Schafkopf rules, explained simply
All the rules of Schafkopf, the Bavarian card game, on one page — from the deal to the settlement. We follow the “official” rules and point out where tables play their own house rules.
Cards and Augen (points)
Schafkopf is played with the long deck: 32 cards in four suits, Eichel, Gras, Herz and Schellen (acorns, leaves, hearts, bells), each with Sau (the ace), Zehn (ten), König (king), Ober and Unter (upper and lower jack), Neun, Acht and Sieben (nine, eight, seven).
Every card is worth a fixed number of Augen, Schafkopf’s word for points. Together they make 120:
- Sau — 11 Augen
- Zehn — 10 Augen
- König — 4 Augen
- Ober — 3 Augen
- Unter — 2 Augen
- Neun, Acht, Sieben — 0 Augen
The Augen are the same in every game. How high a card ranks, on the other hand, depends on the game.
The trumps and their order
In a Sauspiel 14 cards are trump: the four Ober, the four Unter and the six remaining Herz. An Ober or Unter never belongs to its suit — a Schellen-Unter is a trump, not a Schellen. The order from top to bottom:
- Ober: Eichel, Gras, Herz, Schellen
- Unter: Eichel, Gras, Herz, Schellen
- Herz: Sau, Zehn, König, Neun, Acht, Sieben
The highest trump is the Eichel-Ober (“der Alte”, the old one), the lowest the Herz-Sieben. The other three suits run Sau, Zehn, König, Neun, Acht, Sieben.
Shuffling, cutting, dealing
The dealer shuffles and the player to their right cuts (lifting at least three cards and leaving at least three). Cards are dealt clockwise, starting left of the dealer — “officially” two rounds of four; four rounds of two is fine if the table agrees.
The player left of the dealer speaks first and leads the first trick. After each game the next player clockwise deals.
Following suit and winning a trick
Each player in turn plays one card; four cards make a trick (Stich). The first card sets the effective suit: Ober and Unter count as trump, every other card as its own suit.
The highest trump wins the trick; without a trump, the highest card of the suit led — another suit never wins. Whoever takes the trick leads next.
- If a suit is led, you must play that suit if you can.
- If trump is led, you must play a trump if you can.
- If you can’t follow, any card is allowed — trump it or throw something away.
- There is no obligation to win: you never have to play higher or to trump.
The classic trap: when Schellen is led, your Schellen-Unter doesn’t count — it is a trump.
The games: Sauspiel, Wenz, Solo — and who gets to play
After the deal everyone speaks once, starting left of the dealer: they want to play a game, or they say “Weiter” (pass). The “official” rules set no minimum strength for a hand. The three core games:
- Sauspiel (also Rufspiel, the “calling game”): Herz is trump; the declarer calls a Sau and plays with whoever holds it, two against two.
- Wenz: only the four Unter are trump; one plays alone against three.
- Solo: the declarer picks the trump suit and plays alone against three.
If several want to play, the higher game wins: Solo beats Wenz beats Sauspiel. On a tie, whoever comes first in turn order gets it — the suit doesn’t matter. If all say “Weiter”, the cards are thrown in and the next dealer deals.
The Sauspiel: calling a Sau, finding your partner
The Sauspiel is the most common game. The declarer calls a Sau — the Eichel, Gras or Schellen Sau, never the Herz-Sau, which is a trump. Whoever holds it is the partner, but may not give themselves away until they have played the Sau.
You may only call a Sau you don’t hold yourself, and only if you hold at least one card of its suit (Ober and Unter don’t count). If that works in no suit, you are “gesperrt” (locked) and cannot announce a Sauspiel.
The partner follows special rules:
- When the called suit is led (“gesucht”, searched for), they must play the Sau.
- They may lead the called suit only with the Sau itself.
- They may not throw the Sau onto a trick of another suit or of trump until the last trick.
- The exception, Davonlaufen (running away): with at least four cards of the called suit (Sau included, Ober and Unter not), they may lead a lower one. From then on the Sau is free.
Everyone else, the declarer included, may lead the called suit at any time.
The Wenz: only the Unter are trump
In a Wenz one player plays alone against three, and only the four Unter are trump: Eichel, Gras, Herz, Schellen. There is no trump suit; Herz is an ordinary suit.
