The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (78 page)

clubs but is specified by the soloist.

American Sheepshead

(Shep). Like Skat, Schafkopf crossed the Atlantic in the nineteenth

century and developed independently. The fol owing games,

reported by Joseph Wergin in Wergin on Skat and Sheepshead

(McFarland, Wis., 1975), are typical.

Trumps are always Q Q Q Q J J J J ATK987, and

cards rank ATK987 in the three plain suits.

Three players Deal ten each and two face down as a blind. Eldest

has first choice of taking the blind, making any two discards, and

playing against the other two with the aim of taking at least 61

card-points in tricks (including also any that may be contained in

the blind). If he passes, second hand has the same choice, then

dealer. If al pass, a ‘Leaster’ is played, in which each plays for

himself with the aim of taking fewest card-points in tricks, the blind

going to the winner of the last trick.

Eldest leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads to

the next. Fol ow suit if possible – noting that al fourteen trumps

belong to the same ‘suit’ – otherwise play any card. The trick is

taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the highest trump if

any are played. The bidder wins 2 units from each opponent for

taking 61+, 4 for 91+ (schneider), or 6 for winning every trick

(schwarz). If unsuccessful, he pays each according to the same

schedule. In a Leaster, the player taking fewest card-points wins 2

from each opponent, or 4 if he takes no trick. An improved

schedule, proposed by Wergin, is 3-4-5 for a positive game and 2-3

for a Leaster.

for a Leaster.

A solo bid may be included, ranking higher than an ordinary

game. In this case the soloist aims to take 61 or more card-points

without using the blind, except at the end of play to score for any

counters it may contain. The appropriate pay-of s are 4-5-6.

Four players, partnership Each receives eight cards and there is no

blind. Ties are avoided by counting an additional point for winning

the A in a trick. This is known as ‘catching the fox’.

Four players, solo Remove the black Sevens, deal seven each and

two to the blind. Whoever takes the blind (eldest having first

choice, and so round the table) aims to take 61+ either alone or

with the aid of a partner. If he holds J he must play alone, but

does not announce that fact. If he does not hold 2J he may play

alone, but must say so immediately, otherwise whoever does hold it

automatical y becomes his partner, without announcing that fact.

Doppelkopf

4 players, 48 cards (2 × 24)

Doppelkopf is basical y Schafkopf with a doubled pack and a vast

array of eccentric variations. It has become enormously popular

throughout northern Germany, where it is normal y played with

French-suited cards rather than the German-suited ones preferred in

the south. The fol owing is based on rules promoted by the

Deutscher Doppelkopf-Verband (which has its own website), with

additional material from Claus D. Grupp, Ralf Wirth, Mat hias

Noelting and Noel Leaver.

Preliminaries Four play, each on their own account. It is normal y

played for hard score (coins or counters), or is scored in writing in

the form of such accounts.

Cards A double 24-card pack with Nines low. (Variant 40 cards,

with the Nines removed.) Cards have the fol owing point-values:

A T K Q J 9

11 10 4 3 2 0

There being two of every card, the total value of al in the pack is

240. Rank of cards The basic game involves a trump suit of 26

cards, ranking downwards as fol ows:

Plain suit cards rank A-A-T-T-K-K-9-9, except in hearts (A-A-K-

K-9-9), whose Tens belong to the trump suit.

The heart Tens are cal ed die Tol en, ‘Loonies’. The club Queens

are die Alten, ‘the grannies’. The diamond Aces are Füchse, ‘foxes’.

Aces and Tens are Voile, ‘big-’uns’.

Deal Deal twelve each in batches of three, or (with Nines omit ed)

ten each in batches of 3-4-3. Any player may demand a redeal upon

receiving (a) five or more kings, (b) eight or more big-’uns, or (c)

exactly one trump.

Object In the basic game, the players who were dealt the two

grannies are partners, but do not reveal themselves except by their

play. A player holding both of them may seek a partner or play a

solo, one against three. The partners’ or soloist’s object is to take at

least 121 card-points in tricks; that of their opponents to take at

least 120. Higher cal s are possible, but the grannie-holding side

always aims to take at least 121 card-points unless otherwise

always aims to take at least 121 card-points unless otherwise

specified.

Bidding Each in turn, starting with eldest, makes one of two

announcements, namely:

‘OK’ (Gesund – literal y ‘healthy’). This indicates a

wil ingness to play the basic game, with the position of the

grannies determining who the partners are. Anyone who says

‘OK’ when holding two grannies wil automatical y be playing

a ‘Silent Solo’, a situation that wil become apparent only as

play proceeds.

Special’ (Vorbehalt, literal y ‘Reservation’). This indicates a

desire to play one of the specialist games. If two or more

players bid Special, they must announce which game they

wish to play, and the highest bid determines the game. The

most usual specialist games are as fol ows. The first two are

partnership quests.

1. Wedding (Hochzeit). This is cal ed by a player who holds both

grannies but is not confident of playing solo. It of ers to accept

as partner the first of the other three players to win a trick,

provided that it is one of the first three tricks – otherwise the

bidder must continue playing Solo. (Variant: The cal er may

specify as partner the first to win a trump trick, or a non-

trump trick, or any trick. In every case, however, it must stil

be one of the first three tricks.)

2. Poverty (Armut). This may be bid only by a player who holds

three or fewer trumps and would like to find a partner. He

takes from his hand three cards, which must include any

trumps he holds, and of ers them, face down, to each other

player in turn. The first player to accept them (without first

seeing them) adds them to his hand and passes, face down, to

the bidder three cards, which may (but need not) include any

or al of those he accepted. These two players thereby become

partners. If no one accepts the of er, the hands are annul ed

and redealt.

The other bids are solos, of which there are several types.

Traditional y, the fol owing solos are al equal, and if more than

one player bids solo then priority goes to the eldest of them (first

one round from dealer’s left). A more recent tendency is to rank

them from lowest to highest as fol ows:

1. Ace solo. The soloist must take at least 121 card-points at no

trump. Al four suits then rank A-T-K-Q-J-9. This is also cal ed

a Fleischloser (‘meat-free’) solo, or Knochenmann (‘skeleton’).

2. Heart solo. As above, but with hearts as the trump suit

fol owing downwards from the Loonies, Queens, and Jacks.

(With hearts, there wil be only 24 trumps instead of 26.)

3. Spade solo. As above, but with spades trump instead of hearts.

4. Club solo. As above, but with clubs trump.

5. Diamond solo. As above, but with diamonds trump.

6. International solo. As above, but with only the eight Queens

and eight Jacks as trumps. The other four suits then rank A-T-

K-9. (This bid is not recognized by the Deutscher Doppelkopf-

Verband.)

7. Jack solo (Bubensolo). As above, but with only the eight Jacks

as trumps. The other four suits then rank A-T-K-Q-9.

8. Queen solo (Damen). As above, but with only the eight

Queens as trumps. The other four suits then rank A-T-K-J-9.

Play Eldest leads first, and the winner of each trick leads to the

next. Players must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play any

card. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the

highest trump if any are played. Of two identical winning cards, the

first played beats the second. (Variant: If both Loonies are played to

the same trick, the second one wins.)

During play, the value of the game can be increased by various

announcements, and by achieving certain feats, as described below.

Announcements Either member of the grannie side, or the soloist

holding both grannies, may double the game value by announcing