Unter
German: "Unter" — lower/under; the lower of the two face cards in German decks
Definition
German name for the Jack in Schafkopf and other Bavarian card games. The four Unters sit below the Obers in trump rank but above all Diamonds (or above all Hearts in Schafkopf), making them the second-tier permanent trumps.
Unter in play
The Unter is the lower court card on a German deck, sitting beneath the Ober, which is why it becomes the Jack when the game shifts to French suits. The four Unters are permanent trump ranked Eichel, Gras, Herz, Schellen, slotting in just under the four Obers and above the entire trump suit. In Sheepshead that places all Jacks below all Queens but above every Diamond, and in the Wenz variant the Unters are promoted to the only trumps in the deck.
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Related Terms
Ober
German name for the Queen in Schafkopf and other Bavarian card games. The four Obers are the highest trumps in both Schafkopf and Sheepshead — Q♣ (Eichel-Ober) being the boss.
Schafkopf
The German ancestor of Sheepshead, originating in Bavaria in the 1700s. The name likely refers to playing on a barrel head ("Schaff" = barrel, "Kopf" = head), though it's often translated as "sheep's head."
Trump
The powerful suit that beats all fail cards. In Sheepshead: all Queens, all Jacks, and all Diamonds are trump (14 cards total).