German solo

German solo or short solo , Low German Sollo is a simplified version of the Spanish card game L'Hombre , but for four. In Germany, the game is no longer too widespread, but in the USA it is still played under the name Modern Ombre .

The rules of Solo are relatively simple. The following description from the Münsterland uses some expressions from Low German, which of course can hardly be translated.

Rules of the game

Number of players and game material

Solo is played with four people with a Skat sheet without 8s and 9s, i.e. with 24 playing cards.

Game idea

The aim of the game is to get at least four tricks as an acting party or as a single player . The opponents naturally try to prevent this.

Trumps

The highest trump is the queen of clubs (the old one, also Spadille ), the second highest is the trump 7 ( manille ), depending on which color is played, the third highest is the queen of spades (bass, actually: Basta ). The remaining cards fall in the order of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 7.

Card distribution and start of the game

The dealer then shuffles and distributes the cards to the other players so that everyone receives six playing cards. The player in front of the hand can be the first to determine a game. If he does not want this, he says "gone" and it is the next player's turn.

Possible varieties

Solo: one player against the three players, the solo player (hence the name Solo ) determines the color that is trump. He must get at least 4 tricks.
Question: hearts are trumps. A missed ace (clubs, diamonds or spades) is called. The player with this ace plays with the questioner, but is not allowed to make himself known verbally.

If none of the players act, we have "shed". The old woman (the player with the queen of the cross) calls an ace. The player with this ace can determine a trump, whereby the color of the called ace cannot be chosen as a trump. He then plays with the "old woman". Again, the goal is to get 4 tricks.

If you have the queen of clubs and queen of spades, if you don't want to play a sollo, you can knock (large). Then continue as with "Verscheih", but more expensive.

Game flow

After the game has been resolved, the person sitting in front of the hand leads. The player who played the highest trump or the highest missing card takes the trick and then leads again. After all tricks have been taken, they can be counted, whereby you actually always know how many tricks each team has during the game. Only the stitches are counted, no points.

If the acting team (or the opposing team, which is very rare) has the first 4 tricks, the next player to lead must decide whether to continue. If he continues to play, he and his partner must also take trick 5 and 6, otherwise the entire game is lost, because he then plays in the "tou" (from French tous : all). But if you get all the tricks, you will be rewarded with a particularly high profit. If he wants to quit, he puts the cards on the table, says "stop" and collects a bonus for "the first".

Billing

After each game the account is settled, i. H. the losing party pays the winning team the lost amount, e.g. B. in cents.

Individual game ratings:

Question: 4
Just ask: 2
Sollo heart: 4
the first: 2
Discretion: 4
Disappear Heart: 6
Large (after knocking): 4
Big (heart): 8
Tou (all stitches): 8
Tou hip: everything twice
3 matadors: 3
3 matadors heart: 6
for knocking: 2

The three highest trumps - the old, trump-7 and bass - are called matadors . If these three highest trump cards are in the hands of the acting team, this is specially remunerated or - in case of defeat - has to be paid extra.

Only the player who knocked receives the profit for knocking, not his playing partner. Therefore, the acting player receives this amount before the ace is called, regardless of whether the following game is won or lost.

literature

David Parlett : Oxford Dictionary of Card Games . Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 1992, ISBN 0-19-869173-4 ( Oxford reference ), (Reissued in new covers: ibid 1996).