Schnapsen: Austria's National Two-Player Card Game

Overview

Schnapsen is widely regarded as Austria's national card game. A fast, intense duel for exactly two players, it has been played in Viennese coffee houses, Alpine inns, and family kitchens for over two hundred years. The game belongs to the Sixty-Six (Sechsundsechzig) card game family, but the Austrian version stands apart thanks to its distinctively compact 20-card deck, which strips the game down to its most tactical essence.

Each hand is a race to accumulate 66 or more card points through winning tricks and declaring marriages (King-Queen pairs of the same suit). What sets Schnapsen apart from most trick-taking games is the dual-phase structure: an open phase where you can play any card freely, and a closed phase with strict follow-suit obligations. The ability to voluntarily close the stock — a bold strategic declaration called zudrehen — adds a layer of bluff and calculation that has earned Schnapsen its reputation as one of the deepest two-player card games in Europe.

A complete match, known as a Bummerl, is played to 7 game points. Individual hands can award 1, 2, or 3 game points depending on how convincingly you defeat your opponent, making every hand count and every decision matter.

The Deck

Unlike its German cousin Sixty-Six, which uses 24 cards, Schnapsen employs a lean deck of just 20 cards. To prepare this from a standard 52-card international pack, remove all cards ranked 2 through 9. What remains is:

• 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace in each of the four suits (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades)

In Austria, Schnapsen is traditionally played with a William Tell deck (Doppeldeutsche Karten) or a standard Austrian-pattern deck. These feature the German suits of Hearts (Herz), Bells (Schellen), Leaves (Laub/Grün), and Acorns (Eichel). The court cards are known as Unter (Jack), Ober (Queen), and König (King). The game plays identically regardless of which deck style you use — only the card faces differ.

The absence of 9s (compared to Sixty-Six) means there are no worthless cards in the deck. Every card either carries point value or serves as the trump Jack for exchange purposes. This makes Schnapsen tighter, faster, and more unforgiving than its 24-card relatives.

Card Values

Each card has a point value that counts toward the 66-point target when won in tricks:

The total point value across all 20 cards is 120 points (30 per suit). Since both players split these 120 points between them, reaching 66 means winning more than half the available card points. Marriages add up to 40 points (trump) or 20 points (non-trump) on top of trick points, which is why a well-timed marriage declaration can instantly swing a hand.

How to Play Schnapsen

A hand of Schnapsen unfolds in two distinct phases: the open phase (while cards remain in the stock) and the closed phase (once the stock is exhausted or voluntarily closed). Understanding the transition between these phases is the key to mastering the game.

Setup & Deal

Determine the first dealer by any agreed method. The deal alternates after each hand.

1. Shuffle the 20-card deck and offer it to the opponent to cut.
2. Deal 5 cards to each player, typically in batches of 3 then 2 (or 2 then 3).
3. Place the remaining 10 cards face-down in the centre to form the stock (talon).
4. Turn the top card of the stock face-up and tuck it partially beneath the stock pile. The suit of this card is the trump suit for the entire hand.

Each player now holds 5 cards, and there are 10 cards in the stock (including the face-up trump indicator). The non-dealer leads the first trick.

Phase 1: Open Play (Stock Available)

1. Lead a Card The non-dealer (or the winner of the previous trick) leads by playing any card from their hand face-up on the table.
2. Respond Freely The opponent plays any card from their hand. During the open phase, there is no obligation to follow suit, trump, or attempt to win the trick. You may play whatever card you choose.
3. Determine the Trick Winner If both cards share the same suit, the higher-ranked card wins. If the second player played a trump while the leader did not, the trump wins. If neither card is trump and they are of different suits, the leader's card wins regardless of rank.
4. Collect the Trick The trick winner places both cards face-down in their personal trick pile. These points count toward the 66-point target.
5. Draw from the Stock The trick winner draws the top card of the stock, then the trick loser draws the next card. Both players return to 5 cards in hand.
6. Lead the Next Trick The trick winner leads the next trick. Before leading, they may optionally declare a marriage or exchange the trump Jack (see below).

The open phase continues until the stock is empty. When a player draws the last face-down card from the stock, the other player takes the face-up trump card. Both players now hold their final 5 cards, and the game enters the closed phase.

Phase 2: Closed Play (Stock Empty or Closed)

Once the stock is exhausted or has been voluntarily closed (zugedreht), the rules become strict:

• You must follow suit if you have a card of the led suit.
• If you can follow suit, you must play a higher card of that suit if you hold one.
• If you cannot follow suit but hold a trump, you must play a trump.
• If you hold a trump and a trump was led, you must overtrump (play a higher trump) if possible.
• Only if you have neither a card of the led suit nor a trump may you discard any card.

Play continues until all 5 remaining tricks have been played. The player who reaches or exceeds 66 total points (trick points plus marriage points) wins the hand.

Marriages and Melding

A marriage (German: Ansagen or Meldung) is a meld of the King and Queen of the same suit held in your hand. Marriages are critical to reaching 66 because they provide a substantial point bonus without requiring you to win a trick with high-value cards.

How to Declare a Marriage

1. It must be your turn to lead a trick (you cannot declare when responding).
2. Show both the King and Queen of the same suit to your opponent.
3. Lead one of the two cards as your trick lead.
4. Add the marriage bonus to your running point total immediately.

