Guides to Georgian games
Rules, scoring, terms and strategy for the Georgian games you can play free online: nardi (Georgian backgammon), Joker, Japanese Joker and Georgian domino.
Nardi (Georgian backgammon)
- Play Nardi Online Free — Georgian Backgammon in Your BrowserNardi is the backgammon Georgians play in every courtyard: same board and checkers, its own scoring of oini, mars and koks. On tamashebi.cc you play it free, in the browser, against a live opponent.
- Georgian Nardi Rules, Step by StepThe complete rules of Georgian nardi (backgammon) on one page: the board and setup, the opening roll, moving with two dice, doubles, hitting and the bar, bearing off and how a game ends, with examples.
- Oini, Mars and Koks: How Nardi Is ScoredHow many points the winner of a nardi game gets: oini is one, mars two, koks three. The exact conditions, worked examples, and matches to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points.
- Long and Short Nardi: What Is the Difference?The two main kinds of nardi, short and long, use the same board and dice but are completely different games. Here we compare them and explain which one tamashebi.cc plays.
- Nardi Strategy: How to Play BetterPractical advice for short nardi: opening moves, closing points and building a block, when to hit and when to stay safe, the race, and bearing off safely.
- Nardi Terms: From Checkers to KoksA nardi glossary: checkers, the dice and the names of their numbers, doubles, home, yard, bar, hitting, entering, bearing off, oini, mars, koks and more, with short explanations.
- The History of Nardi and Its Place in Georgian LifeWhere nardi came from, why the names of its dice sound Persian, and why it is part of every Georgian courtyard, told briefly and sticking to the facts.
- Anatomy of the Nardi Board: Home, Yard and BarThe nardi (backgammon) board piece by piece: 24 points and four quarters, the home, the yard and the bar, why points are numbered from 24 down to 1, and the starting setup that adds up to exactly 167 pips.
- Nardi Against a Bot: How to Practise EffectivelyWhat the nardi bot on tamashebi.cc does and does not do: its three levels, why it cannot cheat, and how to drill priming, back checkers and bearing off against live opponents.
- Nardi on Your Phone: How to Play ComfortablyNardi on a phone, in the browser: why it is played in landscape, how to pick and move checkers by tapping, how the move timer works, what happens if your connection drops, and how Android and iPhone differ.
- Multi-Point Nardi Matches: 1, 3, 5 or 7 PointsA nardi match to 1, 3, 5 or 7 points: how oini, mars and koks move the score, how a single game differs from a long match, and how to pick the right format for you.
- Bearing Off in Nardi: Rules and Common MistakesBearing off in nardi, precisely: when it starts, the exact-number, higher-checker and furthest-checker rules, being hit while bearing off, and the most common mistakes, with real dice examples.
Joker
- Georgian Joker Card Game OnlineJoker is Georgia's favourite card game: four players, a 36-card deck with two jokers, and a bid on every hand. Here is how it works and how to play it free in your browser.
- Joker Card Game Rules: A Complete Beginner’s GuideThe full rules of Georgian Joker, the card game (not the film), on one page: the deck, the deal, trumps, bidding, play, the jokers and scoring, with a hand worked through from start to finish.
- The Joker Score Sheet: How Points Are Written and CountedHow to keep score in Joker: the columns of the sheet, points for a made bid, a pass and a miss, khishti, pulka totals and the premia, with examples and an explanation of how the site keeps the sheet for you.
- Khishti in Joker: What It Is and What It CostsKhishti explained: when it is written down, what it costs at a khishti-200, khishti-500 and special table, how it appears on the score sheet and how it affects the premia.
- Premia and Moshla in Joker: How They Are CountedWhat the premia and the moshla mean in Joker: when a player earns the premia, whether a pass counts, whose score is wiped, and what happens when several players or nobody earn it.
- Tskhrianebi in Joker: How the Nines Variant DiffersTskhrianebi (the "nines") is the Joker variant in which every hand has nine cards. A comparison with the standard 24-hand game, and tips on how to adjust your play.
- Joker Card Game Terms: A Glossary for BeginnersA Joker glossary: koziri, bezi, pasi, khishti, premia, moshla, pulka, mojokvra, gataneba and more than thirty other words you will hear at a Georgian Joker table.
