Objective of the Game
Scharwenzel is a traditional German card game belonging to the family of trick-taking games. The primary goal of the game is to win as many tricks as possible and usually reach a predefined score.
Cards
Scharwenzel is played with a double deck of cards, totaling 48 cards. The suits Clubs, Spades, Hearts, and Diamonds are used, each consisting of 12 cards.
Players
Scharwenzel can be played with a minimum of four players. There is no strict upper limit, but typically four to six players participate.
Gameplay
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Shuffling and Dealing: The dealer shuffles the deck and deals 12 cards to each player. If more than four players are playing, more cards are dealt until they run out or an additional deck is used.
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Determining the Trump Suit: The player to the dealer's left announces which suit will be trump. This suit outranks all others, regardless of card number.
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Playing the Cards: The player to the dealer's left starts by playing a card. The other players must follow suit if they can. If a player has no cards of the played suit, they can play a trump card to win the trick or play another card.
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(Optional Rule) Declaring "Scharwenzel": If a player has no trumps, they can declare "Scharwenzel" to double the trick value. This is a high-stakes move as the player stands to lose or gain greatly depending on the outcome.
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Winning a Trick: The player who plays the highest trump or, if no trump is played, the highest card of the leading suit wins the trick and starts the next round.
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Scoring: After the game, points are calculated based on the number of tricks won.
Strategies
- Card Counting: Experienced players try to count and remember the cards that have already been played to better plan for the remaining cards in play.
- Bluffing: To confuse other players, a player might play high non-trump cards to mislead others.
- Caution with "Scharwenzel": This can be a risky but rewarding tactic. It should only be considered if one holds strong Aces, as these have a high likelihood of winning a trick.
Enjoy playing Scharwenzel! It's a challenging but entertaining card game which requires strategic thinking and a good memory.
