TallynightHow to keep score in Schafkopf
Every game of Schafkopf pays a tariff: the winners get it and the losers pay it, with extra for Schneider, Schwarz and Laufende. Each table agrees its own tariff, and every game balances out to zero. The highest total at the end wins.
- Players
- 4
- Who wins
- Highest total at the end
- To win a game
- 61 of the 120 card points
- Each game
- Balances out to zero
One table's tariff (Tarif)
There's no single official tariff: every table agrees its own before the first game, often in cents. Here is one table's, a common Bavarian structure written as 10/50: 10 for a Sauspiel, 50 for a solo, and 10 for each extra.
| Game or extra | Each player gets or pays |
|---|---|
| Sauspiel (Rufspiel): each loser pays one winner | 10 |
| Solo or Wenz: the soloist and each of the other three | 50 |
| Schneider: the player's side takes 91 or more, or 30 or fewer | +10 |
| Schwarz: one side takes every trick | +10 more |
| Each Laufender: from 3 in a Sauspiel or solo, from 2 in a Wenz | +10 |
| Tout: a soloist who announced they'd take every trick | × 2 |
| Sie: all four Ober and all four Unter in one hand | × 4 |
| Kontra (Stoß) and Re: each | × 2 |
Other tables play 5/20, 10/20 or 20/50, and some use three steps, like 10/20/50, with the Sauspiel in the middle. Write yours at the top of the sheet.
Who pays whom
In a Sauspiel, the player calls a partner by naming an ace, the Sau. If they win, each loser pays one winner. If they lose, each of them pays one opponent. So two players get the amount and two pay it.
In a solo or a Wenz, the soloist plays against three. They collect the amount from each of the three, or pay it to each, so the soloist wins or loses 3 times as much as each opponent.
Either way, the game adds up to zero, as in Doppelkopf.
Laufende, Schneider and Schwarz
Laufende (runners) are the top trumps in an unbroken run from the Eichel-Ober, the Ober of acorns. They count whichever side holds them, and they're paid to the winners. In a Wenz only the Unter are trumps, so the run starts from the Eichel-Unter.
The player's side needs 61 of the 120 card points to win, so 60 all is a loss for the player. They win Schneider with 91 or more, and they're Schneider themselves with 30 or fewer. Schwarz means one side took every trick.
Doubling and house rules
- Kontra and Re (Stoß and Retour): an opponent can double the game early in the first trick, and the player can double it back.
- Klopfen (Legen): at some tables, knocking on the table before the first card doubles the game.
- Ramsch: if everyone passes, the player with the most card points pays each of the others.
- Bock: after an agreed event, such as a lost solo, the next round counts double.
- Stock: when nobody plays, each player pays into a pot, and the winners of the next Sauspiel take it.
A scoring example
Four players on the 10/50 tariff above, four games.
| Game | What happened | Ana | Ben | Cleo | Dev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ana calls Cleo in a Sauspiel, and they win Schneider: 10 + 10 | 20 | −20 | 20 | −20 |
| 2 | Ben wins a Wenz with 2 Laufende: 50 + 20 from each | −70 | 210 | −70 | −70 |
| 3 | Dev loses a heart solo: 50 to each | 50 | 50 | 50 | −150 |
| 4 | Dev calls Cleo, and they win with 3 Laufende: 10 + 30 | −40 | −40 | 40 | 40 |
| Total | −40 | 200 | 40 | −200 |
Every game adds up to zero, so the totals do too: Ben's 200 and Cleo's 40 match Dev's 200 and Ana's 40 below zero.
Keep score for Schafkopf in Tallynight
Schafkopf is set up for you: rounds, highest score wins. After each game, type what each player won or paid on one keypad, in points or cents, with a minus for those who paid. Tallynight checks that the game balances out to zero.
There's no fixed number of games, so tap End game when the evening's over.
- Checks that every game balances out to zero
- Minus signs for the players who paid
- Tap any game to fix it
- A winner card, and the belt for whoever wins most
A Schafkopf score sheet to print
Playing on paper tonight? Print a free Schafkopf score sheet, or save it as a PDF.
Questions
How much does a Sauspiel pay in Schafkopf?
Whatever your table's tariff says. On a 10/50 tariff a Sauspiel is 10 from each loser to one winner, plus 10 each for Schneider, Schwarz and every Laufender.
What are Laufende in Schafkopf?
The top trumps in an unbroken run from the Eichel-Ober, counted from 3 in a Sauspiel or solo and from 2 in a Wenz. Each one adds a step of the tariff, whichever side holds them.
What is Schneider in Schafkopf?
A win with 91 card points or more, or a loss with 30 or fewer for the player's side. It adds one step of the tariff, and Schwarz, one side taking every trick, adds another.
How is a solo paid in Schafkopf?
The soloist collects the solo tariff from each of the other three, or pays each of them on a loss. So the soloist wins or loses 3 times as much as each opponent.
What happens at 60 to 60 in Schafkopf?
The player's side loses. They need 61 to win, and the other side needs only 60.
Do Schafkopf scores add up to zero?
Yes. Whatever one side gets, the other pays, so every game and the whole evening add up to zero.