Schafkopf

Traditional German trick-taking game played with a 32-card Bavarian deck (or a pared 52-card deck). Players form either hidden partnerships of two against two or a soloist who plays alone against the other three, with bidding determining who declares the hand. Play centers on taking tricks and securing card-point totals; certain cards and suits are trumps and have fixed ranking. Variants determine partnerships (e.g., calling an ace or using a predefined card to name a partner), and scoring can include bonuses for higher point thresholds. Games commonly use money stakes and include a specialized glossary for common terms and conventions.

Players: 4
Playing time: 30 min
Age: 7+
Complexity: 2.8 / 5