Doppelkopf special rules

There are numerous special rules for the Doppelkopf card game , some of which are listed here. The variants of the double-headed game mentioned here do not correspond to the tournament rules. However, they are often used in private game rounds. The special rules for the normal game according to the tournament game rules can be found in the main article.

Fox

Dulle

Karlchen

Doppelkopfblatt (with joker), French image

Alternative game ratings

• Re and contra double the play value. In this case, the special points can be offset before or after the doubling by Re and Contra.
• If the game ends with 120: 120 points, the counterparty receives only one point against the old players or against the solo player. The base value for a won game is interpreted here as not 120 , which in this case neither of the two parties has achieved.
• If the losing party should actually be credited with points with the special points achieved, no points will be awarded for the game. They say the losing party cannot tip the game through the back door.

Announcements and cancellations

A widespread variant from North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony provides the following alternative scheme: Re must be announced before the fifth card is placed, Kontra must be announced before the 13th card. This gives the contra- party a small strategic advantage, which is compensated for by the share of cards shifted to trump, especially in a game without nines. This can also result in further bucking rounds if a contra is lost .

Another variant allows Re and Contra up to before the seventh card.

Anonymous announcement ( Tuck )

An anonymous announcement is played in parts of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Instead of Re or Contra , players are only allowed to increase the game value with the neutral announcement Tuck . This way, the players remain in the dark longer who is playing with whom. This variant almost requires detective observation of the course of the game, which is what makes it so special.

Cowardice rule

To increase the risk for players with particularly good hands, the cowardice rule can be used. If a team (Re or Contra) scores more than 210 points without having announced Re or Contra , or if it plays black without having announced 90 , the points achieved by the opposing team according to normal counting are counted.

Compulsion

If there are at least 35 points in the first trick, the player taking the trick must bid Re or Contra according to his card . This rule is only useful when playing with nines.

• Strategies:
  1. Players with a strong hand are usually interested in an announcement and will therefore not play a trump when they come out, but a high black wrong suit (ace or ten). If they don't come out and a black wrong suit has been played, they will also serve an ace or a ten or, if possible, take a fox or a ten of diamonds.
  2. Players with weak hands are usually not interested in an announcement. If they get out, they can prevent a compulsion by leading a nine or a jack (theoretically three aces for the jack down could give 35 points, which in practice should never happen). However, this is at odds with other game strategies. For players with a weak hand it is usually not advisable to play trump and as a player one would like to try to bring through any wrong suit aces that can run through. In addition, a player with a strong hand can make an announcement without being forced. Players who do not get out will fail as few points as possible. However, if a player can play the wrong suit, he is faced with the decision to use a trump with few points (nine of diamonds, jack) or to try to get his fox through.

Play with Dullen

Basics: see Doppelkopf

Second tricks first dulle

If both dulls fall in one trick, the trick goes to the player who played the second dull. With this variant, there is no absolute highest trump in the game until the time the first dulle is played. If one player holds both dulls, it only applies to the other three players. This rule also favors the Re party. If both dulls are still in play, the opposing party must risk a dull in order to take a trick. However, the Re-party can achieve the same goal alternatively with a dulle or a cross-queen.

Catch Dulle

If the first dull takes precedence over the second dull, if both dulls fall in a trick, there is a bonus point for the party that took the trick when the second dull was taken by the opposing party. This rule can only apply to the last trick.

Second beats first dull in the last trick

If the first dulle has priority over the second dulle, this rule can be reversed in the last trick. If both dulls fall in the last trick, the second dull wins the trick.

First beats second double in the last trick

If the second dulle has priority over the first dulle, this rule can be reversed in the last trick. If both dulls fall in the last trick, the first dull wins the trick.

