How to Play

Ulti is the Hungarian three-player bidding game where the signature contract requires winning the very last trick with the 7 of trumps. Combined with marriages, 40-100, Betli, and Durchmars contracts, it is one of Central Europe's most strategic card games.

Ulti (Ultimo) is the most popular three-player card game in Hungary, a sophisticated bidding-and-contract game built on the broader Mariáš/Mariage family. It is played with a 32-card Hungarian Tell-pattern deck (or any equivalent French-suited 32-card pack with the 2-6 removed). Each player receives 10 cards plus a 2-card talon. After an auction in which players progress through ascending contracts (Simple Game, 40-100, 20-100, Betli, Durchmars, Ulti, plus their open and Hearts variants), one player becomes the declarer and plays alone against the other two. Most contracts can be combined: a typical declared bid is 'Ulti, 40-100, Hearts'. Each component is scored separately and may be doubled by Kontra or higher. The signature feature is the Ulti contract itself, which requires the declarer to win the very last trick with the 7 of trumps, a delicate plan that defines the game's name.

Players

Exactly 3 players, every player for themselves. The declarer plays alone against the other two defenders for the deal. Deal rotates anti-clockwise; play also runs anti-clockwise.

Card Deck

A 32-card Hungarian Tell-pattern deck with four suits (Makk/Acorns, Zöld/Leaves, Piros/Hearts, Tök/Bells) and ranks Ász (Ace), 10, Király (King), Felső/Ober (Queen), Alsó/Unter (Jack), 9, 8, 7. A French-suited 32-card pack (Ace, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7) substitutes one-for-one. Card values: Ace = 10 points, 10 = 10 points, all other cards 0 (Hungarian convention; some clubs score Ace = 11 like Mariáš). Total card points across the deck: 80; winning the last trick adds 10 for a deal total of 90. In trump, ranks high to low are A, 10, K, Q, J, 9, 8, 7 (10 ranks above King). In non-trump suits, ranks high to low are A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 (10 ranks between Jack and 9).

Objective

Win the auction to become declarer, choose the trump suit, and fulfil every component of your announced contract. Defenders win individually if they collectively defeat any component; each component is scored and paid separately.

Setup and Deal

1. Choose first dealer by drawing for low card. The deal moves to the dealer's right after each hand.
2. Dealer shuffles, the player to dealer's left cuts. Dealer then deals 10 cards to each player (anti-clockwise) in two batches of 5, and lays 2 cards face down as the talon to one side.
3. Auction: Starting with the player to the dealer's right (forehand), each player in turn either passes or names a contract. A bidder picking up the talon may exchange any 2 of their 10 hand cards for the talon's 2, then announce the contract. Each subsequent bidder must name a higher-ranking contract or pass; the auction ends when 2 consecutive players pass after a bid. The bidder of the highest contract becomes declarer.
4. Contract ranking (lowest to highest): Simple Game < Betli < 40-100 < 20-100 < Heart Betli < Open Betli < Durchmars < Ulti < Heart Durchmars < Open Durchmars. Combined bids (e.g., 'Ulti + 40-100 + Hearts') outrank any single component but must be fully announced and scored separately.
5. Trump declaration: The declarer announces trump suit when bidding (or 'no trump' for Betli/Durchmars). 'Hearts' as the trump suit doubles every component's score for that deal.
6. Misdeal: A card exposed during the deal voids the deal; the same dealer redeals.

Gameplay

1. Forehand (player to dealer's right) leads to the first trick by playing one card face up. Play continues anti-clockwise, each remaining player playing one card.
2. Following suit: A player must follow the led suit if able. A player void in the led suit must play a trump if they have one (in any contract that has a trump suit). A player void in both must play any card.
3. Overtrumping: When required to play, you must beat the highest card already on the trick whenever possible; the head-overtrumping rule applies to both led-suit cards and trumps.
4. Marriages (King + Queen of one suit): When playing one of the pair to a trick, you may declare the marriage and immediately score 20 (non-trump) or 40 (trump) for your side. Marriages may be declared by either declarer or defenders.
5. Winning the trick: Highest trump wins; if no trump is in the trick, the highest card of the led suit wins. Winner gathers the trick face down and leads the next.
6. Special end of deal: The 10-point last-trick bonus goes to whoever wins the final (10th) trick. Components (40-100, 20-100, Betli, Durchmars, Ulti) each have their own success/failure conditions, evaluated independently after all 10 tricks.

