How to Play Jass

Jass is a four player, trick taking partnership card game which originated in Switzerland and, because of this, is commonly called Swiss Jass. Due to this, and several other reasons, Jass is considered the national card game of Switzerland and is subsequently very popular in that country. There are multiple variants of Jass which are played, with first, a description of one of the most common versions of the game which might be encountered. This rule set is essentially those for the variant of Jass known as Schieber Jass with several other popular variants listed in the variations section below, including another, similar version of Schieber Jass with the main differences being in the method of scorekeeping as well as some of the game's terminology. Being the most popular variant of this game type to be played, Schieber Jass is commonly shortened to just Jass, being thus the representative game which is often meant when describing Jass.

The game uses a 36 card deck. In many games a traditional Swiss-German deck is used, but the game can also be (and commonly is) played with a stripped down French suited deck. The Swiss-German deck consists of four suits (Flowers, Acorns, Shields and Bells). Each suit contains one card in each of the following denominations: Ace, King, Queen (Ober), Jack (Under), 10 (Banner), 9, 8, 7, 6. Thus, the standard French deck can also be used consisting of these same cards in each of the four standard suits. Traditionally, if the game is played in northeast Switzerland, it is played with the Swiss-German pack (also called the Jass pack), while if played in the south and west of Switzerland the traditional French suited pack is used. The normal ranking of the cards in the deck is as follows, from high to low; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. However, in the designated trump suit, the ranks of the cards in that particular suit are somewhat different, as follows (also shown from high to low): Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 8, 7, 6.

Card Ranking in Swiss Jass

As this game is designed to be played by four players in two partnerships, one of the first orders of business is usually to determine the partnerships (if this is not already predetermined). One method this can be determined is to have each player draw a card from the shuffled, face-down deck. The players drawing the two highest ranked cards play as one partnership against the players drawing the two lowest ranked cards. If two or more players draw cards of the same denomination, those players should draw new cards, continuing to draw cards until drawing a card that has not yet been previously drawn by any other player. The player drawing the highest card of all will be set as the first dealer, with the deal rotating in a counter-clockwise direction around the table after each hand. Each player should sit at the table in such a manner that his partner is sitting directly across from him at the table.

After the players are seated and dealer determined, the dealer thoroughly shuffles the pack and offers it to the player at his left to cut. After the cut, the dealer then begins dealing the cards in face-down packets of three cards to each player, starting with the player at his immediate right. He continues dealing these three card packets in a counter-clockwise direction until each player (including himself) has nine total cards to form his hand. After the cards have been dealt the players then pick up their hands for examination.

After each hand has been dealt, the trump suit for the hand should be determined. On the first hand of each game, the player who finds in his hand, the seven of Diamonds, has the first opportunity to declare a trump suit for that hand. For each hand thereafter during the game, the player to the immediate left of the player from the last hand who was first to have the opportunity to declare the trump suit on that last hand is then given this privilege.

The player who is provided the opportunity to declare the trump suit has several options. He may simply lead the first card to start the first trick to the table, with the suit of this card being set as the trump suit. Alternately, he may declare any suit of his choice as the trump suit for the hand. In that case, the first card led by that player need not be of the suit declared. Lastly, he may pass the privilege of naming the trump suit directly to his partner (called Schieben). If he passes the privilege, his partner must make a declaration of the trump suit. A player may name one of the four suits as the trump suit for the hand or may declare a special no-trump declaration of tops-down (oben-abe) or bottoms-up (unden-ufe). If a specific suit is declared, that suit is considered the trump suit for the hand and the other three suits are the minor suits. In a declaration of tops-down, the hand is played with no specific trump suit, and the usual numerical ranking of the cards. However, in a declaration of bottoms-up, the hand is also played with no trump suit, however the rankings of the cards is reversed during the hand. Thus, the ranking of the cards in the deck for a bottoms-up hand are as follows (from high to low): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.

Once the declaration of the trump suit (or tops-down or bottoms-up) for the hand, the play of the hand begins. The player to the immediate right of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick. Each other player, in a counter-clockwise direction around the table would then add one card of his own to the trick. On playing his first card to the first trick, each player also has the opportunity to declare a meld. He does this by declaring the point value (see below) of his highest ranking meld upon leading to that first trick. If a previous player has announced a higher ranking meld, a player may not announce a meld on his play to the first trick. If a player has a meld of equal scoring value as a previous declared meld by another player, he must also announce the number of cards in that meld. If the previous player who announced that same meld has a meld of more cards he declares "Not Good" indicating his meld consists of more cards and is thus considered a higher ranked meld. If his meld is fewer cards he would announce "Good" indicating the second bidder of that amount has a higher amount. If both melds are of the same point value and length, the previous player would state "equal" instead. In the case of an "equal" response, the second bidder than must state either the rank of the cards (for a four of a kind) or the rank of the highest card in the case of a sequence. The first player then again responds to this declaration with either "Not good" indicating the second player's is higher ranked, "Good" indicating his own is higher or again equal if the meld is a sequence and the highest card in the sequence is equal. In this case, if one of the melds is in the trump suit, that meld is considered higher, otherwise the first player to make that declaration is considered higher.

These declarations continue around the table during the play of the first trick for each player, until every player has had the opportunity to declare a meld (if applicable). Whichever player ended up declaring the highest meld then scores for the meld. That player also scores for any other additional melds he may hold in the hand and also any melds his partner may hold. Any specific card from the hand may only be used in one meld during that hand. Note that the scores for these melds are held in abeyance for that team until the end of the hand, as the scores earned during the hand should be scored in a strict ordering. The following shows the scores for each meld type in the game:

Meld	Scoring Value	Meld Description
Three card sequence	20	Three cards of the same suit in direct sequential order
Four card sequence	50	Four cards of the same suit in direct sequential order
Quartet	100	Four Aces, Four Kings, Four Queens or Four tens
Five or more card sequence	100	Five or more cards of the same suit in direct sequential order
Four nines	150	Four cards of the rank 9
Four Jacks	200	Four Jacks

Note that for purposes of comparing melds and forming sequences, the ranking and sequencing of the cards is as follows (from high to low); Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. However, if the hand is played at bottoms-up, these rankings as well as comparison of quartets and the highest card in a sequence should be in reverse order.

After the lead to each trick, each subsequent player then plays a card, in proper turn to the same trick. The rules of play to a trick in Jass are somewhat stricter than many other trick taking games and are as follows:

If a trump card is played to the trick, each player must play a card of the trump suit to the trick if he has one. The exception to this rule is if the only trump card a player has is the Jack of trumps, in which case a player is not obligated to play that card. If a player has no cards of the trump suit (or his only card in the trump suit is the Jack), he may play any card to the trick.
If a card in a non-trump suit is led to the trick, each player must either play a card of the suit led if they have one or a card of the trump suit. If a player does play a card of the trump suit to this trick, that card must be higher than any other previously played card of the trump suit to that same trick. If the player has no cards of the suit led or only lower cards in the trump suit, they may play any card from the hand. If the player only has cards in the trump suit which are lower than the current highest trump card played in the trick, he may play any of the cards in the trump suit from his hand.

