Objective of the Game
Schanzeln is a traditional trick-taking card game often played in rural regions. The primary aim of the game is to win the most tricks and cleverly use card strengths to accumulate points.
Number of Players
The game can be played with 3 to 4 players.
Cards and Their Values
The game uses a/Skat deck consisting of 32 cards. The cards are ranked in the following order of strength: Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, 7.
Game Setup
- Thoroughly shuffle the cards.
- Each player receives 8 cards (with 4 players) or 10 cards (with 3 players).
- The remaining cards are placed face down in the center to form the deck.
- The player who deals all the cards first becomes the dealer.
Gameplay
- Starting Player: The player to the left of the dealer starts by playing a card of their choice.
- Following Suit: The other players must, if possible, follow the suit of the played card. If they cannot, they may play any other card.
- Trump Suit: Before the game begins, a trump suit is designated. A trump card is the strongest card that can beat any other suit card, even if it is not the highest card within the trumps.
- Winning a Trick: The player who plays the highest card of the led suit or the highest trump card wins the trick and sets the cards aside.
- Next Trick: The winner of the trick begins the next trick.
Scoring
- Ace counts 11 points
- 10 counts 10 points
- King counts 4 points
- Queen counts 3 points
- Jack counts 2 points
- Cards 9, 8, 7 score 0 points
End of the Game
The game ends once all cards have been played. The points from all won tricks are tallied. The player with the most points wins the game.
Strategic Tips
- Reserve trump cards for strategic use when you need to ensure winning a trick.
- Hold onto Aces and 10s: These cards offer the most points, and winning these tricks will score you lots of points.
Special Rules
In some variations of Schanzeln, the trump suit may rotate on a fixed schedule from game to game, or it can be randomly determined in each round.