Play with joker

Some double headed reeds also come with a joker. If the joker is used, the joker is the highest trump in all games in which the dulls, queens and jacks are also trumps. When playing with nines, a nine of diamonds is replaced by a joker, the joker counts as zero. In the game with no nines, a king of diamonds is replaced by the joker, the joker counts for four eyes. With clubs, spades and hearts solo there is an additional trump card in the game. The handling of the dullen itself is not affected. In solo games in which the dulls, queens and jacks are not trumps, the joker is classified as a nine of diamonds (game with nines) or king of diamonds (game without nines). Alternatively, the joker can also remain the highest trump in these games, provided there are trumps at all, with an additional trump in the game.

Kings of diamonds

King of diamonds as tip

In this variant of the double head, the highest card in the game (normally the ten of hearts) is replaced by the king of diamonds. The ten of hearts is instead classified as the normal error under the ace of hearts and above the king of hearts. This variant is the usual game variant, especially in the region around the Diepholz and Minden-Lübbecke districts . Furthermore, there are no nines, but played with foxes. There is also the variant that each of the four players can press two cards, except for the ace of diamonds and the queen of clubs, these pressed eyes are then counted towards each side at the end.

Kings of diamonds are the foxes

So it can be that you have to decide in the course of the game whether it is more important to get the color trick with the ace of diamonds, ie to make the trick fat with eleven eyes, or to go home with the king of diamonds, i.e. the fox bring to. If the aces of diamonds are the foxes, both advantages fall on one card.

Little Karl Müller

Basics: see Doppelkopf

Doppelkarlchen

If a Karl takes the last trick and the second Karl from the same party is also in the trick, two special points can be awarded.

Catch Karlchen

If in the last trick a Karl is stabbed by the opposing party and the latter takes the trick, the opposing party receives a special point. If both Karlchen and no higher trump are in the last trick, it can be agreed that there is still only one special point for the party that wins the trick. If both Karlchen are caught by one party, only one special point can be awarded for this.

A weakening of this rule is Lieschen Müller: (or also Karola Müller or Karlchen Killer ) If in the last trick a Karl is stabbed by an opposing queen of diamonds and she wins the trick, there is a special point for the opposing party; however, losing the Karl to another opposing card does not cost an extra point.

Second beats first Karl

Usually the first Karl has priority over the second. This rule can be reversed. If both Karlchen and no higher trumps fall in the last trick, the second Karlchen takes the trick and this party receives a special point.

Last stitch with the fox

Similar to the Karlchen variant, a special point can be awarded for taking the last trick with the ace of diamonds. Sometimes this rule is called a fox on the pin or a fox on the end .

Double fox in the last trick

If a fox takes the last trick and the second fox from the same party is also in the trick, two special points can be awarded.

Klabautermann

In this variant, a special point is awarded if a party uses the queen of spades to catch a king of spades from the opposing party, a so-called Klabautermann . If both kings of spades are snatched from the hands of the opposing party, one speaks of a double-jumble man , who earns two extra points for the party that wins the trick with the queen of spades.

Heart stitch

In the game without nines, the color heart can only run through if each player has exactly one heart card in their hand and could not discard it beforehand. A special point can be awarded for such a pure heart stitch. The special point can also be awarded if someone discards another wrong suit instead of trumps.

Second black stitch

When playing with nines, the two black colors clubs and spades can only run through twice if each player has exactly two cards of the respective color in their hand and could not discard them beforehand. A special point can be awarded for such a second pure cross or spade stitch. The special point can also be awarded if someone discards another wrong suit instead of trumps.

Trick with four jacks

If a trick consists only of jacks, all games in the following round are only scored with half the number of points. Often the colloquial language alludes to the buck round of a cock round.

wedding

Basics: see Doppelkopf

Finding stitch

There are numerous other options for the discovery process. In this way, the owner of the wedding can choose a particular stitch to find it. This can be one of the twelve (game with nines) or ten (game without nines) as well as a trick that meets certain requirements, for example the second missed trick (trick in which a wrong suit was played) or the third foreign trump trick (Trick in which trump was led and which does not go to the owner of the wedding), or which contains a specific card, such as the second jack of diamonds. Somewhat senseless announcements are definitely possible here.

