How to Play Schmier
Everything you need to know to sit down at the table and play.
What is Schmier?
Schmier (also spelled Smear, Schmear, or Shmeer) is a partnership trick-taking card game in the All Fours / Pitch family. It's fast, clever, and rewards partnership, strategy, and a good memory. In North America it's played mainly in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Ontario — passed down through generations at family gatherings, church suppers, and small-town taverns.
Four points are available in a given hand (that's the "all fours" trademark): High, Low, Jack, and Game — plus, in many regional versions, a fifth point: Jick (the off-suit jack).
Note: The exact rules vary from table to table and town to town — and that's part of the tradition. Below is the common "Standard" core. Each regional family keeps its own flavor, which you'll find on the Variants page.
The Standard Core
The commonly agreed foundation that most versions share.
Players & Cards
- Players: 2 partnerships of 2 (4 players), or 2 partnerships of 3 (6 players) in the shorter variants.
- Cards: A standard 52-card deck, plus (in most variants) one or two jokers.
- Goal: Be the first partnership to reach the agreed target score (commonly 11, 21, 32, or 52 — set before play).
The Deal
The dealer deals the full deck out to the players.
After the deal, the deck's bottom card is typically turned up or "kicked" to establish trump — or players may bid for the right to name trump.
Bidding(where used)
In the auction-style versions, players bid to set trump, offering their partnership's point-taking ability. The winner of the auction names trump.
Not all regional variants use bidding — some play straight "the bottom card or a turned card is trump." That's the modular difference.
The Four (or Five) Points
| Point | Awarded to | How |
|---|---|---|
| High | The partnership that takes the highest trump in play | Aces are high in trump |
| Low | The partnership that takes the lowest trump | The lowest trump card (often deuce) |
| Jack | The partnership that takes the jack of trump | Classic "Pitch" point |
| Jick | The partnership that takes the jack of the off-suit | (variant) The "extra" point in many versions |
| Game | The partnership with the most counting cards in tricks won | Scrums/point cards (commonly: every 10, and sometimes aces) count toward game |
The Play
- Trump is named (by bid or by the turned card).
- Eldest hand leads the first trick.
- Players follow suit if able; if not, they may play trump or discard ("smearing" / throwing).
- The highest trump, or the highest card of the led suit if no trump is played, wins the trick.
- The winner of each trick leads the next.
- The hand ends when all cards are played; points are scored, running score is announced, and the next dealer deals.
Winning
The first partnership to reach the agreed target wins the game.
Each table plays it a little differently — that's the tradition. Ready to explore the versions?
Explore the Variants →Find Your Table
Join the PlaySchmier community on Discord to find players near you, ask questions, and share how your family plays.