Kraken

📝 Special Statement

The Kraken Kommand: A High-Stakes Klaverjassen Variant! 🃏💰

You are stepping into Kraken, a thrilling, high-stakes variant of the classic Dutch trick-taking game, Klaverjassen (often called Klaverjas). This is a partnership game of intense strategy where you and your partner must collectively score more than half the available points to win the hand—but the "Kraken" rule adds a devastating layer of risk!

Here is a breakdown of the core rules and the unique Doubling element you mentioned:

Core Gameplay: Klaverjassen (The Foundation)

1. Players and Deck:

• Played by 4 players in two fixed partnerships (partners sit opposite each other).
• Uses a 32-card deck (7 through Ace in all four suits).

2. Card Ranking and Scoring (Critical!):
The rank and point value of cards change significantly in the Trump Suit versus the Non-Trump Suits.

• Total points in the pack (card values) are 152.
• The last trick won adds a 10-point bonus, bringing the total available points in a hand to 162 (plus any Roem bonus points).

3. The Contract:

• The partnership that selects the trump suit (the "Declarers") must score more than half of the total points available in the hand (including card values, last trick, and Roem).
• With 162 available points, the target score for the Declarers is typically 82 or more points.

4. Scoring Failure (Nat):

• If the Declarers fail to reach the target score, they are declared Nat (Dutch for "wet").
• They score zero points for the hand, and all available points (162 + all Roem from both sides) go to the opposing team.

The Kraken Rule: The Ultimate Risk/Reward!

This is where your variant, Kraken, introduces a critical layer of strategic risk known as Doubling.

• After trumps are chosen but before the first card is led, players may initiate a "Double" (or sometimes called "Contra") on the hand.
• The Doubling is typically a challenge made by one player of the Defending Team (the team that did not call trumps).
• By Doubling the game, the Defending Team is essentially declaring: "We believe the Declarer team will go Nat (fail to reach half the points)."

The Effect of Doubling:

1. If the Declarer Team Fails (Goes Nat):
   • The points awarded to the Defending Team are Doubled (x2).
2. If the Declarer Team Succeeds (Makes their contract):
   • The points awarded to the Declarer Team are Doubled (x2).

Redoubling: Some variants allow the Declarer Team to Redouble the game after the initial challenge, raising the potential multiplier to x4, but this should be agreed upon before play.

The "Kraken" rule transforms the game into a high-stakes betting environment, forcing the defending team to decide if the Declarer's hand is truly too weak to make the required 82 points.