Schnapsen
Schnapsen, Schnapser or Schnapsa is a trick-taking card game of the bézique (ace–ten) family that is very popular in Bavaria and in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and has become the national card game of Austria and Hungary. Schnapsen is both of the point-trick (individual cards in each trick are used to determine points as in Pinochle) and trick-and-draw (a new card is drawn after each trick is won) subtypes.
| Austria's national card game | |
Accessories for keeping score in Schnapsen | |
| Origin | Austria |
|---|---|
| Type | Point-trick |
| Players | 2 |
| Cards | 20 |
| Deck | French or William Tell |
| Rank (high→low) | A 10 K Q J |
| Play | Alternate |
| Playing time | 1 min/hand, 5-10 min/round |
| Related games | |
| Mariage, Sechsundsechzig | |
The game is similar to sixty-six (Sechsundsechzig). Many rule variations exist, and both Schnapsen and sixty-six involve challenging strategy. Schnapsen has been described as "an inherently intense game that requires a lot of concentration and so isn't good for socializing, but it's a challenging game whose interest never wavers."