This is a fascinating post, thanks.

I am an Arab, and Arabs love playing cards. One of the cultural staples of Arab card-playing is a game called (طرنيب, pronounced Tarneed with stress on the T). It's almost identical to BAB, but only bids of 7 or higher are accepted, and the person who wins the highest bid, gets to call the trump.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarneeb

It's amazing how the game has the same effect even when I play it with my friends. It stengthens friendships and even brings out realities you didn't know (some people have problems, others have undiscovered connections between each other)...