Kein Stich

Kein Stich
The card to avoid in "No Max!"
OriginGermany
TypeCompendium game
Players4 (3-6)
Cards32
DeckGerman or French pack
Rank (high→low)A K O U 10 9 8 7
PlayClockwise
Playing time25 minutes
Related games
Barbu • Lorum • Herzeln • Quodlibet • Rosbiratschka • Rumpel
5 deals x 1 round = 5 games

Kein Stich ("No Tricks") is a card game, which is well known in the German-speaking parts of the world under various regional names such as Herzeln (not to be confused with Herzeln or Herzla), King Louis, Kunterbunt ("Multicoloured"), Schwarze Sau ("Black Pig"), Fritz, Brumseln, Fünferspiel ("Fives"), Lieschen, Lizzy or Pensionisteln ("Pensioners").[1]

The special feature of this game is that it consists of a compendium of five different deals. In the first four it is a trick-taking game; the fifth contract is a melding game, rather like Elfer Raus ("Eleven Out"). If it is played for money, small stakes (e.g. 5 cents) are paid into a pot during the trick-taking games and the money is paid out in the last game. The word "pfennig" is used here to mean the stake.

  1. ^ Fünferspiel in Kartenspiele, Buch&Zeit-Verlag, Cologne, 1973, p. 108. With a slight variation in the 5th contract.