- Joker Strategy: How to Play Georgian Joker BetterHow to bid exactly for the size of the hand, when to take a trick and when to duck it, how to pick trumps, and how to use the joker so you avoid khishti and keep your premia.
- Play Joker Online Free, No App NeededYou do not need to download an app or program to play Joker: tamashebi.cc runs in your phone or computer browser, free, and you can even play as a guest.
- Jokris or Jokeris? The Two Georgian Spellings of JokerGeorgians write the "of Joker" form of the game's name two ways: jokeris keeps the full stem, jokris is the everyday form with a dropped vowel. Here is why, and what Georgians call the game.
- How to Play Joker on a Phone or ComputerStep by step: taking a seat, the bidding keypad, playing cards, choosing trumps, the score sheet, reactions, leaving, and what happens if your connection drops.
- The History of Joker: How It Became Part of the Georgian TableThe history of Joker told carefully, without invented dates: which family of card games it belongs to, what makes it Georgian, how it lives at the family table and how it moved online.
- Joker for Four Players: Roles and PartnershipJoker for four players: what each seat means — dealer, first and last bidder, fourth to play in a trick — why Joker has no fixed partners, and when players’ interests line up.
- How to Get Better at JokerImproving at Joker through practice: valuing a hand in numbers, measuring how accurate your bids are, choosing trump on three cards, avoiding the khishti and keeping the premia.
- Joker, Bura or Seka: Which One to ChooseJoker, Bura and Seka compared — three Georgian card games by players, cards, aim, length and difficulty, and where to play each. Joker and Bura are already on the site; Seka is not yet.
Domino
- Georgian Domino Online — Play Free with Georgian RulesGeorgian domino is the two-player tile game with one stavka per hand, scores in multiples of five and a guarded boneyard. Here are the rules in short and how to play it free online.
- Georgian Domino Rules for Two PlayersThe complete rules of Georgian domino for two: 28 tiles, the deal, the bazari (boneyard), the stavka, scoring in multiples of five, the riba and matches to 75–355 points, with examples.
- Domino Online: How to Play Free with FriendsHow to start playing Georgian domino online: quick play, a private table for a friend by link or password, playing as a guest and playing on your phone — with no money involved.
- Domino Strategy: Counting Tiles, Scoring and the RibaHow to play Georgian domino better: counting tiles, managing the open ends, doubles and the stavka, blocking the board and counting at the end of a hand — with examples.
- Domino Terms: A Georgian Domino GlossaryDomino terms on one page: tile, double, bazari (the boneyard), stavka, open end, multiples of five, riba and nichia — the words Georgian players use, explained the way the game on tamashebi.cc plays them.
- Domino on Your Phone: How to Play ComfortablyDomino on a phone with no app: how the mobile table is laid out, how a tile goes down with one tap, what happens when your time runs out or the connection drops, and how to add the site to your home screen.
- Domino with Friends: Creating a Private TableHow to play domino with a friend online: a private table, an invite link that works for 24 hours, a password-protected room, and what to do if your friend cannot get in.
- What Domino Coin Is, and Why It Is Not MoneyDomino Coin is the virtual in-game coin of tamashebi.cc: how you get it, how a coin table works, why you cannot buy it and why it can never be exchanged for money.
More
- Best Free Online Games — the Georgian ChoiceFree online games with no money, no download and no compulsory sign-up: Nardi, domino, Joker, Japanese Joker and Bura — how they differ and how to pick the one for you.
- Bura Rules, Step by StepThe complete rules of bura, the Georgian card game: the deck and trump, leading and beating, card points, 31 and the "var" claim, with a sample hand.
- Seka Rules: The Complete GuideThe rules of Seka on one page: the deck and the three-card deal, counting points by suit, two aces and the seka itself, the betting order, "vachvenot" (the showdown) and svara, with worked examples.
- Five-Card Bura: Rules and DifferencesHow five-card bura differs from the three-card game: 36 cards, five in hand, 61 points and a draw at 60:60, the four-player version in pairs, and why it is the harder game.
- Online Games Without Registration — How It WorksGames without registration: how you sit down at a table with just a name and an avatar, what a guest can and cannot do, and when an account is worth creating.
- Seka Combinations and How to Count PointsEvery Seka combination in order, from the seka down to a single card: how many points each is worth, how rare it is, and how the disputed hands are counted.
