Doppelkopf

 

Doppelkopf, or Doko, is a card game that is very popular in Germany, especially in the north.  It is a four-player game with variable partnerships; the object of the game is to capture valuable cards in tricks.  Although standard rules have been developed for tournaments, the variations of the game are legion and everybody has their own house rules. Before playing with a new group of people, it is wise to agree to set of rules beforehand.  What is described here is the variant played in my group.

 

Overview

 

Normally, four players are needed to play.  However, it’s often played with 5 players, with the dealer sitting out.  In a normal game, the players play in teams – the two players holding the queen of clubs play against the other two players.  There are, however, a number of special situations (so-called solo games), where one player plays alone against the other three.

You will need a pinochle deck of cards, different from a standard 52 card deck, consisting of 48 cards (see below for details).

 

The idea of the game is to take tricks to collect points (also called eyes).  The goal of the game is to get more than half of the points (> 120).

 

Part of what makes Doppelkopf so interesting is the fact that you do not know from the outset of a game who your partner is.  Instead, you discover it during the course of play (or not).  Normally, the two players holding the queen of clubs (the old lady) play together (the Re team), and the other two players form the Contra team.  There are, however, a number of specialty games that supercede this rule, which are listed below.

 

The Cards

Doko is played with a standard pinochle deck consisting of 12 cards in each of four suits: two each of the ranks Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Jack, Nine.  Each player receives 12 cards, dealt three at a time to the dealer’s left.  The cards have the following point values:

 

-           The Point Values

 

Each card is assigned a certain number of points, which remains the same in each game, including solos.  This card point value is independent of the strength of the card (i.e. some weaker trump are worth more points than higher trump cards).

 

Card:

Nine

Jack

Queen

King

Ten

Ace

Value:

0

2

3

4

10

11

 

The total card point value of all cards is 240.

 

-           The Order of the Cards

 

The order of the cards is quite different from that of bridge, spades, and many other popular card games.  It is much more closely related to pinochle, the main difference being the trump cards.  The strength of the respective suits is different, as well.  In a normal game, the sequence of trump and non-trump is as follows:

 

Trump

♥ 10

Q: ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦

J: ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦

♦ A (foxes), ♦ 10, ♦ K, ♦ 9

Non-Trump

♣, ♠, ♥ equal in rank

Ace, 10 (except in hearts), King, 9

 

There are a variety of special hands in which trump is altered.  These will be discussed later under Solos.

 

Dealing

 

The first dealer is selected by whatever method the players prefer.  Thereafter, the deal rotates to the left (clockwise).  If five are playing, the dealer of the current game sits out and can get everybody fresh beer, or take away empties.

 

Reservations

After everyone has received their cards, each player has the opportunity to declare a reservation.  If more than one player has a reservation, they each declare in turn what type of game they wish to play.  A Solo game outbids a Misdeal, which outbids a Poverty game, which outbids a Wedding.  Whoever has the highest ranking bid plays their game.  If more than one player has the same bid – for example, more than one wanting to play a Solo, then the first of these players in the bidding order plays their game.

 

Ex:  West deals.  After examining his cards, North declines to make a reservation.  East declares reservation.  South and West also declare reservations.  East, after re-examining his cards, retracts his reservation, rather than specifying.  South then bids Wedding.  West bids Poverty, which outranks a Wedding, concluding the bidding.  West plays Poverty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North

 

 

 

West

 

East

 

 

 

South

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note that declaring a reservation does not obligate the player to bid a special game.  Declaring a reservation merely states that the player wishes to consider the possibility, and ensures that play does not begin until he has made up his mind, so to speak.

 

Bids

-          Wedding: The reservation with the lowest priority is a Wedding.  This means that one player has both ♣ Queens, the queens that determine who plays on what team, in his hand.  In order to set the teams, the player bidding the Wedding declares that he will “marry” the winner of either the first trick absolutely taken by another player, the first trump trick taken by another player, or the first non-trump trick taken by another player.  If a player trumps a non-trump trick because he cannot follow suit, it is still considered to be a non-trump trick.  A trump trick is a trick in which trump is led.  The player who takes the trick called then forms the Re team with the player who declared the Wedding.  The player who declared the Wedding must lead on the first trick.

-          Poverty: The next highest specialty game is the Poverty game.  A player may declare Poverty if he has three or fewer trump cards in his hand.  He then selects three card from his hand and offers them, face down, to each of the other players in turn in a clockwise fashion.  These three cards must contain all the trump in his hand.  The first player to accept the cards agrees to form the Re team with the player declaring Poverty.  The player takes the offered cards into his own hand and gives the declarer three cards in return, which may contain cards which the declarer gave.  The declarer then leads the first trick.  If all three players decline to take the cards, the hand is declared a misdeal and the same dealer deals new cards.

