Thunee

Thunee is a traditional South African Indian trick-taking card game for 4 players in two partnerships. Using a 24-card deck (J, 9, A, 10, K, Q of each suit), players compete to score 12 "balls" to win. The game features a unique card ranking where the Jack is highest and the 9 is second, trump calling based on partial information (4 of 6 cards), and several distinctive mechanics including Jodies (King-Queen declarations that can be bluffed), Thunee calls (winning all 6 hands), Double, and Khanack. Originating among Indian indentured labourers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from the 1860s onwards, Thunee has been played for over 150 years and remains the most popular card game in the South African Indian community.