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Download on Google Play- Use a 20-card deck (10, J, Q, K, A in each suit) with 2 players.
- Deal 5 cards each; remaining cards form the stock.
- Turn the top stock card face-up to determine trump.
- While the stock is open, no obligation to follow suit; winner draws first.
- Close the stock to force strict suit-following rules.
- Declare king-queen marriages for 20 points (40 in trump).
- Ace: 11, Ten: 10, King: 4, Queen: 3, Jack: 2.
- Announce when you reach 66 to win the deal.
- Opponent below 33: 2 game points. Opponent scoreless: 3 game points.
Rules
Snapszli is a popular Hungarian two-player card game derived from the broader Schnapsen family. It emphasizes tight hand management, marriage declarations, and closing the stock at the right moment to lock in an advantage.
Objective
Reach 66 points before your opponent through a combination of trick-taking and declaring marriages. A player who reaches 66 first and announces it wins the deal.
Setup
- Players: 2 players.
- Deck: 20-card deck (10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace in each suit).
- Deal: Each player receives 5 cards. The remaining 10 cards form the stock pile, with the top card turned face-up to determine trump.
- Card ranking: Ace (11), Ten (10), King (4), Queen (3), Jack (2).
Gameplay
- Open stock phase: While the stock remains, the trick winner draws first, then the loser draws. No obligation to follow suit exists during this phase.
- Closing the stock: A player who feels confident may close the stock by turning over the trump indicator card, ending all further draws.
- Closed phase: Once the stock is closed or exhausted, players must follow suit, trump if unable, and win the trick if possible.
- Marriages: Declaring a king-queen pair when leading scores 20 points (40 in trump).
Scoring
- Reaching 66: Announce when your accumulated card points and marriage bonuses reach 66 to win the deal.
- Opponent below 33: If your opponent has fewer than 33 points when you win, you score 2 game points.
- Opponent scoreless: If your opponent has taken no tricks at all, you score 3 game points.
- Game target: First to 7 game points wins the match.
Variations
- Austrian Schnapsen: Nearly identical but uses the 20-card deck exclusively and has stricter closing rules.
- Bummerl Snapszli: Played as a series of sets where each set is called a Bummerl.
Tips and Strategies
- Close the stock when you are confident you can reach 66 with the cards in your hand.
- Track all 20 cards carefully since the small deck makes complete card counting feasible.
- Marriages in the trump suit are game-changers worth 40 points; prioritize engineering situations where you can declare them.
Tips & Strategy
The decision of when to close the stock is the most critical moment in each deal. Close too early and you may fall short; close too late and your opponent may beat you to 66.
After closing the stock, every trick becomes critical. Calculate whether your hand can guarantee reaching 66 before closing, or you risk losing game points for a failed close.
Trivia & Fun Facts
The tiny 20-card deck makes Snapszli one of the few card games where perfect information is achievable through careful memory and deduction alone.
How many cards are used in a standard game of Snapszli?
History & Culture
Snapszli is the Hungarian cousin of Austrian Schnapsen, both descended from the German game Sixty-Six. It became a fixture of Hungarian café culture in the 19th century.
Snapszli is part of a broader Central European tradition of intense two-player card games, cherished in Hungary as a quick yet deeply strategic pastime.
Variations & House Rules
Austrian Schnapsen and Hungarian Snapszli share almost all rules, differing mainly in cultural context and minor procedural traditions around trump exchanges.
Try playing with a 24-card deck (adding nines) for a slightly longer and less predictable game that still retains the core closing mechanic.
