Gemopedia
Card Games🇺🇸United States21st century

Rook

Officially Rook (Christian Cards)

AMERICAN TRICK-TAKING PARTNERSHIP CARD GAME (2v2) using SPECIAL 57-CARD ROOK DECK (no traditional suits — instead COLOR-CODED with 4 colors + special ROOK bird card = trump). Created 1906 by PARKER BROTHERS (later Hasbro) as ALTERNATIVE to standard cards for CHRISTIAN + MENNONITE + AMISH families who avoided traditional playing cards (associated with gambling). Widespread in RURAL USA, esp. MENNONITE + PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH + BAPTIST communities. Bid-based trick-taking with 200-point target.

⏱~60 min🌤indoor

Quick facts

Category

Card Games

Type

Team sport

Players

4–4

Duration

~60 min

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇺🇸 United States

Estimated origin

Invented 1906 by Parker Brothers (Salem, MA); marketed to Christian families who considered traditional playing cards to be tools of gambling; became household staple in Mennonite + Amish + Southern Baptist communities; Hasbro acquired Parker Brothers 1991; deck still sold; strong regional following.

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

How it works

Objective

First team to 500 points wins (or 1000 or 300 depending on rule set).

Rules

Basic rules

  • DEAL: 9 CARDS per player + 5-card WIDOW (kitty) placed face-down in center

    Signature 9-cards + 5-widow deal.

  • BIDDING: STARTING FROM DEALER'S LEFT, players BID 70-200 (or PASS) in 5-point increments; each bid exceeds prior

    Signature 70-200 bid range.

  • HIGHEST BIDDER takes WIDOW into hand + discards any 5 cards to BURY

    Signature widow-pickup + bury.

  • TRUMP + PARTNER: BIDDER declares TRUMP COLOR (Red/Yellow/Green/Black) OR NO TRUMP; partners already fixed by seat (across-table)

    Signature trump color declaration.

  • ROOK CARD (bird icon) is HIGHEST TRUMP — beats all other cards

    Signature Rook bird trump card.

  • POINT CARDS: 5 (worth 5 pts), 10 (worth 10 pts), 14 of TRUMP color (worth 10 pts + last trick 20 pts), ROOK (worth 20 pts); total 180 pts + 20 last-trick bonus = 200 possible pts per hand

    Signature 180+20 = 200 point breakdown.

  • BID TEAM must take bid amount of points; if not, SUBTRACT bid amount from score

    Signature make-or-break bid scoring.

  • GAME: FIRST team to 500 POINTS wins (or 300 or 1000 house rule)

    Signature 500-point game (variable).

Scoring

Bid team scores points taken if made bid; loses bid amount if missed; game to 500 points.

Win condition · First team to 500 points (or house target).

Equipment

  • ROOK DECK: 57 CARDS — 4 COLORS (RED, YELLOW, GREEN, BLACK) with numbers 1-14 in each color, PLUS 1 'ROOK' bird card (trump)

    Signature 57-card 4-color Rook deck.

  • SCORE PAD + PEN

    Standard score-keeping.

  • TABLE + 4 CHAIRS (partners across)

    Standard playing space.

  • DECK BOX: iconic PARKER/HASBRO Rook packaging with bird graphic

    Signature Rook branding.

Terminology

Rook card
The special bird card — highest trump.
Widow
5-card kitty taken by high bidder.
Bury
Discard 5 cards face-down after taking widow.
Point cards
5, 10, 14 of trump color + Rook — worth points at trick completion.
Kentucky Rook
Variant with slight scoring differences.
Nickel Rook
Faster variant with 5-point bid increments.

Major competitions

  • Regional Mennonite + Anabaptist community tournaments (Lancaster, PA + Kansas + Ohio)

    annual · USA + Canadian Mennonite communities · since 1930

  • Fair Rook tournaments (rural Southern USA)

    annual (county fair season) · USA rural south · since 1950

Where it is played

Governing bodies

  • Hasbro (owner of Parker Brothers + Rook IP)

    Founded 1923 · Pawtucket, RI, USA

  • No formal international federation — traditional folk following

    Founded 1906 · USA

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

  • Regional tournament winners at Mennonite/Amish community events; no professional scene

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified