Schafkopf – Rules
Play Schafkopf against the computer
1. Overview
Schafkopf is Bavaria's national card game. Four players say in turn whether they want to play. Usually a Sauspiel (“partner game”) is played: the player “calls” an ace (the Sau) – whoever holds it is secretly their partner. Obers and Unters are always the highest trumps.
| Players | exactly 4 |
| Duration | one game 3–5 minutes, an evening usually 2–3 hours |
| Age | 12 and up |
| Difficulty | medium – trump order and calling rules take some practice |
2. Goal
Take at least 61 of the 120 card points with your team – as the playing side you then win the stake (money or points) from the opponents.
3. What you need
- Bavarian deck with 32 cards in the suits acorns, leaves (grass), hearts and bells.
- Per suit: Sau (ace), 10, king, Ober, Unter, 9, 8, 7.
- Pen and paper or play money for settling up.
4. Setup
- Draw for the first dealer. After each game, the player to the left deals.
- Shuffle and cut: The player to the right cuts.
- Deal: Clockwise, starting left of the dealer, two rounds of 4 cards. Everyone has 8 cards.
- Bidding: In turn, starting left of the dealer, each says “I'll play” or “pass”.
- The highest game wins the bid: solo beats Wenz beats partner game. With equal rank, the player sitting closer to the dealer's left has priority.
- Name the game, e.g. “partner game on the ace of acorns” or “hearts solo”. If nobody wants to play, the cards are thrown in and the next player deals.
- The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick.
5. Card values
Card points (counted at the end):
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Sau (ace) | 11 |
| 10 | 10 |
| King | 4 |
| Ober | 3 |
| Unter | 2 |
| 9, 8, 7 | 0 |
120 card points in total.
Trumps in the partner game (high → low) – 14 cards:
| Rank | Cards |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | Ober of acorns, Ober of leaves, Ober of hearts, Ober of bells |
| 5–8 | Unter of acorns, Unter of leaves, Unter of hearts, Unter of bells |
| 9–14 | ace of hearts, 10 of hearts, king of hearts, 9 of hearts, 8 of hearts, 7 of hearts |
Plain suits (no trumps): acorns, leaves and bells, each ace, 10, king, 9, 8, 7.
| Game type | Trumps |
|---|---|
| Partner game | Obers, Unters, hearts (as above) |
| Suit solo | Obers, Unters, then the chosen suit instead of hearts |
| Wenz | only the 4 Unters; the Obers rank in their suit between king and 9 |
6. How to play
A trick – step by step
Everyone plays one card in turn, clockwise. What you may do:
| Situation | What you must or may do |
|---|---|
| You lead | Play any card. |
| A trump was led | You must play a trump (Ober, Unter or heart) if you have one. |
| A plain suit was led | You must follow that suit. Obers and Unters don't count as part of it! |
| You can't follow | You may trump or discard any card – you don't have to trump. |
The trick goes to the highest trump, otherwise to the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads to the next trick. After 8 tricks the teams count their card points.
The partner game – how calling works
- You call an ace of acorns, leaves or bells – never hearts, because hearts are trumps.
- You must hold at least one card of that suit yourself, but not the ace itself.
- Whoever holds the called ace is your partner. They don't say so.
- When the called suit is led for the first time, the partner must play the ace. By then at the latest, everyone knows who plays together.
- Before that, the partner may not discard the ace – except in the last trick.
Solo and Wenz
Here you play alone against three and don't call an ace. In a suit solo you choose the trump suit; in a Wenz only the Unters are trumps.
7. Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sau | The ace |
| The old one | The ace of acorns |
| Partner game (Sauspiel) | Two against two, partner found by calling an ace |
| Players / opponents | Caller and partner (or soloist) / the other side |
| Wenz | Solo in which only the Unters are trumps |
| Tout | Solo or Wenz with the promise to take every trick |
| Following suit | Playing the suit (or trump) that was led |
| Smearing | Giving your partner many points in a trick they will surely win |
| Running away | The partner leads the called suit without playing the ace (only with 4 cards of that suit) |
| Runners | The highest trumps a team holds unbroken from the top |
| Schneider / schwarz | The losing side has 30 points or fewer / no trick |
8. End of the game & scoring
After 8 tricks both teams count their card points. The playing side wins with at least 61 card points – at 60 : 60 they have lost.
Games are settled with a tariff, usually in cents or points. A common tariff:
| Game | Base tariff |
|---|---|
| Partner game | 10 |
| Wenz, suit solo | 50 |
| Tout | double |
| Bonus | Value |
|---|---|
| Schneider (losers 30 points or fewer) | +10 |
| Schwarz (losers without a trick) | another +10 |
| Runners from 3 (in Wenz from 2) | +10 each |
Who pays whom?
- Partner game: each loser pays one winner the amount.
- Solo and Wenz: each of the three opponents pays the soloist – or the soloist pays each of them.
- Kontra and Re (section 9) double the amount.
- On paper everyone has a column with plus and minus. Play an agreed number of games or for an evening.
9. Special cases
What happens at 60 to 60?
The playing side has lost – they need at least 61 card points.
What if nobody wants to play?
The cards are thrown in and the next player deals (house rule: Ramsch, section 10).
May I trump if I don't have the suit led?
Yes, but you don't have to. You may also discard another card.
What if I can't call any ace?
If you have no card of acorns, leaves or bells without also holding its ace, you can't play a partner game – only a solo or a Wenz.
What are “Kontra” and “Re”?
An opponent may say “Kontra” before the first lead (they think the players will lose). The players may answer “Re”. Each doubles the tariff.
What is running away?
If the partner holds at least 4 cards of the called suit, they may lead that suit themselves without playing the ace.
What about mistakes?
Failing to follow suit when you could, or not playing the called ace, loses the game for your team. Misdeal: the same dealer deals again.
Can you play with three?
Only in special versions. Normal Schafkopf needs exactly four players.
10. Variants & house rules
The rules above are for the “long deck” with 32 cards, partner game, Wenz, suit solo and tout. These variants are often agreed beforehand:
| Variant | What changes |
|---|---|
| Short deck | Without sevens and eights: 24 cards, everyone gets 6 (common in Franconia and the Upper Palatinate). |
| Ramsch | If nobody wants to play, each plays for themselves; whoever takes the most card points loses. |
| Geier | Solo in which only the Obers are trumps. |
| Farbwenz | Unters and a chosen suit are trumps. |
| Knocking | Before bidding, each player may knock, doubling the tariff. |
| Sie | Whoever holds all 4 Obers and 4 Unters wins at once. |
When playing against the computer on cardgames.zone you can choose “Long deck” and “Short deck”.
11. Example round
You can also follow this round in the picture series “A first round”.
Starting position. Player 4 deals. Player 1 sits to his left – he bids first and leads first. His 8 cards: Ober of acorns, Ober of leaves, Unter of hearts, ace of hearts, 10 of hearts, king of hearts (these are 6 trumps), plus 9 of acorns and 7 of leaves.
- Bidding. With 6 trumps Player 1 says “I'll play” – “on the old one”, a partner game calling the ace of acorns. He may do that because he holds an acorns card (the 9) but not the ace of acorns. Players 2, 3 and 4 pass.
- Trick 1 – drawing trumps. Player 1 leads the Ober of acorns, the highest trump. Everyone must play a trump: Player 2 7 of hearts, Player 3 Unter of bells, Player 4 8 of hearts. 5 points for Player 1.
- Trick 2 – the ace falls. Player 1 leads the 9 of acorns – the called suit. Player 2 plays the 10 of acorns, Player 3 must play the ace of acorns and wins the trick. Now everyone knows: Player 3 is Player 1's partner. Plus Player 4's king of acorns: 25 points for the two of them (30 in total).
- Trick 3. Player 3 leads the ace of leaves. Player 4 has no leaves and trumps with the Ober of bells. Player 1 must follow with leaves (7), Player 2 plays the 9 of leaves. 14 points for the opponents.
- Trick 4. Player 4 leads the 10 of leaves. Player 1 has no leaves left and trumps with the ace of hearts. Player 2 follows with the 8 of leaves, Player 3 with the king of leaves. 25 points for Players 1 and 3 (55 in total).
- Scoring. After 8 tricks Players 1 and 3 have 78 card points, Players 2 and 4 have 42. From 61 the partner game is won. No schneider (the opponents have more than 30), and Players 1 and 3 held only 2 runners (Obers of acorns and leaves) – so just the base tariff: Players 2 and 4 each pay Players 1 and 3 10.
12. Common mistakes
- Following a suit with an Ober or Unter. Obers and Unters are always trumps, never acorns, leaves, hearts or bells.
- Treating hearts as a plain suit. In the partner game all hearts are trumps – that's why you can't call the ace of hearts.
- Calling an ace you hold yourself – or a suit you have no card of. Neither is allowed.
- Discarding the called ace too early. The partner may only play it when the suit is led (or in the last trick).
- Not leading the called suit as an opponent. Lead it so the partner has to reveal the ace.
- Playing a solo too soon. A solo usually only pays off with 6 trumps or several Obers.
Origin & history
Documented in central Germany at the end of the 18th century and the forerunner of Skat and Doppelkopf. In Bavaria the form played today, with the call game (Sauspiel), developed in the 19th century. The origin of the name is disputed (among others 'Schaff' = barrel, on whose lid people played). Considered part of Bavarian cultural heritage.