Doppelkopf

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Doppelkopf (German, lit. double-head), also abbreviated to "Doko," is a trick-taking card game for four players. The origins of this game are not well known; it is assumed that it originated from the game Schafkopf.

In Germany, Doppelkopf is nearly as popular as Skat, especially in Northern Germany and the Rhein-Main Region. Unlike in Skat, there are numerous variants. The variants use the same basic rules, but still require players to agree on a specific set of rules before their first game. Schafkopf however is still the preferred trick-tracking variant in Bavaria.

[edit] Game rules

In the following section, the common rules will be described. The more popular variants will be described afterwards.

[edit] General principles

Doppelkopf is a team game where each team normally consists of two players. The most distinguishing feature of the game is that the actual pairing is not known from the start, which is what makes the game interesting for most players.

The deck of cards consists of either 48 or 40 cards, with...

  • 8 Nines worth 0 points each
  • 8 Tens worth 10 points each
  • 8 Jacks worth 2 points each
  • 8 Queens worth 3 points each
  • 8 Kings worth 4 points each, and
  • 8 Aces worth 11 points each

... and with each group of 8 cards consisting of 2 cards from each suit: Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and Clubs. Each card exists twice in the deck (which leads to the name Doppelkopf) resulting in a total number of 240 points. In the following explanation, the more common 48-card version is assumed. The rules for the 40-card variant are the same, the only difference is that the Nines are missing.

In every game, there exist two parties, called Re and Kontra. To win, the Re-party must make 121 points or more; Kontra wins when Re fails to do so.

[edit] Preparation

Each player is dealt twelve cards, or ten in the 40-card variant. After the cards are dealt, the kind of game is determined. In non-tournament play, it is assumed that a normal game will be played and any player desiring a different game simply says so. In tournament games, a more complicated method is used to prevent players from gaining information about foreign hands.

The kinds of games that can be played only differ in what cards are considered trumps. When a player declares a game different from the normal game, he alone is Re and has to play against the other three players who form Kontra. These non-standard games are, therefore, called solo games.

In the standard game, the players who hold the Queen of Clubs ("Die Alten" ("The Elders")) constitute Re, while the other two are Kontra. In these games, the actual teams are not known from the start. In case a player has both Queens of Clubs, he declares Hochzeit (marriage).

[edit] Playing the cards

The player to the left of the dealer leads first; the other players follow in a clockwise direction. Each player must follow suit, that is, play a card in the same suit as the first-played card in the trick. If he cannot follow suit, he can play a trump or any other card. The player playing the highest trump or the highest card in the current suit wins the trick and plays the first card of the next trick. Since each card exists twice, there is the possibility of a tie; in that case, the first-played card wins the trick. For example, when the trick consists of ♠10 ♠A ♠9 ♠A, the player who played the first Ace of Spades wins the trick. When a trump card is played first, each player must play any trump card if possible, regardless of suit.

During the first tricks, each player may make some announcements which increase the value of the game.

After all the cards have been played, the point-values of the tricks are counted and each player in the winning party gets the game-value added to his score, while the losing players get the value subtracted.

[edit] Type of games

[edit] Normal game

normal game
trumps (in decreasing order)
♣Q | ♠Q | ♥Q | ♦Q | ♣J | ♠J | ♥J | ♦J | ♦A | ♦10 | ♦K | ♦9
non-trumps (in decreasing order per suit)
hearts spades clubs
♥A | ♥10 | ♥K | ♥9 ♠A | ♠10 | ♠K | ♠9 ♣A | ♣10 | ♣K | ♣9

In the normal game, all Diamonds are trumps, as are all Queens and all Jacks. Therefore, there are as many trump cards as non-trump cards; this fact is mainly responsible for the specific Doppelkopf "feel" of play, noticeably different from other games of tricks, where there are usually far more non-trump cards than trump cards. In this game, the players holding the ♣Q form the Re party.

[edit] Hochzeit

When a player has both Queens of Clubs, he usually declares Hochzeit (lit. "marriage") and will form the Re party with the first foreign player to win a trick (most variants allow the player to announce a specific kind of trick that must be taken, e.g. the first non-trump trick). Apart from this, the game is played like the normal game.

The player can also decide not to announce Hochzeit, in which case he plays a "stilles Solo" (silent solo). This is played like a normal Diamonds solo; the only difference being that the other players do not know from the start they are playing against a solo. Apart from this, the game is scored like a normal solo (times 3 for solo player, normal for all others).

