Schmear
German: "Schmieren" — to grease or smear; you're "greasing" the trick with points
Definition
To throw high-point cards (Aces, Tens) on a trick your teammate is winning. Essential strategy for maximizing points.
Schmear in play
The word comes from schmieren, to grease, and the image is exactly that: you grease a trick your teammate has already locked up by dropping fat counters onto it. Aces and Tens are the cards to schmear because they carry eleven and ten points toward the 61 your team needs, and tossing them onto a Queen your partner cannot lose is free value. The catch is certainty, since schmearing onto a trick that gets overtrumped, or onto a player you only suspect is your partner, simply hands the points to the other side.
Example
“When the picker wins with a Queen, their partner should schmear their A♣ for +11 points.”
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Related Terms
Points
The scoring value of cards: Aces=11, Tens=10, Kings=4, Queens=3, Jacks=2, 9/8/7=0. Total in deck: 120.
Partner
The player holding the called Ace who teams up with the picker. The partner's identity is secret until the called Ace is played.
Trick
One round of play where each player contributes one card. There are 6 tricks in a hand. The highest card wins the trick.