Manille Rules for 4 Players

Game Overview

Manille is a point trick-taking card game played extensively in the Belgian region of West Flanders, where it is also known as Manillen. It originated as a French game called Manille, itself derived from the Spanish game Malilla (or Manilla). The term "manille" also refers to the highest card in each suit: the 10. The game is played by 4 players in two fixed partnerships sitting opposite each other, with no bidding at all — the dealer alone chooses the trump suit. A 32-card deck is all you need, ranking in each suit from high to low: 10 (the manille), Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, 7.

Objective

The aim is to be the first team to collect 101 points or more. A single game played to that target is called a "boam" (tree). Only the points contained in tricks matter, not how many are taken: a team can win having taken fewer tricks, as long as those tricks are worth more. Tournaments usually play the best of three boams.

Setup

To decide who deals first, the deck is spread face down and each player takes a pile of cards in hand; whoever has the highest card at the bottom of their pile deals first. The dealer shuffles, the player to their right cuts, and the dealer then deals in batches of 3, 2, then 3 cards, so that each player ends up with 8 cards. The next dealer is the player to the current dealer's left. During the deal, the dealer's partner is not allowed to look at their cards before the trump suit has been announced; if they do, the deal is thrown in.

The dealer then chooses the trump suit, or "no trump" (muulen), which doubles the value of the hand — with no bidding, the other players simply have to accept this choice. Some tables also allow "blènde muul": the dealer announces no trump before even looking at their cards, which quadruples the points. If the chosen trump favours an opponent, that player can say "Ik ga mee" ("I go along"), doubling the hand; the dealer or their partner can then reply "Ik ga tegen" ("I go against"), multiplying it by four instead.

How to Play

The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick with any card of their choice. Each trick is won by the highest trump played, or by the highest card of the suit led if no trump appears; the winner leads the next trick. Players must always follow suit if they can; if not, they must trump if an opponent is winning the trick, unless their own partner is the one currently winning it. Undertrumping is illegal: no player may play a lower trump than the one already winning the trick, unless they have nothing but small trumps left in hand.

Example: spades are trumps. The first player leads the Queen of hearts, the second player trumps with the 8 of spades. The third player still has to follow suit in hearts — any heart will do, say the 7, since no heart can win the trick any more. The fourth player doesn't have to trump, since their partner already holds the trick: instead they play a high card of another suit, an Ace for example, to bring their team as many points as possible.

Scoring and End of Game

Play continues until all 8 tricks have been played. Each team then adds up the points contained in the tricks it has taken: every 10 is worth 5 points, every Ace 4, every King 3, every Queen 2, every Jack 1; the 9, 8 and 7 are worth nothing. The full deck therefore totals 60 points.

The team with more points scores the difference between its total and 30; the other team scores nothing. For example, a team with 21 points leaves the opponents with 39, who then score 9. If both teams end up with 30 points each, it's a tie: neither side scores, but the next deal counts double. If one team takes every trick, its score is doubled, or even more with further doubling — stacked after a tie, a "muulen" hand, or an "Ik ga mee" followed by an "Ik ga tegen". Many tables still cap doubling at two per deal, to keep scores from spiralling out of control.

Common Variants

Manille is traditionally played by 4 players, but variants for 2 or 6 players also exist, without standardised rules from one table to the next. "Blènde muul" is itself often treated as a variant in its own right, reserved for partnerships that are well behind on points.

A Language All Its Own

Manille has kept a whole vocabulary alive in the West Flemish dialect: koekens, piekens, klavers and ertens for the suits, muulen for "no trump", renoang for a suit a player is void in, and bloaten aas for a lone, unprotected ace. The most dreaded hand even has a poetic nickname, boeketje Vlaanderen ("little Flemish bouquet"): two cards of every suit, giving no clue at all about which trump to choose.

Where to Buy the Game

32-card deck manille on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

• Not knowing when to lead the manille (the 10): it's usually a good idea early in the deal, in a non-trump suit.
• Forgetting to create a "renoang" by discarding your last card of a suit at the right moment.
• Holding onto a "bloaten aas" without thinking: it risks being lost to an opponent's manille.
• Undertrumping out of habit, which is illegal unless you have no other trump left.
• Neglecting to count cards, the single most important skill in Manille.

FAQ

1. What is a "boam" in Manille?

A boam is a single game played until one team reaches 101 points or more.

2. Can a hand be played with no trump at all?

Yes, the dealer can choose "muulen", which doubles the value of the hand. "Blènde muul" means announcing this before even looking at their cards, which quadruples the points.

3. What do "Ik ga mee" and "Ik ga tegen" mean?

Two calls that double the value of the hand. An opponent says "Ik ga mee" when the trump suit favours them; the dealer or their partner can reply "Ik ga tegen", multiplying the score by four in total.

4. Is undertrumping forbidden in Manille?

Yes. No player may ever play a lower trump than the one currently winning the trick, unless they have no other trump left in hand.

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