**Differenzler Jass scoring and prediction rules** > Learn Differenzler Jass rules: predict points, score the difference, handle totals below or above 157, and win with the lowest running score. Source: https://jasvel.org/variants/differenzler/ · updated: 2026-08-10 [Home](https://jasvel.org/) / [Variants](https://jasvel.org/variants/) # Differenzler Jass Rules Differenzler Jass is a four-player game in which each player predicts a points total, scores the difference, and aims for the lowest running score. Updated 10 August 2026 · [Merey Tleugazin](https://jasvel.org/about/) ## How does Differenzler Jass scoring work? Differenzler Jass is played by four individual players, not by partnerships. Each player receives nine cards from the 36-card pack, predicts a points total, and then tries to finish as close as possible to that prediction. The player with the lowest accumulated score wins. A round contains nine tricks because each player holds nine cards. Every player contributes one card to each trick. The contract may be a trump suit, Obenabe, meaning the high-card arrangement, or Undenufe, meaning the low-card arrangement. The contract determines which cards can win and how many points the cards carry. Each player announces an individual prediction before the first card is played. The prediction concerns points taken in tricks, not the number of tricks won. One trick can contain several valuable cards, while another can contain few card points but still include the last-trick bonus. A points prediction must therefore account for card values, trick control and timing. After the ninth trick, count the points in each player’s tricks. Compare each result with that player’s prediction. The difference becomes the score for the round. A close prediction adds only a small amount to the running total, while a distant prediction adds more. An exact prediction adds no difference. The 36-card pack gives four players nine cards each and produces nine tricks. The full round contains 152 card points, plus 5 points for the last trick, for 157 points. The distribution of those points matters to each prediction, but the four predictions do not need to add up to the round total. Differenzler rewards accurate judgement rather than maximum capture. A strong hand may justify a high prediction, but strong cards can also force unwanted tricks. A weak hand may justify a low prediction, but even a cautious player can receive valuable cards through the play of the round. *Figure caption: A Differenzler score sheet records one prediction, one result and one round difference for each player.* *The trump suit is worth **62** of the pack’s **152** card points on its own — the Under alone is 20 and the Nell 14 — while each of the other three suits holds **30**. That imbalance is why the trump choice decides most rounds. Free to reuse with a link to this page.* ## How should you predict your points in Differenzler? A Differenzler prediction should estimate the points a player can realistically take under the chosen contract. Begin with the cards that can control tricks, then allow for cards that opponents can overtake, draw or force out. The best prediction describes a probable result rather than the strongest result the hand could produce. The [card values](https://jasvel.org/rules/card-values/) table provides the starting point. In a trump contract, the trump Under is the Puur, the strongest trump, and the trump nine is the Nell. The trump ace and ten also carry substantial value. In a plain suit during a trump contract, the hierarchy and values differ. Obenabe and Undenufe use different card orders again, so the same hand can support different predictions under different contracts. Count cards that you expect to win, but do not treat every valuable card as guaranteed points. A high card may lose to a stronger card in the same suit. A trump may be drawn before you can use it. A card with a useful printed value may become stranded if another player controls the trick. Assess the route to the points, not only the values printed on the cards. For example, a hand with the Puur and Nell may have strong trump control, but the prediction still depends on the remaining trumps and on the number of valuable cards that can be reached. A hand with several aces may appear promising in Obenabe, yet the aces can become less useful if the suits are led at awkward times. A hand with low cards may still take the last trick and receive its bonus. Differenzler has no partner who can protect a card or convert a planned trick into a shared result. Every prediction belongs to one player. Consider the cards already exposed during play, the suits that remain dangerous, and the players who may be trying to avoid points themselves. Do not lower a sound prediction merely because a small target feels comfortable. Do not raise a weak prediction because one attractive card catches the eye. A disciplined estimate combines card value, likely winners, the contract and the full sequence of nine tricks. The [Differenzler tool](https://jasvel.org/tools/differenzler-scoresheet/) can support practice with that judgement. Compare the announced prediction with the final result, then identify the cards that created the difference. The useful question is not only whether the prediction was high or low. Examine which expected winners failed, which unwanted cards won, and whether the last-trick bonus changed the result. *Every round contains exactly **152** card points. The last trick adds **5**, so a complete round is **157**; a team that takes all nine tricks adds **100** more for **257**. If your two columns do not add to 157, something was miscounted. Free to reuse with a link to this page.