User:Bermicourt/Card games/Kaisern

Kaiserspiel, also called Kaisern or Cheisärä, is a card game, usually for 4 or 6 players, that is played in parts of Switzerland using a variant of the standard Swiss playing cards with 40 or 48 cards. It is a descendent of Karnöffel, one of the oldest known card games. It is sometimes misleadingly called Kaiserjass, although it has nothing to do with the Jass family of games that are popular in Switzerland.

Cards
The Kaiserspiel pack comprises four suits: Shields, Roses, Bells and Acorns each of ten cards ranked as follows: King, Ober, Unter, Banner, (9), (8), 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Deuce). The four Banners are normally part of the trump suit and are known as Kaisers, hence the name of the game. In the 40-card variants, the 8s and 9s are removed. There are no Aces.

Kaiserspiel – Silenen variant
This variant is named after the village of Silenen in the Swiss canton of Uri.

Players
The game is played by 8, 10 or 12 players, divided into two teams, players from each sitting alternately at the table.

Cards
The 48 cards of a Kaiserspiel pack are used. If eight play, the 8s and 9s are removed.