As in most games of the trick-taking variety, the highest card of the trump suit played to the trick wins that trick. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick. The winner of each trick sets the cards of that trick aside in a pile face-down and that player leads the first card to the next trick (which may be any card remaining in his hand).

If, a player has both the King and Queen of the trump suit in his hand, he may score for the Marriage. He does this on playing the second of the two cards comprising the Marriage to a trick, announcing the Marriage, and earning 20 points. As with the other point scores in this game, it is not scored until the end of the hand, in a specific order.

After all tricks have been played and won, the partnerships examine the cards won in tricks to determine the points won. Each card in the deck has a point scoring value. The following chart shows the point scoring value for each card, also based on the game type played:

Card	In Designated Trump Suit	Non-Trump Suit	Tops-Down Game	Bottoms-Up Game
	Point Value
Jack	20	2	2	2
Nine	14	0	0	0
Ace	11	11	0	0
King	4	4	4	4
Queen	3	3	3	3
Ten	10	10	10	10
Eight	0	0	8	8
Seven	0	0	0	0
Six	0	0	0	11

In addition to the scores which are earned for capturing point scoring cards in tricks, winning the last trick of the hand entitles a partnership to score 5 additional points (which are considered part of the trick score). If one team manages to win all nine tricks during a hand (called match), they score an additional 100 trick points for doing so.

Once the hand has been completed, the actual score of the hand occurs. The scores are added in a very specific order. First the score for the Marriage is scored, next the partnership with the highest melds scores for those melds and lastly the scores for tricks is added to each partnerships accumulated score. Thus, the team to first reach or exceed 2500 points during this point counting phase is declared the winning partnership for the game. If both teams, during score of a particular category reach or exceed 2500 points, the team that reaches a higher total after score of that category is the winning team for the game.

Variations and Optional Rules

Trump Declaration: In standard Swiss Jass, as described above, after each hand, the next player in a counter-clockwise rotation from the last player to have the first opportunity to declare the trump suit would have that privilege on the next hand. However, in some games, one member of the partnership who scored fewer points on that last deal would have this privilege. Of these two members, the player who is closest in a clockwise rotation from the last player to declare the trump suit would be provided that privilege.

Double and Triple Scoring: A common variant rule that is sometimes used is to increase the scoring for certain trump declarations. If using this variant, all scoring for a hand in which the declared trump suit is Spades or Clubs is doubled, and scoring for a hand which is played at tops-down or bottoms-up is tripled. Scoring for hands played in Hearts or Diamonds are as normal. Usually, if this scoring variant is used, the score required to win the game is increased to 3000 points.

Handjass: Handjass is a variant of Jass in which there are no partnerships and each player plays independently. Handjass (also often called Sackjass) can be played by from 2 to 4 players using the same Jass deck as described for standard Jass, above. In addition, the ranking of the cards in this deck are as for standard Jass. In the designated trump suit, the ranking would thus be (from high to low); Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 8, 7, 6. In the minor (non-trump) suits, the ranking is (also shown from high to low); Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.

The game can be played by two, three or four players. As the game progresses, winning players will drop from the game. Thus, during the course of the game, the number of participants during a hand will decrease and thus the rules for that hand will be played somewhat differently (see the rules for each specific number of players as described below). The object of the game is not to be the last player in the game, as this last player remaining is considered the first loser of the game.

Thus, as the game continues, the rules will change somewhat based on the total number of participants in the game (from 4 to 2). While specific rules will change based on this number of players (such as dealing of the trump suit and scoring) the actual play of the hand is the same regardless of the number of players involved. Thus, the following rules will always apply in the play of this game.

Scoring method in HandJass

During each hand, the dealer will begin each hand by dealing each player a total of nine cards. Dealing is done in face-down batches of three cards in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. In some cases extra hands may be dealt (see below).

The game is traditionally scored on a slate using chalk to record the scores. This slate is usually place in the middle of the table and each player would record his score in the corner of the slate that is closest to his seating position. There are usually two types of scores that will be recorded for each player, strokes and potatoes. A stroke is one positive point and is so named because it is usually recorded on the slate with a vertical line, or stroke of the chalk. A potato is usually recorded as a circle (which might look somewhat like a round potato), and represents one negative or penalty point. A player's score at any time during the game is the accumulated total for that player, his total number of potatoes subtracted from his total number of strokes. Players reaching seven total points during the game drop from the game, with the goal not to be the last player to be able to so drop.

Play of the Hand: The first active player to the right of the dealer who did not drop from this hand, plays the first card to the first trick. In leading the first card to a trick a player may play any card of choice from the hand. The remaining active players who did not drop from the hand then each play one card in turn to the same trick in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. The rules for the remaining players as playing to that trick are as follows:

If a card of the designated trump suit is led to the trick, other players must also play a card of the trump suit to the trick if they have one. If a player does not have a card of the trump suit he may play any card to the trick. Also, if the only trump card a player has is the Jack of the trump suit, he is not obligated to play that card and may play any other card from his hand instead to the trick.
If a card of a non-trump suit is led to the trick, if a player has a card of the suit originally led to that trick he may play a card of that suit or my play a trump card to the trick. However, if the player opts to play a card of the trump suit to the trick he must play a card of the trump suit which is higher than any other card of the trump suit which might be currently found in that same trick. The one exception to this rule is that if a player has only cards of the trump suit in hand, he may play any card from that trump suit to the trick, including such a card lower than another card of the trump suit already found in that trick.
If a card of a non-trump suit is first led to the trick and a player has no cards of that suit, he may either play a card of a different, non-trump suit or a card of the trump suit. However, if he opts to play a card of the trump suit to the trick he must play a card in that suit that is higher than any other cards of the trump suit currently found in the trick. The exception to this rule is if the player does not have a card of the suit led to the trick but has only cards of the trump suit in hand, in that case he may play any card from the trump suit to the trick and is not obligated to play a higher trump than may already be found in the trick.

