Pişti(pronounced"pishti")isapopularTurkishcardgame,usingastandard52cardpack.Itisnormallyplayedbyfourpeopleinpartnerships,partnerssittingopposite.Thedirectionofplayisanticlockwise.
Cardsareplayedtoacentralpile,whichcanbecapturedbymatchingthepreviouscardplayedorplayingajack.Pointsarescoredforcertaincapturedcards.Theword"pişti",describesacaptureofapilecontainingonlyonecard,forwhichextrapointsarescored.
ThePlay
Theplayertodealer'srightbegins,andtheturntoplaypassesanticlockwise.Aturnconsistsofplayingonecardfromyourhandfaceupontopofthediscardpile.
Ifrankoftheplayedcardmatchestherankofthepreviouscardonthepile,theplayingteamcapturesthewholepile.Thecapturedcardsarestoredfacedowninfrontofonememberoftheteam.Thenextplayerwillthenstartanewdiscardpilebyplayingacardfaceuptotheemptytable.
Playingajackalsocapturesthewholepile,nomatterwhatcardisontopofit.
Iftheplayedcardisnotajackandisnotequaltotheprevioustopcardofthepile,theplayedcardissimplyaddedtothetopofthepile.
Theteamwhichmakesthefirstcapturealsogetsthecardswhichweredealttothecentreofthetable.Bothmembersofthecapturingteamcanlookatthesecards,buttheotherteamarenotallowedtoseethem.
FurtherDeals
Whenalltheplayershaveplayedtheirfourcards,thedealerdealsanotherbatchoffourcardstoeachplayerfromthestock(butnomoretothecentreofthetable)andplaycontinues.Whenthesecardsareplayed,thedealerdealsafurtherbatchoffourcardseach.Withfourplayers,thisthirddealexhauststhestock(thedealerwillgettheexposedcardfromthebottomofthepack).Wheneveryonehasplayedtheirlastfourcards,anycardsremaininginthediscardpilearegiventothelastteamthatmadeacapture.Theplayofthehandisnowover,andtheteamsscoreforthecardstheyhavecaptured(seebelow).
Pişti
Ifthepileconsistsofjustonecardandthenextplayercapturesitbyplayingamatchingcard(notajack),thecapturingteamscoresa10pointbonusforapişti.Thecapturingcardisplacedfaceupintheteam'scapturepileasawayofrememberingthe10pointswhenscoring.Ifthepileconsistsofjustasinglejackandyoucaptureitwithanotherjack,thiscountsasadoublepişti,worth20points.Apişticanhappenatanystageofthegame,exceptthatyoucannotscoreapiştifortheveryfirstcardplayedbytheplayertodealer'sright(capturingtheoriginalcentrecards)norfortheverylastcardplayedbythedealer(justbeforethehandisscored).
Scoring
Pointsarescoredforparticularcards,forthemajorityofcards,andforeachpiştiasfollows:
Eachjack1point
Eachace1point
Club22points
Diamond103points
Majorityofcards3points
Eachpişti10points