Klaverjas: Discover The Three Player Variant

 Knowing and using the Dutch terminology adds a unique flavor to the game while getting familiar with the three player variant and learning its basic rules gives you the chance to enjoy with two of your friends a special version of the game. We'll take a look at both.

Klaverjas – Dutch Terminology

The trick-taking game has special Dutch words for most of its facets: The 9 of Trumps is “Nel”; bonus points are known as “Roem”; the King and Queen of Trumps in the same hand is “Stuk”; not getting more than half of the points is “Beet”; one team winning all the tricks is “Mars”; the set of 16 deals which make up a game is “Boom”; while same suit signaling is “Kleur Seinen” and opposite suit signaling “Tegenkleur seinen”.

This is about all of the core Dutch terminology for klaverjassen.

Klaverjassen – The Three Player Variant

The card game of klaverjas, even though usually played in four, can be also played in three. In that case, 10 cards are dealt to each player, in batches of 4, 3, and 3. After the first batch of 3 cards is dealt, two cards are placed face down.

The player who begins the game, usually the one placed to the left of the dealer, can either play with a trump suit or simply pass. If he passes, the player placed to his left is next and he can either play or pass.

Sometimes it happens that all players pass. In that scenario the cards are shuffled and new hands are dealt. The first who plays takes the cards on the table and adds them to his hand without revealing them and then places two cards from his hand face down on the table. From then on play resumes to normal. The one who takes the last trick of the game also takes the two cards placed face down.

Klaverjas in three implies that each player tries to get as many points as he can. However, players have also to forestall the opponent who makes trumps from getting more than half the points, because if the latter succeeds, every player scores the points he has taken. On the other hand, in klaverjassen in three, if the player who makes trumps gets half the points or less, his rivals score all the points in that hand, including bonuses, and he gets no points at all.