Once each active player in turn has played one card to the trick, it is determine who has won the trick. The trick is won by the highest card of the trump suit which is found in the trick. If no cards of the trump suit are found in the trick, it is won by the highest ranked card of the suit originally led to the trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

Weis: As in standard Jass, the player having the highest special combination in hand may score for that combination and any other combination found in the hand (this is called weis). The following chart shows the complete list of combinations and the scoring value for each:

Combination	Scoring Value	Description
Three card Sequence	20	Three cards in direct sequential order, all of the same suit.
Four card Sequence	50	A sequence of four cards in sequence, all of the same suit.
Four of a Kind	100	Four Aces, Four Kings, Four Queens or Four Tens
Long Sequence	100	A sequence of five or more cards, all of the same suit.
Four Jacks	200	All four Jacks

Only the player with the highest ranking combination scores for that combination, as well as any other combinations he might have in hand. Any specific card may only be part of one combination for that player, however. Thus, if multiple players have possible scoring combinations, these combinations must be compared to determine the highest. For this purpose, a combination with a higher scoring value beats a combination with a lower scoring value from the chart. For combinations that have the same scoring value, a combination that contains more cards than another combination is considered the higher. For a combination that has the same scoring value and consists of the same number of cards, the combination that contains cards of a higher denomination (as per the non-trump suit ordering of the cards) is considered the higher. If multiple combinations are to be compared of the same scoring value, same number of cards and same highest cards, if one of the combinations is made of cards from the trump suit that is considered the higher, but if neither combination consists of cards in the trump suit, the combination belonging to the player nearest to the dealer's right (in normal player order for this game) is considered the higher.

These combinations must be declared by each player upon playing his first card to the first trick. In making this declaration, the player should give a minimum of information to prevent revealing his cards in hand, but if additional players declare combinations, enough information must be provided by each player to allow them to be compared as per the above rules.

It should also be remembered that regardless of the trump suit for any particular hand, the sequencing and ordering of the cards, specifically for purposes of comparing these combinations and the use of the cards in sequences is as in the normal ordering for a non-trump suit, namely Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.

Stöck: Any player who has both the Queen and King of the trump suit in hand (called a stöck) is entitled to score 20 points. This is in addition to any score that (or any other player) is earned for scoring combinations as described above. This declaration is made upon playing the second of these two cards to a trick.

Trick Points: Each card won in tricks by a particular player earns a certain number of points for that player to be calculated at the end of the hand. The following chart shows the value of these cards, for both the trump suit and for the non-trump suits:

Card	If In Trump Suit	If In Non-Trump Suit
	Point Value
Jack	20	2
Nine	14	0
Ace	11	11
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Ten	10	10
Eight, Seven, Six	0	0

In addition, winning the last trick of a hand entitles that player to earn 5 additional points (which is considered to be part of the trick points for the hand).

At the end of each hand, the players then sum the total number of trick points, weis and stöck to arrive at his total score for that hand. These points are then compared (see below) and players earn a number of game points (strokes and potatoes) based on the totals.

As mentioned previously, based on the number of the active participants in the hand, some of the specific procedures (such as determining the trump suit for the hand or scoring) are somewhat different based on the current number of players in that hand. The following rules describe these differences based on the of active participants at the start of that hand.

Four Players: In the event of four current players, the entire deck will be dealt out with the dealer's ninth (last card) exposed and left face-up on the table for all players to see. The suit of this card is set as the trump suit for the hand. Although this card is considered part of the dealer's hand, it should remain face-up on the table until the dealer plays a card from his hand to the first trick.

After the players have had the opportunity to review his cards as dealt, each player, starting with the player to dealer's immediate right and continuing in a counter-clockwise direction, has the opportunity to drop from the hand. If a player drops from the hand they can earn no score on this hand but also do not risk earning any penalties on that hand either. A player who drops from the hand simply lays his hand face-down to the side and takes no further part of play in that hand. If all players save one drop from the hand, that last player who did not drop, automatically wins this hand and the two points (called strokes) for doing so.

As mentioned, if all but one player drops out, the remaining player automatically wins the hand and two positive points (strokes). If the hand is played, any player scoring less than 26 points earns one penalty point (potato). If all but two players drop from this hand, the remaining players can mutually agree to each score one of the points up for grabs during the hand. However, in order to do this, they must be able to demonstrate to all players that they could score at least 26 points during the hand. If unable to show this, these two players must play out the hand amongst themselves as normal.

If the hand is played out and only one player scores over 26 points, that player earns two positive points. If two or more players score over 26 points during the hand, the two players scoring the highest point total during the hand each score one stroke.

Three Players: In the case of three active players, four nine card hands are dealt, one being dealt to the center of the table as a blind or widow. The top card of this blind is turned face up and the suit of this card is set as the trump suit for this hand. Each player then picks up his hand for examination.

Each player, starting with the player at the dealer's immediate right and continuing in a clockwise rotation around the table may then take one of several options. Each player has exactly one opportunity to select one of these options. The options a player may opt to take, are (1) to pass, (2) play using the cards the player was originally dealt or (3) to exchange his hand for the widow. If a player opts to pass, he simply lays his cards in a face-down pile to the side, and the player and his cards take no further part in the remainder of that hand. The player can earn no score during this hand but also is at no risk of earning any penalties during that hand. If a player opts to play with his current hand he simply states this. A player may only opt to exchange with the face-down widow hand if no previous player has already exchanged for the hand. To do this he sets his own hand to the side, face-down, of which those cards no longer take any part in play. He then takes the cards from this widow hand into his own hand, temporarily leaving the face-up trump indicator card from that hand on the table. At this player's first turn to play to the first trick he may then take the face-up trump card into the hand. A player exchanging for the widow hand must play the hand.

After each player selects one of these options, the player who has the six of the trump suit is entitled to exchange that card with the face-up trump card if he chooses to. If a player does so exchange, the six of trumps then becomes the ninth card for a player exchanging for this hand, who takes that card into his hand immediately before playing his first card to the first trick.

The scoring is similar to that with four players. If every player save one drops out of the hand, that remaining player automatically wins this hand, earning two points. If the hand is played out, any player who scores less than 26 points earns one penalty point (potato). If all but one active player in the hand score less than 26 points, the player scoring higher than 26 points earns 2 points. If two or more players score 26 or more points during the hand, the two players scoring 26 or more each score one point. The game continues in this manner amongst the three players until one of the players manages to earn a total of seven points, after which that player drops from the game as one of the winners. The remaining two players then play as for the two player variant as described below.

Two Players: With two active players, four nine card hands are dealt. One hand to each player, one hand as the blind (or widow) and a fourth hand called the stock. The top card of the stock is turned face up, with the suit of that card set as the trump suit for this hand.

As in with three players, the non-dealer can take one of three options. He may (1) pass, (2) play with the cards he was originally dealt or (3) exchange for the widow hand. After the non-dealer has his selection, the dealer has the same options. However, if the non-dealer opted to exchange with the widow hand, the dealer may not do so and may elect to either pass or play with his existing hand. The stock hand as a whole may not be exchanged for, however if either player has the six of the trump suit he may elect to trade that card for the face-up trump card.

