# CrowsNest Card Game — Six Popular Versions

> Digital implementation of six popular partnership trick-taking card game versions. (iPhone/iPad app by Bradley Johansen.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crowsnest-card-game/id1585057041 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Bradley Johansen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1578546504)
- Category: Games, Card, Family
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.52/5 from 64 App Store ratings · 68 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 3 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2021-09-18
- Data updated: 2026-08-12
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crowsnest-card-game/id1585057041/reviews.md

## What is CrowsNest Card Game?

CrowsNest is the app developer's favorite version of Rook®, and is the default upon installation.  It is identical to Tournament Rook, with two strategic exceptions: (1) the Crow card is the lowest trump; (2) when declarer's team achieves the bid they receive the bid amount, not total points captured. 

Other classic Rook® versions available for play are: (1) Tournament Rook (a.k.a. Kentucky Discard); (2) Partnership Rook; (3) 1-High Partnership; (4) The Red 1; (5) Buckeye; (6) Dixie Rook.

CrowsNest is a partnership card game for 4 players, "We" team vs. "They" team. You and your AI partner (top of screen) are the We team. AI Opponent Left and Opponent Right form the They team. All 3 AI players have identical "skill".  The winning difference is up to you!

The CrowsNest card deck consists of 4 suits identified by color, plus a "Crow" card which is always the lowest "Trump" card. Each suit contains cards numbered 5 thru 14. The 5's (5 points), 10's (10 points), and 14's (10 points) are "Counters", creating 25 points per suit. Additionally the Crow card is worth 20 points, making a total of 120 points in the deck. (The Crow card can optionally be removed from the deck, in which case there are 100 points.)
 
1. Play begins by sequentially dealing the cards, 9 to each player and 5 to the "Nest" (4 if the Crow card is not used). Player to the left of the "Dealer" begins the "Bid" process by committing to a total his/her team will capture of the 120/100 points available. Minimum opening Bid is 70 and subsequent Bids must be in multiples of 5, up to 120/100. Players may "Pass" at any time, but then cannot re-enter bidding. Bidding continues until all but one player has passed. If all players pass on the opening round the cards are re-dealt by the same Dealer.
  
2. Player with the highest Bid (the "Declarer") temporarily adds the Nest to his/her hand, and then discards back into it any 5/4 cards from the combined hand. Counters discarded into the Nest are added to the score of the team that captures the last "Trick" of the hand. Finally, Declarer chooses the "Trump" suit for the hand now to be played. If in use, the Crow card becomes the lowest Trump card.
  
3. Player to the left of the Dealer leads a card to begin the first Trick. Play continues clockwise around the table to the remaining 3 players. Players must play a card of the lead suit when they have one, except the Crow card may be played at any time. Players out of the lead suit are free to play any card. Highest card in the lead suit wins the Trick, unless card(s) of the Trump suit have been played. In that case the highest Trump card wins the Trick. Player winning the Trick captures the value of any Counters for his/her team, and leads a card to begin a new Trick.
  
4. After all cards have been played the hand ends. Counters in the Nest are added to the team winning the last trick, and Trick points won by each team are tallied. Team that opposed the Declarer receives the total of their points. If Declarer's team achieved or exceeded the Bid they receive the amount of their Bid. However if Declarer's team total falls below the Bid, they receive no credit for points won and the Bid amount is deducted from their score.
  
5. The deal now passes to the next player on the left, and a new hand is played by repeating steps 1-4.
  
First team reaching 300 points wins the game. If both teams have 300 or more points, the team with the most points wins the game. If teams have identical scores in excess of 300, a sudden-death hand is played to determine the winner.

## Key features

- Six popular card game versions
- Partnership play (4 players)
- AI partners and opponents
- Strategic bidding and trick-taking
- Customizable Crow card rules
- Point counting system

## Recent user reviews (10 of 68)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crowsnest-card-game/id1585057041/reviews.md

### 2/5 — No Fun

*2026-07-11, version 4.4.1*

I played 3 games and never got even a decent hand. Boring

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2026-07-11, version 4.4.1*

App doesn’t play the game right. Bots have used the crow to trump a color I’ve led with, then played that color later in the game. You have to play the color led with if you have it in your hand. App doesn’t allow me to do the same. Don’t waste your time with this app.

### 3/5 — Love this but ….

*2026-06-05, version 4.4.1*

I have really enjoyed playing this game. I grew up with my grandparents playing this and it has brought back a lot of great memories. 

The only “flaw” I see (specific to buckeye mode as that is all I play ), is the degree that these super hands show up. I’ve easily played 10,000 rook hands in my life.  Ive never seen so many 160-180 hands show up ever in this short of a window. And there have been plenty back to back 180 plays. 

