Schafkopf: The Bavarian Cardgame which is included in The Festival Schedule in Rozvadov!
During The Festival Series Rozvadov (June 6-16), a tournament that has never been part of it will be part of it again. The 'King's Shafkopf Europa Meisterschaft 2025' will have a buy-in of €190 and will be played out on June 7-8. In this article, we will go into detail about this popular German card game.
Schafkopf (pronounced "shahf-kopf"), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a classic German card game that is very popular in Bavaria. It’s known as the "king of Bavarian card games" and is loved for its mix of strategy, skill, and fun. Around two million people play it, making it a big part of Bavarian culture and daily life. If you would like to be familiar with the game, you can check out the official site of Shafkopfrennen here.
Where It Came From
Schafkopf started in the late 19th century, but its roots go back to the 18th century. The game became very popular in Franconia, a part of northern Bavaria, and by 1879, the Bavarian version we know today was fully formed. It’s related to other German card games like Doppelkopf and Skat, which all come from the same family of games.
The name Schafkopf means "sheep's head" in German. There are a few stories about where the name came from. One idea is that players used to mark points on a board in a way that looked like a sheep’s head. Another theory is that the name comes from the idea of "working your brain" (from the words "Schaffen" and "Kopf"). Whatever the reason, the name has stuck and is now a big part of Bavarian culture.
How to Play
Schafkopf is played by four people with a special 32-card German deck. The game is all about winning tricks (rounds of cards) and collecting points. The cards have different values:
- Trumps: The most powerful cards are the Obers (O), Unters (U), and all Hearts.
- Side Suits: The other cards are Ace (A), Ten (10), King (K), Nine (9), Eight (8), and Seven (7).
The goal is to score at least 61 points out of a total of 120. Points come from the cards you win in tricks: Aces are worth 11 points, Tens are worth 10, Kings are worth 4, Obers are worth 3, and Unters are worth 2. The other cards (9, 8, 7) don’t have any points.
Types of Games
There are different ways to play Schafkopf, called contracts:
- Rufer (Caller): This is the most common way to play. One player calls for a specific Ace to find a partner. The player who has that Ace becomes their partner, but they don’t say so out loud. The two of them play against the other two players.
- Wenz: In this version, only the four Unters are trumps. The player who chooses this contract plays alone against the other three.
- Solo: Here, the player picks any suit to be trumps, along with the Obers and Unters. They also play alone against the other three.
- Tout and Sie: These are high-stakes games. In a Tout, the player must win all the tricks. In a Sie, the player has all eight top trumps, which is very rare and very impressive.
Why It’s Important
Schafkopf is more than just a game—it’s a way for people to connect. It’s often played in beer halls, at family gatherings, and during festivals. The game even has its own special words and phrases that can be confusing to outsiders. For example, the Ace is called a Sau ("sow"), and the Unters are called Wenzels.
Lately, there’s been some worry that younger people aren’t playing Schafkopf as much. To help keep the game alive, many places in Bavaria now offer Schafkopf classes, and it’s being promoted as an important part of Bavarian culture. This year during our stop in Rozvadov, it's added at the beginning of the tournament schedule.
Different Ways to Play
There are many versions of Schafkopf, depending on where you are:
- Short Schafkopf: Played with only 24 cards (the 7s and 8s are removed), making the game faster and more intense.
- Bierkopf: A simpler version of Schafkopf, often played for fun and sometimes for beer.
- Mucken: A mix between Bierkopf and Schafkopf, with fixed teams and a bidding system.
- Palatinate Schafkopf: Played with French-suited cards instead of the traditional German ones.
Tournaments
While Schafkopf is mostly a casual game, there are also tournaments where people compete. The Bavarian Schafkopf Club made the first official rules in 1989, and these were later updated by the School of Schafkopf. Tournament rules are strict, but many people still play with their own local rules at home.
The Festival Series and Shafkopf
Would you like to know more about this? We will be coming with a complete guide on how to play the game and everything that comes with it. Make sure to keep an eye on our 'About' section as we are regularly adding tournament formats to it, so that players are familiar with what games are being offered during our stops. Do you want to know more about the game which millions of people play in Germany? Check out this amazing tutorial made by Bayern Munich sensation Thomas Muller.