* ## Why is a low prediction not always safer? A low prediction is not automatically safer because Differenzler scores the distance from the prediction. A player who predicts very little and takes more points can record a large difference. A player who predicts more and takes slightly fewer points can record the same kind of penalty. The game creates two opposite risks. A high prediction fails when the player cannot reach the announced total. A low prediction fails when valuable points arrive despite the player’s efforts to avoid them. Choosing the smallest possible target does not remove either risk. The target must fit the hand and the contract. A player may be forced to win a trick because the remaining cards offer no safe alternative. A high card may retain control after stronger cards have gone. A suit may be led when the player holds its best remaining card. Valuable cards from other players may fall into a trick that the player expected to keep small. The final trick can also add 5 points to the player’s result. Consider a player who predicts a low total while holding a card that can win a late trick. If opponents have already removed the cards that could beat it, the player may receive the trick without choosing to take it. The prediction then misses from below. A player with a higher target might have planned for that same trick and finished closer to the target. The absence of partnerships increases the uncertainty. In a partnership game, a player may sometimes use a partner’s known strength to control the flow of a trick. Differenzler gives each player a separate objective. A card that helps one player reach a target can make another player’s prediction harder to achieve. Watch the cards already played and update the estimate during the round. If the predicted result is already within reach, avoid unnecessary winners. If the result remains below the prediction and a realistic route to points remains, use that route rather than abandoning the estimate after one failed attempt. The safest prediction is the most accurate prediction available before play. A low target suits a hand that is genuinely likely to take few points. A low target does not suit a hand with unavoidable control, valuable cards or a credible chance of taking the last trick. Regional rules can affect declarations and scoring. Consult the [regional Jass variants](https://jasvel.org/variants/) before applying a convention from another form of Jass to Differenzler. ## What happens if the predictions do not add up to 157? The four Differenzler predictions do not need to add up to 157. The round continues without an adjustment when the combined predictions fall below or above the points available. Each player is scored against their own prediction. The 36-card pack contains 152 card points. The last trick adds 5 points, so a normal round contains 157 points. Every contract places exactly 152 card points in the pack before the last-trick bonus. The contract changes the distribution and the order of the cards, not the total available in the pack. Suppose the four predictions together fall below 157. The table has collectively estimated too few points, but no player receives a shared correction for the missing amount. Each player’s actual result is compared with that player’s own prediction. One player may take more than predicted, another may take fewer, and neither difference cancels the other. Suppose the four predictions together rise above 157. The table has collectively estimated too many points, but no automatic reduction follows. The actual tricks decide each player’s result. A player who predicted a high total may finish close, while another player with a similarly high prediction may finish far away. The combined prediction has no power to redistribute the 157 points. For example, three players may expect to take substantial totals while the fourth expects very little. The fourth player may still take a valuable trick because a card remains unbeatable. The other three players may then divide the remaining points in a way that leaves their individual results far from their predictions. The table total does not repair those differences. The combined prediction can still provide useful information before play. A total near 157 suggests that the table’s estimates are collectively balanced. A total far below or above 157 shows disagreement about who will take the valuable cards. That observation may help a player reassess the hand, but it does not create a compulsory bid adjustment. Differenzler therefore differs from formats in which declarations must fit a fixed combined total. Each player owns the risk of their own prediction. A player cannot transfer an overestimate to another player, and a player cannot claim unused points because the table predicted too little. The round remains governed by the cards, the contract and the last-trick bonus. Count the individual results after the final trick, then record the separate differences. The four predictions may be collectively inaccurate while one player still makes an excellent individual prediction. *In a trump suit the Under (Puur) is the highest card and the nine (Nell) the second highest — above the ace. The order and the values are the same in every canton; only the multiplier changes. Free to reuse with a link to this page.* ## How do you count a Differenzler round correctly? Count the cards in each player’s tricks, add the last-trick bonus to the player who took that trick, and compare each result with the prediction. Record the difference for each player as the round score. The running total, rather than the round’s raw points, determines who is ahead in Differenzler. The [card-values table](https://jasvel.org/rules/card-values/) gives the values for each contract. In a trump contract, the trump suit totals 62 points and each plain suit totals 30. Obenabe gives each suit 38 points. Undenufe also gives each suit 38 points. Across every contract, the cards provide 152 points before the last-trick bonus. The contract can change both rank and value. The Puur is the Under of the trump suit, while the Nell is the nine of the trump suit. In a plain suit under a trump contract, the Under has a different role from the trump Under. Obenabe and Undenufe have no trump suit, and their card orders must be read according to the selected contract rather than borrowed from a trump hand. The last trick adds 5 points to the player who takes it. Include that bonus before comparing the result with the prediction. A player who avoided valuable cards throughout the round can still finish above a low prediction if the last trick falls to them. A match means that one side takes all nine tricks. A match adds 100 points, giving 257 for the round. The match value belongs to the applicable scoring convention. Do not confuse the match addition with the individual difference used for a Differenzler prediction. Stöck means the king and Ober of the trump suit held by one player. Stöck is worth 20 and is credited to that team regardless of the Weis comparison. Stöck does not exist in Obenabe or Undenufe. Declare Stöck while playing the second of the two cards, not the first. If the next