Jass Weis Calculator

What does a Jass Weis calculator compare?

A Weis is a meld declared during the first trick of Jass. A Jass Weis calculator compares qualifying sequences and four of a kind, then applies the tie-break order used when competing melds have similar values.

Use the calculator after checking the cards in your hand. Select or enter the melds that the cards actually form, then read the result as a comparison of the rules rather than as a separate scoring system. Only the team holding the single best Weis writes anything. That team writes both partners’ melds together. The other team writes nothing, even if one of its players announced a valid meld.

A sequence must use cards in one suit. Weis always reads a sequence in the natural order from six to ace. The sequence values are:

• three cards: 20 points;
• four cards: 50 points;
• five cards: 100 points;
• six cards: 150 points;
• seven cards: 200 points;
• eight cards: 250 points;
• nine cards: 300 points.

Four of a kind uses four cards of the same rank. Four Under are worth 200 points, four Nell are worth 150 points, and four aces, kings, Obers or tens are worth 100 points. Four sixes, sevens or eights are worth nothing. A card may belong to a sequence and to four of a kind at the same time, so check both possibilities before comparing them.

The calculator does not replace the declaration procedure. On the first trick, each player states only the value of their best meld as they play their card. A player says “twenty”, “fifty” or “a hundred”, rather than naming the cards. The team that turns out to hold the best Weis shows the actual cards on the second trick. Only then are the points certain.

For the complete meld rules, see Weis in Jass. The separate Jass card values page covers the values used when cards win tricks, not the value of a Weis. This distinction helps prevent a card’s trick value from being confused with its meld value.

Regional rules can differ. The comparison described here uses the stated Weis order and applies to games using Schieber, the partnership format in which players choose the trump suit, unless the players have agreed a local variant.

How do you compare a five-card sequence with four aces?

A five-card sequence beats four aces when both melds are worth 100 Weis points. The points tie first, so the comparison moves to the number of cards. Five cards beat four cards, making the sequence the single best Weis.

This example is settled before the highest card, trump suit or seat position matters. The five-card sequence has 100 points and four aces have 100 points. The sequence contains five cards, while four aces contain four cards. The second comparison therefore produces a clear result.

The result does not depend on which player announced first. Announcement order makes the meld value public, but an early announcement does not defeat a meld that wins under the comparison order. The cards must still be shown by the team holding the best claim, and the claimed meld must be valid.

Consider the comparison in the same order every time:

• Compare the points of the melds.
• If the points tie, compare the number of cards.
• If the card count ties, compare the highest card.
• If the earlier tests tie, prefer a meld in the trump suit.
• If all those tests tie, compare seat position relative to the forehand.

A high card cannot overturn an earlier result. A sequence with a higher point value beats a lower-valued four of a kind before card count is considered. A longer sequence wins a tied point comparison even if the opposing meld contains a card that appears higher in the trick order.

The five-card sequence and four aces example concerns Weis only. Ordinary trick points are recorded separately according to the cards played and the game mode. The card values in Jass page explains that separate system. A meld’s 100 points do not change the value of the cards in later tricks.

If both melds belong to one team, the team does not write 200 points by adding them together. The team writes only the single best Weis, which is the five-card sequence in this example. If opposing teams hold the melds, the team with the sequence writes the 100 Weis points and the other team writes nothing.

100

100

Can one card count in a sequence and four of a kind?

Yes, one card may belong to a sequence and to four of a kind at the same time. The card remains available for both checks, but the team does not score both melds together.

Suppose a card completes a five-card sequence in its suit and also forms part of four cards of the same rank. Check the sequence and the four of a kind independently. Record the value of each qualifying meld, then compare the melds by points, number of cards, highest card, trump suit and seat position relative to the forehand.

The overlap does not create an extra bonus. A team with both melds writes only its single best Weis. If the sequence is worth 100 and the four of a kind is also worth 100, the five-card sequence wins on card count against a four-card meld. If the four of a kind has a higher value, points settle the comparison before the number of cards is considered.

Competing melds held by opposing teams use the same process. A card appearing in both formations does not give either team a special priority. The calculator resolves the melds that the cards form, not the number of ways a player can describe the same card.

