Learn how to play Swiss Jass and other Swiss Card games to celebrate the Swiss Club of South Australia's 60th anniversary!
Uniquely held this year only as part to celebrate the SCSA 60-year anniversary, we are organizing a free, monthly held series from August to December 2026 of 'Learn how to play Jass' events!
Join us at the free gatherings, learn how to play the #1 Swiss card game: Jass! ... and receive your personal, unique SCSA Swiss Playing Card deck, for free to play Jass with your friends and families!
Registration is encouraged but not mandatory and walk ins are welcome.
This initiative is supported by the Government of SA - Office for aging well, Department of Human Services. More information is mentioned at the bottom of this page.
You will learn:
how to play the very basic version of Jass
you'll get to know more about all the other traditionally played Swiss Card games
fun facts about different used card decks for the same game
And best of all:
you'll get your own Universal Swiss Playing card deck, a unique special edition, specifically made for these events, for free!
This is not a Jass tournament and knowing how to play Jass is not a requirement to participate or volunteer to help.
This initiative aims to support older South Australians, including those from diverse communities and backgrounds to age well and be recognized for their valued contributions across their lifetime; and also towards the Swiss Club of South Australia, help making the association the success it is today!
Together we will join together for a fun morning with play and laughter. Attendees get to know a part of Swiss Culture and Swiss Heritage through a very simple version (rules mentioned below) of Jass (no Weis, no Schieber, no Teams, just the very basic principles), allowing participants to play the game at home with their friends and families, spreading Swiss Culture across all of South Australia!
Information
Dates: various dates mentioned below, please select ticket accordingly
Time: 10am to 1pm (exception Saturday 6th Dec.: 2pm to 5pm)
Venue: MCCSA at 113 Gilbert Street, Adelaide SA 5000 (link to google maps)
Registration: not required for attendees, walk-ins are welcome
Venue capacity: maximum 50 people in total and attendance is on a first come first serve basis.
Sustenance: There will be free coffee and tea available, please feel free to bring along your own snacks for yourself or to share!
Attendees: older South Australians and general public of SA
Dates
August 8, Saturday / 10am to 1pm
September 12, Saturday / 10am to 1pm
October 3, Saturday / 10am to 1pm
November 7, Saturday / 10am to 1pm
December 5, Saturday / 2pm to 5pm
Please arrive on time as we are teaching the game and forming groups at the start of the event!
We are looking for volunteers, to join and help run the monthly held Jass Events for the general Public of SA to celebrate the SCSA's 60th anniversary! Please sign-up / RSVP if you are interested.
Volunteer tasks
Help spread knowledge of Swiss Culture and Traditions to the public South Australia
Write history, by distributing a new, unique Swiss universal card deck, a world's first!
Help run the events (set up venue with tables, card-game-rule flyers, Pull-Up banners, tea and coffee station)
Welcome attendees
Help during the event with answering questions and join along in playing the game!
Hand out Swiss Card decks to attendees at end of the event
Help clean event venue
Help create meaningful connections, by bringing older South Australians and the general public of SA together
Receive your own, personal, limited release Swiss Card Game!
Universal Card Game
The Swiss boutique playing card workshop Wädenswiler Spielkarten (WaSpiKa.ch) and Australian games concept studio Ankle Biter Productions (abp.games), present a unique multipurpose Jass cardset to celebrate the SwissClub of South Australia’s 60th anniversary. This universal 67 cards card-deck combines 4-color Swiss French/German suits, including Swiss Jokers and and extended card values (includes #2 to #13!), enabling play of Swiss card games Jass, Kaiser & Tresette; as well as many international games like SKAT, Poker, Bridge & Australia’s #1 cardgame 500’s, a world's first!
The set includes additional double-sided information cards explaining different Swiss card games, their rules and history, and where in Switzerland they are played!
This is initiative is supported by the Government of South Australia - Office of Aging Well, Department of Human Services with an amount of $5,275.00, which allows to distribute this limited special-edition universal card-deck for free to all attendees!
Cannot wait to learn the game and play it already at home? Here are the very basic rules of Jass:
Card setup:
First, take any Poker card deck and use following cards of all suits (Spade, Club, Diamond, Heart) to play Jass:
#6, #7, #8, #9, #10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace
That makes 9 cards of each suit, 36 cards in total.
Basic Principles of Jass:
Trump suit:
The suit declared as Trump wins over cards of all ranks in the minor suits. Higher-ranked Trump cards win over lower-ranked ones.
Minor suit:
Higher-ranked cards win over lower-ranked ones.
Dealing cards:
The dealer shuffles the cards. The player to their left cuts the deck, taking minimum 3 cards. Afterwards, the dealer deals 9 cards to each player, 3 rounds of 3 cards each.
Playing tricks:
The cards are played in an anticlockwise direction. The forehand (player to the dealer’s right) declares Trump suit & leads the trick.
Anyone holding a card of the suit led must play this suit or other card if no card of led suit is held. The exception is the Trump ‘Jack/Under’ which can be played at any time instead of following suit.
The player who plays the highest card or the strongest Trump card wins the trick (called ‘Stich’). They receive the four cards played & begin the next trick.
Points:
The value of the trick is equal to the point value of all four cards. The last trick in a game is worth an additional 5 points. Total points to be won are 157 per game.
A player winning all 9 tricks in a game wins an extra 100 points. After each game the finished game’s forehand becomes the dealer.
Win:
The player with the most points after 4, 8 or 12 games wins.
These are the very basic rules of Jass, many more versions (2 to 6 players) and ways to count the cards (Weis) exist to make playing the game more interesting and fun. These versions often vary greatly depending on the region in Switzerland. You can find more information regarding rules and versions here: https://www.pagat.com/jass/swjass.html
