Sixty-six

sixty-six, two-player card game, ancestral to bezique and pinochle, that was first recorded in 1718 under the name Mariagen-Spiel (German: “the marriage game”). It is still popular in Germany, even more so in Austria under the name Schnapsen (“booze”).

The game uses a deck of 24 cards, ranked (scored) as follows: aces (11 points each), 10s (10), kings (4), queens (3), jacks (2), 9s (0). Each player is dealt six cards in batches of three-three, a card is turned faceup to establish the trump suit, and the rest of the cards are stacked facedown, partly covering the turned-up trump, to form the stock. The aim is to be the first to correctly announce the attainment of 66 or more points for cards, marriages (if any), and winning the last trick (10 points if applicable). Counting must be done mentally, not orally or in writing.

Nondealer leads first, and the winner of each trick leads to the next. Suits need not be followed. The trick is taken by the higher card of the suit led or by the higher trump if any are played. A player holding the 9 of trump, whether dealt or drawn, may exchange it for the turned-up card immediately before leading or following to a trick, provided that the player has won at least one trick. Either player, if holding a king and queen of the same suit, may score 20 points for the marriage, or 40 in trump, by showing both cards when leading one of them to a trick (but not when following). However, that score is annulled if the marriage holder fails to win a trick in that deal.

After each trick the winner draws the top card from the stock, followed by the loser. After the winner of a trick takes the last card of stock (which will be the turned-up trump or the 9 exchanged for it) and the loser takes the turned-up card, the last six tricks are played to different rules. It is now obligatory to follow suit if possible and to win the trick if possible and, if unable to follow suit, to trump if possible. Marriages are no longer declarable. The winner of the last trick scores 10 points.

Before the stock is exhausted, either player may “close” the stock by flipping the turned-up card over if he thinks he can reach 66 points with the cards remaining in his hand. This may be done before or after drawing, leaving either five or six tricks to play (according to the number of cards left in hand). These tricks are then played as above, but without 10 points for the last trick (which applies only if all 12 tricks are played).

Play ceases when the last trick has been taken or when either player claims to have reached 66 points. If both have 65 points, or it transpires that one player reached 66 without declaring, it is a draw, and the next deal carries an extra game point. A player correctly claiming 66 scores one game point, or two if the loser failed to reach 33 points (schneider) or three if the loser took no tricks (schwarz). If a player claims 66 points incorrectly or fails to reach 66 after closing, the opponent scores two game points, or three if the closer took no tricks. The main skill of the game is to know when to close. Expert players conclude more games by closing than by playing the stock out.

The variant known as schnapsen is almost identical, except that it is played with only 20 cards (omitting the 9s), from which each player is dealt five cards. Whoever holds the jack of trump may exchange it for the turned-up card.