Dreier

The Dreier is a solo contract in Schafkopf where a single player declares to play alone against the other three participants, who form a temporary team. Unlike partnership variants, the soloist must win enough points without help. This creates higher stakes and different scoring compared to standard Schafkopf games played with partnerships.

The Dreier is played with the traditional 32-card German-suited deck used for all Schafkopf variants. The deck contains four suits (acorns, leaves, hearts, bells) with cards ranked from 7 to ace, plus four jacks called 'Wenzel' that serve as permanent trumps. This is the same deck used throughout Bavarian card games.

Schafkopf is one of the most popular traditional card games in Bavaria, with dedicated clubs and regular tournaments throughout southern Germany. The Dreier solo variant adds excitement through its higher-risk, higher-reward structure. The game maintains strong cultural significance in Bavarian social life and beer garden culture.

In a Dreier, the soloist must win a majority of the card points—typically 61 out of 120 possible—against the other three players who team up temporarily. The exact threshold depends on specific house rules. Successfully winning a Dreier earns more points than standard partnership games, while losing results in a larger penalty.