- Bura and Maliutka: The Instant HandsWhat a bura is (every card a trump) and what a maliutka is (a full hand of one non-trump suit), when they can be played, why two players can never both hold a bura, and how to stop your opponent getting one.
- Seka Strategy: How to Play BetterHow to judge three cards, when to call for the showdown, how much to risk and how to read an opponent's betting: Seka strategy, backed by numbers.
- What Georgians Play at the TableNardi in the courtyard, domino at the dacha, Joker among four friends, Bura and Seka on the road — the Georgian games, what sets each apart and how they moved onto the screen.
- Bura Strategy: Practical TipsHow to play bura better: managing trumps, when to raise with davi and when to fold, the 31 line and the "var" claim, risk at the end of a hand, counting your opponent's cards, and what changes in five-card bura.
- Shashi Rules: Georgian Checkers Step by StepThe rules of shashi, checkers as it is played in Georgia: an 8x8 board, 12 men each, moving and compulsory capture, capturing backwards, the flying king (damka), and how a game ends.
- The History of Board Games in GeorgiaThe history of board games in Georgia — what we know for certain, what the language tells us and what is legend: Nardi, cards and domino from the courtyard to the screen.
- Bura Terms: A GlossaryThe words of bura in one place: koziri, dasta, the trick, beating and giving, "var", davi, se, chari, panji, shashi, bura and maliutka, with short, exact explanations.
- Shashi Online: Where and How to Play CheckersWhat playing shashi (checkers) online gives you, how a live opponent differs from a bot, and how to play on a phone. Shashi is not on tamashebi.cc yet; here is what is.
- Why People Play in the Browser Instead of an AppBrowser games — no download, no updates, no phone storage. What you gain with the browser, what you give up, and when an app is still the better choice.
- Bura or Seka: How the Two Games DifferBura and Seka are both Georgian table card games and the number 31 turns up in each, but they play completely differently. A side-by-side comparison: aim, cards, combinations, length.
- Games on Android Without DownloadingGames on Android from the browser: how to play Nardi, domino and Joker without downloading, how to go full screen and how to add the site to your home screen.
- The History of Bura: Where the Game Came FromWhat we know about where bura comes from: the European family of ace-ten card games, its road to the Caucasus, why bura is so fast, and how it is played today.
- Games on iPhone from the BrowserGames on iPhone without the App Store: Nardi, domino and Joker in Safari, landscape mode, adding the site to your home screen and how iPhone differs from Android.
- Virtual Coin vs Real Money — What Is the DifferenceVirtual coin and real money in games: what separates entertainment from gambling, what is good and what is limited about a virtual coin, and how Domino Coin is built.
- Georgian Board Games and Card GamesNardi, Joker, Japanese Joker, domino and Bura: what each game is, how many players it needs and where to read the rules. Seka is coming soon.
- How the Rating Works, and Why It Is FairThe game rating on tamashebi.cc uses Glicko-2: everyone starts at 1500, a new player’s number moves fast and an established one moves slowly. How it is calculated, which matches count and how to climb.
- How to Run a Tournament with FriendsRunning a tournament with friends is easy: pick a game and a match length, draw a bracket and open private tables. Plus what the site’s official tournaments do.
- Friends, Chat and Game EtiquetteOnline game etiquette: using chat and reactions, what to do with a slow opponent, when to resign, and how to add a friend or block an unpleasant player.
- How to Beat the BotBeating the bot at domino: three difficulty levels, what the bot does well, where it goes wrong and which traps work. Plus what the bot does in nardi and Joker.
- What Happens When Your Connection DropsA dropped connection does not wreck the match: the game lives on the server and you have time to come back. How long, what happens in each game and when a match counts as lost.
- How We Know the Game Is FairFair play on tamashebi.cc is built into the architecture: the server shuffles cards and tiles with cryptographic randomness, the server rolls the dice, and your opponent’s hand never reaches your browser.
- Georgian Games Go Online — What Has ChangedGeorgian games online: why nardi, Joker and domino moved to the screen, what the games lost and gained, how the site keeps Georgian rules, and what is still a challenge.
- Free Online Games with a Virtual Coin and No MoneyWhat Domino Coin is, where it comes from and why it can never be bought or exchanged for money; how fair play is protected, and how to play with friends, on your phone too.
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