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Formuška: A Unique Czech Card Game

Formuška is a unique and engaging card game originating from the Czech Republic. While it might not be widely known internationally, Formuška offers a refreshing and strategic experience for card game enthusiasts seeking something new. This game is a blend of skill, tactics, and a bit of luck, making it both challenging and rewarding. If you're looking for a fresh addition to your card game repertoire, Formuška is definitely worth exploring. Dive in and discover the charm of this hidden gem!

Introduction

Formuška is a little-known but remarkable card game that can be played for points or for money. The game is very diverse, consisting of several parts. First, there's a struggle over who contributes how much to the pot, and then a struggle over who takes how much from it. Formuška may be appreciated by players who might be tired of playing the same card games over and over.

The name 'Formuška' is pronounced with 'š' as in the English word 'ship', so it sounds like [ˈfɔrmʊʃka], and the Czech letter 'š' itself is pronounced similarly.

Rules

Typically, Formuška is a game for four players, however, under the circumstances described below, the game can also be played by only three players. Formuška is played with piquet cards, i.e., a deck of 32 cards (7, 8, 9, 10, J, K, A in four suits – hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds).

Piquet: Deck of 32 Cards

Image: Piquet – Deck of 32 Cards

Formuška consists of five partial games (see below), the first four of which serve to fill the pot, and the last fifth game is used to distribute the pot.

  1. Tricks
  2. Hearts
  3. Queens
  4. King of Hearts
  5. Sequence Showdown

In each game, all 32 cards are dealt among the players. If four players are playing standardly, each of them receives eight cards. The dealer is determined by agreement or by lot before the start of the first game, after which the players take turns in this role (after the end of the entire cycle of five games). The game is always started by the player to the dealer's left. Cards are dealt face down, i.e., hidden from the sight of opponents. Formuška could also be played with three players, where two cards are removed from the deck and each player gets ten cards. The cards are shuffled before the game, the method of dealing depends on the players' agreement.

Filling the Pot

The pot is filled during the first four games, which take place in the order listed. After the end of the first game (Tricks), the cards are dealt again and the second game (Hearts) is played, etc. In the first game, the aim is to (count) who takes how many tricks, in the second game, who takes how many heart cards, in the third game, queens are counted, and in the fourth game, the aim is to get the King of Hearts. Taking a trick is not a symbol of success or gaining points. On the contrary, as we will see later, it is usually the one who takes who pays into the pot.

For all four games, a very simple rule applies: it is necessary to follow suit, while opponent's cards can be undercut and overtrumped. If one of the players does not have the suit that was led first, they can throw any card. Of course, it applies that the trick is taken by the player with the highest card in the suit of the first card led. This player then leads (opens the next round), followed by the player to their left, etc.

It is generally a good tactic to get rid of some suit, because then it is possible to get rid of high cards in the case of Tricks and grease the opponents with heart cards in the second game, queens in the third game, or the King of Hearts in the fourth game. Even so, it is necessary to think and not grease thoughtlessly. It depends, of course, on the specific cards of the player, but sometimes it is better to wait with the greasing, because in the next round the player themselves might be forced to accept the greasing.

The basic bet is 1 CZK (korunová Formuška – one-crown Formuška). If players want to gamble more, they can use multiples of the basic bet, i.e., maybe 2 CZK, 5 CZK, 10 CZK, etc., depending on what their appetite and wallet can handle.

Tricks: 1st Game

The first partial game in Formuška is Tricks. Similar to other games, whoever takes a trick pays. For each trick that a player takes, or is forced to take, they put 1 CZK into the pot (in the case of crown Formuška; if a ten-crown game were played, 10 CZK would be paid into the pot). The player who received low cards has an easier situation. Otherwise, it is desirable to get rid of high cards, if possible.