In the two player game, if one of the players drops out the other player automatically wins the hand, winning one point (stroke) and the other player earns no points or no penalties. If neither player drops from the hand, it is played out. If neither player manages to score 26 or more points during the hand, both players score one penalty point (potato). If one player scores under 26 points and the other scores at least 26, the player scoring less than 26 scores one penalty point and his opponent, who scored over 26 earns one point. If both players manage to score over 26 points, the player with the higher score earns 1 point and the opponent earns no points or no penalties.

The game continues in this manner until one of the player manages to accumulate a total of 7 positive points (strokes) through the course of the game, after which that player drops from the game and the last remaining player is considered the loser of the game.

Variants of Handjass: There are several variant rules that are sometimes used with Handjass, including the following:

In some games, the total number of players which would cause a player to receive a potato is reduced to 21 points. Thus, any player receiving less than 21 points would thus receive a potato on any hand.
Some games disallow players dropping from the hand, and thus each player must play every hand. In the three or four player variants of the game, no blind hand is dealt and thus there is no option to exchange for the blind hand as there isn't one. Additionally, with three or four players, each player is dealt 12 cards and the last card of the dealer is always exposed to determine the trump suit for the hand.
At some tables, players enforce a rule that for each potato that is earned during the hand, an additional stroke is also awarded during that same hand. Thus, if one player earns a potato during a particular hand, the player earning the highest number of hand points earns one additional stroke. If two players earn potatoes during the hand, each of the two highest scoring players earn a stroke. If only one player earned enough points during the hand to avoid a potato, that player earns an extra stroke for each potato earned during that hand.
Some players add a multiplier for the strokes or potatoes earned during the hand based on the specific suit set as the trump suit for the hand. Thus, for Spades the multiplier is 1 (no change to the score), for Clubs the multiplier is 2, for Diamonds the multiplier is 3 and for Hearts the multiplier is 4. Due to the larger number of game points which can be earned during the hand, players are not entitled to drop from the game until they reach 27 or more points.
In some games, if two or more players tie for the most number of points earned during a hand (being at least 26 or more), no player scores those points that hand and any points which should have been awarded during that round are instead set aside until the next hand in which all those tying players are active. Whichever of those players, on that hand, earns the most points during that hand, are awarded those temporarily set aside points.

Coiffeur-Schieber: Coiffeur-Schieber is another fun variant of Jass, with a three player and a four player variant. The three player variant will be described first, and the rules for the four player game will be described further below.

The game is usually played using the standard 36 card Jass pack, as described above, however it can also be played using the standard French suited deck, which consists of all cards five and lower removed from that deck. As in most other variants of Jass, the ranking of the cards as found in the pack will be dependent on whether that card is from the trump suit or not. In the non-trump suit, the ranking of the cards are (from high to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. In the trump suit, the ranking of the cards is as follows (also shown from high to low): Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 8, 7, 6.

Scoring method in Coiffeur Schieber

Determination of seating positions and first dealer are exactly as described in standard Jass, above. After each deal, the role of dealer rotates around the table in a counter-clockwise direction. Scoring for Coiffeur-Schieber is traditionally recorded on a slate using chalk. Since the game will consist of exactly 30 hands or deals, the slate is usually marked in such a way as to make recording this easier. Thus, usually a series of columns are drawn, usually two columns for each player and a column listing each deal type possible during the game (described later). A horizontal line is thus drawn along the slate for each game type as well as a "Totals" column at the bottom of the slate. If a slate is not available, this same scoring mechanism can be recreated using a sheet of paper and a pencil.

To begin each hand the dealer deals the cards in a counter-clockwise direction around the table, starting at the player to his immediate right. The cards are dealt out in three card face-down packets around the table until each player has a total of twelve cards. The player to the immediate right of the dealer, after reviewing his hand can either pass or make one of 10 declarations for the game type to be played during the hand. However, during the course of the game, each player must declare each deal type exactly one time. Thus, a player may not declare a deal type which he has already declared during this same hand. The following are the ten types of declarations a player can make for the hand to be played at:

Spades:
Clubs:
Diamonds:
Hearts:
Obenabe:
Undenufe:
Slalom:
Gustav:
First Joker:
Second Joker:

If a player passes instead of naming a declaration, the next player in turn then has the option of naming a game to be played. If this player also passes, the dealer then has the option to name the game type. If all three players initially pass, the original first player MUST make a bid (called being in the barrel), and must follow the normal rules for the declaration of game type.

It should also be noted that, as the game progresses, players will have less options for the game type selected during his declaration (as other types have already been declared by that player). In fact, towards the final portion of the game, some players will have already made all 10 declarations. In that case, the player must pass on his turn to make the declaration, and it may come about that two of the three players will have made all declarations. In that case, the remaining player must make each of the remaining bids he has not yet declared in the current game.

Once the game type has been declared, play of the hand begins. The declarer for that hand leads the first card to the first trick. When leading the first card to a trick, the leader may play any card of choice from his hand. The rules of play to the trick are, as in some other games of the Jass family, somewhat stricter than other trick-taking games, as follows:

If a card of the trump suit is lead to any trick, each other player must play a card of the trump suit if he has one, unless the only card in the trump suit the player has is the Jack of trumps, which he is not compelled to play.
If a card of a non-trump suit is led to the trick, and a player has a card of that suit, that player can either play a card of that suit or a card of the trump suit. If the trick already contains a card of the trump suit (but the trump suit was not led to the trick), if the player opts to play a card of the trump suit to the trick, it must be a higher card than has already been played to the trick. Of course, if the player does not have any cards of the suit led, and only lower cards in the trump suit, he may play any non-trump card to that trick. If he only has lower ranked trump cards in his hand, he may then play such a card.
If a card of a non-trump suit is led to a trick and a player has no cards of the suit led, he may either play a card of the trump suit to the trick (if he has one) or any other card from his hand.

Of course, in the hands in which there is no trump suit, the rules regarding the trump suit do not apply.

After each player has played one card to the trick in a counter-clockwise direction as per these rules, the trick is examined to determine the winner of said trick. The player of the highest card of the trump suit to any trick wins that trick if it contains any cards of the trump suit. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick wins it. Cards won by players in tricks are set aside, face-down such that they can later be reviewed to determine scoring for the hand. The leader of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

Once all cards in the player's hands have been played and won in tricks, the declarer examines the cards won in tricks to determine his scoring for the hand. Most cards in the deck have a scoring value as shown on the following table:

Card	Point Value - Non Trump Suit	Point Value as Trump Suit	Value in No-Trump Deals
Ace	11	11	11
King	4	4	4
Queen	3	3	3
Jack	2	20	2
Ten	10	10	10
Nine	0	14	0
Eight	0	0	8
Seven, Six	0	0	0

Example completed scoresheet in Coiffeur Schieber

In addition, certain other events may earn points during the hand:

Winning the last trick of the hand earns that player 5 points.
Winning all nine tricks during the hand (called a march) earns that player 100 additional points (for a total of 257 for that hand).