player has already covered that card before the declaration, the 20 points are lost. Partners may not remind each other. Because Stöck is a team credit, apply it only under a scoring convention that gives the relevant side that credit. Differenzler has individual predictions, so the score sheet must distinguish the individual trick result from any team-based declaration used by the chosen regional rules. If a target is crossed in a round, count Weis first, then Stöck, then tricks. A team crossing in an earlier block wins. Keep the prediction, the card result, the last-trick bonus and any applicable declarations visible while scoring. ## How can you improve your Differenzler results? Strong Differenzler play begins with an accurate prediction and continues with careful control of the cards that remain. The running score rewards repeated accuracy, so a player should reduce avoidable differences rather than chase every available trick. The best plan can change as the nine tricks remove cards from the pack. Before play, separate certain control from exposed strength. The Puur and Nell may give a trump hand considerable power, but their value still depends on the trumps that opponents hold. Several aces may look strong in Obenabe, yet a suit can become awkward if another player controls the lead. In Undenufe, read the low-card arrangement directly rather than assuming that high cards will behave as they do elsewhere. Make the prediction from likely points, not from a simple count of attractive cards. Ask which card can win now, which card can win later, and which card may be forced out before a useful lead. Allow for the last trick and its 5-point addition. Treat a possible winner as a risk factor until the cards played make the result more certain. During play, track the valuable cards and the trumps that have appeared. Note which suits can still force you to win. If the result is already close to the prediction, avoid an extra valuable trick unless the contract or the remaining cards makes it unavoidable. If the result is below the prediction and a realistic route to points remains, pursue that route with a clear view of the likely difference. Differenzler has no shared target between partners. In [Schieber](https://jasvel.org/rules/schieber-jass-rules/), partners work towards a team result, but Differenzler gives every player a separate prediction. Read the other players’ cards and choices as evidence about their targets, while remembering that their interests may conflict with yours on every trick. Choose the game target before the first round. Practice targets include 1000, 1500, 2500 and 3000; the app offers 1000 and 2500. The selected target is the finishing threshold for the accumulated score. The lowest total wins under the chosen game arrangement. If a round takes a team past the target, count Weis first, then Stöck, then tricks. A team crossing in an earlier block wins. Record each block in that order as soon as the round ends. Accurate arithmetic protects a good prediction from being obscured by a scoring error. Review every large difference after the round. Identify whether the error came from an overconfident card estimate, an unavoidable trick, a missed opportunity, the last-trick bonus or a declaration rule. That review turns the score into practical information for the next prediction. The short answer Each of the four players predicts an individual points total before the first card is played. After nine tricks, each player records the difference between the prediction and the points taken. The lowest accumulated score wins. ## Questions ### How many cards does each Differenzler player receive? Each of the four players receives nine cards from the 36-card pack. Those cards produce nine tricks in the round. ### Does Differenzler use teams or individual scores? Differenzler uses individual predictions and individual round differences. Stöck and some target-crossing rules refer to a team under the applicable scoring convention, so the chosen regional rules must be clear before play. ### What does a player record after taking the tricks? The player records the difference between the announced prediction and the points actually taken. The last-trick bonus belongs in the actual result before that difference is calculated. ### Can four predictions total more than the points in the round? Yes. The predictions can collectively sit above or below 157 without changing the deal or creating a table-wide penalty. Each player remains responsible for the difference between their own prediction and result. ### How many card points does each contract contain? Every contract contains 152 card points in the 36-card pack. The last trick adds 5, giving 157 points for the normal round. ### What is a match worth in Jass scoring? A match means taking all nine tricks. A match adds 100 points, making 257 for the round under the applicable scoring rules. ### Can a player declare Stöck after playing the first card? No. Stöck is declared while playing the second card, the king or Ober of the trump suit held with the other card. If the next player covers that card before the declaration, the 20 points are lost. ## Sources 1. [Jass-Regeln: Differenzler-Jass](https://www.swisslos.ch/de/jass/informationen/jass-regeln/differenzler-jass.html) — Swisslos 2. [Jassregeln: Wie geht der Differenzler?](https://jassverzeichnis.ch/differenzler) — Schweizer Jassverzeichnis ## A real Schieber table, in your pocket Both decks, every contract, the full written score with Weis and Stöck, and a computer partner that never sees your cards. It plays without a connection, without an account and without advertising. [What the app does](https://jasvel.org/jasvel-app/) App Store · Coming soon Google Play · Coming soon Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play ## Read next - [Differenzler scoresheet](https://jasvel.org/tools/differenzler-scoresheet/) Record the target, the scored blocks and the trick result, then check the 157-point base total before carrying the game forward. - [Variants](https://jasvel.org/variants/) Schieber is only one form of Jass: the main variants change who chooses the contract, who shares a score and what counts as success. --- HTML version: https://jasvel.org/variants/differenzler/ Structured data for this site: https://jasvel.org/api/v1/openapi.json · https://jasvel.org/llms.txt Free to quote and reuse with a link back to the source URL above (CC BY 4.0).