Herzeln | |
Image Link: | File:Hearts suit-William Tell pattern.jpg |
Image Caption: | Suit of Hearts from a William Tell pack |
Type: | Compendium game |
Players: | 3 or 4 |
Num Cards: | 24 or 32 |
Deck: | French or German "Skat" deck |
Play: | Clockwise |
Card Rank: | A 10 K Q J 9 8 7 or A 10 K O U 9 8 7 |
Origin: | Germany |
Related: | BarbuKein StichLorumQuodlibetRosbiratschkaRumpel |
Playing Time: | 30 minutes |
Footnotes: | 8 deals x 1 round = 8 games |
Herzeln is a compendium card game for three or four players in a partie of eight deals (Touren, c.f. Quodlibet). As its name suggests, it is an Austrian game.[1] It should not be confused with other games sometimes called Herzeln, including Barbu and Kein Stich.
The origins of the game are unclear. It was probably derived from other sources because it combines the characteristics of many other well-known games in its various individual deals.[1]
The following description is based on a rule book by playing card manufacturer Piatnik of Vienna and corresponds to the rules on the AllerKartenspiele website.[1]
In three-hand games a pack of 24 French playing cards is used (i.e. the Eights and Sevens are omitted) and the card ranking is as follows:[1]
Ace (high) – Ten – King – Queen – Jack – Nine (low).
In four-player games, the standard German 32-card pack is used and the card ranking is:[1]
Deuces (high) – Ten – King – Ober – Unter – Nine - Eight - Seven (low).
A partie in Herzeln comprises a series of eight individual hands (Touren), each of which is a separate contract. There is no trump suit; but players must follow suit (Farbzwang). For clarity, the English names of the hands below are based on those used in similar games.
The winner is the one who has the highest score (fewest minus points) at the end of the 8 deals.