FERBLI

OBJECTIVE OF FERBLI: Have the highest value 4 card hand.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-7 players

NUMBER OF CARDS:  32-card deck with German suits

RANK OF CARDS:  A (high), K, Over, Under, X, IX, VIII, VII

TYPE OF GAME: Vying

AUDIENCE: Adult

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INTRODUCTION TO FERBLI

Ferbli is a Hungarian card game that was quite popular in the 19th and 20th centuries. However, now the game is not common and is generally played in rural areas of Hungary and Transylvania. The name of the game is derived from the German word Farbe, meaning “color.” For a while, you could find this game in Austrian Casinos where it was referred to as 41 and Färbli. 

The object of the game is to have the highest ranking hand of four cards, or bluff and convince other players in the betting your hand is better so they fold.

THE CARDS & THE HANDS

Ferbli is suited for 2 to 7 players. Both the deal and game play move counterclockwise or to the right.

The game uses a 32-card deck with German suits. In Hungary, the pack is locally known as magyar kártya. 

The suits: acorns or makk, leaves or zöld, gourds or tök, and hearts or piros.

The cards: Ace or ász, King or király, Over or felső, Under or alsó, X or tízes, IX or kilences, VIII or nyolcas, and VII or hetes. Sometimes the Ace is referred to as the Pig or disznó. 

To compare hands, cards are given point values: Ace = 11 points, King = 10 points, Over = 10 points, Under = 10 points, X = 10 points, IX = 9 points, VIII = 8 points, and VII = 7 points.

The possible hand combinations, ranked from highest to lowest, are as follows:

1. Four of a Kind: Four cards of equal rank, four Aces is the highest, VII is the lowest. They follow the card ranks above.
2. Banda (gang): Four cards in the same suit. These hands are ranked according to the total value of cards in the hand, from 34 to 41.
3. Three of a Kind: Three cards of equal rank. Hands are ranked from high to low based on the card rankings above, ace is the highest and seven is the lowest.
4. Three-card Ferbli: Three cards in the same suit. Follows normal card rankings.
5. Two Aces: A pair of Aces. No other pair is valuable.
6. Two- card Ferbli: Two cards in the same suit. Value ranges from 21 to 15.
7. One card per suit: Ranked by high card, 11 to 8. 토토사이트

THE DEAL & THE BETTING

Players must mutually agree upon the stakes prior to starting the game. The vizi, or minimum bet, and the maximum bet must be decided. Players can raise their stake by placing extra bets. Other players must call (match the bet) or fold and forfeit possible winnings in the pot. Generally, the game is played Limited Ferbli (korlátolt ferbli), in which the minimum amount you can raise is equivalent to the vizi. The maximum raise is twice the previously largest bet. The initial bet can be between the vizi and twice the vizi. If the first bet is twice the vizi, the following bet can be equal or up to 4x the vizi.

Prior to the deal, the player to the right of the dealer, or the first player, pays the minimum bet to the pot.

The dealer then shuffles the pack and the player to their left cuts it. After, the deals passes each player a set of 2 cards, face-down. The deal starts to the right of the dealer. Each player has the right to request to see the bottom card of the deck.

FIRST BETTING ROUND – THE VIZI & THE CUKASSZA

In the initial betting round, players examine their two cards. Any player other than the one that already put a vizi in the pot must match that (at least) to play. The game moves counterclockwise or to the right, so the game starts with the player two seats to the right from the dealer (or the player to the right of the first player). Moving to the right, each player either matches the vizi or folds. If they fold, they drop out of the game. This is signified by placing their hand crosswise on the table, face-down.

If there are 4 or less players at the table at this point, the game can continue, it only needs two active players. If there were five or more players, the game needs three players to proceed.

In the event there are not enough players, all the cards are thrown in and players who did not pay the vizi must do so. The pot now has a single vizi per player, this is called a cukassza. The deal passes to the right and the game re-starts. The player to the right of the dealer must place another vizi and