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Chosen Mariasch: How to Play the Unique Card Game, Detailed Game Process

Chosen Mariasch is the most popular form of Mariasch. It's played in pubs among friends for small stakes and is characterized by rivalry, where each player alternately plays alone against the other two players. Here's how to play Chosen Mariasch - a detailed game process.

Rules

Chosen Mariasch is actively played by three players. Four players can participate in the game, but one always sits out (the one who was the choosing player in the last game). The player who chose the game is called the actor and plays alone against two defenders. The defenders play together and try to "play in harmony" - they have a common goal to defeat the actor. However, they must not look at each other's cards or communicate verbally or in any other way. The only signals are the cards discarded on the table, which they must be able to read.

The actor plays alone, but has the advantage of choosing the trumps (chosen Mariasch). If the actor wins, they get paid by both defenders (and possibly by the sitting-out player), if they lose, they pay both defenders (and the sitting-out player).

If you're a beginner, go through the detailed rules of Mariasch, where you'll find information about card values in Mariasch, scoring cards, types of regular and higher games (game, seven, hundred, hundred and seven, etc.), rates for individual games, doubling (raising) and accepting bets, etc.

Dealing the Cards

After cutting the deck of cards, they are dealt clockwise. First, the choosing player gets 7 cards and the other two players get 5 cards each, in the second round all players get another 5 cards.

Choosing the Trump

The choosing player selects the trump from the first seven cards, usually according to the most frequent suit, to have as many trumps as possible, or with regard to the values of the cards (trump meld, seven). Meanwhile, the player cannot look at the remaining 5 cards before choosing the trump. However, if they have a "difficult choice", they can also choose the trump randomly, so-called "from the people", by drawing one of the 5 cards that they normally can't look at.

Once the player chooses the trump - they place the card in front of them separately from the other cards, draw the rest of their cards and decide what to do next - whether to play a classic "game" with trumps, or possibly play Betl (Small) or Durch (Grand). In any case, they must discard two cards that are least useful to them to the talon (again separately from the other cards).

Discarding Two Cards to the Talon

Each player thus has 10 cards, the talon is not played with. According to strict rules, scoring cards (tens and aces) must not be discarded to the talon. Some regional rules allow discarding a ten, which the player may (or may not) show. In Betl and Durch, any card can be discarded to the talon—tens and aces are not scored in these games and therefore have no special significance.

Color? - The Choosing Player Wants to Play a Regular Game with Trumps

If the choosing player wants to play a regular game with trumps, they discard two cards to the talon and ask the other players about the color, for example simply with the word "Color?" or the question "How's the color?". To this, the other players respond either "Good" or "Good for me", which means they also want to play a game with trumps (which they don't know yet), or "Bad". If a player announces "Bad", it means they want to play Betl or Durch - they take the talon (two cards), discard any two cards that are least useful to them to the talon and announce "Betl!" or "Durch!". More on these games below.

Let's assume that to the choosing player's (actor's) question "Color?", both other players (defenders) answer "Good". The choosing player then turns over the trump card, i.e., shows it to the opponents, and announces "Game!", or possibly one of the higher games, such as "Seven!", "Hundred!" or "Hundred and Seven!". The defenders - one after another, they must not skip the order - have the option to respond either "Good", which in this case means that they give up the game and will pay it to the actor, or accept the game with the word "Double!", which simultaneously means that the bet is doubled.

It's enough if one of the defenders announces "Double!" and the game is played. Furthermore, if, for example, seven is played, the defenders can double the game ("Double on the game!"), seven ("Double on seven!") or both (just "Double!"). The actor has the option to raise the bet even more by shouting "Re!" or "Redouble!", or be satisfied with its current level "Good". The opportunity to raise bets alternates between the actor and the defenders. If they believe in themselves, they can screw up the bet in a geometric series to considerable heights.

How to Understand the Word "Good" in Different Contexts

For beginners, it can be confusing that the word "good" is used in different contexts, but with a little practice, you can quickly get used to it. If a "game" is being played, this short recap might help you:

Once the game and the amount of bets are established, the play takes place and the side that gains more points wins (aces, tens, melds are counted), or if they fulfill the announced commitment / higher game (seven, hundred, etc.).

After the bets are paid, a new game begins. The cards are not shuffled, only cut (the dealer lets the rear hand cut). The dealer is the next player clockwise and the whole cycle repeats. Shuffling the cards, but also for example skipping the order in the game, is considered a violation of the rules, so-called renounce, for which a fine is paid.

How to Play Betl and Durch

Besides "Game!", the choosing player also has the option to play Betl (Small) or Durch (Grand), by taking back one card they chose as trump—before showing it to the opponents and discarding the talon—discarding two cards to the talon and announcing "Betl!", or "Durch!".

To this, the other players can (in order) react:

As mentioned above, Betl or Durch can be played not only by the choosing player (and it's even a more typical case) but also by the other two players, if they answer "Bad" to the choosing player's question "Color?" - they take the talon, discard any two cards to the talon (these can be tens and aces), announce "Betl!" or "Durch!" etc.

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Based on the original Czech article: Volený mariáš – pravidla, jak se hraje, podrobný průběh hry.