Ace-Ten games

Many of Europe's most popular card games feature the Ace-Ten scoring system, where the cards count as Ace = 11, Ten = 10, King = 4, Queen or Ober = 3, Jack or Unter = 2. Pip cards below the Ten generally have no card point value and the pack is often shortened by removing the lower pip cards or 'non-counters'. This means that, in a typical shortened pack of between 20 and 36 cards, there are 120 card points and thus a winning total is typically 61 points. Wins are doubled for scoring three-quarters of the total points and trebled for winning every trick, a scoring system known as the Skat schedule after its "most illustrious" example, the German national game of Skat.[1]

There are 3 branches of the Ace-Ten family:[2]

• Schafkopf group. The trump suit is bolstered by the promotion of all Unters (Jacks) or all Obers (Queens) or both to be permanent top trumps.
• Marriage group. Bonuses are added for melding a 'marriage' or 'pair' comprising a King and Queen or King and Ober of the same suit. In many cases, bonuses are awarded for other melds and for taking the last trick.[lower-alpha 1]
• Jass group. The trump Jack and trump Nine are permanent top trumps, typically known as Jass and Nell. There are usually bonuses for various melds and taking the last trick.

The historical English game of Losing Lodam uses a similar scoring system, but the courts are worth one point less i.e. the King is 3 points, the Queen 2 and the Knave 1.

Although the origin of Ace-Ten games is uncertain, it is most likely to have been invented by users of French cards in the Netherlands area, a hypothesis supported by the Dutch origin of the Swiss national game of Jass.[3]

The earliest record of the Ace-Ten scheme dates to 1718 and the French game of Brusquembille.[1]

Many Ace-Ten games have achieved national or regional status. They are usually played with cards typical of their particular country or region. These include:

• Belote, France's national card game, very similar to Dutch Klaberjass (see below)[4]
• Binokel, Württemberg's national card game[5]
• Briscola, one of Italy's most popular games[6]
• Jass, Switzerland's national game[7]
• Klaberjass, the Dutch invented "international, classic two-hander"[8]
• Mariáš, Czechoslovakia's national game[9]
• Pinochle, USA, an "American classic"[2]
• Schafkopf, Bavaria's national game[10]
• Schnapsen, Austria's national game[11]
• Skat, Germany's national game[12]
• Sueca, Portugal's most famous card game[13]
• Tute, Spain's national game[9]

Other well known Ace-Tenners include:

• Marriage group
• Jack–Nine games