Mariáš rules

The Czech and Slovak national game, played in every pub in the country. Three players, one declarer against two. The forehand takes twelve cards, chooses trump and discards two, then plays a contract against the other two — anything from simply taking more points to winning every trick. Only aces and tens count in the tricks, so a marriage of king and over, worth 20 or 40 in trump, decides many hands.

The deck

32 cards, usually a German-suited pack of acorns, leaves, hearts and bells. Seven up to ace.

The ranking

Ace, ten, king, over, under, nine, eight, seven. The ten above the king is the usual continental order.

The deal

The dealer gives the player to their left — the forehand, who will be declarer — twelve cards, and seven each to the other two. Forehand picks two cards as the trump indicator, chooses trump, and discards two face down.

The contracts

Good game — take more card points than the defenders. Seven — you also undertake to win the last trick with the seven of trump. Hundred — you undertake to score at least 100 points including marriages. Betl — take no tricks at all, no trump. Durch — take every trick, no trump.

Marriages

King and over of the same suit, declared as you lead one of them: 40 in trump, 20 in any other suit.

Card values

Ace and ten are worth 10 each, everything else nothing, plus 10 for the last trick. So a marriage is worth more than most tricks, and the game is largely about them.

The play

Follow suit if you can and beat the highest card played if you are able. If you cannot follow, you must trump. Highest trump wins.

Stakes are settled in coins from a tariff, and the defenders may double the declarer's contract before play.