Schafkopf Rules
Complete English guide to playing Bavaria's national card game
Overview
Schafkopf is a 4-player trick-taking card game from Bavaria, Germany. Players compete to capture card points in tricks, with 120 total points in the deck. The declaring team needs 61+ points to win.
Cards & Deck
German Suits
Schafkopf uses a 32-card Bavarian deck with German suits:
Card Ranks & Point Values
Each suit has 8 cards. Point values (same as Sheepshead):
| German Name | English | Symbol | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sau / Ass | Ace (Sow) | A | 11 |
| Zehn | Ten | 10 | 10 |
| König | King | K | 4 |
| Ober | Queen | O | 3 |
| Unter | Jack | U | 2 |
| Neun | Nine | 9 | 0 |
| Acht | Eight | 8 | 0 |
| Sieben | Seven | 7 | 0 |
Total: 4 suits × 30 points = 120 points
Dealing
- 1The dealer shuffles and offers a cut to the player on their right.
- 2Deal cards in two rounds of 4, starting with the player to the dealer's left (forehand).
- 3Each player receives 8 cards.
- 4There is no blind (unlike Sheepshead). All 32 cards are dealt to players.
Bidding (Auction)
After the deal, players bid for the right to play a contract. Starting with forehand (left of dealer), each player can pass or announce a game.
Contract Hierarchy (Low to High)
Partner game - call an Ace to find your partner
Solo - only Unters are trump (4 trumps)
Solo - choose any suit as trump (14 trumps)
Commit to winning ALL 8 tricks
How Bidding Works
- • Forehand announces "I'll play" or "pass"
- • If someone bids, later players must bid higher or pass
- • If two players have equal contracts, the earlier bidder wins
- • If everyone passes, cards are redealt (or play Ramsch)
Trump Hierarchy
In Sauspiel & Solo (14 Trumps)
All Obers and Unters are permanent trumps. Hearts (or the chosen Solo suit) adds 6 more:
In Wenz (4 Trumps Only)
Only the four Unters are trump. Obers become regular suit cards.
Key Difference from Sheepshead
In Schafkopf, Hearts is the trump suit. In Sheepshead, Diamonds is always trump. The trump hierarchy is otherwise identical.
Playing Tricks
Following Suit Rules
- •You must follow suit if you can
- •Trump is its own suit - if trump is led, you must play trump
- •If you can't follow suit, you may play any card
- •You don't have to beat the current winner (unlike some games)
Winning Tricks
- •Highest trump wins if any trumps are played
- •Otherwise, highest card of the led suit wins
- •Trick winner leads to the next trick
The Called Ace (Sauspiel)
In Sauspiel, the declarer calls a non-trump Ace. The holder of that Ace becomes the secret partner. When that suit is led, the Ace must be played - this reveals the partner to everyone.
Scoring
Winning Thresholds
Bonus Levels
Laufende (Runners)
If either team holds an unbroken sequence of top trumps (starting from Eichel-Ober), they receive bonus points. You need at least 3 consecutive top trumps to claim Laufende.
Common Variants
Ramsch
Played when everyone passes. Goal: avoid taking points. Player with most points loses.
Geier
Like Wenz, but only Obers (not Unters) are trump.
Farbwenz / Farbgeier
Wenz or Geier plus an additional trump suit.
Bettel
Negative game where the declarer must lose all tricks.
Short Schafkopf
24-card variant (remove 7s and 8s). Faster games, 6 cards each.
Learn More
Try Sheepshead
Now that you know Schafkopf, try the American version! Same strategic depth, simpler rules.
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