Mariáš – Rules

Play Mariáš against the computer

1. Overview

What is it about? Mariáš is the Czech national card game and closely related to the German Mariage. One player chooses trumps and plays against the other two. Strict rules apply: you must follow suit and win the trick if you can. Ober and king of the same suit form a marriage that earns extra points.

2. Cards and material

• Pack: 32 cards: hearts (srdce), bells (kule), leaves (zelený), acorns (žaludy); each with 7, 8, 9, 10, Unter, Ober, king, ace.
• Ranking (high → low): ace, 10, king, Ober, Unter, 9, 8, 7.
• Ranking in Betl and Durch: ace, king, Ober, Unter, 10, 9, 8, 7 (the ten ranks below the Unter).
• Points:

• Total: 90 points plus marriages.
• Face up and face down: Hands concealed, the talon (2 discarded cards) face down.

3. Preparation and start

1. Deal: Forehand (left of the dealer) first receives 7 cards.
2. Choosing trumps: Forehand picks one of these 7 cards as the trump card and lays it face down in front of them.
3. Rest of the deal: Forehand gets 5 more cards (12 in total), the others 10 each.
4. Discard: Forehand discards 2 cards face down to the talon (no aces or tens).
5. Announcement: Forehand announces Hra (game with trumps), Betl or Durch.
6. Flek: The opponents may double (“flek”), the declarer may redouble (“re”).
7. Start: Forehand leads.

Start example: You are forehand. Among your first 7 cards is the ace of hearts – you lay it down as the trump card: hearts are trumps. You get 5 more cards and discard 2.

4. Goal and winning

• Hra: The declarer needs more points than both opponents together (cards, last trick, marriages).
• Betl: The declarer must take no trick; there are no trumps.
• Durch: The declarer must take all tricks; there are no trumps.
• Game: After an agreed number of deals the highest score wins.

5. Play in detail

A trick (must win).

1. The leader plays any card.
2. Follow suit and head the trick if possible.
3. If you can't follow, you must trump (and over-trump if possible).
4. Only with neither suit nor trumps may you discard anything.
5. The highest trump wins, otherwise the highest card of the suit led.

Declaring a marriage. A player holding Ober and king of a suit declares it when leading the first of the two: 20 points, 40 in trumps.

Example with Players 1 to 3. Player 1 plays Hra in hearts. Order: Player 1, 2, 3.

1. Player 1 leads the Ober of hearts and declares the heart marriage: 40 points.
2. Player 2 must follow hearts and head the trick. He holds the 10 of hearts – higher than the Ober – and must play it.
3. Player 3 has no hearts left and discards the 7 of leaves. Trick to Player 2: 10 points for the opponents.
4. At the end Player 1 has 50 card points plus 40 for the marriage = 90. The opponents have 40 (+ no marriages). Player 1 wins the Hra.

6. Scoring

• Settlement: Each opponent pays the declarer the value (or receives it if the declarer loses).
• Recording: One column per player.

7. Special rules and situations

• Trump card: The chosen trump card stays face down and is revealed with the first trump (it belongs to the declarer's hand).
• Talon: Aces and tens may not go to the talon. The talon's points count for the opponents (variant: for nobody).
• Betl and Durch: No trumps; the ten ranks between 9 and Unter.
• Sedma and kilo (variant): Sedma = win the last trick with the trump 7, kilo = reach 100 points.
• Revoke: Breaking the must-win rules loses the game.
• Common mistakes: forgetting the duty to head the trick; discarding aces or tens to the talon; not declaring a marriage.

8. Variants

Standard in this description: Volený mariáš for three with Hra, Betl and Durch.

When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone you play Volený mariáš with three players, with Hra, Betl and Durch, over 6, 12 or 24 deals.

9. Tips for beginners

1. Marriages: A trump marriage brings 40 points – often enough to carry the game.
2. Aces and tens: Only they bring card points – protect your tens.
3. Choosing trumps: Take the suit where you hold the most and highest cards.
4. Use the talon: Discard short suits so you can trump them.
5. Use the heading rule: It forces opponents to give up high cards.
6. Betl only with low cards: A single high card can ruin it.
7. As defenders: Feed tens to your partner when they surely win the trick.

10. Summary in 10 steps

1. 32 cards, three players.
2. Forehand gets 7 cards and picks the trump card.
3. Forehand 12, the others 10 cards.
4. Forehand discards 2 (no A/10).
5. Announce Hra, Betl or Durch; opponents may say flek.
6. Follow and head, otherwise trump.
7. Ace and 10 worth 10 each, last trick 10.
8. Marriage 20, in trumps 40.
9. Hra: more points than the opponents; Betl: no trick; Durch: all tricks.
10. Hra 1 (hearts 2), Betl 5, Durch 10.

11. Frequently asked questions

Must I play higher?

Yes. Mariáš has a must-win rule: when you can follow suit, you must head the trick if possible.

Which cards score points?

Only aces and tens (10 each), plus the last trick and marriages.

What is a Betl?

A game without trumps in which the declarer must not take a single trick.

Why are hearts double?

Hearts (“červená”) are traditionally the most valuable suit – a Hra in hearts counts double.

What does flek mean?

The opponents double the game value because they think the declarer will lose.

How long does a game take?

About 45 to 90 minutes.

Origin & history

Mariáš came to Bohemia in the 19th century from the French game Mariage and became by far the most popular card game in the Czech Republic. It is closely related to the Hungarian Ulti.