The Ober are ordinary suit cards and rank between König and Neun: Sau, Zehn, König, Ober, Neun, Acht, Sieben.
In a Wenz, Laufende already count from two.
The Solo: you choose the trump
In a Farbsolo (Solo for short) one player plays alone against three and picks the trump suit, for example in a “Gras-Solo”. The trumps are then the four Ober, the four Unter and the six Gras cards: 14 trumps again, in the same order as in a Sauspiel.
A player who expects all eight tricks can announce a Solo or a Wenz as a Tout. A Tout beats every game without one and costs double — but it is lost as soon as the defenders take a single trick, even one with no Augen.
The soloist also needs 61 Augen, just alone. That is why a Solo costs much more than a Sauspiel.
Winning and scoring: Schneider, schwarz, Laufende
At the end each side counts its Augen. The declaring side wins with 61 or more; at 60 to 60 the defenders win.
The “official” rules prescribe no fixed tariff. A widespread one: Sauspiel 10, Wenz and Solo 50, plus 10 each for Schneider, schwarz and every Laufender. Tariff plus bonuses gives the Spielwert (game value).
- Schneider: the declaring side with 30 Augen or fewer, the defenders with 29 or fewer.
- Schwarz (black): a side with no trick at all — even a trick without Augen prevents it. Schwarz always counts as Schneider too.
- Laufende (runners): the top trumps in an unbroken run, if the declaring side holds all of them (“mit drei”, with three) or none (“ohne drei”, without three). They count from three in a Sauspiel and Solo, from two in a Wenz.
- Who pays: in a Sauspiel each loser pays one winner the Spielwert. In a Wenz or Solo each of the three defenders pays the soloist the Spielwert — or receives it.
Example: Sauspiel won, the defenders Schneider, three Laufende: 10 + 10 + 30 = 50. Each loser pays 50.
Kontra, Re and house rules
The “official” rules include the Stoß, usually called Kontra at the table: a defender doubles the game, even out of turn — until the second card of the first trick lies on the table. The called partner may not. The declarer or the partner can answer with Re (also before the second card), doubling again. The 61 Augen stay.
On top come rules that not every table plays:
- Legen (also Klopfen, Doppeln): after the first four cards, each player may “legen” once, blind. Every Legen doubles the price.
- Ramsch: if everyone says “Weiter”, the hand is played anyway, everyone against everyone, with the Sauspiel trumps. Most Augen loses — unless someone takes all eight tricks: that is a Durchmarsch, and they win.
- Bettel: a game alone with no trumps, won only by taking no trick at all. The Zehn drops below the Unter.
- Hochzeit (wedding): a player with exactly one trump lays it face up. Whoever takes it gives back a card (never a trump), and the two play as in a Sauspiel.
- Farbwenz, Geier, Farbgeier: in a Geier only the Ober are trump; a Farbwenz or Farbgeier adds a trump suit. The Farbwenz is in the “official” rules too, the Geier and Farbgeier as a variant.
Legen, Ramsch, Bettel and Hochzeit are not in the “official” rules — true house rules that every table plays a little differently. In Kopfln Oida you switch them on in your table’s house rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need to win at Schafkopf?
The declaring side needs 61 of the 120 Augen (points). At 60 to 60 the defenders win.
Which cards are trump in Schafkopf?
In a Sauspiel, 14 cards: every Ober, every Unter and the Herz cards, led by the Eichel-Ober. In a Solo the announced suit is trump instead of Herz; in a Wenz only the four Unter are trump.
Do you have to trump in Schafkopf?
No. You only have to follow suit. If you don’t have the suit led, you may trump, but you don’t have to.
Which Sau can you call in a Sauspiel?
The Eichel, Gras or Schellen Sau, never the Herz-Sau. You must not hold it yourself and must hold at least one card of its suit, not counting Ober and Unter.
What happens if everyone says “Weiter”?
The cards are thrown in and the next dealer deals again. Some tables play a Ramsch instead — a house rule.
What do Schneider and schwarz mean?
Schneider means too few Augen: 30 or fewer for the declaring side, 29 or fewer for the defenders. Schwarz means not a single trick. Both cost extra.
What are Laufende in Schafkopf?
The top trumps in an unbroken run, if the declaring side holds all of them — or none. They count from three in a Sauspiel and Solo, from two in a Wenz, and each one costs extra.