Only the declarer records his or her points for the hand, the other players record nothing on the score sheet. The player should thus record the total number of points earned during the deal in the appropriate column/row combination on the slate or score sheet. After each hand, the deal rotates to the next player in a counter-clockwise direction around the table.

The game continues until all thirty hands have been completed, and each of the scoring cells on the slate or score sheet should have a number recorded in it (or a 0 if the declarer earned no points during that hand). The numbers records in these cells are then used to determine the Game Points the player earns in the game, recorded as sticks (equal to +1 Game Point each) and potatoes (each equivalent to -1 Game Point). These game points are calculated as follows (and recorded in the second set of columns on the score sheet):

For each row corresponding to one of the suited declarations (Spades, Clubs, Diamonds or Hearts), the player who recorded the highest score for that game type receives one stick and the player who recorded the lowest score in that game type receives one potato.
For the Obenabe, Undernufe and Slalom game type, the player who recorded the highest score in each row for that game type receives two sticks and the player recording the lowest score for that game type receives two potatoes.
For the Gustav, First Joker and Second Joker game types, the player who records the highest score in each row for that game type receives three sticks and the player recording the lowest score in each row for that game type receives three potatoes.
If the declarer manages to win a march (every trick) on a game he has declared, he earns two sticks for his name in the Match row on the slate and each opponent records one potato each.
If the declarer wins no tricks on a game he has declared, that player records two potatoes, and each opponent earns one stick each.

In the event there is a tie for the highest or lowest score for a particular row (game type) the tying players each cut a card from the shuffled deck. The player cutting the higher card earns the stick or potato at stake by the cut.

After all sticks and potatoes are calculated for the players, the grand totals for all these +1 and -1 game points are totaled up and the player with the highest total in these Game Points is declared the game winner.

Coiffeur-Schieber for Four Players - Partnerships: Although Coiffeur-Schieber is usually played by three, a variant of this game also exists for four players. In this variant of Coiffeur-Schieber, the four players are divided into two partnerships consisting of two players each. The four player variant uses the same deck and the same card ranking as does the three player version.

Determination of partnerships can be done using any of the standard methods of doing so, including drawing of cards, with the two highest drawn cards playing as a partnership against the players drawing the two lowest. The members of each partnership should sit directly across the table from his partner. The player drawing the highest card of all during this draw can be set as the first dealer.

This variant is somewhat simpler than the base game as the game does not make use of sticks and potatoes, only recording the points scored during the hand on the slate or score sheet. One row is thus retained on the score sheet for each partnership, and the combined points for that partnership on the hand is recorded in the line corresponding to the called game type and specific partnership declaring the game type, on that hand.

In this version, there are a total of 8 game types to be played, with each team selecting each game type exactly once. Thus, the game will consist of 16 total deals. The game types in Coiffeur-Schieber are as follows:

Game Type Name	Description	Point Multiplier
Spades	The deal is played using the suit of Spades as the trump suit for the hand.	1
Clubs	This deal is played with the suit of Clubs set as the trump suit for this hand.	2
Diamonds	In this deal, the suit of Diamonds is set as the trump suit for the hand.	3
Hearts	During this deal, the hand is played using the suit of Hearts as the trump suit.	4
Obenabe	During an Obenabe deal, the hand is played with no trump suit. Each suit uses the normal, non-trump ranking for the cards. The point value as awarded for each card in the deck is also as shown for no-trump hands in the chart further below.	5
Undenufe	If Undenufe is declared for the game type of the hand, there is also no trump suit. However, the ranking of the cards in every suit is reversed. Thus, the following shows the ranking of the cards in every suit (shown from high to low): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. The scoring point value for each card in the deck is shown as for the no-trump hands in the chart below.	6
First Joker	After declaring a Joker hand, the declarer may name any of the other nine hand types. This declaration will allow the declarer to declare a certain game type more than once.	7
Second Joker	This is an additional Joker hand. In this hand the declarer may select any of the other hand types, including one that he may already have selected.	8

The player to the immediate right of the dealer has the first opportunity to make the declaration for the game type for the hand, and a player may not declare a game type for which his partnership has already declared during the current game. A player may also pass, with the opportunity to declare the contract rotating around the table in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. If all four players pass, the first player to pass must declare a game (called in the barrel).

The declarer leads the first card to the first trick and play of the hand is identical as for the three player variant.

After all tricks have been played and won, the declaring partnership combines all cards they have won during the hand to determine the number of game points scored for that hand. The game points for the individual cards is the same as in the base game, and, as in that version, winning the last trick of the hand earns the partnership 5 additional points. After these game points have been totaled for that hand, this total is divided by 10, dropping any remainder. The resulting value is then multiplied by the number shown for the multiplier in the table above, and this score recorded on the score sheet for that partnership for that game type on the slate or score sheet. The opponents of the declarers on each hand do not record any scores for that hand on the slate.

After all 16 deals have been completed, each partnership sums up the grand total from the entire game and the partnership with the highest total is declared the winning team of the game.

Coiffeur-Schieber for Four Players - Individual Play: Coiffeur-Schieber can also be played by four players, all playing independently (no partnerships). The game is played identically to the partnership version, with the following exceptions:

Each player plays independently and thus each player retains his own independent score on the slate. Only the declarer for a hand records any score for that hand in the appropriate cell on the slate or score sheet which corresponds specifically with that player and the game type played.
Each player must declare each game type (as described for the partnership four player version of Coiffeur-Schieber) exactly one time, so a complete game will consist of exactly 32 deals.

In all other aspects, the game is played identically to the partnership version of Coiffeur-Schieber, with the player at the end of the 32 hands with the highest grand total set as the overall game winner.

Scoring method in Schieber Jass

Schieber Jass: As mentioned previously, Schieber Jass is the most common Jass variant that is liable to be encountered. In addition to the common method of play for Schieber Jass as described at the top of this page, the following slightly differing rule set is also quite common. This Jass variant, as most of the games of the Jass type, is traditionally played with the Swiss pack, but can also be played equally well with a stripped down 36 card French suited deck. The standard ranking of the cards in Schieber Jass is the same as that used in most other Jass type games. This ranking is as follows (from high to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. However, in hands in which a trump suit has been defined, the ranking of the cards in that specific trump suit are somewhat different: Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 8, 7, 6.

Schieber Jass is designed for four players, playing in two partnerships of two players each. Any method can be used to determine these partnerships as well as the first dealer, including draw for high cards (using the standard non-trump ranking of the cards in the deck). Each player should sit directly across the table from his partner. The first dealer would normally be the player who has drawn the highest card of all in the draw for high cards, with the role of dealer rotating in a counter-clockwise direction around the table.

