Watten is played by four players in two partnerships with a 32-card German deck, five cards each. Forehand announces the Schlag (rank), the dealer announces trump; the three criticals (king of hearts, seven of bells, seven of acorns) beat everything. There is no obligation to follow suit except when the Hauptschlag leads the first trick ("trump or critical"). The first team to three tricks wins the hand — worth two points, more if raised. The first team to 15 points wins the game.
Play now — it's freeThe German-suited 32-card deck is used: acorns (Eichel), leaves (Laub/Gras), hearts (Herz) and bells (Schellen) with ranks ace (Sau), king, over (Ober), under (Unter), 10, 9, 8 and 7.
Each player receives five cards — usually a packet of three followed by a packet of two. The remaining 22 cards are unused.
The dealer rotates every hand; forehand is the player to the dealer's left and leads to the first trick.
Three cards are always the highest in the game regardless of Schlag and trump. They are called the Kritische (criticals):
| Card | Name | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| King of hearts | Max (also Maxi, Martl) | Highest card |
| Seven of bells | Welle (also Belli, Welli) | Second highest |
| Seven of acorns | Spitz (also Soach, Bisi) | Third highest |
A player holding all three criticals (the "machine") wins the hand for their team automatically with two points, without any play.
Forehand looks at five cards and announces the Schlag — any rank from ace down to seven. Then the dealer announces the trump suit (acorns, leaves, hearts or bells). Only then may the other two players pick up their cards.
The card that is both the Schlag and the trump suit is the Hauptschlag (also called the Haube) and is the fourth-highest card. The other three cards of the Schlag rank are the Blinde (blind cards); they are equal, and if several fall in one trick the one played first wins.
| Rank | Trick power |
|---|---|
| Max, Welle, Spitz (criticals) | Always highest, in this order |
| Hauptschlag (Schlag + trump) | Fourth-highest card |
| Three Blinde (Schlag in other suits) | Equal, first played wins |
| Remaining cards of the trump suit | Ace, king, over, under, 10, 9, 8, 7 |
| Cards of the other suits | Ace down to 7 — count only in the led suit |
Unlike almost every other card game, in Watten you may play any card to any trick: there is no obligation to follow suit. A trick goes to the highest card of the suit that was led — unless a Schlag, trump or critical lies in the trick.
The one exception: when the Hauptschlag is led to the first trick, "trump or critical" applies. Whoever holds a card of the trump suit or a critical must play one of them; anyone without plays freely. Once the Hauptschlag is beaten by a critical, the obligation ends.
The first team to take three tricks wins the hand — remaining cards are thrown in. A simply won hand is worth two points.
Betting here moves in steps of one: two points standard, then 3, 4, 5 and so on up to the 15 points needed to win.
A team that feels strong may raise the hand value: "Gehst?" The opposing team decides: "Scho" (take it on — the hand is now played for the higher value) or "Fort" (concede — the betting team scores the previous value, two points if it was the first raise).
Teams bet alternately: the side that made the last raise must wait until the other team makes the next offer. At 13 or 14 points a team is "tight" (gespann) and may no longer bet first — though it may still accept.
Here the betting question is asked between tricks: the team that took the last trick gets the first option to bet.
The first team to reach 15 points wins the game. Hands are played one after another and the dealer moves on each hand.
All chips in this game are virtual and exist only to play: the game is free and chips can never be exchanged for real money.
Two or three Blinde make a strong Schlag: matching ranks are a solid foundation.
Leading the Hauptschlag in the first trick forces every opponent to dump a trump or a critical — burning their trumps early.
Keep your criticals long: Max, Welle and Spitz win tricks whenever you truly need them.
"Fort" costs only two points against a first raise — folding cheap beats losing a big hand.
Watch what is NOT played: missing cards reveal which Blinde are still out.
In Bavaria 32 German-suited cards (acorns, leaves, hearts, bells); each player is dealt five (three, then two). Tyrol and South Tyrol often add a 33rd card, the Weli — this version plays the Bavarian 32-card game.
Four, in two fixed partnerships (opposite seats). Missing players are filled automatically by AI.
Three always-highest cards: the king of hearts (Max), the seven of bells (Welle) and the seven of acorns (Spitz). They even beat the Hauptschlag.
The Schlag is a rank (ace down to seven) announced by forehand; the trump suit is announced by the dealer. The card holding both is the Hauptschlag; the other three cards of that rank are the Blinde.
No — unusually for a card game, any card may be played to any trick. Exception: when the Hauptschlag leads the first trick, "trump or critical" applies until the Hauptschlag is captured.
"Gehst?" asks the opponents to take on a raised hand value. "Scho" accepts it, "Fort" concedes — then the betting team scores the previous value (two points against a first raise).
From 13 points (with 15 as the target) a team may no longer bet first, but it may still accept the opponents' raise.
Each decision gets 30 seconds; after that the system plays an automatic action so the table keeps moving.
Create a private table and share its five-character code — your friends join your table directly with it.
Yes — at watten.yeeqia.com you play free in the browser, no download or sign-up needed, with virtual chips only and never real money.
Yes — the site is mobile-first and runs in any modern browser on Android or iPhone.