How to Play Zsirozás — Hungary’s Most Popular Card Game

Introduction

Zsirozás (pronounced roughly “ZHEE-ro-zahsh”) is the most widely played card game in Hungary. The name translates to “greasing” — a reference to the act of slapping down a matching card to steal a trick, as if greasing a pan. Walk into almost any Hungarian household, pub, or train compartment and you will find people playing this fast, satisfying trick-taker.

Unlike most Western European trick-taking games, Zsirozás has no trump suit and no obligation to follow suit. The only way to capture a trick is by playing a card of the same rank as the one that was led. This simple mechanism gives the game its distinctive flavour: every card in your hand is both a potential weapon and a potential waste, and knowing when to strike is what separates casual players from seasoned ones.

The game is traditionally played with the beautiful 32-card Hungarian deck (Magyar kártya), which features suits of Hearts, Bells, Acorns, and Leaves instead of the familiar French suits. Even if you have never seen a Hungarian deck before, Zsirozás is easy to learn with any 32-card deck — including a stripped-down standard deck.

The Deck

Zsirozás uses the 32-card Hungarian deck, also known as the Magyar kártya or the “Tell” deck (named after William Tell, who appears on some of the face cards). This deck belongs to the German-suited family and is visually distinct from the French-suited decks used in most of Western Europe.

The Four Suits

• Piros (Hearts) — depicted as red hearts, similar to the French suit
• Tök (Bells) — shown as round golden bells or hawkbells
• Makk (Acorns) — illustrated as acorns from an oak tree
• Zöld (Leaves) — green leaves, typically from a linden tree

The Eight Ranks (Low to High)

• VII (Hét) — 7, the lowest card
• VIII (Nyolc) — 8
• IX (Kilenc) — 9
• X (Tíz) — 10, a fat card worth 10 points
• Alsó (Under) — equivalent to the Jack
• Felső (Over) — equivalent to the Queen
• Király (King) — the King
• Ász (Ace) — the highest card, a fat card worth 11 points

This gives you a total of 32 cards (4 suits × 8 ranks). If you do not own a Hungarian deck, you can use a German Skat deck or strip a standard 52-card deck down to 7 through Ace in each suit.

Object of the Game

The goal of Zsirozás is straightforward: collect more “fat” points than your opponents.

Only two ranks carry point value:

• Aces (Ász) — 11 points each (4 × 11 = 44 points total)
• Tens (Tíz) — 10 points each (4 × 10 = 40 points total)

All other cards — 7, 8, 9, Under, Over, and King — are worth zero points. They serve only as tools to win or lose tricks.

The deck contains a grand total of 84 fat points. A player or team needs more than 42 points to win a round. If both sides end with exactly 42, the round is a draw.

Setup & Deal

Zsirozás accommodates 2, 3, or 4 players. With four players, it is common to play in two partnerships (teammates sit across from each other), though free-for-all is also popular. With two or three players, everyone plays for themselves.

1. Choose a dealer. The dealer can be selected by any agreed method — drawing the highest card, youngest player first, or simply volunteering. The deal passes clockwise after each round.
2. Shuffle and deal. The dealer shuffles the 32-card deck thoroughly and deals 4 cards to each player, typically in pairs (two cards at a time, two rounds). Cards are dealt face down.
3. Form the stock pile. Place the remaining cards face down in the centre of the table. This is the stock (talon). Players will draw from this pile after each trick.

How to Play

1. Lead a card The player to the dealer’s right leads the first trick by playing any single card from their hand face up onto the table. In subsequent tricks, the winner of the previous trick leads.
2. Respond (or pass) Moving clockwise, each other player plays one card from their hand. There is no requirement to follow suit. You may play any card you wish. To win the trick, you must play a card of the same rank as the lead card — this is called “greasing” (zsirozás).
3. Determine the winner After all players have played one card, check the results:
   • If nobody matched the lead card’s rank, the player who led wins the trick.
   • If one or more players matched the rank, the last player to play a matching card wins the trick.
4. Collect the trick The winner takes all played cards and places them face down in their personal score pile (or their team’s pile in partnership play). These cards are not added back to the hand — they are set aside for scoring at the end.
5. Draw from the stock Starting with the trick winner and going clockwise, each player draws one card from the top of the stock pile to replenish their hand back to the original count. If the stock is empty, no drawing occurs and players simply play out their remaining cards.
6. Lead the next trick The trick winner leads the next trick by playing any card. Play continues in the same fashion.
7. End of the round The round ends when all cards have been played — both from hands and from the stock. The last trick is often the most dramatic, as players know exactly what remains and jockey for every last fat point.
8. Count and compare Each player (or team) counts the fat points in their score pile. Aces count 11 and Tens count 10. Whoever has more than 42 of the 84 total fat points wins the round.

Card Values & Scoring

The scoring is binary in a single round: you either win (more than 42 points), lose (fewer than 42), or draw (exactly 42 each). When playing a longer match, you can track round wins across multiple deals. A common format is “first to 5 round wins” or “best of 7.”

Winning the Game

A single round is won by the player or team who accumulates more than 42 fat points. Since there are exactly 84 fat points in the deck, a tie at 42–42 is possible and results in a drawn round.

In casual play, most people play a series of rounds. Common match formats include:

• First to 3 wins — quick session, good for two players
• First to 5 wins — standard match length
• First to 7 wins — longer session, common in tournament-style play

Some groups also keep a running total of fat points across rounds and declare the overall winner after a set number of deals (such as 10 rounds). The player or team with the highest cumulative fat point total takes the match.

Strategy Tips

Variations

Zsirozás has been played across Hungary for generations, and many regional and household variations have emerged. Here are some of the most popular ones:

Gyűrűs Zsirozás (Ring Greasing)

In this variant for 3 or more players, the play moves in a circle and each player plays individually rather than in teams. The dynamics change significantly because any player can grease any trick, leading to more chaotic and unpredictable rounds.

Dupla Zsirozás (Double Greasing)

A faster variant where the lead player may put down two cards of the same rank to start a trick. Opponents must then also play two cards of matching rank to grease. This uses cards faster and makes for shorter, more intense rounds.

Zsirozás with Trumps

Some groups designate a trump suit at the start of each round (often by turning over the top card of the stock). A trump card beats any non-trump card, adding a layer of complexity more familiar to players of Western European trick-taking games. This variant is less common but popular in some regions of eastern Hungary.

Kid-Friendly Zsirozás

For younger players, a simplified version deals only 3 cards per hand instead of 4 and may remove some of the zero-value cards to create a shorter deck. This makes rounds quicker and easier for children to follow while teaching the core greasing mechanic.

Scoring Variations

While the standard game only values Aces (11) and Tens (10), some house rules also assign points to Kings (4 points) and Overs (3 points), making more tricks relevant and changing the strategic calculus considerably. Under this expanded scoring, the total points in the deck rise to 112, and the target becomes more than 56.

Frequently Asked Questions