Traditionally, the scoring for Schieber Jass is recorded on a slate in which a large Z is written in chalk, one for each team. The specifics of this scoring mechanism will be described further below.

Once the players are seated and the first dealer appointed, the dealer should thoroughly shuffle the cards and offer the pack to the player at his immediate left to cut. After the cut, the dealer begins dealing the cards. These cards are dealt in face-down packets of three cards around the table in a counter-clockwise direction starting with the player to the immediate right of the dealer. The dealing continues until the entire deck has been dealt out and each player should have a total of nine cards. After the deal the players then pick up their hands for examination.

On the first deal of a game of Schieber Jass, the player who has the seven of clubs is provided the first opportunity to bid and also plays the first card to the first trick. This player is designated the forehand. On each subsequent hand, the previous forehand becomes the new dealer and the player at his right becomes the forehand (thus being the first player to bid and play on the hand).

Thus, the bidder of the hand has the option to either make on one of the six allowable bids on the hand or may defer the bid to his partner (called to shove). If a player does elect to "shove", his partner must bid one of the six allowable bids. The following shows the allowable bids in Schieber Jass:

Game Type	Description	Point Multiplier
Spades	The deal is played with the suit of Spades set as the trump suit for the hand.	1
Clubs	This deal is played using the suit of Clubs as the trump suit for the hand.	1
Diamonds	In this deal, the suit of Diamonds is the designated trump suit for the hand.	2
Hearts	During this deal, the hand is played with the suit of Hearts as the trump suit.	2
Obenabe	During a deal declared Obenabe, the hand is played with no trump suit. Each suit then uses the normal, non-trump ranking for it's cards. The point value as awarded for each card in the deck is also as shown as for no-trump hands in the chart shown below.	3
Undenufe	If Undenufe is declared for the game type of a hand, play is also with no trump suit. However, the ranking of the cards in every suit is reversed. Thus, the following is the ranking of the cards in every suit (from high to low): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. The scoring point value for each card in the deck is shown as for the no-trump hands in the chart below.	4

As in the other types of Jass, in this variant, upon playing the first card to the first trick, each player has the opportunity to declare his best meld (weis). These melds are the same as in standard Swiss Jass as described above but are provided again for reference:

Meld	Base Scoring Value	Meld Description
Three card sequence	20	Three cards of the same suit in direct sequential order
Four card sequence	50	Four cards of the same suit in direct sequential order
Quartet	100	Four Aces, Four Kings, Four Queens or Four tens
Five or more card sequence	100	Five or more cards of the same suit in direct sequential order
Four nines	150	Four cards of the rank 9
Four Jacks	200	Four Jacks

It should be noted however, that these values for the melds are multiplied by the multiplier for the Game Type which has been declared by the bidder for the hand. As in the other forms of Jass, only the highest declared weis is entitled to score for it during the hand. Thus, if a previous player has declared a higher valued weis than a player has he does not declare a weis for the hand. After it is determined which player has the highest scoring weis, any other valid melds that either player individually has in entirety may also be scored for that partnership. These points are scored immediately for the team who earns them and are added on the slate for the appropriate team immediately.

Also similar to most other forms of Jass, a player who has both the King and Queen of the trump suit (in the game types which feature a trump suit) may make a declaration of stock when playing the second of the two cards. This immediately earns that partnership 20 points. This score, like all other scores during the hand, is multiplied by the multiplier for the game type declared for the hand.

Play of the Hand: Play of the hand is also very similar to the other forms of Jass. The leader to each trick may play any card of choice from his hand, and each other player then plays one card from his own, with one card from each player making a complete trick. If the game type features a trump suit, a player must either play a card of the suit originally led to the trick or a card of the trump suit. If he does not have a card of the same suit as played to the trick he may play any card from his hand (including a card of the designated trump suit, if any). However, if a trick in which a non-trump suit card was led but that trick already contains a card of the trump suit played by another player, a player who opts to play a card of the trump suit must play a higher trump card than any yet played to the trick (unless that player only has cards of the trump suit in hand, in which he may play any of those cards to the trick). A player who has the Jack of the trump suit, however, is never obligated to play this card unless he prefers to (even if a trump suit was led to the trick). If a player has no cards of the suit led nor cards of the trump suit for the hand, he may play any card from his hand. Each trick is won by the player of the highest card in the trump suit found in the trick. If no card of the trump suit has been played to the trick, it is instead won by the player of the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

After all tricks have been played and won, each team totals the card points earned during the hand for cards captured in tricks. The following chart shows the base value of each card in the deck, dependent on the game type selected:

Card	In Trump Suit in a Trump Declaration	In Non-Trump Suit in Trump Declaration	All Suits in a Non-Trump Declaration
	Base Point Value
Jack	20	2	2
Nine	14	0	0
Ace	11	11	11
King	4	4	4
Queen	3	3	3
Ten	10	10	10
Eight	0	0	8
Seven, Six	0	0	0

Winning the last trick of the hand also earns that partnership 5 points, to be added to the card points score. After these card points are totaled, these points should then also be multiplied by the multiplier based on the game type declared for this hand, and these scores then added for that team. If one team manages to win all nine tricks during the hand, they earn an additional 100 points bonus to their score (which is also modified by the multiplier before being added to that teams cumulative, ongoing score for the game).

The first team to score a cumulative total of 3000 or more points is declared the winner. This can actually occur in the middle of a hand, in which case the game immediately ends with that team declared the winner. Winning the game earns each player 1 game point. If the other team earned a total of less than 1500 points, this is called "schneidered" and the winners of the hand earn two game points instead of one.

Schieber Jass slate scoring in progress

Because this total may be reached during the middle of a hand, a player may feel that his team has won the current game during the middle of a hand. A player may announce this at any time during the hand, in which case play immediately ceases to determine if that team did in fact win. Thus, once a player makes this declaration, play is stopped. If a player who had the King and Queen for a stock may immediately declare it, scoring for it, and then previously played cards in tricks are examined and scores calculated. If the team declaring they have won has managed to earn 3000 or more points, they are declared the winner regardless of the number of points the other team may have. However, if they failed to reach 3000 points, they immediately lose the game. Note that, after one player has announced they believe they are the winners of said game on the first trick of the hand, the opponents may also declare they believe they have won the game as well. In this case, if both teams have earned 3000 points, the points earned during the hand are calculated in a very specific order: Stock, Card Points, Weis.

