MENSCH

Hey there! Let me tell you about Mensch, a really fun card game you can play with 3 of your friends. The goal of the game is to make bids and win tricks, all to earn more chips. Sounds exciting, right?

SETUP

Now, let’s talk about how to set up the game. Don’t worry, it’s super easy. First, we need to modify the deck a little. Just remove all the cards that have a value of 6 or lower. This will leave us with a deck of 32 cards. Next, we need to decide who will be the first dealer. You can do this by randomly choosing someone and then passing the dealer position to the left for each new round. Once we have our dealer, they shuffle the deck and deal each player 8 cards. Got it? Great!

Card Ranking

Now, let’s talk about how the cards are ranked in this game. It’s pretty simple, really. We use the traditional ranking system, with the Ace being the highest card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, and 7. The trump suit, which is a special suit that can win over other suits, has its own ranking. In the trump suit, the Queen of clubs is the highest card, followed by 7, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, and 8. Easy peasy!

BIDDING

Now, let’s move on to the bidding phase. This is where things get interesting. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer, each player has the opportunity to place a bid or pass. But here’s the catch – you only get one chance to bid, so make it count! Exciting, isn’t it?

When it comes to bidding in the game, there are several options to choose from, each with its own level of difficulty and strategy.

One option is the “half” bid, where the goal is to win at least 5 tricks with the assistance of a partner. In this bid, clubs are the trump suit.

If you want to challenge yourself further, you can make an “after” bid, but keep in mind that this can only be done after a bid of half. An after bid has the same win conditions as a half bid.

For those who are more confident in their skills, there are the bids of five, six, or seven. With these bids, the goal is to win that many tricks without any assistance from a partner, and you have the freedom to choose the trump suit.

If you’re feeling particularly daring, you can make the bids of five after, six after, or seven after. However, these bids can only be made after the corresponding number bid has been made. Just like the previous bids, you’ll aim to win the specified number of tricks without a partner, but this time, the trump suit will be clubs.

And finally, there’s the “solo” bid, where you must win all the tricks. The advantage of this bid is that you get to lead the first trick and select the trump suit.

With all these options available, the bidding phase in the game offers a thrilling mix of risk and strategy. Good luck!

In the game, if a player has three or more clubs, they need to place a bid that is at least half of the previous bid. However, if a bid of five or higher has already been made, they have the option to pass. Passing means they are no longer participating in the gambling round.

If all the players decide to pass, then the player who has the queen of hearts has to choose a partner and call the trumps. To win, they need to secure at least five tricks.

Choosing a Partner

To select a partner, the bidder must announce a card’s rank and suit. This card cannot be a trump, and the bidder must have one or more cards of the same suit. The player holding this specific card will become the bidder’s partner, but they should not reveal this information. It will become apparent during the game.

Gameplay Overview

When we start the game, it’s important to know the order in which players take turns. The player to the left of the dealer goes first, unless someone has bid to play alone. The first player can play any card they want. As the game progresses, the other players must follow suit if they can. However, if they don’t have a card of the same suit, they can play any card they choose. The player who plays the highest trump card, if trumps are in play, wins the trick. If no trumps are played, the trick is won by the player who played the highest card of the suit that was led originally. The winner of the trick gets to lead the next one.

Scoring

Once all the tricks have been played and won, it’s time to start scoring. Each trick won by a player earns them points. The specific number of points awarded for each trick may vary depending on the rules you are playing with. After all the tricks have been scored, the total points are calculated and recorded. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

If I bid half or more, and my bid is successful, my opponents and I each pay one chip. Meanwhile, my partner and I also receive one chip. However, if my bid is unsuccessful, both my partner and I must pay two chips, and those chips go to our opponents. If no bid is made, the payouts are the same, except if my partner and I lose, we only need to pay one chip each.

Now, let’s consider bids of five, six, or seven. The trump suit comes into play here. If the trump suit is not clubs and I successfully make the bid, I receive 3 chips, one from each opponent. On the other hand, if I fail, I must pay each opponent one chip.

Lastly, if the trump suit is clubs and my bid of five, six, or seven is successful, I receive two coins from each opponent. However, if I fail, I have to pay two coins to each opponent. These same payouts apply to bids of five after, six after, and seven after as well.

If I win all the tricks in any of the aforementioned bids, I’ll get double the payment.

When I bid solo for a suit other than clubs, I’ll receive 4 chips from each of the other players if I win. However, if I lose, I’ll have to pay 4 chips to each of the other players. If the trump suit happens to be clubs, then the payments are doubled to 8 chips.

The Game’s End

The game ends whenever we, the players, decide. There isn’t a specific winner, but the player with the most chips can be regarded as the winner.