Herzla
Trick-taking avoidance | |
| Family | Hearts family |
|---|---|
| Players | 4 (3-8) |
| Age range | 6+ |
| Cards | 32 |
| Deck | Schafkopf pack |
| Rank (high→low) | A 10 K Q J 9 8 7 |
| Play | Clockwise |
Herzla or Herzl'n is a
History
Herzla is reported as being popular in the Austrian state of
Rules
The following rules are based on Sirch (2008).[3]
Cards
A
, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven.Dealing
Dealer shuffles the cards and offers to
Bidding
Players may bid for the following contracts:
- Beddl - to take no tricks
- Mord - to take all tricks
If no-one bids for a contract, a normal game is played as described below. If two players bid, positional priority applies. The successful bidder becomes the declarer and plays against the 3 'defenders'.
Playing
Beddl
Beddl is Bavarian for
Mord
Mord literally means "murder", but is the equivalent of a
Schleichermord
A Schleichermord or "sneaky Mord" is when a player decides to play a Mord without announcing it and aims to win all the tricks.
Scoring
In a normal game, players pay 10c for every Heart captured to the player who has avoided taking any. If 2 players are void in Hearts, they each receive 40c. If a player captures all 8 Hearts, they pay 80c to the stock (
Variant
A simple variant, suitable for children as well as adults, is to play the normal game. Any number of players from 3 to 8 may play; a Bavarian-pattern Schafkopf pack is used, 36 cards are dealt accordingly and any leftover cards put to one side, face down. Players only play a 'normal game' and score penalty points for each Heart taken. Players may agree to play a set number of rounds and the winner is then the one with the fewest points. Alternatively they may choose to play until the first person reaches an agreed total e.g. 50 points.
References
- ^ Das Nationalspiel der Vorarlberger - Jassen at sagen.at. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- ^ Alle Vorarlberger Jass-Arten einfach erklärt! at jassa.at. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ a b Sirch (2008), pp. 80–81.
Literature
- Sirch, Walter (2008). Vom Alten zum Zwanzger - Bayerische Kartenspiele für Kinder und Erwachsene - neu entdeckt. Bayerischer Trachtenverband.