[edit] Solo games

A player can, if he wants to, announce a solo game. These games change the status of trump cards; the player also must play against the other three players. He will get thrice game value added (or subtracted) from his scoreboard in case of a win (or a loss).

The kinds of solo games that can be played vary wildly, the most common being "Bubensolo" (Jack solo), which only makes the Jacks trump cards; "Damensolo" (Queen solo) with only Queens as trumps; and "Fleischlos" (fleshless) where no trumps exist. Another possibility is the "Farbensolo" (color solo) which makes the announced suit along with Jacks and Queens trump cards. A "Diamond solo", therefore, has the same trumps as in a normal game.

[edit] Bids

During play, a player may make announcements claiming that his party will succeed in achieving a specific goal. These announcements increase the game value regardless of whether they are fulfilled. If a party fails to accomplish the self-given goal, it has automatically lost.

Apart from increasing the game value, the bids fulfill the secondary role of clarifying which side a player who makes them belongs to. Bids are often made more for this purpose than for the increased game value.

The bids that are possible are:

  • Re (or Kontra), announcing that the player is part of the Re (Kontra) party and his party will score more than 120 points. This announcement also tells all players if they play against or with the announcer.

Each of the following announcements can only be made after Re or Kontra. If Re was said and a player of the Kontra party wants to make an announcement, he also has to announce Kontra.

  • Keine 90 (no 90), often abbreviated to keine 9, meaning that the opponents will get less than 90 points.
  • Keine 60, or keine 6, announces the opposing party will not make 60 points
  • Keine 30 / keine 3
  • Schwarz (black), meaning the opponents will not get a single trick, not even a trick worth 0 points

Each announcement implies any previous announcements, for example, "keine 60" implies "keine 90" and "Re"/"Kontra", increasing the game-value by 4 (for the standard rules) points. Every bid may be countered by "Kontra" resp. "Re" when the opponents think the goal will not be met. For example, if the Re-Party announces "Re, keine 60", a reply of "Kontra" simply claims Kontra will score 60 points.

To be able to make a bid, the player must still hold a specific number of cards in his hands, the official rules state:

  • A Re or Kontra can be made with 11 cards left (that is, before the player plays his second card; it does not require the announcement to be made before the first card of the second trick is played). A Kontra/Re in response to a bid of the opposing party (for example, Re or "keine 90") may be made before the player wanting to say it plays his next card.
  • For keine 90, 10 cards must be held.
  • keine 60: 9 cards
  • keine 30: 8 cards
  • schwarz: 7 cards

A player that has, for example, announced "Re", but not "keine 90", may not announce keine 60 with 9 cards left, because the implied "keine 90" would not be legal.

[edit] Ansagen/Absagen

The official rules distinguish between "Ansagen" (announcements) and "Absagen" (lit. rejection, but probably used as a pun). There, an initial "Re" or "Kontra" is a "Ansage", and all other announcements ("keine ..." and "schwarz") are "Absagen". In order to make an Absage, an Ansage has to have been made. That means that, for example, even with 10 cards left a player cannot say "keine 90" if he (or his partner) hadn't announced "Re"/"Kontra" before. Many people play without this rule, that is, a player with 9 cards may still announce "Re, keine 60" or "Kontra, keine 60" even if he (or his partner) didn't make a bid before.

[edit] Scoring

After all cards are played, each party counts the points of their tricks (since the total sum of points always is 240, in theory only one party has to count; letting both parties count serves as verification). The game value is calculated as follows:

  • 1 point base value ("keine 120")
  • +2 for an announcement of "Re" or "Kontra" (therefore, if both were made, 4 points are added)
  • +1 if the winning party is Kontra ("gegen die Alten", against the elders)
  • +1 if the losing party has less than 90 points
  • +1 if "keine 90" was announced
  • +1 if the winning party won against an announcement of "keine 90"
  • +1 if they have less than 60 points
  • +1 for "keine 60" announcement
  • +1 if winning against this announcement
  • +1 if less than 30
  • +1 for announcement
  • +1 for winning against
  • +1 if the winning party made all tricks
  • +1 for announcement
  • +1 for winning against

The game value is added to the score of each player in the winning party, and subtracted for the losing party. If the game was a solo game, the soloist gets thrice the game value added or subtracted. This rule ensures the total sum of points won/lost in a round is always zero.