Check sequences in the natural order from six to ace. That order always applies to Weis, including Undenufe, the Jass mode in which the trick order is inverted. Undenufe changes which cards win tricks; Undenufe does not reverse the order used to judge a sequence. A sequence that runs from six upwards therefore remains a valid natural-order sequence in that mode.

The same distinction matters in Obenabe, the Jass mode without a trump suit. Obenabe has no trump category for the fourth comparison stage, while a trump game can use that stage if all earlier tests remain tied. Neither mode changes the rule that a card may appear in a sequence and four of a kind.

For the separate values of cards in tricks, consult Jass card values. For the complete treatment of melds, use the Weis rules. Those pages should be read alongside the local rules agreed before the hand, because regional Jass variants can alter how players resolve unusual cases.

How is a Weis announced at the table?

Each player announces only the value of their best meld during the first trick, in turn as they play their card. The announcement can be “twenty”, “fifty” or “a hundred”; the player does not name the suit, rank, sequence length or actual cards.

The value announcement is public to both teams. Partners may not tell each other about a meld or ask about one. Each player must assess their own cards and announce the value of their own best meld without receiving information from their partner. The team’s final claim comes from the melds that the team actually holds.

The announcement remains provisional until the second trick. The team that turns out to hold the best Weis then shows the actual cards. Only at that point are the Weis points certain. A stated value without a qualifying meld does not win the comparison, and an invalid claim cannot be used to defeat a valid meld.

The announcement describes a value, not a card pattern. A player should say “a hundred” rather than “a five-card sequence” or “four aces”. That limited announcement gives both teams the same public information while keeping the cards concealed until the correct stage.

The order of play does not automatically decide the result. Seat position matters only at the final comparison stage, after points, card count, highest card and trump status have all tied. The first announcement therefore does not automatically win, although the players’ positions relative to the forehand can settle a complete tie under the stated order.

The team that wins the comparison writes both partners’ melds together, but only the single best Weis counts. The other team writes nothing, even if a player on that team announced a valid value. A team cannot add a second-best meld to the winning meld or use a partner’s undisclosed cards to strengthen its claim.

For the partnership format, read about Schieber. For the separate king-and-queen meld called Stöck, meaning the designated trump king-and-queen combination, see Stöck. Stöck follows its own rule and should not be folded into the ordinary sequence-versus-four-of-a-kind comparison.

What is the full tie-break order for Weis?

The full Weis tie-break order is points, number of cards, highest card, trump suit and seat position relative to the forehand. Stop at the first test that separates the melds. A five-card sequence against four aces stops at card count because both melds have 100 points and five cards beat four.

Points come first. Compare the declared meld values before considering any card feature. Four Under are worth 200 points, four Nell are worth 150 points, and four aces, kings, Obers or tens are worth 100 points. Four sixes, sevens or eights are worth nothing. Sequence values rise from 20 for three cards to 300 for nine cards according to the stated card counts.

Number of cards comes second. Count the cards in the meld, not the cards remaining in the player’s hand. A five-card sequence therefore beats four aces when both melds are worth 100 points. A longer sequence can win this stage even when the other meld appears to contain a higher individual card.

The highest card comes third. Reach this test only when both points and card count tie. Read a sequence from six to ace in natural order. Undenufe reverses the trick order but does not reverse the order used for Weis, so the mode cannot turn a natural-order sequence into a descending Weis.

Trump suit comes fourth. If points, card count and highest card all tie, a meld in the trump suit beats the equivalent meld outside trump. Obenabe has no trump suit, so this stage cannot separate the melds in that mode. A regional rule may provide a local convention for any tie that remains.

Seat position comes last. Compare the seats relative to the forehand only after every earlier test has tied. The announcement sequence is not a substitute for this final rule. The calculator follows the stated order so that players can identify the exact test that decides a close comparison.

Regional Jass rules can differ, so agree the local convention before the hand. The rule set described here gives a consistent method for the calculator: the team holding the single best Weis writes its value, writes both partners’ melds together, and the other team writes nothing. The Weis rules provide the wider explanation, while Schieber places the comparison in its partnership format.