Marriage Values

Exchanging the Trump Jack

A distinctive feature of the 66/Schnapsen family is the trump exchange. In Schnapsen, because the deck has no 9s, the lowest trump is the Jack of trumps (Unter). If you hold the Jack of trumps and it is your turn to lead, you may swap it for the face-up trump card tucked under the stock.

• The exchange can only happen while the stock is still open and at least two cards remain in the stock.
• You must be the player leading the next trick (i.e., you just won the previous trick).
• After swapping, you may immediately declare a trump marriage if you now hold the King and Queen of trumps.

This exchange is often highly advantageous. The face-up trump is frequently an Ace or Ten worth 11 or 10 points, while you give up only the 2-point Jack. Skilled players plan several tricks ahead to ensure they win the lead at the right moment to make this swap.

Closing the Stock (Zudrehen)

The most dramatic and strategically defining move in Schnapsen is closing the stock, known in German as zudrehen (literally “turning shut”). This is a voluntary declaration by the player whose turn it is to lead, announcing that no more cards will be drawn from the stock.

How Closing Works

1. Before leading a trick (and optionally after declaring a marriage or exchanging the trump Jack), announce that you are closing the stock.
2. Turn the face-up trump card face-down to signal the closure.
3. From this moment, strict follow-suit rules apply (identical to when the stock is naturally exhausted).
4. No more cards are drawn after tricks. Players play out their remaining hands of 5 cards.

Consequences of Closing

• If the closer reaches 66 points, they win the hand and score game points based on the opponent's trick total at the moment of closing.
• If the closer fails to reach 66, the opponent wins the hand and receives at least 2 game points, or 3 game points if the closer had not won any tricks before closing.

Scoring: Game Points and the Bummerl

Each hand awards game points (not to be confused with the 66 trick/card points). The number of game points depends on the loser's trick total when the hand ends:

A full match, the Bummerl, is played to 7 game points. The first player to reach 7 wins the Bummerl. In Austrian tradition, game points are tracked by drawing lines through a large circle (the Bummerl) on a piece of paper or using a special scoring device. If the loser of the Bummerl ends with zero game points, it is called a Schneider-Bummerl and may count double in competitive play.

Claiming 66 and Ending the Hand

There is no automatic end to a hand when someone hits 66. You must announce that you have reached the target by saying something like “I have enough” or “66.” Play stops immediately upon the claim.

• If your claim is correct (you have 66+ points), you win the hand and score game points based on your opponent's total.
• If your claim is incorrect (fewer than 66 points), your opponent wins the hand and receives at least 2 game points, or 3 if you had no tricks.

If neither player claims 66 and all tricks are played out, the last trick is worth an additional 10 bonus points in some Austrian house rules. The player with more total points wins. In the rare case of a 65–55 tie (which does not reach 66 for either player), no game points are awarded, and an extra game point is added to the next hand's stakes.

Strategy Tips

Variants of Schnapsen

While the standard two-player game described above is the most widely played form, several notable variants exist:

Dreierschnapsen (Three-Player Schnapsen)

Also called Talonschnapsen, this variant accommodates three players. The dealer sits out each hand, and the remaining two play a standard Schnapsen hand. Alternatively, all three receive cards and the player who picks up the talon plays against the other two. This version is popular in Austrian pubs and clubs.

Bauernschnapsen (Four-Player Schnapsen)

Bauernschnapsen (Peasant Schnapsen) is the four-player partnership version and is enormously popular in Austria. Two teams of two sit opposite each other, and the game features a bidding round to determine the contract. Contracts range from a simple game to elaborate challenges like Schnapser, Kontra-Schnapser, Bauer, and Gang. Bauernschnapsen is considered a separate game in its own right and has its own competitive tournament scene.

Sharp Schnapsen (Scharfes Schnapsen)

In some regions, a “sharp” variant is played where strict follow-suit rules apply from the very first trick, even while the stock is open. This eliminates the open phase entirely and creates a faster, more cutthroat game. It is less common but popular among players who prefer pure tactical play over the bluffing element of the open phase.

Sixty-Six (Sechsundsechzig)

The German original uses a 24-card deck (including 9s), deals 6 cards to each player, and uses the 9 of trumps for the exchange instead of the Jack. The 9s carry zero points but add four extra cards to the game, making hands slightly longer and introducing more uncertainty. Sixty-Six is played throughout Germany and is the ancestor of all Schnapsen variants.

Schnapsen in the 66 Family

Schnapsen belongs to one of Europe's most enduring card game lineages. The game of Sixty-Six was reportedly invented in 1652 in the German town of Paderborn. As it spread through the territories of the Habsburg Empire and beyond, it acquired local names and regional adaptations:

• Sixty-Six (Germany) — The original 24-card game, still widely played.
• Schnapsen (Austria) — The refined 20-card version, Austria's national card game.
• Snapszer (Hungary) — Hungary's version, typically with 24 cards and the Hungarian-pattern deck.
• Tute (Spain) — The Spanish adaptation using the 40-card Spanish deck, popular throughout Spain and Latin America.
• Santase (Bulgaria) — A Balkan variant with 24 cards, widely played in Bulgaria.

Despite differences in deck size and minor rule variations, the core principles remain identical across all versions: win tricks, declare marriages, race to 66 points, and score game points across multiple hands. If you learn Schnapsen, you can sit down at any 66-family table in Central Europe and play with only the smallest adjustments.

Frequently Asked Questions