r/FiftyTwoCards

This image dates from over a century ago

Hi. I have recently become a great fan of jass card games. In my opinion they are best 2 hand card games and perhaps best 3 hand card game (maybe after skat). When I found a variant of Klabberjass described as a game devised by Culbertson with "bridge scoring" I thought it's some rubbish, but I've read about it and must admit: this is probably the best variant of 2 and 3 hand Klabberjass. It has better bidding, more contracts, nice bridge-like scoring making possible sacrifices... I even wrote a short article about it at Wikipedia, because oddly enough there was none: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo-Jotte

Have you ever played it? How did you like it? How did you find it?

Only one thing baffles me: Culbertson changed a long tradition in jass and, broadly speaking, in point-trick taking games that the forehand (player next to the dealer) leads to the first trick. This, in my opinion, slightly spoils the game for several reason:

1. The fact that the forehand leads first creates an interesting tactical facet.
2. In Klabberjass it is frequent that you play with just 3 trumps (Jxx or 9xx). In such situation the question who leads first is important.
3. This makes no trump bid highly unlikely. In Jo-jott you're expected to bid no trump knowing only 6 cards. With 6 cards it is very difficult to have stoppers in all suits. You can't even bid no trump with something like

A
A
10K
10K

Knowing that you leads first you could bid no trump holding something like

A10KQx
A

When your opponent leads first, you cannot bid no trump with such a hand.

I haven't played Jo-jotte yet, but I would change this rule and restore the original principle that the forehand leads first. I think this would make no trumps contract much more fequent, and bidding - more competative. What do you think?

A captivating slice of 1930s Florida history

Have you ever devised your own traditional card game for family or friends or just for yourself? :) With what effect? I.e. did you manage to convince them to try it? :) Did they like it?

If you ever devised a game, you can share a summary of its rules, but, please, don't go too deep into details here ;)

Pic for attention.

Have you ever played in games from the Bruus/Brusbart family? Did you like it?

Looking for information about an old Polish card game called Drużbart (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dru%C5%BCbart) I learnt this game belonges to an old Bruus/Brusbart family. Man... those are perhaps most unhinged card games I have ever seen. Even drużbart is, and the other seems even more crazy. In a nutshell:

you don't have to follow suit. There is no trump suit. Instead, suits and cards have strict hierarchy. Order of cards seems almost completly random. The top 3 cards (on the pic) are some random cards. Sevens have special mechanic and are very powerful.

Interestingly from what pagat writes in some countries (like Greenland) those are national cards games...