-          Misdeal:  If a player has no trump at all, or 5 or more nines in his hand, he may call a misdeal, in which case the cards are reshuffled and dealt again by the same dealer.  Only a Solo bid by another player takes precedence over a bid of Misdeal.

-          Solo:  One player plays against the other three, that means that he has an good and very particular hand and wants to keep all the points for himself.  The Solo player automatically is Re and leads the first trick and the dealer must deal again after the solo is completed.  There are different types of Solos:

Trump Solo:  trump remains as in the normal game, but the soloist plays alone

Suit Solo:  the highest trump is the ♣ Q followed by all other queens and jacks.  After them, the soloist determines which suit is trump.  The fox (see extra points) changes from the ♦A to the ace of the new trump suit.

Queen Solo:  Only the 8 queens are trump, ranking ♣Q ♠Q ♥Q ♦Q as usual.  All four suits rank A 10 K J 9.  There is no fox.

Jack Solo:  Only the 8 jacks are trump, ranking ♣J ♠J ♥J ♦J as usual.  The suits rank A 10 K Q 9.  There is no fox.

International Solo:  Both Queens and Jacks are trump, in the usual order.  There is no fox.

No-trump Solo:  There are no trumps, all suits rank A 10 K Q J 9.  This is also known as a vegetarian or ace solo.  There is no fox.

 

Play

 

The play is in tricks of four cards, with the winner of each trick leading to the next.  The player to the left of the dealer leads for the first.  You must follow suit if you can; if you cannot follow suit, any card may be played.  If there is a trump in the trick, the highest one winds, otherwise the highest card in the suit led wins.  If there are two identical highest cards played, the card played first wins.

 

The trumps are a suit of their own for suit following purposes – for example, in a normal game, the queen of spades is a trump, not a spade.  You cannot play the queen of spades when spades are led (unless you are out of genuine spades, in which case you can play anything).  Similarly, if the queen of spades is led, everyone must play trump, if possible (not spades).

 

Announcements During Play

 

In a normal game, the team with the ♣ Queens are called the Re team.  If a specialty game is being played, the Re team is the team of the player who specifies the game (the people “marrying,” the two players exchanging cards in a Poverty game, or the lone player in a Solo).  The basic aim of the Re team is to amass at least 121 card point from the cards in the tricks they take.  The opposing team is called Contra; their basic aim is to take cards worth at least 120 points, thereby frustrating the Re team (240 – 120 = 120, making it impossible for Re to make their game).

A member of the Re team may double the final score of the hand by announcing “Re” before the fourth trick is played.  An announcement of “Re” is a statement of belief, if you will, that the Re team will win.  Similarly, a member of the Contra team may announce “Contra” before the third trick is played.  If Re or Contra has been announced by the appropriate team, a member of the other team can announce Contra or Re before the fifth trick is played.

 

Note that announcements can be made at any time during play, provided that the timing with respect to the tricks is correct, not just when it is your turn to play.

 

If one sides fails to make 90 points, the other side wins an extra bonus for “no 90;” there are also bonuses for “no 60,” “no 30,” and “blank” (all the tricks).  Each of these bonuses can be increased in value by announcing it in advance.  The announcements must be made before the following tricks are begun:

 

·        “No 90” – before the 5th trick

·        “No 60” – before the 6th trick

·        “No 30” – before the 7th trick

·        “Blank” – before the 8th trick

 

An announcement can only be made if all previous announcements have been made (including Re or Contra), for example, “no 60” can only be announced if they have already announced “Re/Contra” and “no 90.”

 

A team always has the opportunity to announce Re/Contra after any announcement made by the opposing team.  For example, a team announces “Re” on the second trick.  After the 4th trick, they announce “no 90.”  The opposing team then has the opportunity to announce “Contra” until the end of the 5th trick, indicating that they believe they will take at least 90 points.

 

Scoring

 

The score is kept on a piece of paper with a column for each player containing their cumulative points.  The basic score for the game is one point.  This is what the Re team receives if they take at least 121 card points.  If the Contra team takes at least 120 card points, they get two game points, one for the game and one for winning “against the old ladies.”    Announcing “Re” and “Contra” double the final point total.  “No 90,” “no 60,” “no 30,” and “blank” are worth an extra point each, and all applicable items apply, so for example, if the Re team announces “Re” and the Contra team takes only 24 card points, the Re team will score 8 points (1 for game, 1 for no 90, 1 for no 60, 1 for no 30 = 4 points x 2 for Re announced = 8 points).

