Binokel: Swabia's Beloved Trick-Taking Card Game with Melding

Overview

Binokel is the unofficial national card game of Swabia, the southwestern German region centred on Baden-Württemberg. Combining an exciting bidding auction, a richly rewarding melding phase, and strategic trick-taking play, Binokel has been a fixture in Swabian homes, pubs, and community halls for well over a century. The game is closely related to Pinochle, its American cousin, and both trace their roots to the French game Bezique and its Central European offshoots.

What makes Binokel special is its unique 48-card double deck where every card exists twice. This creates fascinating tactical dilemmas: when you hold one copy of a card, you know the other copy is somewhere in play. The game unfolds in three distinct phases — a competitive bidding auction, a dramatic melding round where players reveal their card combinations, and a tense trick-taking phase where the auction winner must prove their bid was justified.

Binokel is best enjoyed with three players, which allows for a blind kitty called the Dabb that adds an element of surprise. The game is deeply embedded in Swabian culture, with its own dialect vocabulary and a competitive tournament scene that thrives across the region.

The Binokel Deck

Binokel uses a 48-card double deck, traditionally the Württemberg pattern of German-suited playing cards. This deck contains two copies of six card ranks in four suits, giving exactly 48 cards (6 ranks × 4 suits × 2 copies). The four German suits are:

• Eichel (Acorns) — corresponds to Clubs
• Blatt / Grün / Laub (Leaves) — corresponds to Spades
• Herz (Hearts) — corresponds to Hearts
• Schellen (Bells) — corresponds to Diamonds

The six ranks in each suit, from highest to lowest, are:

The total card points in the entire deck amount to 240 points (two copies of 30 points per suit). Note the unusual ranking: the 10 outranks the King, sitting just below the Ace. This ranking catches newcomers off guard but is standard across the Binokel, Pinochle, and Schnapsen family of games. The 7s carry no point value but serve as the lowest-ranked cards and can still be useful in the trick-taking phase for following suit without giving away valuable points.

How to Play Binokel (Three Players)

The standard and most popular form of Binokel is the three-player version with a Dabb. The game proceeds through four distinct phases: dealing, bidding, melding, and trick-taking.

Step 1: Deal the Cards

1. Shuffle and Cut Shuffle the 48-card deck thoroughly and offer it to the player on your right to cut.
2. Deal 15 Cards Each Deal cards to each of the three players in batches. A common dealing pattern is 5–Dabb–5–5, meaning: deal 5 to each player, then place 3 cards face-down in the centre as the Dabb, then deal 5 more to each player, and finally 5 more to each player. Each player ends with 15 cards and 3 cards rest in the Dabb.
3. Sort Your Hand Players pick up their cards and sort them by suit. Evaluate your hand for potential melds and trick-winning strength before the bidding begins.

Step 2: The Bidding Auction

1. Forehand Opens The player to the dealer's left (Forehand) states the first bid. Bidding typically starts at a minimum of 150 points in standard Binokel, though house rules may vary.
2. Middlehand Responds The next player (Middlehand) must either bid higher or pass. Bids increase in increments of 10 points.
3. Dealer Responds Once either Forehand or Middlehand drops out, the remaining bidder faces the Dealer, who can bid higher or pass.
4. Highest Bidder Wins The last player still bidding wins the auction. They are now the Spieler (declarer) and must score at least their bid through melds and tricks combined. If all players pass without bidding, the deal is thrown in and redealt.

Step 3: The Dabb

After winning the auction, the Spieler picks up the 3 Dabb cards and adds them to their hand, giving them 18 cards. They must now:

1. Examine the Dabb — The Dabb cards may complete melds, add powerful trumps, or prove disappointing.
2. Declare the trump suit — The Spieler announces which of the four suits will be trump for this hand. This decision is usually guided by which suit maximizes their meld value and trick-taking power.
3. Discard 3 cards (drücken) — The Spieler places 3 cards face-down in front of them. These discarded cards count toward the Spieler's trick points at the end of the hand. You may not discard any Aces or trumps (house rules vary on this restriction).

Step 4: Melding

Once trump is declared, all three players lay their melds face-up on the table and announce their meld totals. The melding phase is the heart of Binokel and what distinguishes it from simpler trick-taking games.

Meld Types and Values

A single card may be used in multiple melds as long as each meld is of a different type. For example, a Leaves Ober can simultaneously count as part of a Binokel, a pair, and a four-of-a-kind. After all melds are recorded, players pick their cards back up into their hands.

