An introduction to the version named above. Special cases and local rules may differ. Agree on your rules before the first hand.
GAME PHASE 01
The framework
36 cards, four suits
Jass uses 36 cards: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace in four suits. German-speaking Switzerland plays with its own deck (bells, shields, roses, acorns), the Romandie with French suits. This app shows French.
Two teams of two
Four players form two teams, partners sitting opposite. Everyone receives 9 cards. The whole deck is dealt out.
Schieber: the people's Jass
Jass has dozens of variants; Schieber is by far the most common, played in Swiss homes, trains and mountain huts. Learn Schieber and you can sit down at almost any Swiss table.
GAME PHASE 02
Choosing trump
Your call, or shove it
In turn, one player decides the trump for the round. Feeling weak? Then you shove ('schieben') the decision across the table to your partner, who must then choose. Hence the name Schieber.
Six options
You may pick any of the four suits as trump, or two special modes: Obenabe (no trump; high cards win every trick) and Undenufe (upside down: the LOW cards win, the 6 beats the ace!).
Choose with your hand in mind
Holding jack and nine of one suit strongly favours calling that suit as trump. With evenly high cards, Obenabe beckons; with lots of low cards, Undenufe.
GAME PHASE 03
Puur & Nell
The trump suit reshuffles itself
Inside the trump suit the order changes completely: the Puur (trump jack) is the highest card of the whole game, the Nell (trump nine) comes second. Only then follow ace, king, queen, 10, 8, 7, 6.
20 and 14 points
The Puur scores a mighty 20 points, the Nell 14, far more than jack and nine are worth outside trump. Capturing the opponents' Nell with your Puur is a small Swiss triumph.
GAME PHASE 04
Tricks & points
Follow suit
When a non-trump is led, follow suit or trump. Undertrumping is permitted only with an all-trump hand. Follow trump leads, except that a lone Puur may be withheld.
Card values
In suit-trump games: ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, non-trump jack 2; trump jack 20 and trump nine 14. Obenabe and Undenufe use different values.
157 points per round
All card points plus the 5 for the last trick add up to exactly 157 per round. Taking every single trick is a 'Match' and earns a fat 100-point bonus.
GAME PHASE 05
Weis & Stöck
Weis: announce your combinations
Before the first trick you may declare card combinations from your hand (a Weis): three or more cards of one suit in sequence, or four of a kind. Three in a row scores 20, four in a row 50, four jacks a whopping 200.
Only the best Weis counts
The teams compare their best Weis; ONLY the team holding the better one may score all its announced combinations. The other team's Weis are worth nothing that round.
Stöck and the finish
Holding king AND queen of trump is called Stöck. Announce it while playing the second of them and score 20 extra, always. Games typically run to 1000 points or more, tallied on the famous slate board.
FROM READING TO UNDERSTANDING
Try it again.
With cards on the table.
The iPhone app walks you through sample rounds at your own pace. All eleven games and every lesson are free. You can also play Mau-Mau against computer opponents.
Explore Kartenschule ↗Coming soon to the App Store. In English and German.Publisher: Sebastian Kurock. Updated October 2, 2026. Based on Kartenschule’s own lessons. Pagat: Schieber Jass