Romestecq is a very old card game that originated in the Netherlands. It later spread to Germany, mostly played there under the name Rum and Stich. It was also sometimes known as Roemstek and in some publications described under the name Rumstick, although this was never an official name for the game. Despite having been highly popular in the 16th and 17h centuries in the Netherlands, it is rarely found in card compendiums or books of card games published within the last two hundred years.
Romestecq is played using a 36 card deck which can be created by removing all cards of rank five and lower from a standard International deck. The ranking of the cards in this deck is as follows, from highest to lowest; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.
The game has rules for play by 2, 4 or 6 players. The rules are nearly identical, however the six player variant will be described first, and the versions for fewer players will be described below, in the variants section. This six player variant is designed for play by two teams of three players each. Any method can be used for determining these partnerships, with a cut for cards a common method. Using that method each player would draw a card from the shuffled deck, and the three players drawing the three highest cards would play as partners against the three drawing the three lowest. Each player should be seated at the table in such a manner that a player from the opposing team is on both his immediate right and left. Two players, at opposite sides of the table (and on opposing teams) should be selected to each draw a card from the shuffled deck. Whichever player draws the highest card is set as the dealer, or may, at his option, select any other player to be the dealer for the hand. Whichever player deals, the player directly opposite that player should be set as the scorekeeper, keeping an accumulated score for both teams using pencil and paper.
One traditional method of scorekeeping is to mark the total number of points for each team, and subtract a number of points for a team as that team manages to earn points during the hand. In this version for six players, each team starts with a total of 36 points, and this number is reduced as the teams earn points during play of the hands.
Once the dealer has been determined, that player should thoroughly shuffle the deck and offer it to the player at his left to cut. After the cut the dealer then begins the deal, dealing five face-down cards to each player. He starts with the player to his immediate right and deals around the table in a counter-clockwise direction. He may deal the cards one at a time or in small packets of multiple cards, with the only requirement being that each player eventually receives the same total number of cards in the deal, which is 5. Whatever pattern he uses, however, must be followed for the remainder of the game (called a partie). The same dealer deals for the entirety of the game. The remaining cards that are not dealt are set aside in a face-down pile, unused for the remainder of the current hand.
After the players have received their five cards for the deal, each player reviews his hand, and notes any legal melds he may have in hand. He may not announce the meld (and thus score for it) until playing the first card forming that meld to a trick during play. In playing the card, he thus announces that the card played is "part of" the specific meld to which it is a portion
of. The following are the legal melds and the point value for those melds:
- Virlique: This is a meld consisting of any four cards, all of the exact same rank (such as four eights). Having and then announcing this meld immediately wins the game for the team for which the player having this meld is a member. If players from multiple teams announce a meld of Virlique on playing to the same trick, the team with a player having the highest such four of a kind is the game winner.
- Triche - Aces or Kings: This meld consists of a hand containing three Aces, or a hand consisting of three Kings. A triche scores three points for the team from which the player having the combination, is a member.
- Triche: A normal triche is a hand containing three cards of any rank (other than Aces or Kings). This combination scores two points for the team from which the player having the combination belongs.
- Double Ningre: A Double Ningre is a hand consisting of any of the following combinations:
- Two Aces and two Kings
- Two Aces and two tens
- Two Kings and two tens
- Village: A village is a combination consisting of two Jacks and two Queens, with each Jack and Queen combination being of the same suit. Having this combination scores two points for the team from which the player having the combination is a member.
- Double Rome: This is a combination of either two Aces or two Kings. This combination scores two points for the team from which the player having this combination belongs.
- Rome: This is a combination consisting of any pair of identically ranked cards lower than a King. This combination earns the team from which the player having the combination is a member, one point.
If a player fails to announce a card as part of a meld, but has that meld in hand, that team automatically loses the game, with the opposing team declared the game winners.
The player to the immediate right of the dealer plays the first card to the first trick and each other player, in a counter-clockwise direction contributes one card to that same trick. The leader to a trick may play any card remaining in his hand to start the trick. Each other player, if having a card of the suit originally led to that trick must play such a card. If he has no cards of that suit, he may play any card remaining in his hand to the trick.
After each player has thus played one card to the trick, it is determined who has won that trick. The trick is thusly won by the player whom has played the highest card of the suit originally led to that trick. Cards won in tricks should be set aside and out of play. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.
In addition to scores earned by a team for announced melds, winning the last trick of the hand earns one point for the team from which that player is a member.
Points thus earned during the game are subtracted from that teams current total. Once one of the teams manages to reduce their ongoing score to a total of 0 or less, the game ends and the team which first managed to reduce their score below zero is declared the winner.
The game traditionally also includes a number of potential penalties for various irregularities committed during the game. The following are some of these penalties that might be assessed:
- Failure of a player to announce, in playing the first card to a legal combination, the card and combination is it part of, causes the team from which that player is a member to lose the game.
- If the current dealer exposes a card during the deal that is intended to be dealt to a member of the opposing team, the opposing team is entitled to score three points.
- If the dealer does not continue to deal using the same format (number of cards dealt in each packet to each player) as when he first started, the opposing team is entitled to score three points.
- If a player makes an announcement for a meld that he does not actually have in his hand, this infraction entitles the opposing team to immediately declare victory in the current game.
- If any player is dealt more than five cards by the dealer, allows the opposing team from the dealer's team to earn three points. In addition, since the player has too many cards, an appropriate number of cards are removed from that hand at random and added back to the unused deck.
- If after the shuffle, any cards are found to be exposed in the deck, the opposing team to the current dealer earns three points.
Variations and Optional Rules
Four hand Romestecq As mentioned above, Romestecq can also be played by four players. This variant is played identically to the version described at the top of this page, with following differences:
- There are four active participants in the game, with these players formed into two teams consisting of two players each. Each player should be seated such that their partner is seated directly across from them at the table.
- To determine the dealer for the game, in the four player variant, each player should randomly draw one card from a shuffled deck. Whichever player draws the highest card is set as the dealer for this game. The player sitting opposite the dealer should be set as the scorekeeper for the game.
- Each team starts with a total of 21 points, and the first team to reduce this score to zero or fewer through play of the game is declared the winning team.
Two Player Romestecq Romestecq can also be played as a two player game. This two handed variant is played identically to the standard version, with a few differences:
- The game is designed for two players, each playing and scoring independently.
- To determine the player who will have the role of dealer throughout the game, each player should draw a random card from the shuffled deck. Whichever player draws a higher ranked card is set as the dealer for that game. The opponent of this player should be set as the scorekeeper for that game.
- Each player begins the game with a score of 21 points, and during game player attempts to reduce this to zero or fewer. Whichever team manages to do this first is declared the game winner.