Wisconsin's take on Schafkopf, with a picker against the rest.
The American descendant of Schafkopf, and still the everyday game of Wisconsin. Usually five players, and the deal produces a picker who takes on the rest.
32 cards — seven up to ace in each suit. With five players, six cards each and two face down as the blind.
Ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2, and the rest nothing. 120 points, and the picker's side needs 61.
All four queens, then all four jacks, then the diamonds from ace down to seven. Fourteen trumps. Diamonds is not a plain suit. Queens rank clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds; jacks the same.
Going round once, each player may take the blind or pass. Whoever picks it up takes both cards into hand and buries two face down — the points in them count for the picker at the end.
The picker calls a fail ace — an ace of a plain suit they do not hold. Whoever holds it is the picker's partner and says nothing until the called suit is played. If the picker holds all three fail aces, they play alone.
The picker may instead refuse the blind's help and play against all four for a larger stake.
Follow suit if you can, treating trump as a single suit. Highest trump wins.
Settled in chips. The picker's side wins the base amount with 61 points, double with 91 (schneider), and triple for every trick. Failing pays the same amounts out.