Schnapsen
Schnapsen is a two-player card game played with a total of 20 cards. The objective of each round is to reach 66 pips or to win the last trick. At the beginning of each round, both payers are dealt 5 cards. The remaining cards remain in the deck between the two players. The bottom card in the deck is turned over and positioned so that it is visible to both players. This card denotes the trump suit for that round.
Order of play
Schnapsen is a two-player card game played with a total of 20 cards. The objective of each round is to reach 66 pips or to win the last trick. At the beginning of each round, both payers are dealt 5 cards. The remaining cards remain in the deck between the two players. The bottom card in the deck is turned over and positioned so that it is visible to both players. This card denotes the trump suit for that round.
Objective
The player who first reaches a total of 66 pips or who wins the last trick, wins the round. In addition to the pips on the cards won, card combinations can also be played. These are known as pairs or marriages and consist of a King and Queen of the same suit. A pair is worth 20 pips, or 40 pips if they are trumps. The winner of the round is then awarded 1 to 3 points depending on the total pips value of tricks won by the loser. Each player starts with 7 points, which are counted down. The first player to reach 0 wins the game. Tricks: the card with the highest number of pips wins. Should the number of pips be the same, the card played first wins, except when the second card is a trump. A trump beats any card that is not a trump as well as trumps with fewer pips.
Glossary
Pips: denotes the value of the individual cards:
Ace = 11
Ten = 10
King = 4
Queen = 3
Jack = 2
Round: The winner of each round will score between 1 and 3 points, depending on the circumstances of the win. Each player starts with 7 points, which are counted down with every win. The first player to reach 0 wins the game.
Suit: the four groups of cards: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades. Once the deck is empty, or has been ‘turned’, players must match the suit of the card laid by their opponents, if possible (Heart on Heart, Club on Club, etc.).
Game: one game consists of a number of rounds. The player to reach 0 points wins the game.
Trick: the name given to each pair of played cards. Players must lay a card matching the suit of that played, unless there are still cards in the deck.
Dealer: the player, who shuffles the cards and deals.
Deck: this is the pile of cards from which the payers must each take a card after each trick. The winner of the trick takes a card first.
Trump: beats every other suit, and must be declared at the start of every game. Within the trump suit, the normal value hierarchy applies. Players must lay a trump, should they not hold a card matching that of the suit played, unless there are still cards in the deck.
Points: not to be confused with pips. Points are awarded to the winner of each round, and these depend on the pip value of the tricks won by the loser.
0 pips = 3 points
1-32 pips = 2 points
33-65 pips = 1 point
Turning: this can only be done by the player whose turn it is. The player takes the displayed trump from under the deck and places it face down on the top of the deck. From this point on, no more cards can be taken, and both players must follow suit, as if there were no cards left in the deck. The player who ‘turns’ must then reach 66 pips to win the game. If they achieve this, the points awarded are only based on the loser’s pip value at the time the round was ‘turned’. Should the ‘turner’ not reach 66 points, the opponent automatically wins the round, and is awarded the points the ‘turner’ would have won, the minimum being 2 points.