Klaverjassen rules: how to play klaverjas

Card values: rank and points

Together the cards are worth 152 points. The last trick adds 10, so a hand is worth 162 points. Note that the ten ranks above the king.

Dealing and choosing trump

• Each player gets 8 cards, usually dealt 3-2-3, sometimes 4-4. The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick, whoever chooses trump.
• There are several ways to choose trump; agree on one before you start. With free choice, each player in turn may choose a trump suit or pass; if everyone passes, the player to the dealer’s left must choose. With compulsory play (Utrecht rules, in Dutch Utrechts or verplicht) the player to the dealer’s left must always choose a trump suit. Trump can also be decided by turning over a card.
• On Klaverjasmaat a trump suit is proposed at random. Starting with the player who leads, each player in turn says play or pass; the first to play takes that suit as trump. If everyone passes, the player who leads must choose a different suit.
• The team of the player who chose trump is the playing team. The other team defends.

Turn order and tricks

• Play goes clockwise. The player to the dealer’s left leads and each player adds one card.
• The highest trump wins the trick. If the trick contains no trump, the highest card of the suit led wins.
• The winner of a trick leads the next one. A hand has 8 tricks.
• After each hand the deal passes to the left, so the player who leads first also moves one seat clockwise.

Following suit, trumping, overtrumping and undertrumping

This is where the variants differ most. These are the Amsterdam rules, as played on Klaverjasmaat. Dutch terms are given in brackets.

Following suit (bekennen)

If you hold a card of the suit led, you must play one.

Trump led

When trump is led, you must play a higher trump than the highest trump in the trick if you can, even if your partner played it. If you cannot, play a lower trump.

Trumping in (introeven)

If you cannot follow suit and an opponent is winning the trick, you must play a trump if you have one.

Overtrumping (overtroeven)

If an opponent has already trumped, you must play a higher trump if you have one.

Partner winning

If you cannot follow suit and your partner is winning the trick, you may play any card. You do not have to trump.

Undertrumping (ondertroeven)

Playing a trump lower than one already in the trick is only allowed if you have no other choice, meaning you only hold lower trumps. This also applies when your partner is winning. If you cannot overtrump and you hold other cards, discard a card of another suit.

Reneging (verzaken)

Playing a card these rules do not allow is called reneging. How reneging is penalised differs between clubs and tables, so agree on it beforehand. Klaverjasmaat does not let you play an illegal card and explains why.

Example. Hearts are trump. West leads the ace of spades, your partner North follows with the 7 of spades and East trumps with the queen of hearts. You (South) have no spades. If you hold the 7 and the jack of hearts, you must overtrump with the jack. If you only hold the 7 of hearts plus some clubs, you discard a club: undertrumping with the 7 is not allowed.

Amsterdam vs Rotterdam klaverjassen

The variants differ in their rules for playing trumps. Klaverjasmaat uses the Amsterdam rules.

Roem: bonus points

• Sequences use the natural order 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, ace, also in trump. So the 9, 10 and jack of trump are three in a row.
• Roem only counts within one trick and goes to the team that wins that trick. Four sevens, eights or nines do not count as roem.
• Under the rules, the team that wins the trick must declare the roem, otherwise it does not count. Klaverjasmaat counts roem automatically.

Scoring: nat, pit and the score sheet

• After the eighth trick each team adds up its card points, 10 for the last trick, and its roem.
• The playing team must score more points (including roem) than the defenders. If they do not, and that includes a tie, they go nat (also called beet): the playing team scores 0 and the defenders get 162 points plus all roem of both teams. Without roem, the playing team therefore needs at least 82 points.
• Pit (also called mars): a team that wins all 8 tricks gets 100 bonus roem.
• A game is called a boom and lasts 16 hands; the team with the highest total wins. Some players instead play to an agreed score, for example 1500 points. Klaverjasmaat keeps the score on a score sheet with the columns wij (us) and zij (them).

Strategy and tips

How Klaverjasmaat’s advice plays

There is no single correct strategy. These are the rules of thumb used by Klaverjasmaat’s advice and computer players.

Playing or passing

The computer players accept the proposed trump when they hold, for example:

• the jack of trump, the nel and an ace;
• the jack of trump, an ace and at least four trumps;
• six or more trumps.

For every hand, the advice explains why it would play or pass.

Drawing trumps

When its own team is playing, the advice first tries to take the trumps away from the opponents: with the highest trump still in play if you hold it (first the jack, then the nel), and otherwise with a low trump. There are 8 trumps, so it pays to keep count.

Cashing winners

If you hold the highest remaining card of a side suit (often the ace, then the ten), the advice suggests leading it, starting with your shortest suit.

Playing low

If you cannot win a trick, playing your lowest card gives away the fewest points. If you must trump in and no trump has been played yet, a low trump is enough. Remember that in trump the nel and the jack are high cards.

Signalling (seinen)

Signalling is an accepted part of the game. When you cannot follow suit, the card you discard can tell your partner something. A common system is same-suit signalling (kleur seinen):

• a low card (7, 8 or 9): I hold the ace, the highest card of this suit;
• a face card (jack, queen or king): please do not lead this suit to me (afseinen).

Another system is opposite-suit signalling (tegenkleur seinen): playing a card of one suit to show strength in the other suit of the same colour, for example a heart to show diamonds. Agree on your system beforehand and tell the opponents too. Klaverjasmaat uses same-suit signals when your partner is winning the trick, with one extra convention: discarding your highest card means you also hold the second highest.

Making and preventing roem

Try to create roem in tricks your team wins, and avoid adding roem to tricks the opponents win.

Klaverjas terms

Frequently asked questions