Apps by DonkeyCatBauernschnopsn — Bauernschnapsen Online
Your partner. Your call. Play the Austrian team card game online, or learn the announcements in training.
iOS · Android · Team Schnapsen · Online & training
Bauernschnapsen card game app on the App StoreBauernschnapsen card game app on Google Play
Not the same game as Schnopsn
Bauernschnopsn is not a new version, re-skin or level pack of our Schnopsn app. Both games use the Austrian twenty-card pack and count to 66, but Bauernschnapsen is a different card game with its own players, deal, rules and scoring — the way Bridge is a different game from Whist. This is what sets the two apart:
| Bauernschnopsn (this app) | Schnopsn | |
|---|---|---|
| Players | Four players in two teams of two, partners sitting opposite — or three, with one soloist against two. | Two players, one against one. |
| Partner | You win or lose together with your partner across the table. | No partner — every hand is yours alone. |
| Deal | All twenty cards are dealt, five to each player. There is no stock to draw from. | Five cards each; the other ten form the stock (talon), and both players draw after every trick. |
| Trump | One player names the trump suit; no card is turned up. | The turned-up stock card sets trump; the Jack of trumps can be exchanged for it. |
| Rules of play | Follow suit, trump and beat from the very first trick. | No duty to follow suit while the stock is open; a player can close it (zudrehen) to make the strict rules apply. |
| Contracts | A ladder of announcements — Bettler, Schnapser, Gang, Zehnerloch, Bauernschnapser, Farbengang, Herrenschnapser — and Kontra to double the stake. | No contracts: only marriages (20 and 40) and closing the stock. |
| Scoring | Each deal is worth what was announced (1 to 24 points), multiplied by every Kontra. | 1 to 3 game points per deal, played to 7 for a Bummerl. |
| The app | Bauernschnopsn: its own tables, rooms and training mode. | Schnopsn: one-on-one matches, tournaments and ELO rankings. |
Schnopsn's team league is a club competition between players — at the table it is still one against one. Partnership play with contracts exists only in Bauernschnopsn.
Looking for two-player Schnapsen? That is Schnopsn →Inside the app
Bauernschnapsen at a table for four players.
Bauernschnapsen is the four-handed version of Schnapsen, the Austrian pub classic. Two teams of two sit facing each other and play a twenty-card pack — Ace, Ten, King, Ober and Unter in four suits, worth 11, 10, 4, 3 and 2 card points, 120 in all. Everyone is dealt five cards, one player names the trump suit, and the first side to 66 card points wins the deal. What makes Bauernschnapsen a game of its own is the ladder of announcements above the ordinary deal: a Schnapser, a Gang, a Zehnerloch, a Bauernschnapser, a Bettler, a Farbengang or a Herrenschnapser — each a bolder promise, each worth more, and each one the other side can double with a Kontra. Bauernschnopsn brings all of it to your phone for free, with the doppeldeutsch cards you know from the table at home or a French pack if you prefer that, in public and private rooms or on your own in training. There is a three-handed version too, where one soloist takes on the other two and picks up a two-card talon.
App at a glance
- Developer and publisher
- DonkeyCat GmbH
- Platforms
- iOS, Android
- Game / use
- Bauernschnapsen
- Players / use
- 4 in two teams; 3-player variant
- Solo / offline
- Offline practice
- Play together
- Public and private tables
- Pricing
- Free with ads; optional ad-free upgrade
Also known as: Bauernschnopsn, Bauernschnapsen, Viererschnapsen, Schnapsen zu viert
Features
- Free to play — free to download, free to play, with credits topped up every day.
- Four-handed Bauernschnapsen — you and your partner against the other two.
- Three-handed Bauernschnapsen — one soloist against two opponents, with a two-card talon.
- The whole ladder of calls — Kontra, Schnapser, Gang, Zehnerloch, Bauernschnapser, Bettler, Ass Bettler, Farbengang and Herrenschnapser, plus Kontraschnapser and Kontrabauernschnapser in the three-handed game.
- Online multiplayer — public rooms put you at a table with real players in seconds.
- Private rooms — set up a table for your own circle.
- Training — play a hand on your own, at your own pace.
- Doppeldeutsch or French cards — the Austrian pack from the pub table, or the international one.
- Three tables — green felt, blue cloth or wood.
- Sort your hand by suit or by value.
- Chat and emojis at the table.