Contracts and Scoring

• Simple Game (Parti): Declarer must take strictly more than 40 of the 90 card-and-last-trick points (i.e. 41+). Pays 1 (Hearts: 2). Failure pays the same to each defender.
• 40-100: Declarer must hold the King + Queen of trumps (the trump marriage) and reach 100+ total points including the 40 marriage. Pays 4 (Hearts: 8).K♠Q♠
• 20-100: Declarer holds the King + Queen of a non-trump suit (a 20-point marriage) and reaches 100+ points. Pays 8 (Hearts: 16). The marriage may be any of the three non-trump suits.K♠Q♠
• Betli: Declarer must lose every single trick. No trumps; non-trump rank order is used (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7). Pays 5 (Heart Betli: 10; Open Betli with hand exposed after trick 1: 20).A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠9♠8♠7♠
• Durchmars: Declarer must win every single trick. Pays 6 (Heart Durchmars: 12; Open Durchmars: 24).
• Ulti: Declarer must win the very last (10th) trick using the 7 of trumps. Pays 4 (Heart Ulti: 8). On failure, declarer pays the standard amount plus an extra 4 (8 in Hearts) penalty.
• Combined contracts: Each component is scored independently. A common bid is 'Ulti + 40-100' (or 'Ulti + 40-100 + Hearts'). Each component is paid for individually by each defender.
• Unbid bonuses: Achieving Ulti or Durchmars without bidding it scores half the standard bid amount as a bonus.
• Kontra and Rekontra: Any defender may say 'Kontra' before the second trick is led, doubling that component's score. Declarer may answer 'Rekontra' to redouble. Further escalations (Subkontra ×4, Hirskontra ×8, Mordkontra ×16, Fedáksári ×32) are permitted in some clubs but rare.
• Payment: Each defender pays the declarer (or vice versa) the full component amount for each component won/lost. The declarer faces 2 payments per component while the defenders share between them.

Winning

• Deal winner: Each component is settled independently; the declarer can succeed at one component and fail at another in the same deal.
• Match winner: Sessions are typically played for an agreed number of deals (often 24 so each player deals 8 times) or to a chip target; the player with the most chips wins.
• Tie-breaker: A draw at the end of a session is broken by playing one extra round of three deals.

Common Variations

• Hearts always trump: A simplified variant in which Hearts is permanently trump; eliminates trump choice but keeps the contract structure.
• No-talon Ulti: Each player gets 10 cards and no talon exists; bidding starts immediately with no exchange option.
• Open contracts: Open Betli, Open Durchmars, and Open Ulti require the declarer to expose their hand after the first trick; pays double the closed version.
• Combined-only bidding: Tournament rule that any successful bid must include at least two components; raises the strategic bar.
• Csendes (Silent) contracts: Declarer scores half the value of any unbid component achieved during play (e.g., a 10-trick win without bidding Durchmars scores 3, half of 6).
• Snapszli substitution: Some Hungarian groups play Snapszli (a two-handed Schnapsen variant) instead when only two players are present.

Tips and Strategy

• To declare Ulti you must hold the 7 of trumps and have enough high trumps to clear the table before the last trick. Count opponents' likely trump distribution before bidding.
• When declaring 40-100 or 20-100, the marriage points only get you to 40 or 20; you still need 60-80 card points across the other tricks. Plan trump-leading sweeps early.
• As a defender against Ulti, save your highest trump until the very last trick. A Heart 8 over the declarer's trump 7 wipes out the entire Ulti payment plus the 4-chip penalty.
• Use the talon to swap weak side cards for trump strength. Most Ulti bids are won by the player who picks up two strong trumps from the talon.
• Always announce marriages on the trick where you play the second card of the pair; an unannounced marriage scores nothing for either side.
• Kontra is a measured threat. A defender who Kontras a Simple Game without holding strong trumps risks doubling their loss; only Kontra when at least one defender has a clear path to denying the contract.

Glossary

• Talon: The 2-card stack set aside after the deal; the bidder may exchange 2 hand cards for it.
• Forehand: The player to the dealer's right; leads to the first trick.
• Trump (adut): The suit named by the declarer; trumps beat all non-trump cards regardless of rank.
• Marriage: King + Queen of one suit; scores 20 (non-trump) or 40 (trump) when declared.K♠Q♠
• Simple Game (Parti): The lowest contract; reach 41+ of 90 points.
• Betli: Lose every trick.
• Durchmars: Win every trick.
• Ulti: Win the final trick with the trump 7.
• 40-100 / 20-100: Hold a marriage and reach 100 total points.
• Hearts variant: Hearts as trump doubles every component's score.
• Kontra / Rekontra: Defender's double / declarer's redouble.
• Open contracts: Declarer plays with hand exposed; pays double.