 

Announcements of “No 90,” “no 60,” “no 30,” and “blank” are worth an additional one point each.  However, if the team fails to fulfill the announcement, they lose the whole game, and the scores for all the points they would have won are credited to the opposing team.  For example, if a team announces “Re,” “no 90,” and “no 60,” they need at least 181 card points to win.  If they take only 172 card points (i.e. the opponents take 68 – more than 60), then the Contra team receives:

 

            1 for game

            1 for against the old women

            1 for no 90

            1 for no 90 announced

            1 for no 60

            1 for no 60 announced

            times 2 for Re = 12 game points

 

If the “no 60” had not been announced, the Re side would have instead received 6 game points (Game, no 90, no 90 announced, doubled by Re).  If they had only announced Re, they would have received 4 game points (Game, no 90 doubled by Re).

 

Another example: One side announces “Re” and “no 90,” the other “Contra.”  The Re team takes 88 card points (no 90).  The Contra team receives 20 game points (game, old ladies, no 90 made by the Re side, no 90, no 90 announced by Re = 5 game points, doubled by Re, doubled by Contra).

 

In addition to the points described above, there are a number of game points that can be scored during play, which are independent of the game and other points, and can be scored by either team, whether or not the game succeeds.  These are:

 

Catching a Fox

A team which captures a “Fox” (♦A) belonging to the opponents – i.e. wins a trick which contains an opponent’s ♦A – scores one game point.  The ace is left face up in the pile of tricks to indicate the point.  It may not be clear when the trick is won whether the ace came from a partner or an opponent, in which case it is left face up and turned over if necessary when the partnerships become clear.

Charlie Miller

Winning the last trick with the ♣J scores one game point.  There is no penalty if the ♣J is “captured” by a higher card in the last trick, or any other trick.

Doppelkopf

Winning any trick containing 40 or more card points (some combination of tens and aces).  When this happens, one card of the trick is left face up in the pile of tricks to indicate the point.

 

It is possible to score more than one point in a trick, e.g. if an opponent’s fox is captured by Charlie Miller on the last trick.  When calculating the game score, the winning team’s special points are added in before any Re or Contra announcements are considered – the opponent’s special points are subtracted from the total after the final score has been calculated.  For example, a team announces Re.  They score a Doppelkopf (more than 40 points in a trick), but their opponents capture a fox with Charlie Miller on the last trick.  The Contra team only made 87 points.  The game is then scored as follows:

 

            1 point for game

            1 point for no 90

            1 point for Doppelkopf

Total: 3 x 2 for Re announced = 6

            - 2 for Contra’s captured fox and Charlie Miller

            = 4 points for Re

 

Notes on Play

 

The rule that the first of equal cards wins the trick makes it very important to lead your ace of a non-trump suit before an opponent can lead theirs, as the second round is very frequently trumped – there are only 8 cards in a suit (6 in hearts).  If you happen to have both aces in a suit, then it is not urgent to lead it at once.  Leading a heart is always a little risky, as there are only 6, especially if you have more than 2 (you do the math).

 

After this, you normally try to give the lead to your partner.  If you are on the Re side, you can lead a trump to your partner’s ♣Q.  If on the Contra side, you may lead a non-trump suit (this is not always done, but gives a good indication of which side the person leading is on).  However, if your partner has said Contra, they should have at least one ♥10, and may want you to start pulling trump.

 

If you are trumping in and there is a possibility of being overtrumped, trump at least with a Jack so that the fourth player cannot win with a ♦A or ♦10 (very low trumps with very high point values).  Similarly, if trump is led and you are the last player of your team to play with one or both opponents behind you, play at least a Jack if no higher card has been played.

 

It is important that you announce Re or Contra if things seem to be going well, not only to increase the score for the game, but also so that you can announce no 90 if things continue to go well.

 

If you announce Re or Contra earlier than you need to, for example on your first trick rather than your second, this indicated possession of additional strength (normally high trumps, which are very important in play).

 

If, on the opening lead the fourth player says Re or Contra before the second hand plays, this indicates that they are going to trump the lead and want their partner to put a valuable card on it.

 

A Poverty game is easier to win than it sounds, because the poverty player can discard valuable cards on partner’s tricks, and also because the accepting player gets a chance to create voids.

 

When considering a solo, possession of the initial lead is a big advantage on most hands.  Trump solos require a much stronger hand than you might think at first, and these hands will also play well in a normal game.  For a No-Trump (Vegetarian, Ace) solo, a five card suit to A A 10 will normally capture over 60 points.  For a Queen or Jack solo, 4 trumps are often sufficient, but you also need a reasonable number of aces.

 

Because announcing no 90/60/30 changes the target, you are gambling 1 extra point against the possible loss of the whole game, so you must be very certain of fulfilling the contract.

 

It is often bad to lead the second round of hearts, because of the danger of giving a ruff and discard to the opponents, since there are only six cards in the suit.