Klaverjass and Klabberjass

Though at first glance, the games Klaverjass and Klabberjass might sound and more importantly look awfully the same but they are not. In fact, many card game experts classify them as different games altogether. However, they are classified under the same group, called the “Jass” group. This group is composed of ace-ten trick taking card games. This means that Klabberjass is a distant cousin of Klaverjass and if one hasn’t already figured out from the name alone, Klabberjass is a cousin hailing from Germany.

Just like in Klaverjass, Klabberjass is played using a 32-card deck with four suits namely spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds. Though Klabberjass is usually played with three players, playing Klabberjass with four players isn’t uncommon. In such cases, players form two teams consisting of two members, much like how players are setup in Klaverjass. In choosing partners however, Klabberjass takes a much more random approach than Klaverjass. In Klabberjass, partners are chosen through a special method. At the start of the game, the dealer deals out the cards face up and whosoever gets the first ace gets left out from the deal. The deal continues until the second ace appears. The players who received the aces become partners against the other players who didn’t. Those players who didn’t get an ace also automatically become partners as well.  

After the teams are settled down, with partners sitting in opposite sides to each other, the game begins with the dealer dealing the cards to the players. Each player receives a total of eight cards dealt in batches of three then two then three again. The card rankings are similar of that of Klaverjass. Though there are some striking similarities as to the rules of the German game with the Dutch game, there are some differences to tell them apart as well. One of these differences is the Klabberjass’ rule of meld.

As stated before, Klabberjass is usually played with three players. In a normal three-player game, the meld rule takes a whole new persona. In the Dutch game, the team who wins the trick takes the meld. However, in Klabberjass this becomes complicated as there are three people biding for the chance to take the meld. To resolve this, Klabberjass follows its own special set of rules. It is known for a fact that Klaverjass is a popular game and due to the level of similarity it has with Klabberjass, Klaverjass players looking for excellent variants can look to the game’s distant cousin for their satisfaction.