Tips, tactics, and tricks to go from beginner to legend
Good 25/45/110 players don't just play the best card in their hand — they think about what everyone else is holding. Every card played is information. Every trick is a chance to weaken your opponents. The best players treat their hand like a budget: spend as little as possible to win each trick.
Before you can play well, you need the rankings burned into your memory:
| # | Card | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 of Trumps | Unbeatable. The king of all cards. |
| 2 | Jack of Trumps | Only the 5 beats it. |
| 3 | 🃏 Joker | Optional. Third-best trump if in play. |
| 4 | Ace of Hearts ♥ | Always a trump, no matter what suit is trumps. |
| 5 | Ace of Trumps | Powerful, but beatable by the top 4. |
| 6 | King of Trumps | Solid. Often wins when top trumps are spent. |
| 7 | Queen of Trumps | Decent, but vulnerable. |
| 8+ | Number trumps | Red: 10 down to 2 (high to low). Black: 2 up to 10 (low to high). |
When you're first to play in a trick, you set the tone. Here's how to make the most of it:
If you have the 5 of Trumps, lead it. Nothing beats it. It forces opponents to throw away their Jack, Joker, or Ace of Hearts — weakening them for the remaining tricks. You win the trick and drain their best cards. It's a double win.
Leading the Jack, Joker, or Ace of Hearts is risky if the cards above them haven't been played yet. Before you lead one, ask yourself:
Lead a mid-range trump (King, Queen, or number). This probes what opponents have without risking your best cards. If someone plays a top trump to beat your Queen, you've learned what they're holding.
Hold them if you can. Non-trump court cards are most valuable in the final tricks when trumps have been spent. By trick 4 or 5, there may be no trumps left — and your King picks up a free trick nobody can beat. Leading them early risks someone trumping them cheaply.
Lead your weakest non-trump. You're not winning this trick, so throw away your worst card. Save anything half-decent for later — no point burning a Jack when a 4 will lose just as well.
When someone else has led, your job is to either win cheaply or lose cheaply. Never overspend.
| Position | What to Do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Last to play | Play the cheapest card that wins | Nobody can outbid you. If a 9 of trumps takes it, don't play the Jack. Save the big guns for later. |
| Middle | Play a mid-range winner if you can | Someone after you might beat a weak winner, but don't burn your top trumps either. Find the sweet spot. |
| Can't win | Dump your worst non-trump | Don't waste a trump on a lost trick. Throw your weakest card and live to fight another day. |
The top trumps (5, J, 🃏 Joker, A♥) have a special privilege: they can't be forced out unless a higher trump is led. This is called reneging.
When to use it: Renege when you want to protect a top trump for a more important trick later. If someone leads a low trump and you have the Jack, keep the Jack hidden — play something expendable instead. The Jack will be worth more in a later trick.
In 25 and 45, when a trump card is turned up, the dealer (or the holder of the Ace of trumps) gets a chance to rob — swap one of their cards for the turned-up trump.
If the Joker is turned up, something special happens:
In 110, you bid for the right to choose trumps and receive the kitty (5 extra cards). Getting the bid right is crucial — bid too low and you miss out, bid too high and you'll go negative.
Before bidding, look at your hand through the lens of each possible trump suit. For each suit, count up your strength:
| What You're Holding | Strength | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 5 or Jack of potential trump | 🔥🔥🔥 | These alone are worth a bid |
| Ace of Hearts | 🔥🔥 | Always a trump — counts in every suit |
| Ace of potential trump | 🔥🔥 | Strong, especially with other trumps |
| King or Queen of potential trump | 🔥 | Solid support cards |
| Number cards of potential trump | 💧 | Better than nothing, adds depth |
| Non-trump Kings | 💧 | Can win tricks in their own suit |
| Non-trump low cards | — | Worthless. These get discarded in the kitty exchange. |
| Your Hand Feels Like... | Bid | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Monster — 5 + J + other trumps | 25 or 60 (Jink) | You'll likely win every trick. Go big. |
| Strong — 3–4 trumps including a top card | 20–25 | You'll win most tricks with the kitty boost. |
| Decent — 2–3 trumps, some court cards | 15–20 | Kitty might complete your hand. |
| Speculative — Ace of Hearts + a couple of trumps | 10–15 | Worth a shot, especially if no one else bids. |
| Weak — scattered non-trumps, no clear suit | Pass | Don't throw away points on a hopeless hand. |
When you win the bid, you pick up 5 extra cards from the kitty, giving you 10 cards. You then choose your 5 best and discard the rest.
The single biggest advantage you can give yourself is paying attention to what's been played. You don't need to memorise every card — just track the big ones:
You don't need perfect recall — even tracking just the top 4 trumps gives you a massive edge over players who aren't paying attention.
When playing in teams, adjust your strategy:
If your partner is winning the trick, don't waste a good card. Throw a low non-trump and let them have it.
In 110, if your partner is the bidder, your job is to win tricks for the team. Don't save your best cards — spend them to hit the bid target.
If your partner leads a trump, they're telling you they have trump strength. Support them by following with trumps when you can.
When the opposition is winning a trick, dump your weakest card — don't let them see your strength.
| Mistake | Why It's Bad | What to Do Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Leading the Jack when the 5 is still out | Someone takes your second-best card for free | Wait until the 5 has been played, then lead the Jack safely |
| Playing the 5 to win a trick the King could win | You wasted your unbeatable card on a cheap trick | Win with the cheapest card possible — save the 5 for when it matters |
| Skipping a rob | You turned down a free trump card | Always rob. Always. |
| Trumping a trick you can't win | You wasted a trump and still lost | If someone already played the 5, don't throw your Jack at it. Dump a non-trump. |
| Overbidding in 110 | If you fail, you lose your bid amount as points | Be realistic. The kitty helps, but it's not magic. |
| Not counting cards | You're guessing instead of knowing | Just track the top 4 trumps. It takes seconds and changes everything. |
| Forgetting A♥ is always trump | You planned your hand wrong | Always count A♥ as a trump, regardless of the trump suit |