How to keep score in Doppelkopf | Tallynight Games

In Doppelkopf the Re team, who hold the queens of clubs, need 121 of the 240 card points to win. The game is worth a few game points: each winner gets them and each loser loses them, so every game balances out to zero. The highest total after the agreed games wins.

At a glance

Players: 4, or 5 with the dealer sitting out
Who wins: Highest total after the agreed games
Each game: Balances out to zero
Cards: 48, two of each from nine to ace

Game points (Spielwert)

Card points (Augen) decide who wins and by how much. The score is in game points, and every winner gets them while every loser loses them, so unlike Skat everyone scores in every game. These values follow the Deutscher Doppelkopf-Verband's tournament rules.

For	Points
Winning the game	1
Losers under 90 card points (keine 90)	+1
Losers under 60 (keine 60)	+1
Losers under 30 (keine 30)	+1
Losers took no trick (schwarz)	+1
Re announced	+2
Kontra announced	+2
Each Absage announced: keine 90, keine 60, keine 30, schwarz	+1

An Absage is a promise. Announce keine 90 and miss it, and the other side wins the game. A side that was told keine 90 and still reaches 120 earns 1 more, and the same goes for 90 against keine 60, 60 against keine 30 and 30 against schwarz.

Sonderpunkte: Fuchs, Karlchen and Doppelkopf

In a normal game, either team can earn special points (Sonderpunkte), whoever wins. Net them against each other first, then against the game points.

Gegen die Alten: 1 if the Kontra team wins, against the queens of clubs
Doppelkopf: 1 for a trick worth 40 card points or more
Fuchs gefangen: 1 for catching an opponent's ace of diamonds, the fox
Karlchen: 1 for winning the last trick with the jack of clubs

Sonderpunkte don't count in a solo.

Solos

In a solo one player plays against the other three. Only the game points count, without Sonderpunkte. The soloist wins or loses 3 times the points, and each of the others loses or wins them once, so the game still adds up to zero.

In a tournament round of 24 games, every player must play one compulsory solo (Pflichtsolo).

Checking the list

After every game the four scores on the Spielliste must add up to zero. There's a second check too, the even and odd rule: after each game the four scores are either all even or all odd. If they're mixed, someone has written something down wrong.

House rules that change the score

Bockrunden: after an agreed event, such as 120 to 120 or a lost Re, the next round of games counts double.
Without nines: 40 cards instead of 48. The nines are worth nothing, so the card points and the scoring stay the same.
Other Sonderpunkte: tables add or drop special points, so agree on them before you start.
Five players: the dealer sits out each game and scores 0, so the scores still add up to zero.

A scoring example

Four players, four games. In game 3 Ben plays a solo.

Game	What happened	Ana	Ben	Cleo	Dev
1	Re (Ana, Cleo) win with Re announced, 1 + 2, and catch a Fuchs, +1	4	−4	4	−4
2	Kontra (Ana, Dev) win, Re under 90, 1 + 1, against the Alten, +1	3	−3	−3	3
3	Ben wins his solo, the others under 90: 1 + 1, 3 times for Ben	−2	6	−2	−2
4	Re (Cleo, Dev) win, with Karlchen, 1 + 1	−2	−2	2	2
Total		3	−3	1	−1

Every game adds up to zero, and each time the four scores are all even or all odd. After four games Ana leads Cleo by 2.

Keep score in Tallynight

Doppelkopf is set up for you: rounds, highest score wins. After each game, type each player's points on one keypad, with a minus for the losers, and Tallynight checks that the game balances out to zero.

There's no fixed number of games: tap End game after your round, like 24 games.

Checks that every game balances out to zero
Every game in one table, with the running totals
Tap any game to fix it
A race chart that replays the evening

Get Tallynight on the App Store: free, no ads.
Print a Doppelkopf score sheet if you'd rather keep score on paper.

Questions

How many points do you need to win Doppelkopf?

The Re team needs 121 of the 240 card points, and the Kontra team wins with 120. If only Kontra was announced, Re needs only 120.

How much is Re or Kontra worth in Doppelkopf?

2 game points each, added to the winners' score. If both are announced, that's 4 more.

What is a Fuchs in Doppelkopf?

The ace of diamonds. Catch one from the other team and your team earns 1 Sonderpunkt.

How is a solo scored in Doppelkopf?

The soloist wins or loses 3 times the game points, and each of the other three loses or wins them once. Sonderpunkte don't count.

Why should Doppelkopf scores add up to zero?

Every point a winner gets is a point a loser loses. If a game doesn't add up to zero, someone has written it down wrong.

Game names belong to their owners. Tallynight isn't connected with any game publisher.