How to Play Differenzler Jass
Differenzler is a Swiss card game where you predict how many card points you’ll win — then try to hit that number exactly. The closer your prediction, the lower your penalty. Lowest penalty wins.
Quick version: Each card has a point value. Predict how many points you’ll collect, then play 9 tricks. Every point you’re off by is a penalty.
How It’s Different
If you’ve played other trick-taking games, Differenzler has two big twists:
- You’re predicting card points, not tricks. It’s not about how many tricks you win — it’s about the total value of the cards in those tricks.
- It uses a smaller deck. 36 cards (6 through Ace) instead of 52.
The Deck
Differenzler uses a 36-card Jass deck — four suits, each with 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.
7
8
9
10
U
O
K
A
Each player gets 9 cards. There are 9 tricks.
Understanding Card Points
This is the most important part. Every card is worth points. The values change depending on whether the card is in the trump suit or not.
Trump Suit Cards
Under (Jack) = 20 pts — the Puur, most valuable card
9 = 14 pts — the Nell, second most valuable
Ace = 11 pts
10 = 10 pts
King = 4 pts
Ober (Queen) = 3 pts
7
6
= 0 pts each
Non-Trump Cards
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 |
| 10 | 10 |
| King | 4 |
| Ober (Queen) | 3 |
| Under (Jack) | 2 |
| 9, 8, 7, 6 | 0 |
Last trick bonus: Whoever wins the final trick gets +5 bonus points.
Total points each round: 157 (152 from cards + 5 last trick bonus).
Card Strength (Who Wins a Trick?)
In the trump suit, the Under (Jack) and 9 jump to the top:
Trump: Under > 9 > Ace > King > Ober > 10 > 8 > 7 > 6
Non-trump: Ace > King > Ober > Under > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6
How a Round Works
1. Trump Is Chosen
One player picks which suit becomes trump. This role rotates each round.
2. Make Your Prediction
Look at your 9 cards and predict how many card points you’ll win (0 to 157).
How to estimate: Do you have the Puur (20 pts)? The Nell (14 pts)? Aces (11 pts each)? Add up the point values of cards you're confident you'll win tricks with. Don't forget +5 if you think you'll win the last trick!
3. Play 9 Tricks
Each trick works like this:
The leader plays any card.
Everyone else:
- Have the led suit? You must play it — OR you may play a trump card instead
- Don’t have it? Play any card
Who wins:
- If anyone played trump → highest trump wins
- No trump played → highest card of the led suit wins
Example Trick
11 pts
10 pts
← trumps! 0 pts
4 pts
Special Rule: The Puur Exception
If trump is led and your only trump is the Under (Puur), you don’t have to play it. You can play any card. This protects the most powerful card from being wasted.
4. Score the Round
| **Penalty = | Your prediction - Your actual points | ** |
Got it exactly right? Penalty = 0 (the best!). Off by 12? Penalty = 12.
Winning
Penalties add up across rounds. Lowest total penalty at the end wins.
Tips for New Players
- Count your sure points first — the Puur (20), Nell (14), and Aces (11) almost always win their tricks
- The 10 is tricky — worth 10 points but weaker than Ober, King, and Ace. It might end up in someone else’s pile
- Don’t forget the last trick bonus (+5) — include it in your prediction if you expect to win the final trick
- Being exact is everything — winning extra is just as bad as winning too few