GameTwist

How to play

A new game is begun by clicking on the button 'New Game'. The player may then choose, amongst other options, the desired skill level of the opponents. Alternatively the player may join an already open table.

The players cards will be shown fanned out. A card can be played simply by clicking on it. Should the player win a trick, the cards will be laid face down next to the player’s hand.

Rules

Ulti is a trick-taking game for three players. The game is normally played with 32 cards of a regular German deck, but can also be played with a French deck of cards. In each game, the winner of the bidding chooses trumps or no trumps, and plays against the other two players, who play as a team. The role of the single player is passed on after each round. The direction of play is decided by the players themselves.

When dealing, the first single player receives 12 cards, while the other two players receive 10 cards each. The single player must announce a game and drop two of his cards to form a hidden deck. The next player, in turn, has the opportunity to pick up the hidden deck, announce a game with a higher value than the previously announced game, and drop two cards to the deck. If a player does not want to pick up the deck, he/she may pass and the auction continues with the next player. After three passes in succession the bidding is over and the player who has made the highest announcement has to play his/her game. It is also perfectly legal for a player to again pick up the deck after both opponents have passed, and announce a higher game than before.

The single player names the trump suit, if not already specified in the bid, and begins the first trick. Thereafter, the winner of each trick begins the next. It is compulsory to follow suit, and a player with no card of the laid suit must play a trump if possible. A player who has neither a trump nor a card of the laid suit may play any card. Subject to these rules, players are obliged to beat the highest card already played whenever they can. Also in non-trump games it is still obligatory to follow suit and to beat all cards already played whenever possible.

As mentioned, the winner of the bidding determines which suit is trump. If the game is announced as 'Hearts', the trump is already determined. Otherwise any suit can be chosen (including Hearts). A non-trump game is played in the case of a Durchmars or Open Durchmars without trump-specific announcements (40-100, 20-100, Ulti), and when not already announced as 'Hearts'. Determining 'no trump' after bidding eliminates the need to complicatedly distinguishing between Durchmars with trump and without trump.

The ranking of the cards depends on whether or not a trump suit has been defined for the game.

During the game the opponents have the possibility to say 'contra', which doubles the value of the game. A contra is announced by a player immediately before playing his/her card for the first trick. A contra of one opponent also counts for his/her partner. After a contra, the next player may say 're-contra'  when it’s his/her turn to play a card. A re-contra again doubles the value of the game. For announcements that consist of several components (e.g. 40-100 Ulti), each component can be ‘contra’d’ independently.

The team who has the most card points in the tricks wins the game. Since a game announcement can consist of several components, and each component can be won or lost independently, the winner of the basic game is not necessarily the winner of the whole game.

One game can stretch out over a number of rounds. After each round, the player is be given the opportunity to end the game. The buttons 'Play' and 'Leave' are displayed. Clicking 'Leave' ends the game. Clicking 'Play' continues the game until there is a winner, or the player finishes the game.

During the game there many opportunities to announce:

Announcing 20 or 40

Any player who holds an Over and King of the same suit can announce this and receive 20 or 40 extra card points (40 points if the suit matches the trump suit). The announcement must be made when playing the first trick. In games where 20s or 40s do not have effect (any non-trump game), it is forbidden to announce them. For the announced 20s or 40s to take effect, it is also necessary for the team to take at least one trick.

Negative Games
- Betli
- Open Betli

Positive Games
- Basic Game
- 40 – 100 or 20 – 100
- Durchmars or Open Durchmars
- Ulti

40 –100, 20 –100, Durchmars and Open Durchmars replace the score for the basic game (which also cannot be ‘contra'd’).

The announcements can have different meanings:

Betli
The announcer may not take any trick. As soon as he has to take a trick the game is over.

Open Betli
Like Betli, but all cards are laid openly on the table after the first trick is finished.

Basic Game
This is not directly announced, but is nevertheless a component of the announcement when Ulti is announced. When the first single player wishes to announce a basic game without any additions, he/she must say “pass”, which means he/she wants to play the lowest possible game. To win the basic game, the single player has to receive more card points than his/her opponents.

40-100
The announcer must hold the King and Over of the trump suit and must reach 100 card points (including the 40 for the King and Over). Scoring additional 20s is not allowed. This announcement cancels the score for the basic game.

20-100
Same as 40-100, but the single player must have the King and Over of a non-trump suit. It is also not permitted to score additional 40s and 20s

Durchmars
The single player has to win every trick. This announcement cancels the score for the basic game.

Open Durchmars
Same as Durchmars, but all cards are laid openly on the table after the first trick is finished.

Any announcement (with the exception of Open Durchmars and Open Betli) can be heightened by saying 'Hearts', which pre-selects the trump suit as Hearts and doubles the value of the game.

Ulti
The single player must win the last trick with the 7 of the trump suit. If he cannot win this trick or has to play the trump 7 earlier (or doesn’t hold the 7 of trump) then the announcement is lost. Having bid Ulti, the single player is obliged to keep the trump 7 as long as legally possible, subject to the rules of following suit and trumping.

Unannounced Bonuses

Unannounced 100
If in a game without announced 40-100, 20-100 or Durchmars either team reaches 100 card points, the score for the basic game is set to 2. All contras on the basic game remain.

Unannounced Durchmars
If in a game without announced 40-100, 20-100 or Durchmars either team takes all of the tricks, the score for the basic game is set to 3. All contras on the basic game remain.

Unannounced Ulti
If in a trump game without an announced Ulti, the trump 7 is played in the last trick, a score of 2 points is counted as either an unannounced Ulti win (the player who lays the trump 7 wins the last trick) or an unannounced Ulti loss (any other player wins the last trick).

Points

Aces and 10s are worth 10 points, while the remaining cards have no point value.
The last trick in a game is worth an additional 10 points, which means that there can never be a draw between the two teams.

After the game every component of the announcement is checked individually to determine whether the single player won or lost them. Each component is multiplied by any contra and everything is added up. The sum is then, depending on the outcome, paid by each opponent to the single player, or visa-versa.

A few examples:

Announcement: Ulti
The single player reaches 70 card points, opponents only 40, trump 7 wins last trick.

Basic Game          +1
Ulti                          +4
Total                       +5 (the single player receives 5 from each opponent)

Announcement: Pass
The single player reaches 100 card points, opponents play 7 for last trick, but lose the trick.

Unannounced 100            +2
Unannounced Ulti             +2
Total                                     +4

Announcement: 40-100, Ulti, Contra on 40-100
The single player reaches 90 card points and wins the last trick with trump 7.

40-100 (Contra)      -8
Ulti                            +4
Total                          -4 (the single player must pay each opponent 4 points)


All possible announcements and their values are listed in the following table: