Brandeln

Cards

The game is played with 28 cards from a 32-card deck of French playing cards with the Eights removed.

Ranking

In the trump suit the Jack (Bube) and the Seven are the highest trumps; the ranking runs thus:

Jack > Seven > Ace > King > Queen (Dame) > Ten > Nine

In the other suits the ranking of card values for taking tricks is the usual:

Ace > King > Queen > Jack > Ten > Nine > Seven

Preparation

Seating and dealing is as per normal. Dealing, bidding and playing are all in clockwise order. Each player is dealt seven cards in packets of two, three and two again.

Bidding

The player to the left of the dealer is forehand and the first to bid.

• If he believes he can win three tricks in one of the four suits, which then become trumps, he says "Brandle" ("Ein Brandel") or "I'll brandle" ("Ich brandle").

• If he passes, bidding passes to the second, third and fourth players.

The bidder can also be outbid by 4, 5, 6 tricks, but can play the Brandel by which he is outbid, himself.

The player does not announce the suit in which he intends to "brandle" until he has won the auction.

If a player call a Bettel ("Beggar"), he is offering not to take any tricks. A Bettle beats a 6-trick Brandel.

The highest contract, which beats all the others, is Mord, which is where a player has to take all 7 tricks.

Playing

The player who has announced the highest bid wins the auction and leads to the first trick.

Players must follow suit or, if not able to, play a trump. In a Bettel contract, in which there are no trumps, players must play a higher card if they can.

Scoring

Points for winning are awarded as follows:

• 3-trick Brandel - 3 points
• 4-trick Brandel - 4 points
• 5-trick Brandel - 5 points
• 6-trick Brandel - 6 points
• Bettel - 7 points
• Mord - 8 points

If the declarer (the winner of the auction) loses, he pays the 3 defenders the same amount each.

Over- and under-tricking does not count.