Scoring Mechanism: As mentioned previously, the scoring for Schieber Jass is traditionally recorded on a slate. To begin the game a large letter Z is drawn for each team on the slate. One member of each team is designated as the scorekeeper for that team, and the slate should be placed in the middle of the table between the two scorekeepers. These players then record the scores on the Z corresponding to that team. Scores are then marked with lines drawn on the Z to represent a certain number of points scored during the hand. A multiple of one hundred points is then marked with a vertical line drawn through the top, horizontal line of the Z in relation to the scorekeeper for that team. These are usually marked in groups of five. Multiples of fifties are marked on the middle, slanted line of the Z and these are usually marked in groups of two. Multiples of twenty are marked on the lower horizontal line of the slate in relation to the scorekeeper for that team and are usually marked in groups of five. For scores under 20, these are usually simply marked on the slate near the Z. At any moment in time, each partnerships score should thus be able to be calculated by adding up the total multiples from the Z corresponding to that particular team. Although this is the traditional method of scoring for this game, the score can also easily be performed using a standard pencil and score sheet with columns for recording scores earned during the progress of the game.

Differenzler Jass: Differenzler Jass is another variant of standard Swiss Jass as described above. Differenzler Jass is designed to be played by three or four players using the standard 36 card Jass pack as described for Swiss Jass, but if such a deck is not at hand, can be played using a stripped down French deck. The ranking of the cards in this deck is the same as in most other Swiss Jass type games. In the three non-trump suits, the ranking of the cards is (listed from high to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. In the trump suit, the ranking of the cards is (also listed from highest to lowest ranked): Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 8, 7, 6.

Determination of first dealer and seating positions can be performed in the same way as Swiss Jass. After each hand the role of dealer should rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. Once the players are seated and the first dealer chosen, he should then thoroughly shuffle the cards and offer the deck to the player at his left to cut. The bottom card of the top section which is lifted off by the cutter should be displayed to all players. The suit of that card is set as the trump suit for this hand. As this is the bottom card of the topmost card before the cut, this card should eventually end up as the bottom of the deck and thus dealt to the dealer as the last card in the deal.

Bidding in Differenzler Jass

After the cut has been completed, the dealer then begins dealing the cards, in packets of three face-down cards to each player, starting with the player to his immediate right. He continues dealing until the entire deck has been dealt out. In the three player version each player will receive twelve total cards and in a four player game each player will receive nine.

After each player has received his total number of cards, each player then states a number of card points he expects to win during the hand. The minimum such statement is 0 and the maximum 157. The player to the immediate right of the dealer makes the first such statement and then each player in a counterclockwise direction also provides his own estimation of how many such card points he expects to win during this hand.

It should be noted that in Differenzler Jass, there is no melding or scoring for combinations (weiss) or marriages. All points earned during the hand are strictly from card points captured in tricks as well as the five points awarded for winning the final trick of the hand.

After each player has made his statement, play of the hand begins. The player to the immediate right of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick with play to that trick continuing in a counter-clockwise direction.

The leader to any trick may play any card of choice from his hand. Each other player, in turn, then plays one card to the trick. If a player has any cards of the suit originally led to the trick must play either a card of that suit or a card of the trump suit to the trick. If the player has no cards of the suit originally led to the trick he may play any card of his choice from his hand to the trick (including a card of the trump suit). If a card of the trump suit was led to the trick, and the only card of that suit that a subsequent player has remaining in his hand is the Jack of the trump suit, he is not required to play that card. Additionally, if a card of a plain suit (non-trump) was played to the trick and another player has played a trump suit to that same trick, subsequent players may not player a lower card of the trump suit to that suit unless they have no cards of the suit originally led to the trick.

The highest card of the trump suit played to the trick wins the trick. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick wins it. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

Each player retains an accumulated total of penalty points during the game. Players start with a score of 0 and then add penalty points to this score as the game progresses. The number of penalty points added for a hand is the difference between the number of points stated at the beginning of the hand and the actual number of card points earned during the hand. If a player's statement and the number of points taken during the hand is exactly the same, he scores nothing for that hand. As in other forms of Jass, most cards in the deck thus have a corresponding card point score which is used to determine the card point score for each player during the hand:

Card	Point Value - Non Trump Suit	Point Value as Trump Suit
Ace	11	11
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Jack	2	20
Ten	10	10
Nine	0	14
Eight, Seven, Six	0	0

Each game should consist of a number of hands in which each player deals the same number of times. After this set number of hands, the player with the lowest accumulated total in penalty points over the course of the game is declared the winner.

Mittlere Jass: Mittlere Jass is another game which appears to have been descended from standard Swiss Jass. As in most of the other Jass type games, this game is traditionally played using the 36 card Swiss Jass pack. However, if such a pack is not at hand, the standard French deck can also be used. What makes Mitterle Jass unusual is that the object of this 3 player game is not to be the player with the middle score.

Setting the trump suit

The ranking of the cards in the deck for the non-trump suit are as follows (from high to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. The ranking of the cards in the trump suit is slightly different, as follows (also shown high to low): Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 8, 7, 6.

Seating positions and first dealer can be determine in a variety of ways, with drawing for high cards a method commonly used. After each hand, the role of dealer rotates in a counterclockwise direction around the table.

Once the players are seated and the first dealer chosen, this player thoroughly shuffles the pack and offers it to the player at his immediate left to cut. After the cut the dealer then begins dealing the cards in face-down packets of three cards, beginning with the player to his right. He continues dealing these three card packets around the table in a counterclockwise direction until each player has a total of 12 cards.

The game initially begins with no trump set, but during the game, the trump suit will be determined as described further below. The player to the immediate right of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick and play then continues in a counter-clockwise direction with each player contributing one card to each trick.

As previously mentioned, during this first part of the hand, there is currently no designated trump suit. During this phase, the leader to each trick may play any card of choice from his hand. Thereafter, each other player must then play a card of the same suit to the trick if he has one. If he has no such cards of the suit originally led to the trick he may play any other card from his hand. The suit of this card so played to the trick then sets the trump suit for the remainder of that trick and the rest of the hand as well.

Once the trump suit has been set, the rules of play to a trick change slightly. The leader may still lead any card of his choice to start the trick. The other players, if having a card of the suit originally led to this trick, may either play a card of that suit or a card of the trump suit, if they have one. If they have no cards of the suit originally led to the trick, they may play any card from the hand including one of the trump suit (if they so have one). If a card of the trump suit was led to the trick, the player with the Jack of the trump suit is never obliged to play that card, even if that is the only trump card he has remaining in his hand. In addition, if the trick was originally started in the non-trump suit and another player has subsequently played a card of the trump suit to the trick, other players may not play lower cards of the trump suit unless that player has no cards in the suit originally led to that trick.

