Schnapsen Rules

Schnapsen at a glance

Two players, 20 cards and five cards in each hand. Reach 66 card points through tricks and marriages. A round earns 1 to 3 game points; the first to 7 game points wins the match.

Card values: German and French suits

German rank	French rank	Card points
Ass / Daus	Ace	11
Zehner	Ten	10
König	King	4
Ober	Queen	3
Unter	Jack	2

Highest to lowest. The 20 cards total 120 card points. A trump beats a card of any other suit.

Schnapsen is a card game usually played by 2 people (there are also variations for 3 players called Dreierschnapsen and for 4 players called Bauernschnapsen), which follows specific game rules like any other card game. The game originates from Austria, where it is legally not considered gambling, but rather a skill-based game or social game.

Goal of the Game

The goal of the game is to collect 66 points or more as quickly as possible by taking tricks from the opponent's cards and making announcements. When one of the players reaches 66 points or more, they receive victory points. The first player to reach 7 victory points wins the game, and the loser gets what is called a "Bummerl". If the loser didn't score a single point during the game, they receive 2 Bummerl.

The Cards in Schnapsen

Schnapsen is played with a deck of 20 cards (10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace). There is no fundamental ranking of the suits. However, through dealing at the beginning of each game, a trump suit (Atout) is determined, which then applies for that game round and ranks above all other suits. The cards are assigned the following values:

• Ace: 11
• 10: 10
• King: 4
• Queen: 3
• Jack: 2

Schnapsen - The Game

The players alternate dealing; the cards are dealt face down. Both players receive five cards and an additional card is turned face up. This additional card determines the trump suit (Atout). The remaining deck is placed as a talon crosswise over this card, so that the trump card remains half visible; it counts as the bottom card of the talon. The player who did not deal begins the game. The person whose turn it is has four options:

1. Play a card from their hand: The played card goes to the center of the table. The second player then plays and can either take the trick from the opponent's card or be taken themselves. Whoever takes the trick gets both cards and may add the point value to their own. The person who won the trick then draws the top card from the talon, while their opponent draws the next one. After both players have replenished their hand to five cards again, the winner of the trick leads to the next trick. The game continues this way until the talon is exhausted. From then on, following suit and trick-taking become mandatory.
2. Close the game: If the player believes they can reach the required 66 points without further drawing, they can close by clicking on the card stack. Once a player has closed, no more cards are drawn from the talon from that point on. The game behaves as if the draw pile were exhausted, meaning following suit and trick-taking become mandatory.
3. Exchange the trump card: If a player holds the lowest trump card, the trump Jack, in their hand - whether they received this card during dealing or only when drawing from the talon - they may exchange this lowest trump card for the face-up trump card. To do this, they drag the trump Jack onto the trump card under the draw pile. After that, they lead and the game continues normally.
4. Announcements: If a player has a King and Queen of the same suit in their hand, a button appears and the player can announce the corresponding pair:
   • If it's the trump pair, 40 points are announced
   • If it's a pair in another suit, 20 points are announced
5. The player receives the announced points and can decide whether they want to play the Queen or the King. After that, the game continues normally.

Taking Tricks from the Opponent

At the beginning of the game, there is neither suit nor trick-taking obligation. This means: a player can play any of their cards, but only takes tricks with a higher card of the same suit or with a trump. If two cards of different suits are played (and neither card is trump), then the card that was played first takes the trick. Example: Diamonds is trump

• The first player plays Queen of Hearts, the second plays Ace of Hearts → the second person takes the trick (same suit)
• The first player plays Jack of Hearts, the second plays Ace of Clubs → the first player takes the trick (different suits)
• The first player plays Ace of Clubs, the second plays Jack of Diamonds → the second player wins (trump)

Forced Rules: Following Suit and Taking Tricks

In Schnapsen, following suit and trick-taking become mandatory when either all cards in the talon are exhausted or a player has closed the game. In this case, the following game rules apply: Each player whose turn it is must:

• Take the trick with a higher card of the suit led. If they cannot do this (because they don't have the appropriate card in their hand), they must
• Play a lower card of the suit led. If that's not possible, they must
• Take the trick with a trump card - and if that's also not possible, they can
• Discard any other card.