[edit] Examples

  • No bids were made, Re wins with 131 points: game value +1, both Re-players get +1, both Kontra -1
  • A solo player wins without announcements with 153 points: game value +2, he gets +6, all others -2
  • Kontra, keine 60 was announced. Kontra gets 183: game value 1+2("Kontra")+1 (Kontra party wins) +1 (no 90) +1(announced)+1 (no 60) +1(announced) = 8. Kontra gets +8, Re loses 8
  • Re, keine 60 was announced, Kontra party said "Kontra". Re gets 178 and therefore loses! Value 1+2("Re")+2("Kontra")+1 (Kontra won) +1 ("keine 90" announced) +1 (won against "keine 90") +1 ("keine 60") +1 (won against) = 10
  • Solo player announces "Re, keine 90" but only manages to get 87 points for himself: 1+2("Re")+1 (Kontra won) +1 ("keine 90") +1 (Re did not get 90 points) +1 (Kontra won against "keine 90") = 7. Re gets 21 points subtracted, all others gain 7 points.

[edit] Variants

[edit] ohne Neunen

Many groups sort out the nines so that there are 40 cards left. This way, there are no more dummy cards and the relation between trump and non-trump is shifted even more towards trump.

[edit] Doppelkopf

Unless a solo is being played, a trick containing 40 or more points (4 Volle, i.e. tens and aces) will lead to a score point for the party which collected the trick. Such 40 or 40 plus trick gave the game the name.

When playing with Dullen and without nines this also applies to a not trumped heart trick for that means that every player has one card in hearts (two aces and two kings).

[edit] Dullen

normal game (with Dullen)
trumps (in decreasing order)
♥10 | ♣Q | ♠Q | ♥Q | ♦Q | ♣J | ♠J | ♥J | ♦J | ♦A | ♦10 | ♦K | ♦9
non-trumps (in decreasing order per suit)
clubs spades hearts
♣A | ♣10 | ♣K | ♣9 ♠A | ♠10 | ♠K | ♠9 ♥A | ♥K | ♥9

The most common variant is called Spiel mit (game with) Dullen, which makes the Ten of Hearts (often called Dulle) the highest trump in every normal game as well as any color solo. In this variant, there are actually more trumps than non-trump cards. One noteworthy result of this rule is that there are only six non-trump cards left in Hearts, making this suit very likely to be trumped in the first trick it is played.

Most of the time, when this variant is in effect, it also is agreed that - as the only exception - the second Ten of Hearts is considered higher than the first, if both are played in the same trick. In some variants, this is true for all but the last trick, where the first Ten of Hearts is considered higher.

This variant is so popular that it can be considered to be part of the standard rules. It is not common to find players who play without this rule. The Re party still consists of the players with the Queens of Clubs, although these cards are not the highest trumps anymore.

However, winning a trick with the Dullen does not add points to the score.

[edit] Pflichtansage (Forced announcement)

If a player collects 30 points or more in the first trick (not counting the tricks needed to determine the partners after a Hochzeit has been announced), he has to announce either Re or Kontra. Some players even insist that a further announcement (i.e. 90) be made if the announcement in question has been made already. This rule is popular among recreational players in order to render the game more dynamic.

[edit] Füchse (Foxes)

Similar to Dullen, this is almost a standard rule. If a party's Ace of Diamonds could not be played in a trick which the same party collected, thus it was "lost" to the opposing party, it will lead to a point counted against the party losing the fox in the final scoring (either added or subtracted to the scores, depending on who won).

[edit] Schweinchen (Piglet)

This is also almost a standard rule. When one player has, similar to Hochzeit, both Füchse on his hand, he announced Schweinchen. That means, that those become the highest trumps in play, outranking the Dullen (tens of hearts) and Alten (queens of clubs). Often it is played that a Schweinchen forces the player to an announcement of Kontra or Re. Other variants include the announcement at any point during the game, often breaking the opposing party's bid or the possibility of Super-Schweinchen, if one holds both nines of diamonds.

[edit] Charlie

Also known as Karlchen Müller. If a Jack of Clubs (dubbed Charlie) wins the last trick, it will lead to a score point counted for the party that collected the trick.

[edit] See also

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