Bidding
The bid
After cards are dealt, each player bids how many tricks they expect to win this round.
- Valid bids: 0 through hand size (number of cards dealt).
- Bids are simultaneous (in person) or sequential in digital play.
- Your bid is secret until revealed, except:
Bids above 5
At the physical table, bids greater than 5 are spoken aloud. GUB may surface high bids for table awareness.
Why bidding matters
Scoring rewards exact bids. Missing your bid costs points even if you won tricks. See Scoring.
Zero bids
Bidding 0 means you intend to win no tricks.
- Exact: +10 × hand size
- Miss (win ≥1 trick): −10 × hand size
Zero bids are high-risk, high-reward in later rounds when hand size is large.
Harry the Giant (artifact)
When Pirate Abilities are enabled, winning a trick with Harry lets you adjust your bid by ±1 for scoring purposes. See Pirate abilities.