Sixty-Six

The Pack

The standard 52-card pack is stripped of all cards except the A, K, Q, J, 10, and 9 of each suit, making a total of 24 cards.

Rank of Cards

A (high), 10, K, Q, J, 9.

The Deal

Deal six cards each, three at a time, beginning with your opponent. The thirteenth card is turned up for trump and laid beside undealt cards, which become the stock.

Object of the Game

The goal is to score 66 points as follows: Marriage in trumps (K, Q announced) 40 Marriage in any other suit (K, Q announced) 20 Each ace (taken in on tricks) 11 Each ten (taken in on tricks) 10 Each king (taken in on tricks) 4 Each queen (taken in on tricks) 3 Each jack (taken in on tricks) 2 Winning last trick 10

The Play

The non-dealer leads first. No one is obligated to follow suit. The higher card of the suit led, or a trump played to a plain-suit lead, wins the trick. The winner of the trick draws the top card of the stock (the opponent taking the next card), and leads for the next trick.

Either player holding the nine of trumps may exchange it for a higher trump card at any time, provided they have previously won a trick, unless the nine is the last card in the stock. A "marriage" is announced by showing the appropriate king and queen and leading one of those cards. Marriages may be announced only when one of the two cards is played - unless a player by showing a marriage makes his score 66 or more.

The non-dealer may announce a marriage on their first lead and score it after he wins a trick.

After the stock is exhausted or closed, the non-leader on each trick must follow suit if possible. Marriages may still be scored.

Closing

Either player may close (end the game), when they have the lead, either before or after drawing, by turning down the trump card. Thereafter, no cards are drawn, and the last trick does not score 10 points. If either player announces during play that their score is 66 or more, the play immediately stops and the game is "closed.

How to Keep Score

The player who first reaches 66 scores 1 game point. If he reaches 66 before the opponent gets 33 (a "schneider"), he scores 2 game points; if before the opponent gets a trick (a "schwarz"), he scores 3 game points. If neither player scores 66, or each has scored 66 or more without announcing it, no one scores in that hand and 1 game point is added to the score of the winner of the next hand.

If a player "closing" gets 66 or more, he scores the same as if the game had been played out. If the player fails, the opponent scores 2 points. If a player closes before his opponent has taken a trick, but fails to score 66, the opponent scores 3 points.

The player who scores 7 game points first, wins.