Announcements and cancellations

Moving the start and stop points backwards can be restricted. Then all the requested announcements and rejections have to be made immediately after the finding that would have had to be made in a game without a wedding. If, for example, the third stitch is the finding stitch, Re , Contra may be announced and neither party cancels a 90 , but neither a 60 has to be canceled immediately. The other points of arrival and cancellation are like a game without a wedding.

Announcements and cancellations may be made before the finding. Since it is not yet clear who will play with whom, the announcement is Re for the owner of the wedding and Re or Contra for the other three players . In combination with this rule, the postponement of the arrival and departure points can be completely suspended or restricted (see above).

Genschern

The so-called Genschern is an allusion to the coalition behavior of the FDP under the chairmanship of Hans-Dietrich Genscher at the beginning of the 1980s, which was finally approved in 1982 by a constructive vote of no confidence to replace the coalition of the SPD and the former governing coalition in the Federal Republic of Germany FDP led by a coalition of CDU / CSU and FDP. There are many variations of this type of game. It is essential that a player can change his playing partner under certain conditions.

A common variant is that a player who has both kings of diamonds in hand announces Genscher when playing the second king of diamonds . He can then choose his playing partner from the three other players for the rest of the game. Usually he chooses the player who has already collected the most eyes in his tricks.

version 1

Genschern can also be dispensed with. Genschern can be banned if the playing partners have already been found in another way at the time.

Variant 2

If a player wins a trick with a king of diamonds, he can shear. Most of the time, the player who takes a trick with the second king of diamonds can shear again. Genschern can be forbidden if the playing partners have already been found in another way at the time.

Variation 3

Another variation of Genschern is: If a player wins a trick with both queens of diamonds, he can score to the other party. He thus forces his teammate to play a forced solo.

poverty

The following variants are played if the poverty-stricken player is not picked up.

Variation 1 (black sow)

It is assumed here that at least one player must have a good hand, since the poor player hardly has any trumps. Black sow should punish this player. However, it is easily possible to win a black sow.

• Procedure:
  1. Everyone plays for himself until the second queen of spades (the black pig) falls.
  2. The player who takes the trick with the second queen of spades plays a solo from this point on, which he must determine immediately.
  3. The calculation is the same as for a normal solo, with the remaining three players naturally pooling their tricks.

• Strategies:
  1. Players either try to get rid of the queen of spades if they cannot or do not want to play solo.
  2. Or one, sometimes two players, try to get the queen of spades and then win a solo with their remaining cards - and existing tricks.

Variant 2 (junk)

The assumption here is that all players have such bad hands that it is easy for them to lose the game. If a player should have bricked the refused take away, this can easily become his undoing with the junk.

• The sequence:
  1. It is played quite normally according to the usual rules.
  2. A silent wedding is also possible (see strategies).
  3. Announcements are allowed, but not cancellations.
  4. The counting is done according to the normal rules.
  5. The party that would have lost according to normal counting receives the calculated points.

• Strategies:
  1. The usual logic is turned upside down here as you try to get as few tricks as possible. Deliberate misoperation in order to lose the game is of course not permitted.
  2. Basically, you try to get rid of all cards that you could win a trick with as quickly as possible (without actually taking one).
  3. In the case of trumps, the highest possible trump cards are added, as this worsens one's own hand.
  4. In the case of skipped tricks, the aces and tens are placed in the opponent's tricks (if this is foreseeable).
  5. If it is unavoidable to take a trick, an attempt is made to get the lowest possible number of points.
  6. If it is unavoidable to win a trick with a trump, the highest available trump is used.
  7. It can make sense to take a trick with few points with the highest existing trump in order to worsen your own hand.
  8. Since the poor player is somewhat limited in his trumps, it can make sense to play an ace of diamonds or ten of diamonds and force him to take it with you (only makes sense if you know that he is not your partner).
  9. If you have a silent wedding that was not good enough to take away the poverty, it is a little easier with this variant, because you can give the other points without hesitation.

