Batak
- CategoryGames
- First releasedDecember 3, 2008
- Versions1 archived
- Installable1 of 1
- AvailabilityStill on the App Store
- Bundle IDcom.adikus.batak
RequirementsCompatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iOS 2.0 or later.
Something off?
Report an issueBatak is a variant of popular trick-taking card game Spades. Batak is also known by many other names, including Oh Hell!, Blackout, Nomination Whist, Elevator (l'Ascenseur in France), Boerenbridge or 10 op en neer in the Netherlands, German Bridge in Hong Kong.
A standard 52 card deck is used. The cards in each suit rank (from high to low) A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. 13 cards are dealt to each player.
A player leads the first card. Each player must follow the suit led, if he can. If not, he should play the trump, or any suit if he has no trump. The player who has played the card with the highest value ( the trump card or the card of the suit led, if no trump was played) wins the trick. That player then leads to the next trick. Continue until all tricks have been played and won.
The game has two modifications: simple and auction.
In the simple game the object is for each player to bid the number of tricks he thinks he can take in the hand, then to take at least that number of tricks.
In the auction game a player offering higher bid wins the auction. He has to take bid number of tricks or more. Other players have to win at least one trick.
Enjoy simple interface and attractive game view!
Archived Reviews
8 of 12Easy and fun!
Best bid card game!
Too easy . Need it more Batak rules in that game , like u should fail if u get two more than what u said or u have to pass . Please update it .
Game is harder than previous reviewer implied. In auction it is often worth bidding to control the trump suit. I agree that simple mode should have either a bag penalty at 2 or a penalty for 5 or more bags total. Also AI really should be improved. The comp players should try to get their own nil bids. I had one computer pop bid nil with Ace of Spades in his hand. Bad programming! Also comp players never try to set other pops when they bid nils. Still, a good game.
Addictive, challenging, surprisingly deep strategy card game. The interface is attractive and functional. I find this to require the perfect amount of challenge and brain power when I am on the train coming home after a long day. Doesn't require the kind of focused energy that Scrabble or timed word games demand, but is definitely not a rote solitaire game, either.
I really like the layout of the game...however the actual gameplay is lacking for me. First off, there are no penalties for going over your bid or (in auction) no bonus for making your bid. This creates issues in both games, particularly in auction where there is zero incentive to bid since your score is the same regardless, and simply based on tricks taken. Also, as in all spades games, the AI is terrible. they make no effort to make there own nil bid (saving their highest cards until the end) nor attempt to stop anyone else's nil bid. And again with no bag penalties it is just a matter of taking as many tricks as you can with no other strategy involved. I only leave this review because I do like the layout and UI. My hope is some small updates to gameplay might keep this game on my device. Thanks.
Entertaining could use more Batak rules
Love playing this game
Period reviews recovered from Apple's customer-review feeds via the Wayback Machine.