Hearts: 2nd Game

In the second game – Hearts – the player who takes a trick and has a heart card or cards in it pays 2 CZK for each into the pot (or double the basic bet). So, you no longer pay for the trick itself, as in the first game. If I don't have a heart card in the trick, I don't pay anything. With hearts, it depends on the constellation not only of your own cards but also of the opponents' cards.

For example, the fact that you have a lot of hearts in your hand does not mean that all of them will stay with you. On the contrary, if you manage to get rid of some (or all other suits) and you don't get to the trick, you can happily grease the opponents with hearts. However, it would be bad if you took the (last) trick and you had only hearts left in your hand, or the opponents would not have any heart cards. All hearts would then end up in your tricks and had to be paid into the pot at two crowns each.

Queens: 3rd Game

In the third game, each player tries to get rid of the queen, if possible, because for each queen (Q) in the trick, the player pays 4 CZK into the pot (or four times the basic bet). Again, it is possible to strategize and try to get rid of one suit, for example, so that it is possible to grease the opponents with a queen. Analogously to Hearts, if I don't have a queen in the collected trick, I don't pay anything.

King of Hearts: 4th Game

In the last fourth game, which serves to fill the pot, the aim is to get the King of Hearts. The player in whose trick it appears must pay 8 CZK into the pot (or eight times the basic bet). Other tricks (taken piles) are without contribution to the pot. If you have the King of Hearts, a good tactic is again to get rid of some suit and then grease it on the opponents. The problem would arise if you had the King of Hearts as the only heart card and someone led hearts before you managed to discard another suit. Leading with the King of Hearts would be very risky, someone must have an ace, but they may also have another (lower) heart card with it.

Example of Game Progress

In the following example, we will show how all four previous games could develop (but each is of course played separately, one after the other) and what impact they would have on filling the pot. Let's assume that the players have only two cards left and it is the 1st player's turn. Players do not see each other's cards, of course.

1st player 2nd player 3rd player 4th player

The players, in order from first to fourth, will probably (or certainly, because the first player would lead with the Jack of Clubs) throw these cards onto the table:

(third player takes the trick)

So: the first player leads with the Jack of Clubs, the second player has no clubs, so they get rid of their highest card, i.e., the Ace of Hearts, the third player must follow suit and throw the Queen of Clubs (the first card led was the Jack of Clubs) and the fourth player must also follow suit and lay down the Ten of Clubs. Fortunately for him, he could undercut the third player. The third player has the highest card (i.e., the highest club card, because the first card played was clubs) and takes the trick. In the next round, they will lead. But first, let's see how contributing to the pot would turn out.

Tricks: if the first game were played, the 3rd player would take the trick and pay 1 CZK into the pot.
Hearts: they would also take the trick in the second game and pay 2 CZK into the pot for one heart.
Queens: unfortunately, the third player would also "eat" the queen and pay 4 CZK for it into the pot.
King of Hearts: that hasn't happened yet.

After the previous game, the players would have these last cards left:

1st player 2nd player 3rd player 4th player

Since the third player took the previous trick, they lead. Since each player has only one card left, the starting third player lays down the Nine of Diamonds, the fourth player is lucky to grease not only the heart, but mainly the King of Hearts, which would not have stayed with him, the first and second players lay down their remaining cards:

(laid out in order: 3rd player, 4th, 1st, 2nd, trick is taken by 3rd player)

The third player takes the trick because they led with a diamond card and have the highest (diamond) card. To their misfortune, the second player undercut them and the fourth player greased the King of Hearts on them (if the fourth game were played). Let's evaluate the contributions to the pot again:

Sequence Showdown: 5th Final Game About Dividing the Pot

The aim of the final game is to get rid of all your cards as quickly as possible, preferably first, because the pot is divided accordingly. As the words "Sequence Showdown" in the chapter title suggest, players will lay out their cards, i.e., create or complete sequences, similar to Klondike or Solitaire. Again, the entire deck of cards is divided among the players and the player to the dealer's left starts.

