Doppelkopf

Germany’s double-deck favorite. Whoever holds the queens of clubs are secret partners. Say Re or Kontra, catch the fox, take 121. 4 players.

Who To Play With

or

How to play Doppelkopf

  1. 1Doppelkopf is for four players with a double deck of 48 cards: two each of 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace in every suit. Everyone gets twelve cards.
  2. 2Thirteen kinds of card are trump, highest first: the ten of hearts, the four queens (clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds), the four jacks in the same order, then the ace, ten, king and 9 of diamonds. In clubs and spades the order is ace, ten, king, 9; hearts has just ace, king, 9. When two identical cards fall in one trick, the first one played beats the second.
  3. 3The two players holding the queens of clubs are partners, called Re, against the other two, called Kontra. Nobody says who they are: you find out as the queens of clubs are played.
  4. 4If one player is dealt both queens of clubs, it's a wedding, and everyone is told. The first other player to win one of the first three tricks becomes their partner. If nobody else wins any of them, the player with the queens plays alone against the other three.
  5. 5The player left of the dealer leads. Follow suit if you can (trump counts as one suit); otherwise play anything. The highest trump wins the trick, or else the highest card of the suit led. The winner leads next.
  6. 6Aces are worth 11, tens 10, kings 4, queens 3 and jacks 2: 240 points in all. Re needs 121 to win; Kontra wins with 120.
  7. 7On your turn, before you play your second card, you may say Re or Kontra (whichever side you're on; not in a wedding). It shows everyone your side and adds 2 game points for the winners. If only Kontra speaks up, Re wins with 120.
  8. 8The winners score 1 game point, plus 1 each if the losers took under 90, under 60 and under 30 points, and 1 more if they took no tricks at all. Kontra gets 1 more for beating the queens of clubs. Each winner gains the total and each loser pays it; playing alone, you win or pay three times as much.
  9. 9Unless someone plays alone, there are extra points too: 1 for a trick worth 40 points or more, 1 for catching an opponent's ace of diamonds (the fox), and 1 for winning the last trick with a jack of clubs (Charlie). The losers' extra points come off the winners' total.
  10. 10The deal passes to the left. Everyone deals twice, eight deals in all, and the highest score wins.

More trick-taking games

All 225 games, free, in your browser.