In this final post, I am going to recap the discussed concepts in as few words as possible.
If you want to win at Schnapsen, you need to understand that you have to take as many tricks containing cards of high value as possible. Therefore, you need to start taking tricks at some point during a game. It makes no sense to stay passive. To reach the 66 card point mark, you must take at least 4 tricks if you do not announce a marriage.
An important concept involves protecting the lone tens, which will allow you to take tricks containing those tens. It would be a costly error to carelessly give these points away.
The strength of your starting hand makes a big impact on your strategy: If your hand is bad, try to limit the game points your opponent can score. If you have a good hand, try to score big.
If you have a hand at some point during a game that will allow you to score enough points most of the time, closing the deck usually is the best strategy. The only exception to this is when your opponent is very unlikely to take the next trick and when you have a significant chance of improving your hand with the next card.
Towards the end of a game, you must take the dead suits into account. During a game, you should try to put yourself into a position in which you can take advantage of the dead suits.
The farther you fall behind your opponent during a Bummerl, the more aggressively you should play. However, if you are the one that pulls away, try to choose strategies that will not let your opponent get back into the game.
If you try to incorporate the concepts we have discussed into your game, it will improve significantly. I am afraid that the articles may have been very mathematical for the most part, but this is what the difference between winning and losing comes down to. Obviously, we have not covered all possible situations, but you should be able to make the right conclusions in any new situations as you are familiar with the thought process that leads to making the right decisions.
