| Origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Schmier |
| Type | Trick-taking |
| Players | 3–6 (4 best) |
| Cards | 52–54 |
| Deck | French |
| Rank (high→low) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Related games | |
| All fours, pitch, Pedro; minor influence from euchre | |
Smear (also known as Schmier) is a North-American trick-taking card game of the all fours group,[1] and a variant of pitch (setback). Several slightly different versions are played in Michigan, Minnesota, Northern and Central Iowa, Wisconsin and also in Ontario, Canada.
It is highly likely that the name is related to the German word schmieren, which is used in point-trick games such as skat for the technique of discarding a high-value card on a trick which your partner is winning. The name might perhaps be connected to the fact that a high-scoring card may be discarded in a trick won by the player's partner, like in pinochle,[2] or even to "smudge," which is the highest bid in some forms of pitch.