Troefcall is designed for play by four players, playing in two teams of two players each. The games uses one standard 52 card deck, and the ranking of the cards in this deck are as follows, from highest to lowest; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
If the partnerships are not prearranged, a number of methods can be used to determine this, including a draw of cards from a shuffled deck. Using that method, each player would thus draw a card, and the players drawing the two highest cards would play as a team against the players drawing the two lowest. Each player should sit directly across the table from his partner.
Once partnerships are determined and the players seated, the determination of the first trump maker as well as the first dealer should be set. The most common method is for any player to take the shuffled deck and begin distributing the cards in a circle around the table, one by one from player to player face-up. This continues until a player receives any Jack. That player is then set as the first trump caller, and the player at his immediate right is set as the first dealer. After each hand the specific player who will have the role of dealer will be dependent on whether the current trump maker earns points or not during the current hand (see below).
The designated dealer would then thoroughly shuffle the deck and offer it to the player at his left (rather than the more usual right) for the cut. After the cut, the dealer would then deal out the top five cards from the deck to the player at his left (the trump caller). This player then picks up his cards for examination. After reviewing this hand, he then announces one of the four suits to be used as the trump suit for the hand. After this announcement, the dealer then deals a similar five-card face-down packet to each other player resuming from the trump caller in a clockwise direction. After this, he deals to each player, again in a clockwise direction, a four card packet of cards, and then lastly each player receives a final four card packet. Each player should thus receive a total of 13 face-down cards.
If the trump caller finds that his hand contains no cards of rank King, Queen, or Jack (picture cards) after the completion of the deal, he may (but is not required to), announce this and show his cards. This results in the cards being thrown in and a new deal being dealt by the same dealer and same trump caller.
The trump caller leads the first card to the first trick. The leader to a trick may play any card of choice still remaining in his hand. He plays this card face-up to the center of the table to start the trick. Each other player, in a clockwise direction around the table then plays a card from their hand to the same trick. If a player has a card of the suit originally led to the trick he must play such a card. If he has no cards of the suit originally led to the trick, he may play any card from his hand, including a card from the trump suit.
After each player has played one card to the trick, it is determined who has won the trick. The trick is won by the player of the highest card in the trump suit played to it. If the trick contains no cards from the trump suit, it is instead won by the player of the highest card in the suit originally led to that trick. The winner of each trick leads the first card to start the next trick. Cards won in tricks are set aside, in a face-down pile, out of play.
In many games of Troefcall, especially in tournament settings, it is traditional for the players to not speak during play of the hand, unless absolutely necessary, and in any event players should never make comments about play or the cards during play.
If any team manages to win the first seven tricks in a row, play temporarily stops, and that team must decide if they want to attempt to play on, to win all 13 tricks during the hand. The player who won this seventh trick may immediately stop the play of that hand, tapping the table or stating "kap partij". His team immediately wins
five points for winning the majority of the tricks during the hand. If the player thus winning this seventh trick elects not to stop play, his partner may also elect to stop play, similarly tapping the table or making the announcement of "kap partij". In the event the player's partner has such announced this, play also immediately ceases for the current hand, and that partnership scores two points. If neither the player nor his partner stop play, the game continues with that partnership attempting to win all 13 tricks during the hand. If that team does manage to thus win every trick during the hand, the team scores 15 points for the feat (called baunie). However, if they lose any trick
during the remainder of that hand, play of the hand immediately ends and the opposing team wins 2 points, instead.
If neither team manages to win the first seven tricks of the hand, the hand continues until one of the teams wins it's seventh trick on that hand. At that point, play stops, and the team winning that seventh trick on the hand earns two points.
The first team to reach or exceed a total accumulated score of 15 or more points at the end of a hand is declared the game winner.
If the trump makers team manages to score during the hand, the same dealer deals again and the same trump maker is set for that next hand. However, if the opponents of the trump maker score on a hand, on the next hand, the previous trump caller is set as the dealer, and the player at his left is set as the new trump caller.