Klaverjas

How to play Klaverjas

Klaverjas is the Netherlands' favourite card game — a sharp, sociable partnership trick game of the Jass family, a close cousin of Belote played in homes and brown cafés across the country. It rewards careful suit play, the discipline of the over-trump rule, and an eye for roem — the bonus melds that turn a good hand into a great one. You play with a bot partner against two more — or take the table online against real people.

Play Klaverjas online with friends

Choose Play online and you'll be matched with real opponents for a live game, or share a private invite link so your own foursome can sit down together. Everything runs in the browser — no account, no app — and the server keeps every hand, trump call and trick in sync for all four players.

The cards

A 32-card deck (7 up to Ace). Trump and plain suits rank and score differently. In trump: Jack 20, 9 (the "nel") 14, Ace 11, 10 is 10, King 4, Queen 3, 8 and 7 nothing. In plain suits: Ace 11, 10 is 10, King 4, Queen 3, Jack 2, the rest nothing — 152 points in the cards, plus 10 for the last trick.

Choosing trump

Each player is dealt eight cards. In turn, a player may name a trump suit — their side becomes "the players" who must make the contract — or pass. If everyone passes, the hand is re-dealt.

Playing a trick

• You must follow the led suit if you can.
• If you can't, you must play a trump and over-trump if able — unless your partner is already winning the trick, when you are free.
• The highest trump wins; with no trump, the highest card of the led suit. The winner leads next.

Roem (melds)

Bonus points lie in the cards on the table. Three consecutive cards of one suit in a single trick (natural order 7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A) is 20 roem; four in a row is 50; and holding the King and Queen of trump (the "stuk") is 20. Roem from a trick goes to the team that wins it.

Scoring

Add up cards plus roem. The playing team must score more than the defenders — fall short or tie and they go "nat", handing the defenders everything (all 162 plus all roem). Winning every trick is a "pit", worth a 100-point bonus. The first team to 1500 wins the match.

Strategy

Only name trump on a strong suit — count your Jack and 9, the two big trumps. Pull the opponents' trumps early when you are the players, then cash your Aces and 10s. Watch for roem: keeping a run together can be worth more than a quick trick. When your partner is winning, throw them your fat cards (Ace, 10) instead of wasting them. Tap a card to play it; legal cards are highlighted. N starts a new game.