Each sequence starts from the Jack (J). The suit of the sequence must be followed. If a player can, then they must draw, i.e., either lead with a jack or place another card into the sequence on the table. It is not possible to deliberately delay the game. If a player has nothing to lead, then they tap their fingers on the table, which is a sign that they cannot play at the moment. They must wait until the other players in order complete the cards in the sequence or sequences so that they can follow up on them. Each player always lays out only one card when it is their turn.

(illustration of four Jacks)

Why does the laying out start with the jack? Probably because it is a card roughly "in the middle" of the sequence. Above the jack are three cards: queen (Q), king (K), ace (A) and below the jack are four cards: ten (10), nine (9), eight (8) and seven (7).

Sequence Showdown Example

The following example vividly captures the possible course of the final sequence showdown. Suppose the players have the cards listed below, which of course they do not show each other, and that player number 1 starts.

1st player
2nd player
3rd player
4th player

The first player has the Jack of Hearts and must therefore lay it out. If they didn't have a Jack, they would have to pass, because there are no cards on the table yet to follow up on. So, they start the Hearts sequence or ladder.

The second player has a more luxurious choice. They can play the Ten or Queen of Hearts onto the Jack, or lay out the Jack of Spades. Probably the best decision would be to put the Queen on the Jack, because there are only three cards above the Jack (opening less space for opponents). If they played the Ten, they would open a longer end towards the seven for opponents. And by laying out the Jack of Spades, i.e., starting the Spades sequence, they would give opponents even more possibilities.

The third player is unlucky, they cannot follow up on the sequence on the table (they would need to have the Ten or King of Hearts) and they don't have a Jack either. By tapping on the table, they signal that they cannot play and it's the fourth player's turn.

x

The fourth player has two Jacks and, if they wanted to, can start either a Diamonds or Clubs sequence. But they probably do best to place the King of Hearts and follow up on the sequence on the table. In the next round, they will probably have to lay out one of the Jacks, but it is good to delay it as long as possible and not open up new possibilities for opponents. After all, the player who lays out their cards first wins!

The third player is unlucky, they cannot follow up on the sequence on the table (they would need to have the Ten or King of Hearts) and they don't have a Jack either. By tapping on the table, they signal that they cannot play and it's the fourth player's turn.

In the next round, the first player would have to lay out the Ace of Hearts, the second player would place the Ten of Hearts (they could also start a Spades sequence with the Jack), the third player doesn't have any heart cards, so they would not be able to play again, the fourth player would probably start the Diamonds sequence, etc.

How the Pot is Divided

The player who manages to lay out all their cards first is the winner, or rather, wins the 1st prize. The second player who gets rid of their cards wins the 2nd prize, etc. The pot is divided according to the order in the final sequence showdown. If a crown Formuška is played, i.e., the basic bet is 1 CZK, then 48 CZK (about $2) will be accumulated in the pot during the first four games. There are 8 tricks at 1 CZK each, there are also 8 hearts at 2 CZK each, queens are 4 at 4 CZK each and the King of Hearts is one at 8 CZK:

8 × 1 + 8 × 2 + 4 × 4 + 1 × 8 = 8 + 16 + 16 + 8 = 48 CZK.

The pot is divided as follows:

  1. The 1st player takes 25 CZK (twenty-five times the basic bet)
  2. The 2nd player takes 15 CZK (fifteen times the basic bet),
  3. The 3rd player takes 8 CZK (eight times the basic bet) and
  4. The 4th player takes nothing.

How successful each player is depends on how much money they poured into the pot during the "filling" four games, and how much they take from the pot after the fifth final Sequence Showdown. It can happen that a player doesn't have to put in a single crown and wins the first prize, or ends up neutrally in fourth place, or in the worst case had to heavily subsidize the pot and still finished fourth. In the Formuška card game, it depends on luck, but also on tactics or intuition, although certainly not to the same extent as in Poker.

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Based on the original Czech article: Formuška – málo známá, ale o to pozoruhodnější karetní hra.