Holy Three Kings

In some regions there is the special point of the Holy Three Kings. This comes about when there are three kings in a trick and one of these kings takes the trick.

Coffee party

The special rule is very rarely played, if there are 4 queens in a trick, so that whoever wins the trick receives a special point.

pig

Basics: see Doppelkopf

When playing with the joker, either the pigs stab the joker or the joker remains the highest trump, with which a pig can be caught, which usually gives a special point as with the captured fox.

Pig in poverty

When playing with poverty, there are two options:

1. The pig must be announced before the cards can be exchanged. If the player who accepts poverty receives the second ace of diamonds, he can no longer announce a pig. However, if poverty contains a previously announced pig (both aces of diamonds, which then usually have to be pushed open), this remains valid, although the acceptor of poverty must keep both aces of diamonds.
2. If the player who accepts poverty receives the second ace of diamonds, he may announce the pig.

Pig in solo

In the trump solo, the player or both the player and the opponents can announce pigs if one holds both aces of diamonds. Usually the pig is announced before the solo reservations or the solo player may forego the solo if an opponent announces a pig. This rule is only useful if the pig has to be announced before the game starts. Admitting the pig to the trump solo is consistent in that a pig can also be announced in a breastfeeding solo . In addition, this rule can be extended to the three other color solos. The two aces of diamonds always remain pigs, which increases the number of trumps by two for the other three color solos.

Pig, athletic

Two foxes in hand give the opportunity to become a pig. Only when the first fox gets through does the second become a pig. The rule either only applies if the player with the two aces of diamonds in his hand with the first fox takes a trick himself, or if the first fox is in a trick of the partner. The pig may then usually only be announced when the partner finding has already been completed at that point, otherwise the partnership would be revealed without announcement or rejection or in the case of the Re-party without playing the queen of clubs. It can happen that the second fox does not become a pig because it has to be played first. This possibility of playing the pig must either be announced before the game starts or during the course of the game, with three possible times after playing the first ace of diamonds, namely immediately after playing the first ace of diamonds (possibility to have a pig if the trick goes with the fox to another player; the second ace of diamonds is a pig if the trick was taken with the fox), after finding a partner (second ace of diamonds is a pig) or when playing the second ace of diamonds, which is what the owner of the gives both aces of diamonds a strategic advantage.

Hyper pig

The hyper pig is also called super pig or super pig. A special point can be awarded for a pig caught with a hyper pig, as with the captured fox.

When playing with the joker, either the hyper pigs and pigs stab the joker or the joker remains the highest trump, with which a pig can be caught, which usually gives a special point, as with the caught fox.

version 1

This variant is played in conjunction with the pig, where the announcement is made before the game starts and the two aces of diamonds form the two highest trumps. If a player holds both nines of diamonds and a pig is announced, he can announce a hyper pig. Then the two nines of diamonds are the two highest trumps and the two aces of diamonds become the two second highest trumps. This right is available to all four players, so that pig and hyper pig can also be on one hand. In the case of poverty and solo, the same procedure can be used as with the pig.

Variant 2

With this variant, if you want to play the first ace of diamonds and also have the other one in hand, you can say that the two foxes will become pigs and thus have the highest trump cards in the game. If a player (still) has both nines of diamonds in hand (this can also be the same player), he can declare these nines of diamonds as hyper pigs at the moment he leads the first one, which then also beat the pigs . It can happen that the foxes are not declared pigs if one is afraid that both nine diamonds could still be on the same hand.

Occasionally, in both variants, the two tens of diamonds (instead of the nines) are the super pigs.

More solos

Basics: see Doppelkopf

Asssolo

This is not to be confused with the meatless , also called Assesolo . In the ace solo, the eight aces are trumps. The game works like a women’s solo, only the trump tricks score considerably more and the skipped tricks score fewer points.

Ten solo

In a ten solo, the eight tens are the trump card. The game works like a women’s solo, only the trump tricks score considerably more and the skipped tricks score fewer points.

