Hidden Sir · Hidden Rang · Band Rung · Band Rang · the face-down trump
In Hidden Rung the caller does not say the trump out loud. They lay one of their first five cards face down, and its suit becomes trump only when the card is shown. Until then nobody else knows what cuts, and the caller cannot play that card.
Everything else is Single Sir: tricks count one at a time, seven win the round, and the first seven straight is a kot. What changes is the guessing, and the moment a player who cannot follow suit says "show it".
Play Hidden Rung in the free app
Free · no gambling · no coins to buy
How to play Hidden Rung
What Hidden Rung shares with every Court Piece game
Four players in two teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other.
Play goes anticlockwise — to the right.
First hand: everyone draws a card, and the highest card chooses the trump.
Every hand after that, the player to the dealer's right chooses.
Five cards each first, then four more and four more — 13 each.
The trump is chosen from those first five cards.
Follow the suit that was led if you can.
If you can't, play any card.
The highest trump wins the trick. With no trump in it, the highest card of the suit led wins.
Whoever wins a trick leads the next one.
Calling the trump
The chooser has 20 seconds — 10 in a player's very first game.
They may pass once, to their teammate. If their time runs out, it passes to the teammate.
The teammate cannot pass. They choose within 20 seconds, or the dealer turns a random card and its suit is trump.
The hidden trump
The caller lays one of their first five cards face down. Only the caller knows it.
Its suit becomes trump once it is shown. It can't be played while it is face down.
Any player who can't follow suit may ask for it to be shown — and must then play a trump if they have one.
The caller may also show it on their own lead, and must then lead a trump.
Trump counts only from the moment it is shown.
If nobody calls, the dealer's random card is laid face down without anyone seeing it.
If the round ends before it is shown, it is turned up for everyone to see.
Winning the round
The round ends as soon as a team has 7 tricks.
Winning the first 7 tricks straight is a court, and it ends the round.
A court by the team that called the trump is a court. By the other team, it is a goon court.
The face-down card is the whole game, so Rung Royal's extras work on it: in Hidden Rung, changing the trump swaps the card itself.
Rung Royal extras
Our own additions, not traditional rules — offered offline, for watching a video.
New cards: deals you a fresh hand. Offered in every game.
Change the trump: in Single Sir, Double Sir and Hidden Rung, the caller may pick a new trump after seeing all 13 cards — before the first card is played.
In Hidden Rung, Change the trump swaps the face-down card: the caller lays another of their first five face down in its place, and the old one goes back into their hand. Only the caller sees it, as before.
If nobody called, the first chooser counts as the caller and may swap the dealer's unseen card too: they lay one of their first five face down, and the unseen card comes into their hand.
Playing Hidden Rung well
As the caller, hide a card of your longest suit, and remember that you cannot play it until it is shown.
As a defender, think before you ask. Once the card is shown at your request you must play a trump if you have one, so ask when cutting helps you, not out of curiosity.
Read the caller's leads. A caller who keeps away from one suit is often protecting the trump they hid.
As the caller, show the trump on your own lead only when you hold enough of it, because you must then lead a trump.
Questions people ask
What is Hidden Rung in Court Piece?
A way of playing in which the caller lays one of their first five cards face down instead of naming the trump. Its suit becomes trump once the card is shown. It is also called band rung or band rang.
When is the hidden trump shown?
Any player who cannot follow suit may ask for it to be shown. The caller may also show it on their own lead. If the round ends before it is shown, it is turned up for everyone to see.
Do I have to play a trump after asking for it?
Yes, if you have one. Once the card is shown at your request, you must play a trump if you hold any.
Can the caller play the face-down card?
Not while it is face down. The trump counts only from the moment it is shown, and if the caller shows it on their own lead, they must then lead a trump.
What happens if nobody calls a trump?
The dealer's random card is laid face down without anyone seeing it, and the round is played with a trump nobody knows.
How does a round of Hidden Rung end?
Exactly as in Single Sir: as soon as a team has seven tricks, and the first seven straight is a court. Tricks count one at a time; there is no pile.
Is Hidden Sir the same as Hidden Rung?
Yes. Hidden Sir, Hidden Rang, Hidden Rung, Band Rung and Band Rang are the names different families use for this game. Rang means colour, so it is the card game with a hidden colour: the trump suit stays secret until the card is shown.
Play Hidden Rung in the free app
Free · no gambling · no coins to buy
The other games
Single Sir The classic: every trick counts, and seven tricks win the round.
Double Sir The pile game: the same player must win two tricks in a row to collect.
Be-Ranga No trump call: the first card that cannot follow suit sets the trump.
Mendikot The cousin where the tens decide: capture three or four of them.