Step 5: Trick-Taking

1. Spieler Leads The auction winner leads the first trick by playing any card from their hand.
2. Follow Suit or Trump Each subsequent player must follow suit if able. If they cannot follow suit but hold a trump, they must play a trump. If they hold neither a card of the led suit nor a trump, they may discard any card.
3. Win the Trick Players must attempt to win the trick when possible. If following suit, you must play a higher card than those already played if you can. If trumping, you must overtrump if possible.
4. Resolve Identical Cards Since every card exists twice, two identical cards can appear in the same trick. When this happens, the first one played ranks higher. The leader's card beats a later identical card.
5. Collect and Lead The trick winner collects the cards face-down into their trick pile and leads the next trick. Play continues until all 15 tricks are completed (each player plays 15 cards, but the Spieler's 3 discarded Dabb cards are already set aside).

Step 6: Scoring the Hand

After all tricks are played, each player counts the card points in their trick pile. The Spieler also adds the card points from their 3 discarded Dabb cards. The winner of the last trick receives an additional 10 bonus points.

• Each player's total hand score = meld points + trick points (+ 10 for last trick, if applicable).
• If the Spieler's total meets or exceeds their bid, they score their full total (melds + tricks).
• If the Spieler fails to reach their bid, they go ab (set) and lose the bid amount from their running score, which can go negative. Their melds and tricks count for nothing that hand.
• The other two players always score their own meld and trick points, regardless of the Spieler's outcome.

Play continues over multiple hands until one player reaches the target score, typically 1,000 or 1,500 points, depending on house rules.

Card Rankings: Why the 10 Beats the King

One of the most distinctive features of Binokel (shared with Pinochle and Schnapsen) is the unusual card ranking. The 10 ranks as the second-highest card, above the King. From highest to lowest:

Ace > 10 > King > Ober > Unter > 7

This ranking reflects the card point values and dates back centuries in Central European card game tradition. New players coming from games like Poker or Bridge often struggle with the 10's elevated position. A practical tip: think of the 10 as a “second Ace” rather than a number card. Losing track of the 10s during trick play is one of the most common beginner mistakes.

Swabian Dialect Terms in Binokel

Binokel is deeply Swabian, and the game is peppered with dialect expressions that add local flavour. Understanding these terms is essential for playing in Swabian company:

• Dabb (also Tabbe) — The blind kitty of 3 cards set aside during the deal.
• Drücken — To discard 3 cards from your hand after picking up the Dabb.
• Reizen — The bidding auction.
• Spieler — The player who won the auction and plays against the other two.
• Sau (Sow) — Colloquial term for the Ace (Daus), from the pig often depicted on the card.
• Ober — The upper court card, equivalent to a Queen.
• Unter — The lower court card, equivalent to a Jack.
• Ab ganga — Going set; failing to make your bid.
• Ausmacha — To go out; to reach the target score and win the game.
• Durch — Winning every single trick (a slam), which may carry bonus points in some rule sets.

Binokel vs. American Pinochle

Binokel and Pinochle are sibling games that diverged when German immigrants brought their card traditions to North America in the 19th century. While the fundamental concepts of double-deck melding and trick-taking are shared, the games have developed meaningful differences:

The namesake meld — the Binokel or Pinochle — is identical in both games: the Queen of Spades (Leaves Ober) paired with the Jack of Diamonds (Bells Unter), worth 40 points. The word itself likely derives from the French binocle (spectacles/eyeglasses), though the exact etymological path is debated.

Two-Player Binokel

Binokel can be adapted for two players, though it plays quite differently from the standard three-player game. In two-player Binokel:

• Each player receives 12 cards, dealt in batches.
• The remaining 24 cards form a face-down stock (talon).
• No Dabb is used. Instead, players draw from the stock after each trick, similar to Schnapsen or Sixty-Six.
• Melding occurs throughout the game: when you win a trick and it is your turn to lead, you may declare melds from your hand before playing.
• Once the stock is exhausted, strict follow-suit rules apply for the remaining tricks.

Two-player Binokel is less common than the three-player version but makes an excellent head-to-head game. It plays faster and rewards careful hand management and timing of meld declarations.

Four-Player Partnership Binokel

In the four-player variant, players form two teams of two, sitting opposite their partner. Each player receives 12 cards, and no Dabb is used. The bidding proceeds as in three-player Binokel, but the winning bidder's partner shares in the obligation to meet the bid. Both partners' melds and trick points are combined.

Partnership Binokel introduces a team dynamic that changes the game's character. Partners must communicate through their card play, and the combined meld totals of a team can reach impressive heights. This variant is popular for family gatherings and Swabian club nights.

Strategy Tips

Frequently Asked Questions