Nine solo

In the nine solo, the eight nines are trumps. The game works like a women’s solo, except that the trumps do not bring any points, the skipped tricks always bring points.

Meatless wrong (or from below )

There are no trumps, but the ranking of the cards is exactly the opposite of the common meatless one, that is, the nine is the highest card in each suit and the ace the lowest. The game works like the usual meatless solo, with the difference that the high cards themselves count for few points and vice versa. This variant is also known as Bottom Up .

Zero solo

The zero Solo is also zero, rags solo or beggar called in some places Boneless , as opposed to meatless.

version 1

The cards keep the same ranking as in normal play or color solo. The solo player must not take a single trick, otherwise he has lost.

Variant 2

The cards are ranked as in the meatless one . The solo player must not take a single trick, otherwise he has lost.

Slim Martin

Everything is wrong with the slim Martin. The first ten of hearts stands out. For all other cards, the second identical card wins. Diamonds remain trumps. Slim Martin is a solo for a bad card player. That's why the game is limited to once per player per evening and all other solos have priority. It is counted with a point if the player takes fewer tricks than each of the opponents. If there is a tie with an opponent, the game counts as zero. This gives the opposing party a strategic opportunity.

Play with more than four players

Variants are described here in which more than four players receive cards and take part in the game at the same time.

Triple head

This game is played by six players with 1½ double headed hands, i.e. 3 × 24 hands. Each player receives twelve cards. In practice, a Skat sheet without sevens and eights is usually mixed with the normal double headed sheet. Each card is therefore present three times in the game. The game without nines is also possible. In general, Triple Head is very random, so that most of the game strategies known from Doppelkopf fail more or less. As special points, caught foxes and possibly caught dulls and caught Karlchen occur more frequently than with the Doppelkopf, all other special points, however, are much rarer. There are some special features that differ from the Doppelkopf.

Half wedding (engagement)

A player holds two queens of clubs. He then plays with the owner of the third queen of clubs and another player who has to be determined by the finding trick. It can happen that the finding trick goes to the owner of the third queen of clubs, so that two against four players play. In the game evaluation, the Re-party then receives double points. It can be agreed that a half wedding does not have to be announced, which then automatically leads to the game two against four.

Whole wedding

One player holds all three queens of clubs. The two players must be identified by two finding tricks. Here, too, it can happen that two against four players play (see above). In addition, the owner of the whole wedding can play alone or even play a silent solo .

pig

To be able to announce a pig, a player must have all three aces of diamonds. Then either all three aces of diamonds are pigs, which gives the player a very strong hand, or only one ace of diamonds is a pig. In order to mitigate the effect, only two aces of diamonds can count as the highest trump cards for the pig that is popular before the game. Every time the owner of the pig lays an ace of diamonds, he must immediately say whether it is one of the two pigs or the remaining fox.

Hyper pig

This rule is unusual for a triple head, as in the extreme case six tricks go to one player from the start.

Double head

A stitch becomes a double head when it contains at least 40 eyes.

Third beats second beats first bullet

The standard rule that the first dulle wins the trick can be reversed as with the double head. If two dulls fall in a trick, the trick goes to the player who played the second dull. If all three dulls fall in one trick, the trick goes to the player who played the third dull. In this variant, there is no absolute highest trump in the game until the time the second dulle is played. If a player holds all three dulls or holds two dulles and the third dull has already been played, this only applies to the other five players. This rule also favors the Re party. If there are two or all three dulls left in play, the opposing party must risk a dull in order to take a trick. However, the Re-party can achieve the same goal alternatively with a dulle or a cross-queen.

Doppelkopf to six

This game is played by six players with a normal double-headed hand, i.e. 2 × 24 hands and should therefore not be confused with the triple-headed hand mentioned above. Each player receives eight cards. The game without nines is not possible. The usual rules for Doppelkopf and, if necessary, special rules apply. Usually a stitch becomes a double head when it contains at least 60 eyes. A special point can be awarded for a pure heart trick (heart pass; only possible here if each player holds exactly one heart wrong color card and could not discard it beforehand).