The highest trump card played to each trick wins that trick. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, the player of the highest card of the suit originally led to the trick wins the trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

As in most other games of the Jass type, each card as won in tricks has a certain point value as captured in a trick. The following chart shows the value of each card in the deck:

Card	Point Value - Non Trump Suit	Point Value as Trump Suit
Ace	11	11
King	4	4
Queen	3	3
Jack	2	20
Ten	10	10
Nine	0	14
Eight	0 (or 8 in special cases, see below)	0
Seven, Six	0	0

In the highly rare event that no trump suit is declared during the game (which can only occur if every player has exactly the same number of cards in each suit), all cards will take on the value of the Non-Trump suit. In addition, in order that the deck will contain a total of 157 points, in the event of no trump suit declared during a hand, each eight has a point value of 8 points.

Winning of the last trick also adds an additional five card point total to the player who manages to win that last trick.

Setting the trump suit

As in some of the other games of this type, score is actually recorded with game points in the form of sticks and potatoes (lines and circles) recorded on a slate board with a piece of chalk. Using this scoring method, the slate is placed in the middle of the table and each player is designated a corner of this slate (with one corner unused). Thus some (but not all) players during a hand may receive a certain number of such sticks (positive scores) or potatoes (negative scores) during each hand. The following list should be consulted in order to determine the scores awarded for the hand. The first event that can describe the outcome of the current hand is used to determine the scoring for that hand (thus only one the most appropriate of the following should be applied to any specific hand).

If one player manages to win every trick during any hand, that player earns two sticks. Each other player receives one potato.
If one player manages to win no tricks, that player receives two potatoes and each opponent earns one stick.
If one player manages to win 100 or more points, that player receives two potatoes and each other player receives one stick.
If two players earn the exact same score during a hand, both of those players each receive one potato and the remaining player receives two sticks.
The player with the middle score receives two potatoes and each other player receives one stick.

When scores are recorded on the slate, for easier calculation, a stick can be drawn through a potato, which then cancel each other out.

After a pre-determined, set number of hands have been played, the player with the most sticks is declared the overall game winner.

Bien: Bien is a Flemish game that is not only played in it's native country of Belgium, but has also been transplanted to other countries which have a high concentration of Flemish card players.

Bien is played by four players using one 32 card deck. The ranking of the cards in each suit will be different dependent on whether that suit is the designated trump suit for the hand. In the trump suit, the ranking of the cards is as follows, from highest to lowest: Jack, 9, Ace, King, Queen, 10, 8, 7. In a non-trump suit, the ranking of the cards are, also shown from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7.

The four participants are divided into two teams of two players each. Each team starts the game with a total score of 12, and, through the course of the game attempts to be the first partnership to reduce their score to zero or less.

Determination of partnerships can be performed using any number of methods, with a draw of cards often used. Using that method, each player draws a card from the shuffled deck, and the players drawing the two highest cards forming one partnership and the players drawing the two lowest forming the opposing partnership. The player drawing the highest card of all can be set as the first dealer, with the role of dealer rotating in a clockwise direction around the table after each hand. Each player should be seated at the table, directly across from their partner.

The dealer thoroughly shuffles the deck and offers it to the player at his right to cut. After the cut he begins dealing the cards, in batches of four face-down cards. He starts with the player at his immediate left and continues around the table until each player has a total of eight cards. After the deal, there is a round of bidding, with the player at the left of the dealer having the first bid and the bidding continuing in a clockwise direction around the table. Each player may only make one bid, and his bid is an estimate of how many points that player believes he and his partner can earn during the current hand. The lowest legal bid is 100, and each bid must be higher than any previous bid. Bids are usually even multiples of ten. A player is not required to bid if they believe their hand is not strong enough to warrant a higher bid. In addition to the numbered bids, there are also two special high bids a player can make:

If a player believes his team can win all eight tricks, he may make a bid of Pondor. This is the second highest bid in the game.
If one player has all eight cards of the trump suit in his hand, he may make a bid of Laydown Pondor. He then shows his hand, and his team immediately wins the hand, being entitled to subtract 7 points from their current score.

After the bidding, the identity of the high bidder should be noted and the amount of that bid. The high bidding player leads the first card to the first trick. The suit of this first card to the first trick sets the trump suit to be used for that hand.

The leader to a trick may play any card of choice from the hand. Each other player in a clockwise direction around the table, plays one card to the same trick. If the lead card to a trick is in a non-trump suit, each other player may play any card (of any suit) from their hand to the trick, including a card from the trump suit. However, if one team is winning the trick with a trump played to that trick (in a trick in which a non-trump suit was led), the other member of that team may not play a lower ranked card in the trump suit, unless they have no other such available play in hand. If a card in the trump suit is led to a trick, each other player must play a card of the trump suit to that same trick, if they have one.

As soon as the high bidder plays his first card to the second trick of the game, he is entitled to show and, at the end of the hand, score for, his melds. His partner must also show his melds on his turn during the second trick as well, if he has any. The following are the available melds the bidders team can score for during the hand:

Meld	Scoring Value	Description
Marriage	This meld consists of the player having and showing the King and Queen in the trump suit	20 Points
3 Card Sequence	This is a meld of three cards, in direct sequential order, all of the same suit.	20
3 Card Sequence With trump King and Queen	This is a meld of three cards, in direct sequential order, all of the same suit, which contains within that sequence the King and Queen of the trump suit.	40
4 Card Sequence	This is a meld of four cards, in direct sequential order, all of the same suit.	50
4 Card Sequence With trump King and Queen	This is a meld of four cards, in direct sequential order, all of the same suit, which contains within that sequence, the King and Queen of the trump suit.	70
5+ Card Sequence	This is a meld of five cards or more, in direct sequential order, all of the same suit.	100
5+ Card Sequence With trump King and Queen	This is a meld of five or more cards, in direct sequential order, all of the same suit, which contains within that sequence, the King and Queen of the trump suit.	120
Four Aces or Four Kings or Four Queens	This is a meld consisting of either four Aces, four Kings or four Queens, or.	100
Four Jacks	This meld consists of all four Jacks from the deck.	200

Normally you may only use a particular card for one specific meld. The exception to that is that the Queen and King of the trump suit, if used in a Marriage may be used twice, if an additional scoring meld can be created with them. The Marriage meld does not need to be announced immediately on playing the first card to the second trick by the bidder as do the other melds. However, as the player plays the first of these cards to a trick during his turn, he must announce the meld then.

After the melds are shown by the bidder, and then his partner, the trick continues as normal. After every trick has been played and won, it is determined if the bidder and his partner were able to earn at least as many points as bid during the hand. In addition to scoring for melds shown, the high bidding partnership also scores for certain high cards won in tricks during the hand. The following shows the value of all the cards that might be won in tricks during the hand:

Card	Point Value - Non Trump Suit	Point Value as Trump Suit
Jack	1	20
Ace	11	11
King	3	3
Queen	2	2
Ten	10	10
Nine	0	14
Eight, Seven	0	0