Might want to look to see if the random deal doesn’t have a bug in it.

### 4/5 — Love Buckeye

*2026-05-18, version 4.4.1*

Tonight We team successfully shot the moon, but was not award the win. Score went up by 180. The hand/game did not end.

### 1/5 — Don’t get this app!

*2026-05-17, version 4.4.1*

I cannot even play the game because person on the right plate the yellow card and I have a yellow card, but I can’t see it nor can I get to it because it’s off the screen. Please fix this issue. Seriously I cannot even play the game. I cannot even hit another card. I haven’t played this game in a while and decided that I would play today. When I opened the app up everything looks totally different than it did six months ago. Did anything change or am I playing the Rook app? If it did change, I like the old look better along with the option to restart the game after cards have gone out and while you’re playing a game. And another thing is that the app doesn’t fit the iPhone screen. Someway somehow it should adjust to the screen size. It is much bigger than my screen, and I cannot see my cards on the sides nor the scores.
Also, and most importantly, can you please put the current game score points on the screen. It’s a guessing game trying to figure out how many points they have and you have during and while you’re playing a hand!

### 5/5 — Great App

*2026-01-29, version 4.2.0*

This is a great app for a great game! The “Buckeye” variant is what I grew up playing and this app brings the nostalgia and good play. A couple suggestions after playing a bunch: don’t let the AI partner “shoot the moon” unless 100% running it- it sucks to lose because your computer partner made a reckless decision. Also, maybe have it where if the opponents have already passed on their bid, your partner doesn’t keep running the bid higher. Bidding wars with your partner are just bad strategy- maybe overbid one time, but not continually.

### 4/5 — Sorry Partner

*2026-01-17, version 4.0.1*

Love the game but your partner is the sorriest rook partner you’ll ever play with

### 3/5 — Nice Game, Easy to Play

*2026-01-12, version 4.0.2*

I’ve played several different apps with the “Buckeye” version.  This one is pretty good and simple to play.

The only thing that needs fixing and irritates me is that my partner overbids me even when both opponents have passed.  The partner should pass when you have the highest bid.

### 5/5 — Love it!

*2026-01-11, version 4.2.0*

I Love this app and can’t stop playing. I haven’t played Rook since childhood when my large family would hold a tournament and play all night on New Year’s Eve. I wish you could toggle the 1-4 cards. My family played tournament but with the 1-4 cards, more of a family mode I guess. Thanks for scratching my Rook itch and keep up the good work.

### 4/5 — Love Buckeye

*2025-10-21*

Thank you for updating the redeal to show the player’s pointless hand. Tonight one of the reveals left one card face down. Of course, in real play a redeal would not be granted unless all cards were revealed face up. I took a screen shot of this if you’re interested.

**Developer response:** Thank you for reporting this. I believe it is corrected in the latest version, 4.1.1 (NOTE: requires IOS 26).

## Frequently asked questions about CrowsNest Card Game

### What is CrowsNest Card Game?

CrowsNest Card Game is a digital application that provides six popular versions of a partnership trick-taking card game. It includes CrowsNest, Tournament Rook, Partnership Rook, 1-High Partnership, The Red 1, Buckeye, and Dixie Rook. The game is designed for four players, playing as a team against another team, with AI controlling the partners and opponents.

### What are the key features of this app?

The app features six distinct versions of the card game, allowing for varied gameplay. It supports partnership play with AI-controlled teammates and opponents, incorporating strategic bidding and trick-taking mechanics. The game also includes a point system based on specific cards and a customizable rule for the 'Crow' card.

### How is the game played?

The game involves dealing cards to four players and a 'Nest'. Players bid on the total points their team will capture. The highest bidder declares the trump suit and plays tricks. The team that wins tricks captures points from cards played and potentially from the Nest. The game continues until all cards are played, and the team with the most points wins.

### Is this app free to play?

Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, suggesting a completely free gaming experience for users.

### What are the different versions of the game available?

The app offers six popular versions of the game. These include CrowsNest (the default and developer's favorite), Tournament Rook (also known as Kentucky Discard), Partnership Rook, 1-High Partnership, The Red 1, Buckeye, and Dixie Rook. Each version may have slight variations in rules or scoring.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.4.1 — 2026-04-03

Fixed bug in declarer discard

### 4.3.1 — 2026-02-23

Minor code improvements

### 4.3.0 — 2026-02-03

Onboarding help for first-time users
Improved color scheme for IOS 26 options

### 4.2.0 — 2026-01-07

Improved AI players

### 4.1.2 — 2025-12-17

Improved AI players

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## More apps by Bradley Johansen

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All apps by Bradley Johansen: https://appshunter.io/developer/1578546504

## Related topics

[rook card game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rook-card-game) · [rook](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rook)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-12.*