wareh.org > Tarik's Card Game Pages > Clobyosh

Clobyosh, streamlined

The three principal online sources I know for Clobyosh rules are the U.S. Playing Card Company, Mike Block's description at pagat.com, and a harpsichordist in Dayton, Virginia (cf. this Russian page and this HTML travesty at geocities). These pages will interest anyone seeking a traditional description of the game. But I thought a concise outline of the basics would be nice to have, so here it is.

One of the more intriguing derivatives of the basic game of Clobyosh is Clabber, a four-player version firmly planted in the soil of southwestern Indiana, complete with such lingo as "dad-a-bell" (a 20 plus Bela) and "getting turkey tracks" (going Bête). I have created a page that presents what I have discovered about Clabber.

The deck

• piquet deck (32 cards, 7 through A)
• non-trump suits rank A-10-K-Q-J-9-8-7
• trump suit ranks J-9-A-10-K-Q-8-7
• card values

  non-trump suits			A	10	K	Q	J	9	8	7
  trump suit	J	9	A	10	K	Q			8	7
  point value	20	14	11	10	4	3	2	0	0	0

The lingo

• Jass, Yuss (trump jack)
• Menel, Manel (i.e., Manille: trump 9)
• Dix (trump 7)
• Bela, Bella (trump marriage)
• Stoch (last trick)
• Bête (pron. "bait": what the maker "has gone" when he fails to make his bid)
• Schmeiss (a proposal to abandon the deal, but an agreement to be the maker otherwise)

The initial deal

1. Dealer is at a disadvantage; lower draw has to deal first. After that, the winner of a hand has to deal the next hand. If a hand is tied, or the deal is abandoned, the deal simply alternates.
2. Dealer deals 6 cards each in 3's. Dealer turns up & tucks the (potential) trump card.

The bidding possibilities

• They say you should take with 40 safe points in your first 6 cards, e.g., Jass + Menel + something else decent.
• If you take and score fewer points than your opponent, all your points go to the defender.

Continuation of deal; Exchange

1. Dealer deals 3 more cards in 1's to each player, and (solely for information) turns up the bottom card of the deck and places it on top of the talon.
2. If the turned-up suit has been taken as trump, either player may exchange Dix for the turn-up card.
   • This is a mistake if the turn-up card is 8, or if you are likely to lose it in play.

Declarations and Play

1. Non-dealer always leads to the first and declares "No sequences," "Twenty" (sequence of 3), or "Fifty" (sequence of 4).
   • For sequences, the cards are in their traditional order.
2. Dealer, in playing to the first trick makes any counter-declaration ("Good," "No good..."). As in piquet, only the best sequence scores. Ties are broken first by high card and second by trump vs. non-trump ("Twenty." "Equal. / How high?" "Mine is ten high." "Mine also." "Mine is in trumps. / In trumps?"). If the tie cannot be broken in these ways, no one scores.
   • In a nasty-sounding variation, the non-dealer scores in a tie because his declaration was not beaten.
   • Note that having 5+ cards in sequence does nothing to give you an edge.
   • You can sink what you have, but you'd only do so if you are maker and have truly no hope of not going Bête.
3. Whichever player has the best sequence declares any additional sequences of 50 or 20.
   • Players vary as to whether the declared sequences are shown.
4. The other possible declaration is Bela (trump marriage). It is worth 20 points and is declared as you play the second card of the marriage.
5. The rule for play is: (1) follow suit if possible, (2) otherwise you must play a trump if possible, (3) if a trump was led you must overtrump if possible [f,T,r].
   • In Scotland, leading the trump 7 or 8 is frowned upon.
   • Don't lead from a weak/broken suit: you're not in control, & you'll just lose points.
6. The last trick is worth 10 points.
   • Otherwise, the tricks have no scoring value per se, but score only if they contain point cards.

Scoring

1. Scoring is done at the end of play. Points for (1) sequences & Bela, (2) last trick, (3) point cards taken in tricks.
2. Defender always gets to score his own points. Maker must win to score his points. (Otherwise, they go to the defender.)
   • Players vary in how to handle a tie. All agree that the maker has not won. Some play that the maker scores nothing but does not bestow his points on the defender. Some hold over the maker's points to be given to the winner of the next hand.
3. The game is played to 500 [or 501]. It is normal to play best of three games (with the overall game winner dealing first for the next game).
   • Many play that victory can be declared in mid-hand. For this variation, note that sequences are not technically scorable until their declarer wins a trick. Also, you can claim 10 for "last trick" in mid-hand if it pushes you over 500.
   • If this variation is not followed and scoring is reserved until the end of each hand, what to do when both players hit 500 in the same hand? You can do as we do and count the maker's points first (which on reflection will be seen to be fairer than you might think at first blush), or you can do as some others and play that the higher score wins.