How to Play Schmier
Schmier is a member of the All Fours trick taking family of card games. The game is also well known and often under the name Smear. Schmier is designed for play by six players, in two partnerships consisting of three players each. The game uses one standard 52 card deck to which one Joker has been added (53 cards in all). The ranking of the cards is slightly different based on whether a specific suit is set as the trump suit:

Example ranking of diamonds as the trump suit

If the partnerships have not yet been pre-determined before the game, this can be accomplished using a number of methods. One such method is to remove six cards (three in red suits, and three in black suits) and have each player draw one of these cards from a small face-down pile. The three players drawing the red cards form one partnership playing as opponents to the three players drawing the three black suited cards. The players should be seated at the table in alternating positions such that each player is seated directly between two opponents. Determination of the first dealer can be determine by a cut from the shuffled deck, with the player drawing the highest ranked card set as the first dealer. During this draw, the Joker is considered the highest ranked card of all. Thereafter the deal rotates around the table in a clockwise direction after each hand.

Once the players have been seated and the first dealer determined, the deal of the hand can begin. After a thorough shuffle and cut, the dealer then begins dealing the cards in a clockwise rotation around the table, starting with the player to his immediate left. He continues dealing in this manner around the table, one face-down card at a time, until each player has a total of 6 cards. The remainder of the deck (which should consist of 17 cards) should be set aside for use later. After this deal, a round of bidding begins.

This round of bidding starts with the player at the dealer's immediate left and rotates around the table in a clockwise direction, with each player provided, in turn, one opportunity to bid. A bid is a player's estimate of the number of points he expects his partnership to win during the hand. A player is never required to bid, and may always elect to pass. The lowest minimum bid is three and the highest is six (the maximum number of points that can be won during a hand), and each bid must be higher than any previous bid during that hand. If no player bids, the cards are thrown in, and a new hand is dealt by the same dealer. If there was at least one bid of three or higher, the player making the highest bid is then entitled to declare the trump suit to be used for that hand.

After the bidding round, there is then a round of discards, starting with the player to the immediate left of the dealer and proceeding in a clockwise direction around the table. This player, and each subsequent player in turn, has one opportunity to then discard up to three cards and be dealt an equal number of new ones from the remaining deck by the dealer. A player may never discard a member of the trump suit, however and is never required to discard any cards if preferential not to. After each player has had this opportunity, except the dealer, the dealer then takes all the remaining cards left in the deck and adds them to his hand. From the cards in his hand, the dealer then discards enough cards from his hand to reduce his hand to six cards. The dealer may never discard cards of the trump suit, unless his hand consists of more than six such cards in the trump suit, and in any event he may never discard the Joker, the Bauers, the two of the trump suit or the Ace of the trump suit. All cards discarded by the dealer and the other players are set aside, out of play for the remainder of the current hand.

After the round of discarding, play of the hand begins. The hand is played out in a number of tricks, with the high bidder having the right to lead the first card to the first trick.

Scoring categories in Schmier The leader to a trick may lead any card of choice remaining in his hand to start the trick. Each other player, in a clockwise direction from this player then adds one card from their hand to the same trick. If a player has a card of the same suit as that originally led to the trick by the leader, he must so play that card. If he has no such cards, he may play any other card from his hand to the trick. After each player has, in turn, played one card to the trick, it is determined who has won the trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

A trick is won by the player of the highest trump card played to that trick. If the trick contains no cards of the trump suit, it is won by the player of the highest card of the suit originally led to that trick. Players should retain any cards won in tricks, in a face-down pile set to the side, for scoring purposes at the end of the hand.

After all tricks during the hand have been played and won, scoring for the hand is determined. There are several scoring categories in which a point can be earned: The specific accumulated ongoing points scored for that hand are then calculated. If the high bidding team manages to win as many points as bid during that hand, that partnership adds that number of points earned during that hand to their accumulated game total. However, if they failed to earn at least as many points as bid, a total equal to that partnerships high bid is thus subtracted from that players ongoing accumulated game score (negative scores are possible). The opponents of the bidding team add to their accumulated ongoing game score based on the number of points scored during that hand.

The first team to reach or exceed a total of 21 total accumulated game points over the course of several hands is declared the winner. If both teams manage this on the same hand, the team with the higher score is declared the winner. If there is a tie for this high score, the high bidder team for the last hand is declared the winner.
                     
