The second Saturday of every month
The following discusses the Klaverjas rules used during the Klaverjas evenings organized by De Wieken.
Teams – Klaverjassen is a partnership game. At the beginning of each round you will be paired and a competing team selected. This repeats itself before every round. The reason for changing partnerships is to encourage socializing and ‘spreading out’ playing ability.
Game – The game consists of three rounds, each lasting approximately 45 min. Each hand consists of eight tricks. Results are collected after each round and added up. The player with the highest result wins the game.
Cards – Each hand is played with a deck of cards evenly distributed to all four players, eight cards each. A deck of card consist of 32 cards; 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades.
Dealer – The dealer shuffles the cards before a hand is played and deals the cards clockwise, the left hand opponent receiving the first cards, 3-3-2 cards at a time. The player left of the dealer becomes dealer after a hand has been played.
Competing pairs decide at the beginning of a round which team will become the first dealer. Cards are dealt face down and players should keep the card to themselves, not giving information on the cards to either partner or to the opponents.
Declarer – The left hand opponent of the dealer selects a trump suit after having received his/her eight cards.
Trump – The declarer chooses the trump suit based on his/her eight cards. The trump suit is announced by saying Clubs, Diamond, Hearts, or Spade. The announcement must be in a neutral way not indicating the strength, or lack thereof, of the hand.
Trick – The declarer starts by playing one of his/her cards. The other players follow until all four have played a card. Cards are played clockwise. Each player has to wait until the right hand opponent has played.
Deciding to play a card
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Each player has to follow the suit played by the first player
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A trump card must be played when unable to follow suit and partner not having played the highest card so far
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Any trump card played must be higher than any other trump card already on the table
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Any card can be played when not being able to follow suit or trump.
The player with the highest card takes the trick (i.e. collects all four cards on the table), keeps them face down, and leads the next card. On request the last trick must be made visible.
The three other players follow, player with the highest card takes the trick, leads again, etc., etc., until all cards have been played.
Card Ranking – Each card has a ranking that decides who wins the trick. The ranking, see Table 1, depends on a card being trump or a non-trump card. Trump cards have a higher ranking than any non-trump card.
Last Trick Bonus – A bonus of 10 points is given to the partnership that wins the last trick.
Card Valuation – The value of the card depends on the card being a trump card or a non-trump card. The value of trump and non-trump cards is the same with the exception of the Jack and Nine of trump.
The total number of points in a hand is 162; 62 for the trump suit, 3 * 30 for the other three suits, and 10 for the last trick.
Roem Bonus Points – In addition to the points assigned from the card valuation and the last trick bonus, each hand or trick may contain additional bonus points.
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Mars / Pit – A mars bonus of 100 points can be won when a partnership wins all tricks within a hand.
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Stuk – A bonus of 20 points is given if a trick contains the King and Queen of trump.
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Three consecutive – A bonus of 20 points is given if a trick contains 3 consecutive cards of the same suit.
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Four consecutive – A bonus of 50 points is given if a trick contains 4 consecutive cards of the same suit.
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“Four of a kind” – A bonus of 100 points is awarded if a trick contains all four 10s, queens, kings or aces. A bonus of 200 points is given if a trick contains all four jacks.
Bonus points for stuk, 3 or 4 consecutive, and four of a kind need to be declared by the partnership that won the trick. Under some circumstances the partners may choose not to declare the bonus points, e.g. when there is a high likelihood the partners will lose the hand (nat) and therefore all points will go to the opposing team.
Note – The roem bonus only applies to cards played in a trick (i.e. ‘no roem in the hand’).
Result – Each partnership adds the value of all cards and all bonuses won during the play of a hand.
The partnership that declared trump must win more than half the points of the hand (eight tricks), including bonus points. When the declaring partnership fails to earn more than half the points they are “nat” and all points (162 points + roem bonus points) will be awarded to the opposite team.
Terminology
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Mars – One partnership won all eight tricks in a hand
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Nel – the nine of trump
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Nat – Declaring pair failed to get more than half of the points in a hand (eight tricks)
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Roem – Bonus points
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Slag – Trick
Etiquette
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The concept of a poor player does not exists in Klaverjassen, the concept of bad partner (loud & rude) does. Nobody likes a bad partner.
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Talking is allowed during the game. However, keep your cards to yourself. It can be interpreted as cheating. Nobody likes a cheater.