Play Klaverjassen Online

Overview

Klaverjassen is a popular trick taking game from the Netherlands where teams of players try to draw the highest ranked card each round. Klaverjassen is played with two to four players, individually or two teams of two players.

Presets

• Solo: Version with 4 players and no teams
• Teams: Version with two teams of two players

The Deck and the Deal

Klaverjassen uses a 32 card deck consisting of 7s through Aces in each suit. After shuffling the deck, the dealer passes out a set of 3 cards to each player, then a set of 2, and finally a set of 3 again.

How to Play

Bidding

After all of the cards are dealt, a random card from a separate deck is selected to determine trump. After trump is determined, there are two rounds of betting. The first round begins with the player left of the dealer and going clockwise. On their turn, players have the opportunity to play with trump. If all of the players pass, then a second round of betting begins. During the second round, if a player wants to play with a trump suit other than the one previously determined, they can say Ein Kleines. If a player says Ein Kleines, then another player can out bid them and say Besser. If a player says Besser, they play with Clubs as Trump.

Melding

After the bidding round, there is a round of melding. Starting with the player left of the dealer, players can announce any melds they have in their hand. A Terz is a sequence of 3 cards and is worth 20 points. A Halber is a sequence of 4 cards and is worth 50 points. The player with the highest sequences gets the points. For example if a player announces a Terz and the next player announces a Halber, then only the player with the Halber gets the points.

Players can also announce a Belle which is the King and Queen of trump and is worth 20 points. Belle is always counted

Play

The player left of the dealer leads the first trick. Going clockwise, players must follow suit if possible. If they cannot follow suit, then they must play trump if possible. The player with the highest card wins the trick. Gameplay continues until all cards have been played.

Scoring

Players count the cards in the tricks won based on the ranking system illustrated above. If the player or team that declared trump has won a majority of the points, then each player/team receives the points earned. If the player or team that declared trump has lost a majority of the points, then they receive no points while the other players receive the points that they earned

Winning

The first team/player to reach an agreed amount of points wins the game.

Variations

Points

Players determine a set amount of points when the game ends.

Rounds

Players determine a set amount of rounds (also known as hands or deals) that the game will go to (instead of the points selection above).

Timer

Players only have a set amount of time to make their turn after which a turn is automatically played for them and the game proceeds: Fast is 7 seconds, Standard is 15 seconds, Slow is 30 seconds, and Very Slow is 60 seconds. Players can also choose to disable the timer, but that is only for private tables.

Trick Play

Players can determine the limits of trick play by choosing Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or Johannesburg rules. Amsterdam rules mean that if the lead card isn't a trump and another player plays trump, then you cannot play a lower ranked trump. Rotterdam rules are the default trick rules as illustrated in the above guide. Options: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Johannesburg

Bimah / Stick the dealer

Players can enable Bimah, or Stick the dealer. This means that the dealer cannot pass the second round of trump bidding.

Recall on bimah

Players can determine whether the dealer can recall the trump suit (from the first round) in the second round of bidding.

Melds

Players can determine if melds are shown during meld declaration.

Manual Bela

Have to declare bela manually (by clicking the bela button before playing the card). Otherwise it's declared automatically when the first card is played.

No trumps

Players can enable no trumps during trump making (in addition to the four suits).

Half Bayt Scoring

When the trump declarer's points are equal to that of opposition, Players can decide on how many points the opposition scores. Players can decide between half the points or all of the points.

Trump

Trump displayed. Options: Card, Suit

Suit

Suit calculated using dealer's card, randomly or following pattern CDHS

Jass

Players can determine if the Jack of trump's (or Jass) is worth 20 or 22 points.

Besser

Players can determine if Besser and small games are allowed in the second round of bidding.

NT Melds

Players can allow no trump melds.

Roem

Roem points in tricks - straight flush, four of a kind, bela/stuk.

Black Bonus

Players can allow black bonus points for winning all the tricks. Black bonus points can be worth 50, 100, 150, or 200 points or they can be disabled.

Scoring Method

Scoring method to be used. Options: Accumulated points, Original/Small, Simple

Standard Trick Rules

In a trick, each player plays a single card. One player is selected to start, then play proceeds clockwise around the table. If possible, players must play a card which is the same suit as the first card played - this is called 'following suit'. If a player cannot follow suit, then they may play any card in their hand.

Based on the cards played, one player is declared the winner of the trick, usually for playing the highest value card of the trump suit, or of the suit of the card which started the trick.

Card Game Basics

A deck of cards consists of 52 cards, with 4 distinctive subgroups. Each of these subgroups is recognised by a symbol and are referred to as suits. They consist of Clubs, Spades, Hearts and Diamonds. Each suit contains 13 cards which, generally, are considered in this order, Ace (A), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jacks (J), Queen (Q) and King (K). Some games include the two Jokers found in a standard deck but most games don't.

Solitaire Games

As the name implies, Solitaire games are typically games that one can play alone. Solitaire begins by building a grid of cards called a Tableau. The Tableau, or Cascade, is a set of 7 piles of overlapping cards. The first pile has 1 card, the second pile has 2 cards, and so on. Only the bottom card in each pile is facing upward. The remaining deck forms the discard and draw piles. The goal of solitaire games is to move cards from the tableau, discard, and draw piles into four suited piles (called the foundations) in ascending order (Ace to King).

Trick Taking Games

Trick Taking games center around having the highest ranked card in a draw. Typically, players of trick taking games sit in a circle, sometimes in teams and sometimes playing solo, and are dealt a hand of cards. Given the specific game's card ranking (and trump), players draw a card from their hand in hopes that it outranks the other cards played. The player who outranks the others wins the trick for that round and gameplay is repeated until the cards are exhausted. Typically the player or team with the most tricks wins the game.

Rummy Games

Rummy games are typically played in teams of two where players try to play their cards, or meld them, in groups of a kind or in sequences of a suit. Rummy games often contain the joker and wildcards (Ace and 2) to help make melding easier. Depending on the type of meld made, teams receive a certain number of points. After a player lays off all of their cards, the game ends and the team with the most points wins.

Betting Games

Betting games typically center around having the highest ranked hand in a group of players. Before the hands are dealt, betting games normally require an ante, or an initial bet that starts the pot, or the winner's prize. After receiving their cards, players make bets over who has the highest ranked hand. Players do not need to bet according to their real hand; they can bluff, or lie, in hopes that other players fold from the game rather than challenge their hand. Either the last player betting or the player with the highest hand between the last players betting, wins the pot of bets.

Climbing Games

Climbing games typically center around players getting rid of their cards as fast as they can. Each climbing game has its own rules for discarding cards and its own implications for getting rid of your cards first. Some games run on a points system where the player who gets rid of their cards first gets the most points. Other games run on a ranking system where the player who gets rid of their cards first is in a better position for the next round.

Classic Games

Classic games vary to a great degree in terms of rules and objectives. A thread that binds them all is their simplicity and age. Classic games are typically easy enough for young children to play them and have typically been around for many years.

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