Agram
Agram is a trick-taking game from West Africa for two to five players, being played mostly in Niger and Mali. Unlike most trick taking games, no score is kept, and only the last trick matters!
Object of Agram
The object of Agram is to win the last trick.
Setup
Agram uses a special 35-card pack. Starting from a deck of Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards, remove all face cards and twos, as well as the A♠. You will be left with a deck with 10–3 in all four suits, and the A♣, A♦, and A♥.
Shuffle the deck and deal a batch of three cards to each player, then another batch of three, giving each player six cards in all.
Game play
Aces rank high in Agram; they are the highest card in most of the suits, but, because the A♠ is absent, the 10♠ is the highest spade.
The player to the dealer’s right leads to the first trick. Play thereafter continues to the right (counter-clockwise) through to the dealer. Each player must play a card of the suit led, if able; otherwise, they may play any card. After everyone has played a card, whoever played the highest card of the suit led wins the trick. The cards played are collected and discarded—they are now meaningless to the game play—and the player who won the trick leads to the next one.
Game play continues in this way until the sixth and final trick. Whoever wins this trick wins the game.
