Tutorial 5 of 7
Doppelkopf: parties, announcements and scoring
Intermediate 9 min
Play Doppelkopf by the German Doppelkopf Association's tournament rules — secret parties, reservations and solos, Re and Kontra, special points and the score.
Doppelkopf is played by four with a double deck of 48 cards. Two players form the Re party, two the Kontra party — but at the start nobody knows who is on which side. Playcards follows the tournament rules of the German Doppelkopf Association (DDV); this tutorial explains them in our own words.
Start a game
- Open the Doppelkopf tab and choose Against the computer.
- Set a Level for the three computer seats. Strong players simulate many possible card distributions before every card.
- Press Deal the cards. Everybody gets twelve cards.
The ready-made table Doppelkopf for four on one device under Ready-made tables is set up for four people sharing one screen.
Trumps and parties
In a normal game the trumps are, from the highest: the two 10s of Hearts (Dullen), the Queens (Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds), the Jacks in the same suit order, then Diamond Ace, 10, King and 9. Of two identical cards the one played first wins — also for the two Dullen. Under House rules → Two Dullen in one trick you can let the second Dulle win.
Whoever holds a Queen of Clubs belongs to the Re party. You find your partner by watching who plays the other Queen of Clubs — or by an announcement.
Reservations and solos
Before the first card everyone says whether they are Healthy or have a reservation:
- Hochzeit (wedding): you hold both Queens of Clubs. The first player other than you who wins one of the first three tricks becomes your partner; if nobody does, you play alone.
- Solo: you play alone against the three others. Choose Queens solo, Jacks solo, Fleischlos (no trumps), or a suit solo in which that suit replaces Diamonds as trump suit.
If you hold both Queens of Clubs and want to play alone without telling anybody, just say Healthy: that is a silent solo.
Announcements
While you still hold eleven cards you may announce Re or Kontra — your party then has to reach more, but the game is worth two more points. With fewer cards you can only make further announcements: keine 90, keine 60, keine 30 and schwarz (each one card later than the previous). The buttons appear next to your hand while an announcement is still allowed.
Winning and scoring
The 48 cards hold 240 card points. Without announcements the Re party needs 121, the Kontra party wins with 120. The score counts game points:
| Points for | Game points |
|---|---|
| Winning the game | 1 |
| Against the Queens of Clubs (Kontra wins) | 1 |
| Opponents under 90, under 60, under 30, schwarz | 1 each |
| Each announcement (Re/Kontra counts 2) | 1 each |
| Fox caught, Karlchen, Doppelkopf (normal games) | 1 each |
Special points: catching an opponent's Diamond Ace (Fox caught), winning the last trick with the Jack of Clubs (Karlchen) and a trick with 40 or more card points (Doppelkopf). A soloist wins or loses three times the game value. The Points table lists every line, so you can follow how the score was made.
House rules
- Play with nines (48 cards) — switch it off for the faster game with 40 cards.
- Solos allowed, Hochzeit allowed and Special points (fox, Karlchen, Doppelkopf).
- Games in a match — how many games the match lasts.
Next steps
- Check a result by hand: the Doppelkopf score tool in Saved tables, statistics and AI tools.
- Play with three friends online: Playing with friends on one device or online.
Ready to try it?