Closing the Game

If a player believes they can reach the required 66 points without further drawing, they can close by clicking on the draw pile. In this case, the game continues normally but behaves as if the draw pile were exhausted. This means: the player who closed begins leading and

• No more cards are drawn
• Following suit and trick-taking become mandatory

When someone closes, the final point distribution works differently than in a normal game: When a player closes, the opponent's point total is frozen. This means: for the final point distribution, tricks that the opponent takes after the closing don't count, only the points they already had before the closing.

• If the opponent had not yet taken a trick at the time of closing, the player wins three victory points
• If the opponent had 32 or fewer points at the time of closing, the player wins two victory points
• If the opponent had 33 or more points at the time of closing, the player wins one victory point

Points, Victory and Bummerl

In Schnapsen, the rule is: If a player reaches 66 or more points after winning a trick or making an announcement, the game automatically ends and the points achieved are compared.

• If the opponent has not taken a trick, the player wins three victory points
• If they have only 32 or fewer points, the player wins two victory points
• If the opponent has collected 33 or more points, the player wins one victory point

If neither of the two players could reach 66 points until the last trick, the last trick is still played and the player who takes the last trick wins the game.

Three worked examples

01

Following suit comes before trumping

Hearts are trump. Your opponent leads the leaf/spade Ace. You hold the leaf/spade Jack and heart Ace. With the stock exhausted or closed, you must play the Jack of the suit led, not your trump Ace.

02

Closing the stock: the risk

Your opponent has 20 card points when you close. If you reach 66, the standard rules award you 2 game points. If you fail, your opponent gets at least 2. Winning the last trick alone does not save a failed close.

03

Card points versus game points

You have 68 card points after a trick and your opponent has 27: you win 2 game points. An opponent with at least 33 means 1 game point; an opponent without a trick means 3.

Common Schnapsen rules questions

When must I follow suit?

Once the stock is exhausted or closed. Play a higher card of the suit led if possible, otherwise a lower card of that suit. Only when you have none of that suit must you play a trump.

How much is a marriage worth?

A King and Queen (König and Ober) of one suit count 20 card points, or 40 in trumps. Announce the pair when leading and play one of its cards. Marriage points count only if you also have a trick.

Who wins if neither player reaches 66?

With the stock not closed, the player who wins the last trick wins 1 game point. After closing, the closer must reach 66; the last trick alone is not enough.

Are Schnapsen and Sixty-Six exactly the same?

They are related, but this guide describes Austrian Schnapsen with 20 cards and five-card hands. Other Sixty-Six rules use a different deck or deal. Agree on the variant before playing.

The Cash and Flip sections below describe separate variants. The examples above use the standard rules; local house rules may differ.

Strict Rules (Schnopsn Cash Edition)

In the Schnopsn Cash Edition, in addition to the normal Schnapsen rules, the following stricter rules apply:

• Last and own tricks can no longer be viewed (the first trick also remains hidden).
• Exchanging the trump is only allowed after the first lead and not once there is only one card left in the talon.
• Closing is forbidden when there is only one card left in the talon.
• Announcements (20/40) may only be made after the first won trick.
• If a player closes, all of the opponent’s tricks continue to count – the opponent can thus still fend off 2 or 3 game points by scoring (e.g., via tricks).

We are aware that there are regional differences – therefore, for the Cash Edition, we have defined a uniform and fair rule base.

Schnapsen Flip (Schnopsn Cash Edition)

In Schnapsen Flip mode, all normal Schnapsen rules generally apply. The following special rules are added:

• Reshuffling in the first three rounds: In the first three rounds, after each trick the players first draw from the back of the talon: each player takes one card. The trump card stays in place. Only then is the remaining talon — including the previous trump card — reshuffled and put back. The new trump is the card on top after the shuffle.
• Trump exchange: Exchanging the trump is possible after each reshuffle, provided the requirements are met. This means the player on lead must hold the Jack of the same suit as the newly revealed trump card.
• Fixing the trump: As soon as only 3 cards plus the trump card remain in the talon, no further reshuffling is performed.