A traditional Swiss card game
Jass is the most popular card game in Switzerland and has been played for centuries in families, among friends and even in official tournaments.
Jass is an integral part of Swiss culture and is a social game that requires strategy, tactics and a bit of luck. In this guide, we will show you step by step how Jass works so that you can quickly get into the game and experience it for yourself.
General rules
Jass is a traditional card game deeply rooted in Swiss culture, and there are several different “variants,” or ways to play. Jass is played with 36 cards, and the goal is to win as many tricks as possible to collect points and be the first team to reach the winning score.
A trick consists of four cards played — one from each player. The player who plays the highest card wins the trick. Whoever racks up the most points in the end wins the game.
The Jass 1x1
Trump
Jass cards have four suits: Roses, Shields, Acorns and Bells. When a suit is declared as trump, then that suit beats all ranks of the other suits. The ranking and point value of each card in the trump suit follow a specific order. In general: a higher card beats a lower one.
Non-Trump suits
The ranking and point values for non-trump suits also follow their own hierarchy. And again — higher cards beat lower ones.
Trick
In the variants "Obenabe" and "Undeufe", there’s no trump suit. The ranking and point values change:
- In "Obenabe" (meaning “from the top”), the Ace is the highest card.
- In "Undeufe" (“from the bottom”), the 6 is the strongest card and scores 11 points. The highest (or lowest) card of the led suit wins, depending on the variant.
Trump Bauer (Under) and Nell (the 9 of trump) don’t score in these modes. To balance this out, the four eights are each worth 8 points. A total of 157 points is still up for grabs in each round.
Schieber Jass rules
"Schieber" is the most beloved Jass variation in Switzerland. It’s played by four people in two teams. Teams are formed by drawing cards face-down — the two highest cards play together. Alternatively, you can skip this and choose your partner. Players sit diagonally across from their teammate to avoid peeking at each other’s cards.
Step-by-Step Schieber instructions (german only)
Overview of all types of Jass (german only)
Game setup
The 36 cards are shuffled thoroughly. The player to the left of the dealer cuts the deck. The two stacks are then put back together in reverse order. The dealer deals counterclockwise, giving three cards at a time until everyone has 9 cards.
Choosing Trump
After the cards are dealt, the player to the right of the dealer decides whether to declare a trump suit or let their partner choose. Trump suits include Acorns, Roses, Bells, and Shields. Alternatively, players can choose "Obenabe" (Ace is high) or "Undeufe" (6 is high).
Game flow
The player to the right of the dealer starts the first trick. Everyone must follow the led suit if they can. If not, they can either play a trump card or discard anything.
The highest card in the led suit or the highest trump card wins the trick. The team that wins the trick leads the next one.
Sample Move:
A player leads with a card, and the others must follow suit. If they don’t have it, they can play trump or discard. The strongest trump or the highest card of the suit wins the trick.
Declaring combos (Weisen) & bonus points
Before the first trick, players can announce "Weisen" — special card combos worth bonus points. These include sequences or multiple cards of the same rank. There’s also Stöck, where a player holding the King and Ober (Jack) of the trump suit scores 20 extra points.
| Combo (Weis) | Description | Trump | "Obeabe" / "Undeufe" |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Stöck" | King + Ober of trump | 20pts | 10pts |
| 3-Blatt (3-card sequence) | 3 cards of same suit in a row | 20pts | 20pts |
| 4-Blatt (4-card sequence) | 4 cards of same suit in a row | 50pts | 50pts |
| 5-Blatt (5-card sequence) | 5 cards of same suit in a row | 100pts | 100pts |
| 6-Blatt (6-card sequence) | 6 cards of same suit in a row | 150pts | 150pts |
| 7-Blatt (7-card sequence) | 7 cards of same suit in a row | 200pts | 200pts |
| 8-Blatt (8-card sequence) | 8 cards of same suit in a row | 250pts | 250pts |
| 9-Blatt (9-card sequence) | 9 cards of same suit in a row | 300pts | 300pts |
| 4 Under (Jacks) | Under Jacks | 200pts | 200pts |
| 4 Nines | Four 9s | 150pts | 150pts |
| 4 of any other | e.g. four Aces | 100pts | 100pts |
Scoring
Each card has a point value. A total of 157 points can be scored per round. If a team wins all the tricks, 100 additional points are awarded for a total of 257 points. The game ends once one team reaches the pre-set total — usually
1,000 points.
Example: If a team scores 80 points in one round, that gets added to their total. First team to reach 1,000 wins.
Beginner tips
For beginners, these tips are helpful:
- Skip the “Weisen” at first ("Weisen" means announcing a specific combination of cards at the start of play to score additional points; find more information below)
- Start only with trump suits
- Later on, explore Obenabe and Undeufe
- Ignore complex trump scoring
- Learn key terms like Stöck, Wys, and Trick
Jass questions (german only)
Swiss Jass trivia
Jass is so popular in Switzerland that Samstig Jass (Saturday Jass) has aired on national TV (SRF) since the late 1960s. It's actually the longest-running entertainment show in Europe.
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