How to play
- The pack. Bauernschnapsen is played with twenty cards: Ace, Ten, King, Ober and Unter in four suits, worth 11, 10, 4, 3 and 2 card points — 120 points in all.
- The teams. Four players form two teams of two, sitting opposite each other, so your partner is the player across the table. In the three-handed game one soloist plays alone against the other two.
- Trump. Every player is dealt five cards and one player names the trump suit. Trumps beat every other suit.
- Following suit. You must follow the suit that was led. If you cannot, you must play a trump, and whenever you are able to you also have to beat the highest card already on the table.
- Marriages. King and Ober of the same suit — the Queen in the French pack — are worth 20 points together, or 40 in trumps. You announce one by leading either of the two cards.
- Winning the deal. The side that reaches 66 card points first wins it, and what it is worth depends on the losers: 1 point if they reached 33 or more, 2 if they stayed under 33, 3 if they took no trick at all. If nobody reaches 66, the winner of the last trick scores 1 point.
- Announcements. Instead of the ordinary deal a player can announce a stronger contract, and a higher announcement — or a Kontra from the opposing team — multiplies the stake.
- Schnapser. Reach 66 points inside your first three tricks (four in the three-handed game) while the opponents win no trick at all. A Kontraschnapser is the same goal announced by the other side, with the trump caller leading the first card.
- Winning every trick. A Gang takes all five tricks without trump, a Bauernschnapser does the same with trump, and a Zehnerloch does it without trump but with the Ten ranking as the highest card and the Ace as the lowest. A Farbengang means you hold five cards of one suit, a Herrenschnapser that you hold all five trumps.
- Bettler. The opposite promise: lose every single trick, with no trump in play. An Ass Bettler is the same while you also hold an Ace, which is harder. In the four-handed game your partner sits the hand out.
- What the calls are worth. Bettler 4, Ass Bettler 5, Schnapser 6, Gang 9, Zehnerloch 10, Bauernschnapser 12, Kontraschnapser 12, Farbengang 18, Herrenschnapser 24, Kontrabauernschnapser 24.
Frequently asked questions
Which app can I use to play Bauernschnapsen?
Bauernschnopsn by DonkeyCat is a free-to-download app for Bauernschnapsen on iPhone, iPad and Android. It offers team games online and a training mode. Two-player Schnapsen is available separately in Schnopsn.
What is Bauernschnapsen?
Bauernschnapsen is the four-handed, partnership version of Schnapsen — the Austrian trick-taking game played with a twenty-card pack. Two teams of two play for 66 card points a deal, and a ladder of announcements from Schnapser to Herrenschnapser lets a bold hand play for far more.
How many people can play?
Four, as two teams of two sitting opposite each other, or three, with one soloist against the other two. Bauernschnopsn has both.
Is Bauernschnapsen the same game as Schnopsn?
No. Schnopsn is classic Schnapsen, played one against one. Bauernschnapsen is its own game for four players in teams (or three with a soloist), with contracts and calls that the two-player game does not have. They are separate apps.
What is a Schnapser?
An announcement that you will reach 66 card points inside your first three tricks — four in the three-handed game — while the opponents take no trick at all. It is worth 6. Announced by the other team instead, as a Kontraschnapser, it is worth 12.
What is a Bauernschnapser?
A promise to win all five tricks with a trump suit in play, worth 12. Without trump the same promise is a Gang, worth 9.
What is a Zehnerloch?
All five tricks without trump, but with the ranking turned around at the top: the Ten becomes the highest card and the Ace the lowest. It is worth 10.
What are Bettler and Ass Bettler?
Contracts you win by losing: you must take no trick at all, and there is no trump. An Ass Bettler is the same thing while you hold an Ace, which makes it considerably harder — 4 points for a Bettler, 5 for an Ass Bettler.
What does Kontra do?
Kontra is the opposing team doubling the stake. Announcing a higher contract does the same thing, so a hand can escalate several times before the first card is played.
Which cards does it use?
Either — it is your choice in Settings. You can play with doppeldeutsch (German-suited) cards, the pack most Austrian players know from the pub table, or with a French pack. You can also pick between a green felt, a blue cloth and a wooden table, and sort your hand by suit or by value.
Is Bauernschnopsn free?
Yes. It is free to download and free to play, and your credits are topped up every day.
Can I play with friends?
Yes. Public rooms seat you with players from anywhere, private rooms are just for the people you invite, and training lets you play a hand on your own.
Is there an iPhone version?
Yes. Bauernschnopsn is on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and on Google Play for Android.