Variations and Optional Rules

Smear: Smear which is also often the title given to the game Schmier, is also the name of a similar game, played by four players in two partnerships consisting of two players each. This game originated in, and is very commonly played in, the State of Minnesota in the United States.

Multiple Jokers played to the same trick Smear uses a 54 card deck which is created by adding two Jokers to a standard 52 card deck. The ranking of the cards is somewhat different based on if a specific suit is set as the trump suit for that hand, and is as follows: Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be determined using a variety of methods, with draw for high cards a method commonly used. Using that method, each player would draw a card from the shuffled deck, and the players drawing the two highest cards would play as partners opposing a partnership of the players drawing the two lowest cards. Partners should sit directly across from each other across the table. Furthermore, the player drawing the highest card of all should be set as the first dealer and thereafter, on each additional hand, the role of dealer would rotate in a clockwise direction around the able.

One the partnerships and first dealer have been determined, the dealer should thoroughly shuffle the deck and offer it to the player at his right to cut. After the shuffle and cut, the dealer would then begin dealing the cards one-at-a-time, starting with the player at his immediate left. He deals the cards face-down in front of each player, in a clockwise direction around the table, until each player has a total of nine cards.

After completion of the deal, a round of bidding occurs, in which each player has exactly one opportunity to bid. The minimum bid is 2 and the maximum 4 (which is the highest number of points that can be won on any specific hand). Bidding begins with the player to the dealer's immediate left and ends with the dealer. A bid must be higher than any previous bid during that hand, but a player may also pass. If all four players pass, the cards are thrown in and reshuffled and dealt by the same dealer. The player making the highest bid has the opportunity to declare the trump suit to be used for the hand.

After the trump has been declared, each player discards exactly three cards from the hand to reduce his hand to six cards. All discarded cards are set aside, face-down and out of play. A player may never discard cards of the trump suit, unless he has more than six cards from this trump suit in his hand.

After each player has discarded his mandatory three cards, play of the hand begins. The high bidding player who declared the trump suit for the hand leads the first card to the first trick, and thereafter the winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

The leader to each trick, may play any card of choice from his hand. Each additional player, in a clockwise direction from the leader, in turn, plays one card remaining in his hand to the same trick. A player having cards remaining in his hand of the same suit as that led must play a card of that suit, or a card in the trump suit if he has one. If he has no cards of the suit originally led to the trick, he may play any card remaining in his hand (including one from the trump suit).

Each trick is won by the highest card of the trump suit played to that trick. If no cards of the trump suit have been played to the trick, it is won by the highest card contained in the trick of the suit originally led to the trick.

After all tricks have been played and won, it is determined if that partnership managed to win at least as many points during that hand as bid. The following are the available points during each hand (a maximum of four): If the high bidding partnership manages to earn a least as many points as bid during the hand that partnership adds the total number of points as won to their current ongoing game total. However, if that partnership wins fewer points than bid during the hand, they must subtract from their current ongoing total a number of points equal to their bid (negative scores are possible). The opponents of the high bidding team adds a number of points to their ongoing score equal to the number of points they were able to earn during the hand.

After a set number of hands, say 10, the partnership with the highest running total is declared the winner.

Ten Point Smear: Ten Point Smear is another popular variant of the parent game. This game is usually played by four players in two partnerships consisting of two players each. The game uses a 54 card deck which is formed by adding two Jokers to one standard 52 card deck. The ranking of the cards is dependent on whether a specific suit is set as the trump suit for the hand or not. The following is the ranking for the trump suit and the non-trump suits for the hand:
Determination of partnerships and first dealer can be performed in a variety of way, with draw for high cards a common method. The two players drawing the two highest cards drawn from the shuffled deck would play in opposition to a team formed of the players drawing the two lowest cards. The player drawing the highest card of all would be set as the first dealer. Each player should sit directly across the table from his partner.

Once the players are seated and the first dealer determined, this player should thoroughly shuffle the cards and offer the deck to the player at his immediate right for the cut. After the cut the dealer then deals out ten face-down cards to each player, one-by-one, starting with the player at his left and continuing in a clockwise direction. The remaining 14 cards are temporarily set aside for use after the bidding.

