealt, the dealer's team can call "blind 10" — a 10-point compensation commitment made without seeing any cards. It's a power move that says "we're confident no matter what we're dealt." If they win, they earn 2 balls instead of 1.
Blind Thunee
Called after your first 4 cards but before seeing the last 2. Your final 2 cards stay hidden until you've won 4 tricks. You're essentially calling Thunee with 33% of your hand unknown. Success = 6 balls. Failure = 6 balls to opponents. Legendary plays.
Late Thunee
Called during play — after you've already led a card. The suit you led becomes trump. You must win all remaining tricks. Opponents can call "Marials" if they think you have losable cards in the led suit (and you don't have J or J+9 of that suit).
Royals
Everything is backwards. Card ranking reverses: Q > K > 10 > A > 9 > J. The Queen becomes the strongest card and the Jack becomes the weakest. Called like Thunee — you must win all 6 tricks. The suit you lead becomes trump. Same 4-ball stakes.
Play-On Vote
When a Thunee or Royals call is broken (the caller loses a trick or partner catches), the team can vote to "play on" or end the game immediately. Majority decides. Playing on means the broken call is ignored and the round continues normally. Ending means 4 balls to opponents right away.
Example Round 5
Putting It All Together
A complete round showcasing trump calling, Jodies, compensation, and the last-trick bonus
Score: NS 9 — EW 10. Both teams are close. EW is on the verge of corner house. West is the dealer. You (South) are the trump caller.
Your first 4 cards
J♥ + A♥ — hearts is your strongest suit. You call hearts as trump. You also spot K♠ + Q♠ — a potential Jodie!
The Call
East doesn't like their hand for this trump. They "call 10" — bidding for the right to choose trump. You feel confident and pass. East now calls trump (switches to diamonds). NS becomes the counting team with a 10-point compensation — you need 105 + 10 = 115 points to win this round. But if you get there, you earn 2 balls.
Your full hand after second deal
9♥ came in! Even though diamonds is now trump (East called), your hearts are still the strongest in that suit. And you have no diamonds to be forced to follow.
The 6 Tricks
NS wins! Jodie window opens. You declare ♠ 20 Jodie (K♠+Q♠). No Marials challenge — it stands.
East trumps with 9♦ but North's J♣ was led — wait, East trumped! East's 9♦ (trump) beats J♣. Actually EW wins this one.
NS wins the last trick! +10 bonus points!
Round Score
North-South (NS)
143 pts
+20 Jodie pts
-10 compensation
East-West (EW)
161 pts
NS Balls
+0
EW Balls
+1
NS card points: 143 + 20 (Jodie) - 10 (compensation) = 153. That exceeds 115 (105+10)... wait, actually the counting team (NS) needs 105 to score. With 10 compensation subtracted from their count: 143+20-10 = 153, well above 105. NS wins 2 balls! Actually in this scenario EW called trump and NS is counting. Let me recalculate — NS needs 105+10=115 effective. NS got 143 card pts + 20 jodie + 10 last hand bonus = 173 effective points. NS scores 2 balls for winning with compensation. Score: NS 11 — EW 10. NS is on corner house!
21. The Road to Mastery
What Sets Great Players Apart
Card Counting
24 cards, 6 per suit. Track what's been played. If 3 hearts are gone and you have A♥, it's likely the top heart left. Great players know the exact state of the deck.
Reading the Table
When East discards a low club when hearts are led, they're telling you they have no hearts. When your partner leads J♠, they're saying "I control spades." Every card is a message.
Jodie Math
A 40-point trump Jodie can swing a round from losing to winning. Know when to declare, when to bluff, and when the Marials challenge is too risky for opponents to attempt.
Trump Timing
Don't reveal trump until you have to. Every trick where opponents guess wrong about trump is a trick they might play suboptimally. Delay, misdirect, then strike.
Knowing When to Thunee
4 trumps including J and 9 is minimum. 5+ trumps or 4 trumps plus an off-suit J is ideal. Count your guaranteed tricks before calling. If it's less than 5, don't do it.
The Last Trick
Save a guaranteed winner for Trick 6. The 10-point bonus decides close rounds. When the score is tight, the last trick is worth more than any other.
Quick Reference Card
Card Ranking
J > 9 > A > 10 > K > Q
Point Values
J=30 9=20 A=11 10=10 K=3 Q=2
Win Threshold
Counting team needs 105+ points
Game Target
First to 12 balls wins
Deck Size
24 cards (6 ranks × 4 suits)
Total Deck Points
304 (76 per suit)
Last Trick Bonus
+10 points
Corner House
At 11 balls, max 1 per round
Ready to Play?
You've learned the deck, the deal, trump calling, trick-taking, Jodies, Doubles, Khanack, Thunee calls, blind plays, cheating penalties, and corner house. You know more than most beginners who sit down at a real table. Now it's time to play.
Start with the interactive tutorial in-game — it walks you through a real round with guided prompts. Then try Beginner AI with hints on. When you're comfortable, move up to Pro AI or go multiplayer.