How to play Schnapsen
Just want the rules? Read the complete Schnapsen rulebook.
Schnapsen is Austria's national card game - twenty cards, two players, and not one dead card in the pack. You face Emma with five cards each; a turn-up fixes the trump suit and the rest wait in the talon. Win tricks, draw fresh cards, declare marriages (king + queen: 20, or 40 in trumps) and race to 66 card points - but you must say "66" yourself to win the hand. Hands pay 1-3 game points and both players count down from 7 to zero.
- Card points - ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2. The ten outranks the king.
- Two phases - anything goes while the talon is open; after it empties or is closed you must follow, beat and trump.
- Trump jack - swap it for the turn-up when you are on lead. Free value, almost always right.
- Closing - flip the turn-up to stop all drawing and promise 66 from your hand. Big reward, big penalty.
- Click or drag - tap a card or drag it to the middle; the buttons above your hand handle swaps, marriages, closing and going out.
Strategy tips that win more hands
- Count both scores, always. There are only 120 trick points plus melds - the whole game is knowing when you (or Emma) can cross 66. The seat labels track your points for you; use them.
- Close the moment 66 is safe. Sure tricks in hand plus your current pile is the arithmetic that wins Schnapsen. A close judged against a trickless opponent pays 3 game points - the fastest route from 7 to 0.
- Hold kings and queens loosely. A possible marriage is worth waiting one draw for, rarely three - if the partner card never comes, those 4s and 3s clog your hand.
- Do not lead aces early. While nobody must follow suit, a led ace pulls a 2-point jack and dies to a cheap trump. Cash them late, or after trumps are gone.
- Track the trump count. Five trumps exist. When you hold the last two, closing is usually free money; when Emma does, dump your losers before the strict phase locks you in.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Schnapsen?
Schnapsen is a two-player trick-taking game with just 20 cards: ace (11 points), ten (10), king (4), queen (3) and jack (2) in each suit. Five cards each, one turn-up fixes the trump suit, and after every trick both players draw from the talon. You collect card points in tricks and by declaring king-queen marriages; the first player to 66 points who says so wins the hand. Hands are worth 1-3 game points, and both players count down from 7 - reaching zero wins the game.
Do you have to follow suit in Schnapsen?
Not at first. While the talon is open you may play any card at all. Once the talon is exhausted or a player closes it, the rules turn strict: you must follow suit AND beat the led card if you can, you must trump when you cannot follow, and only otherwise may you discard freely.
What is a marriage in Schnapsen?
A matched king and queen of one suit. If you hold both, you may declare them when it is your turn to lead: show the pair, lead one of the two cards, and score 20 points - or 40 for the trump suit. The points only count once you have won at least one trick, so a declared marriage with no tricks is worth nothing.
What does closing the talon mean?
When you are on lead you may flip the turn-up trump face down: nobody draws any more cards, play becomes strict (follow suit and beat), and you are promising to reach 66 from your hand. Win, and you score game points judged by what your opponent had at the moment you closed; fall short and your opponent scores 2 game points, or 3 if they had no trick when you closed. Knowing when to close is the whole art of Schnapsen.
What is the trump jack exchange?
The holder of the trump jack - the lowest trump - may swap it for the face-up turn-up card before leading to a trick, while the talon is still open. It usually upgrades a 2-point card into something far better, so it is almost always worth doing as soon as you can.
Is Schnapsen the same as Sixty-Six (66)?
They are close cousins. German Sixty-Six uses 24 cards (the nines stay in) and six-card hands, forbids marriages after the talon is done, and scores the last trick 10 points. Austrian Schnapsen - the version played here - uses 20 cards, five-card hands, allows marriages to the very end, and gives the whole hand to the winner of the last trick when nobody goes out. The FAQ answer people actually need: if you learn Schnapsen you can sit down at a 66 table in minutes.
More free card games
Schnapsen's trick-and-draw rhythm comes from the same ace-ten family as Briscola - try it if you like holding back the rules. For a bigger marriage-and-meld game step up to Pinochle, or go head-to-head with Emma in Durak.