Fingerkloppe facts for kids

Fingerkloppe, also known as Kloppe, is a fun card game popular with kids and teens in German-speaking countries. Sometimes it's even called Rot Händle ("Little Red Hand") or Folter Mau Mau ("Torture Mau Mau") – but don't worry, it's all just for fun! You usually play it with a 32-card Skat pack, but you can use more cards if lots of friends are playing.

How to Play Fingerkloppe

Getting Started

To begin, the dealer gives four cards to each player. The player to the dealer's right gets five cards and starts the game. Your main goal is to collect four cards that all have the same value, like four Aces or four Kings. This is called a quartet.

Playing Rounds

If you have five cards, you choose one card you don't need for a quartet and pass it to the player on your right. That player takes your card, and then they pass one of their cards to the player on their right. This keeps going around the table.

If a card makes a full circle and comes back to the player who first passed it, that card is taken out of the game. Then, a new card is drawn from the top of the remaining cards (called the talon) to keep the game going.

Winning a Round

When a player successfully gets four cards of the same value in their hand, they quickly place these cards face-up in front of them and shout "Fingerkloppe!". As soon as you hear this, everyone else must immediately put their cards down too. The last player to put their cards down is the loser of that round. If only two people are playing, the loser is simply the one who couldn't make a quartet.

Fun Penalties

After a round, the loser gets a light, playful penalty. There are a couple of traditional ways to do this, but remember, it's all about having fun and being gentle! Players can always agree on their own safe and silly penalties.

Penalty System One

In one way, the loser names a specific card, like the Ace of Hearts. The winner then shuffles the remaining cards (the talon) and starts looking through them from the top. When the chosen card appears, the winner picks up all the cards down to that one. The loser then gets a very light, playful tap on their fingertips with this small stack of cards. It's just a quick, gentle reminder of who lost the round!

Penalty System Two

In another way, the loser names a card and also decides if the winner should count cards from the top or bottom of the talon. The loser then places one hand, palm down, under the table. The winner picks a card from the top or bottom of the talon. The suit of that card tells what kind of super light, fun action the loser gets:

• Hearts = The winner gently strokes the back of the loser's hand.
• Diamonds/Bells = The winner gently rubs their knuckles over the back of the loser's hand.
• Spades/Leaves = The winner makes a very soft, pretend "punch" (like a feather touch!) on the back of the loser's hand.
• Clubs/Acorns = The winner gives a very gentle, soft pinch on the back of the loser's hand.

This continues until the named card appears. Then, a new game begins!

Game Variations

Players often come up with their own fun twists on Fingerkloppe:

• Sometimes, every player gets to give a light, playful penalty to the loser, not just the winner.
• You can remove some quartets from the deck before playing. For example, if four people are playing, you might use 16 cards (four quartets). These cards are shuffled and dealt evenly to each player. The game then plays as usual until someone gets a quartet.