There are two ways to find a game:

1. The two owners of the queens of clubs play against the other four players, at a wedding a teammate is searched for by means of a finding trick. Depending on the rules for the discovery process, it can happen that the owner of the wedding plays alone. The Re-party receives double points in the game evaluation.
2. The two owners of the queens of clubs play together with a third player who has to be searched for by means of a finding trick. Depending on the rules for the finding trick, it can happen that the two owners of the two queens of clubs still play against the four other players. Then the Re-party receives double points in the game evaluation. At a wedding, two teammates are searched for using a finding stitch. Here, too, depending on the rules for the finding stitches, it can happen that the re-party only consists of two players or the owner of the wedding plays alone.

Doppelkopf for five

This game is played by five players with a double headed hand without nines, i.e. 2 × 20 hands. Each player receives eight cards. Playing with nines is not possible. The usual rules for Doppelkopf and, if necessary, special rules apply. Usually a stitch becomes a “double head” when it contains at least 50 eyes. In addition, the wrong color heart cannot pass through as a pure heart trick, since only four heart wrong color cards are in play. The two owners of the queens of clubs play against the other three players. Alternatively, only three nines can be removed so that there are 45 cards in play and each player is dealt 9 cards.

Three player game

There are three variants of the three player game:

Solo game variant

It is played with a double headed hand without nines. Each player receives 12 or 13 cards, the remaining cards are placed face down in the middle. In a clockwise direction, the dealer asks the players whether they want to play a solo. If neither of the two wants to play, the dealer must play a solo. The solo player is now entitled to pick up the cards from the middle and to sort out 4 or 1 cards of his choice as his first trick. Now solo is played according to normal double-head rules.

Normal game variant without nines

This method is more likely to be understood as a fun double head, as there is no point distribution. It is played with a double headed hand with no nines, with a king of hearts being sorted out. Now normal double-headed rules are used, with each player receiving 13 cards and all playing against all. Furthermore, only the loser, but not the winner, is usually calculated.

Normal game variant with nines

It is played with a normal double headed hand, i.e. 2 × 24 hands. Each player receives 16 cards. The game without nines is not possible. Everyone plays for himself, the queens of clubs have no influence on this. There is also no re or contra party and therefore there is no need to search for a partner, which means that Doppelkopf in threes differs significantly from all other Doppelkopf variants.

Counting methods

There are multiple possibilities:

• • There is one point each for 30, 60, 90 and 120 points, two points for 150 and 180 points, and three points each for 210 and 240 points or all tricks. After counting, the winner receives two extra points, the second one.
  • The winner is the player with the most eyes, at least 81 eyes. There is one point for a win, another one for 90 or more (120, 150, 180, 210, all tricks).
  • Special points for double heads, Karlchen Müller and, if applicable, a captured dulle are retained or special points are dispensed with entirely. A stitch becomes a "double head" when it contains at least 30 eyes. It should be agreed whether a captured fox gives an extra point.

Announcements and cancellations

There is no re or contra except in solo, cancellations are possible in normal play, but are handled inversely. A player says he will get a minimum score of 90 or more (120, 150, 180, 210, all tricks). There is an extra point for every refusal. If the player does not comply with his rejection, he is automatically a loser and receives minus points instead of plus points for the rejection not complied with.

Solos

The usual rules apply to solos, one player plays against the other two and wins with at least 121 points. Announcements and cancellations are made here as with Doppelkopf with four or more players.

literature

• Barry Rigal: double head in many variations. In: ders .: Card games for dummies . Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 2007, pp. 234-236. ISBN 978-3-527-70324-1
• Benno Schirrmeister: The Society Game , TAZ July 12, 2005 Online

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rules of the game on doko-verband.de ( Memento of the original from December 10, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Tobias Miller: Genschern in the Doppelkopf. In: Berliner Zeitung . February 27, 1997, accessed June 10, 2015 .