Etiquette in Klaverjassen

 There are many good reasons as to why one should opt to follow good etiquette when playing card games. However, the best one would be that following good etiquette promotes game spirit. Though many people wouldn’t be able to understand what a game spirit is, in a nutshell, game spirit is what makes klaverjassen such a wonderful game to play.

The rudiments of card game etiquette mainly revolve around the practice of good manners and polite conduct at the table. As such, proper card game etiquette demands that at the beginning of every game of klaverjassen, the deck should be shuffled by a player before being distributed by the appointed dealer. After the shuffling the deck, another player, though not necessarily the player shuffling the deck, nor the dealer, splits the deck into two halves, effectively “cutting” the deck. That same player then reassembles the deck by putting the lower half on top of the upper portion. This act ensures that the cards are dealt in a randomized order and that neither the player shuffling the deck nor the dealer knows what cards the other klaverjass players have been dealt.

Once the deck has been cut and the dealer is distributing the cards to the players, etiquette demands that players wait until the deal has been completed before even picking up their cards. Dealers have free reign on how to distribute the cards in the deck, so long as, no one objects and everyone gets their share of cards. Once the deal has been completed, the game of klaverjassen officially begins. As players look at their hand, etiquette demands that players must avoid indicating whether or not they are pleased with their current hand. This is especially critical in team games like klaverjassen, since you are not allowed to reveal any useful information to the opposing team.

Though some might think that playing in dead silence takes away the game spirit itself, conversation is allowed. However, topics for such conversations should not in any way be related to your current game of klaverjassen. Remember, card game etiquette always holds the promotion of the game’s spirit as its highest priority. As such, it is structured in a way that it promotes a healthy and highly competitive game environment that allows players to grow in skill and mature in spirit. This means that players should play and win using skill not underhanded tricks that intimidate or irritate the opponent.