As in most other forms of this game, a single round of bidding occurs, with each player, starting with the player at the dealer's left and continuing in a clockwise direction having one opportunity to bid a number of points he expects his partnership to win during the hand. A player is not required to make a bid (instead electing to call "Pass"), but if he does bid, his bid must be higher than any previous bid during this hand. The minimum first bid is four and the maximum bid is ten.

Whichever player makes the highest bid then declares which of the four suits will be set as the trump suit for this hand. The high bidder then takes the remaining 14 undealt cards into his hand. From his large collection of cards, this player then discards 18 total cards, to leave himself with a hand consisting of six cards. Each other player also discards four cards from their hands to retain a hand of six total cards. A player may never discard any cards of the trump suit, unless he has no other option. All the discarded cards are set aside, face-down and out of play.

The high bidder has the opportunity to lead the first card to the first trick. On this first lead, he must lead a card of the selected trump suit for the hand.

While, on the first lead of the hand, the high bidder must lead a card from the trump suit, on every other trick during the hand, the leader may lead any card of choice still remaining in the hand. Each other player, in a clockwise direction from the leader, then plays one card to the same trick. If a player has a card of the trump suit, he may always play this to the trick if preferred. If he does not have a card of the trump suit, or chooses not to, but does have a card of the suit originally led to the trick, he must so play such a card. If he has no cards of the suit led to the trick, and has no cards in the trump suit in hand (or chooses not to play one), he may play any card from his hand. If a card of the trump suit is led to the trick, he must play a card of that suit if he has one.

After each player has played one card to the trick, it is determined who won that trick. The highest card in the trump suit played to that trick wins that trick. If the trick contains no cards in the trump suit, the trick is won by the highest card in that trick in the same suit as originally led to that trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to the next trick.

After each trick has been played and won, the teams then determine the score earned for that hand. If the high bidding team managed to earn at least as many points as bid during the hand, that team adds the number of points so earned during the hand to their ongoing accumulated game point score. However, if they win fewer points during that hand than bid, they must subtract from their current score a number of points equal to their high bid on the hand. The opponent partnership to the high bidding team, earns a number of points on the hand equal to the number of points they had won during the hand. As in other forms of Smear, there are several point scoring categories that can be awarded during the hand: Scoring categories in Ten Point Smear The first partnership, at the end of a hand to accumulate a total number of earned Game points of 52 or higher is declared the winner. If both teams have exceeded this total at the end of a hand, the team with the higher total is declared the winner. If both teams tie with a score of 21 or hither at the end of a hand, the team that contained the high bidder is declared the winner of that game.

Ten Point Smear - Five Player: A version of Ten Point Smear has also been developed for play by five participants. This version is played identically to the more common four player game of 10 Point Smear, with the following differences: In all other aspects the five player version is thus played identically to the four player game.

Ten Point Smear - Six Player: 10 Point Smear can also be played in a six player variant. This version is played identically to the four player version with the following differences: Other than these differences this variant is played identically to the four player variant of Ten Point Smear as described above.

Four Point Smear: Four Point Smear is a partnership version of Smear which is most commonly found in areas of Wisconsin, particularly in the North and East part of the state. This version uses a reduced deck of 32 cards with no Jokers added. The ranking of these cards in every suit (including the trump suit) is as follows (from highest to lowest): Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7. This version is designed for four players, in two partnerships of two players each. Each player should sit directly across the table from his partner during the hand. A blind of 3 cards

This version of the game is played identically to standard Smear, with the following exceptions:
Six Point Smear: Six Point Smear is another variant of Smear, which is widely played in Wisconsin. As in Four Point Smear, this version is designed for four players, playing in two partnerships consisting of two players each. This variant of Smear uses a 34 card deck which is formed from a standard deck by using all cards in the ranks of 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace from that deck with the addition of two Jokers. The ranking of the cards in the non-trump suits is as follows (from high to low); Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7. The ranking of the cards in the selected trump suit for the hand is the same, except that the two Jokers are considered the lowest cards in the trump suit. Both Jokers are considered of the same rank, however if both Jokers are played to the same trick, the first played is considered to be the higher of the two.

Other than the slightly larger deck, this version is played identically to Four Point Smear with the following distinctions: In all other aspects, this game is played identically to standard Smear.

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