BAUER

Not much can be found online about the game of Bauer, but I can tell you that it’s played in Saarland, Germany. It’s kind of like a different version of the card game Juckerspiel. So, you can think of it as being a part of the same family as Euchre.

Bauer is a trick-taking game just like Euchre, and it’s played by teams using a deck of thirty-two cards. Basically, you’re trying to win as many tricks as possible. But what makes Bauer stand out is how you score points.

In most games, you try to earn points each hand, right? Well, in Bauer, it’s a little different. Instead of gaining points, you start with 8 points, and every time you win the most tricks in a hand, you subtract a point. The team that reaches zero points first is the winner.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

For Bauer, you use a special deck of thirty-two cards. The cards range from 7 (which is the lowest) to the ace (which is the highest). You play in teams of two and sit across from your teammate at the table.

So, here’s how the game goes. The dealer is in charge of shuffling the deck of cards and giving one card to each player, one by one. At the end of this process, all the players will have eight cards in their hands. Got it? Good.

Once the cards have been dealt, it’s time to figure out which suit will be the trump. This is an important part of the game, so pay attention.

DETERMINE TRUMP

The trump phase starts right after the cards have been dealt. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, each person gets a turn to choose the trump suit. They can either pick a suit from the cards they have or say “pass” if they don’t want to choose. Once a player decides on the trump suit, the trump phase ends right away and the game begins. It’s worth noting that the team that determines the trump suit needs to win the most tricks in order to win the whole hand. Sounds challenging, right?

Now, you may be wondering what happens to the trump suit once it’s decided. Well, let me tell you. The trump suit becomes a really important suit during the game. It’s the one that holds a special rank higher than the other suits. You’ll see just how powerful it can be.

When you choose a suit, that suit will be the most powerful in the game. Let’s say you choose hearts as the trump suit. In that case, the 2 of hearts will outrank any ace from the other suits.

In the game of Bauer, the cards have a specific ranking: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. However, when a suit becomes trump, the order changes slightly. The trump suit cards now rank: 7, 8, 9, 10, Q, K, A, J (same color), and J (trump suit).

Let me give you an example. If you choose hearts as the trump suit, the jack of hearts will become the highest-ranked card in your hand. And here’s an interesting twist: the jack of diamonds is now considered a heart and becomes the second-highest ranking card for your hand.

The German word “bauer,” which means farmer, inspired a wave of games that explored the concept of farmers rising above royal elites. This influence is also seen in Euchre, where the jacks are known as the left and right “bauer.”

If no one selects a trump suit, the game is played without one. In this case, aces are considered the highest cards.

THE PLAY

Once the trump suit is decided, the game can commence. The player who determined the trump suit takes the first turn. If no trump suit was chosen, the dealer takes the first turn instead.

Alright, folks! Let’s talk about the game of cards. Here’s how it goes:

First things first, each player starts with a hand of cards. The player who gets to go first begins by placing one card in the center of the playing space. Then, it’s everyone else’s turn to do the same. If you have a card of the same suit as the one led, you gotta follow suit. But if you don’t have a matching card, you can play any card you want. The cards that end up in the center are called a trick. Got it so far?

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The player who played the highest card in the suit that was led or the highest trump card, if there’s a trump suit, gets to take the trick. Who knows what the trump suit will be?

If there’s no trump suit, the highest card in the suit that was led snags the trick.

Keep your focus, because the game goes on like this until all the cards have been played. Once every single card is out, the hand is over, and it’s time to tally up the scores.

Here’s the deal: the player to the left of the dealer becomes the new dealer for the next hand. That’s how we keep things fresh and fair.

Alright, let’s talk about scoring.

Here’s how it works: each team starts with 8 points. The team that chooses the trump suit needs to win the most tricks to get a point deducted from their score. If they don’t win, no points are deducted.

If no trump suit is chosen, the team with the most tricks deducts a point from their score.

The team that reaches zero points first wins the game. Simple as that!