How to Play Schafkopf

Schafkopf is a lively four-player Bavarian trick-taking game. You need a normal deck of cards, and if you need one, you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. This guide uses one common basic Bavarian version; regional and family house rules can vary.

Quick facts

Players	4
Cards	32-card deck: 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace in each suit
Deal	8 cards to each player
Goal	Win card points in tricks
Winning total	61 or more points for the declaring side

What you are trying to do

Each round is made of eight tricks. A trick is one card played by every player, with the strongest legal card taking all four cards. The cards are worth points: an Ace is 11, a Ten is 10, a King is 4, a Queen (called an Ober in Bavarian cards) is 3, a Jack (called an Unter) is 2, and a 7, 8, or 9 is worth 0. Altogether, the deck contains 120 points.

Before play, one player becomes the declarer, the person who chooses the contract, or type of game. In a Rufer, the declarer has one secret partner, making a team of two against two defenders. In a Wenz or Solo, the declarer plays alone against the other three. The declaring side needs at least 61 points; the defenders win with 60 or more.

What you need

Use a 32-card deck. With an ordinary deck, remove every 2 through 6, leaving the 7 through Ace in hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. If possible, agree on suit names before starting. In this guide, clubs stand for acorns, spades for leaves, hearts for hearts, and diamonds for bells. You also need a sheet of paper or a notes app to record each round’s result.

Set it up

Choose a dealer. The player to the dealer’s left is called forehand and will lead to the first trick. Deal eight cards to each player, usually in two packets of four, moving clockwise. Everyone checks their hand, but nobody reveals cards.

Next comes one short round of bidding, beginning with forehand and continuing clockwise. A player may pass or announce that they will play. The basic contract order from lowest to highest is Rufer, Wenz, Solo. If more than one player wants to play, the higher contract wins. For the same contract, the player who spoke earlier has priority. If all four players pass, collect the cards and deal again.

How to play

1. Confirm the contract. The winning bidder states whether the round is a Rufer, Wenz, or Solo. Beginners should leave advanced contracts such as Tout aside until they know the basics.
2. Choose the trump plan. In a Rufer, the declarer calls an Ace from a non-trump suit. The player holding that Ace becomes the declarer’s partner, secretly. The declarer may call only an Ace in a suit where they hold at least one other card. The declarer and partner try to reach 61 points together.
3. Use Rufer trumps correctly. In a Rufer, all four Obers and all four Unters are trumps. They rank, from strongest to weakest, Acorn Ober, Leaf Ober, Heart Ober, Bell Ober, Acorn Unter, Leaf Unter, Heart Unter, Bell Unter. All hearts are also trumps, ranked Ace, Ten, King, 9, 8, 7. The called Ace is not a trump because its suit must be a non-trump suit.
4. Set up a Wenz if that was bid. In Wenz, only the four Unters are trumps, in the same suit order: Acorn, Leaf, Heart, Bell. Obers are ordinary cards in their printed suits, ranking below the King and above the 9. The declarer plays alone, so they need 61 points by themselves.
5. Set up a Solo if that was bid. In Solo, the declarer names one suit as trump and plays alone. The four Obers and four Unters remain the top eight trumps in the same order. After them come the chosen suit’s Ace, Ten, King, 9, 8, and 7. The other three suits are plain suits, with Ace, Ten, King, Ober, Unter, 9, 8, 7 in descending order.
6. Lead the first trick. Forehand plays any card. The other three players then play one card each in clockwise order. The winner of a trick leads the next one.
7. Follow suit whenever possible. The led suit is the suit of the first card. If you have a card of that suit, you must play one. A trump counts as trump, not as its printed suit, so an Ober or Unter cannot follow a plain suit. If you cannot follow the led suit, you may play any card, including a trump.
8. Determine the winner. The highest trump in the trick wins. If no trump appears, the highest card of the led suit wins. Put the four cards face down in front of the winner. The declaring side may quietly keep track of the valuable Aces and Tens it has captured.
9. Reveal the partner naturally. In a Rufer, the holder of the called Ace does not announce themselves. The called Ace must be played the first time its suit is led, even if the trick has already been trumped. Before that suit is led, the Ace may not be discarded on a different-suit lead, except in the final trick when no other legal card can be played. There is one standard exception: if the holder has at least three other cards of the called suit and gains the lead before that suit has been led, they may first lead a lower card of that suit. After doing so, they may discard the called Ace later when they cannot follow suit.

How you win

When all eight tricks are complete, each side gathers the cards it won and adds their printed point values. In a Rufer, the declarer and secret partner combine their points. In a Wenz or Solo, only the declarer’s captured cards count for the solo side. A total of 61 or more points wins the round for the declaring side; 60 or fewer means the defenders have won.

For a first game, simply write “declarer side win” or “defenders win” after each hand. If your group wants a longer session, deal a set number of hands and count each player’s round results. Decide the exact scoring method before starting, because traditional Schafkopf score values and bonuses differ between groups.

Easy first-game tips

Count Aces and Tens first when you collect a trick; they make up most of the deck’s points. Keep the trump order beside the table until it feels familiar. In a Rufer, call an Ace in a suit where you have support, rather than a suit where you are completely empty. If you are a defender, remember which high trumps have already appeared.

Do not rush to play a trump. Sometimes a small plain-suit card safely follows suit, while an early trump could be needed later to capture a valuable Ten. Most importantly, say the contract and trump rules aloud before the first lead. That prevents friendly confusion and makes the game easier for everyone learning together.

Quick questions

Can I play Schafkopf with a regular poker deck?

Yes. Remove the 2 through 6 cards from a standard 52-card deck, then use the remaining 32 cards. Agree which poker suits represent the Bavarian suits.

What happens if nobody wants to play?

If all four players pass during the bidding, collect the cards, rotate the dealer, and deal a new hand.