Eleven edge cases, and the engine's verdict
The rules of Schotten Totten are short, but real games throw up situations the rulebook does not spell out. Rather than argue them out, we set each case up on a real board and asked the engine that referees games on this site whether it grants the claim. This table is checked by an automated test: if the engine ever changed its mind, the test would fail and the page would not be published.
| Situation (you are claiming) | Engine's verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have only two cards on your side, your opponent none | Refused | an incomplete side can never be claimed |
| Your 1-1-1 against their 3-3; the last unseen 3 is in your hand | Refused | your hand is no proof: that 3 could still reach them |
| Same position, but that last 3 is on the table | Granted | no 3 is left to give them three of a kind |
| Equal sums (4-5-9 against 4-5-9), you finished first | Granted | on a dead-even tie, the side completed first wins |
| Same tie, but they finished first | Refused | the same rule now works against you |
| Your colour run 7-8-9 against their blue 7-8, still incomplete | Granted | at best they tie, and they would finish after you |
| Your 8-9-1, mixed colours, against their run 2-3-4 | Refused | no wrapping around: 8-9-1 is only a sum |
| Your three 2s against their colour 9-8-6 | Granted | three of a kind beats a colour, whatever the total |
| Two stones proved at the same moment | Granted | both are taken in the same step |
| Three cards on a Mud Fight stone | Refused | you need four on your side |
| Your colour run 1-2-3 against their 9-9-8 under Blind-Man's Bluff | Refused | only the total counts: 6 against 26 |
Reference: the game's rulebook; see also the publisher's page for the game. The positions are replayed by the engine every time the tests run. For a walkthrough of a full game, start with the Schotten Totten rules.
Claiming: what counts as proof
The question that comes up most is the early claim: taking a stone before the opponent has filled their side. The principle: your side must be complete, and you have to show that no card still out of sight would let them beat you.
The catch is in the words out of sight. The cards you hold are not visible as far as the rule is concerned. They stay in the pool of cards your opponent could still receive, just like the deck and their own hand. Only cards played at a stone, or discarded face up, leave the calculation. Hence the two rows of the table: with the last 3 in your hand, the stone stays out of reach; once that 3 is played elsewhere, the claim goes through.
As for timing, the engine follows the rulebook's fixed order, in the base game and in the tactics variant alike: you play a card, you claim, then you draw; in the tactics variant you choose which deck to draw from after the claim. Only the rulebook's expert variant moves the claim to the start of your turn, and the site does not offer it. Every stone provable at that moment is taken together, and a claimed stone is closed for the rest of the game: nobody plays another card there. The step-by-step method, with annotated positions, is in when to claim a stone.
Ties: who wins the stone?
Two formations are compared first by rank (colour run, three of a kind, colour, run, sum), then by total. When rank and total are identical, one criterion is left: the order of arrival. The stone goes to whoever played the card that completed their side first.
This tie-break has a consequence many players only discover mid-game: against an incomplete opposing side, a possible tie does not stop you from claiming. Your side is finished now; theirs could only be finished on a later turn, so even their best possible formation would come second. That is the "colour run 7-8-9" row of the table: at most they can match it, and that is enough for the stone to be yours.
The reverse holds too. If you dawdle over completing a contested stone, you hand your opponent the winning tie. Playing your third card early is not just about the cards: it wins you every tie that might come later.
Formations: the common misreadings
Two mix-ups keep coming up. The first is runs that "wrap around": 8-9-1 or 9-1-2 are not runs, because values do not loop. In mixed colours, those three cards only count as a sum, and any run, even 2-3-4, beats them.
The second is the order between three of a kind and a colour. Three of a kind is stronger, even a modest 2-2-2 against a colour 9-8-6 with a far higher total. The reason is arithmetic: three of a kind is rarer than a colour, and the ranking follows rarity. The exact odds of each formation are worked out in the Schotten Totten formation odds.
Mud Fight and Blind-Man's Bluff
In the tactics variant, two cards change the rules of a single stone. Mud Fight requires four cards on each side: three cards, however strong, are not enough to claim. Blind-Man's Bluff removes formations: only the sum counts, so a colour run 1-2-3 loses to a plain 9-9-8. What each card does is covered in the Schotten Totten tactic cards.
Empty deck and the end of the game
When the deck runs out, the game goes on: each player plays a card from their hand, claims if they can, and simply skips the draw. Hands shrink, which makes proof easier, since fewer and fewer cards stay hidden. Even with the deck empty, your hand still proves nothing: the engine still counts it among the cards your opponent could get.
The game ends as soon as a player holds five stones in total or three adjacent stones. To choose where to fight before it comes to that, read our Schotten Totten strategy guide. If you are just starting out, begin with our Schotten Totten tips.
The short version
- A claim is proved with the cards on the table alone: what you hold in your hand does not count.
- Same formation, same total: the stone goes to whoever completed their side first; against a side that is still incomplete, the tie goes to the claimant.
- No wrapping around: 8-9-1 is not a run, just a sum.
- Every provable stone can be claimed in the same step, between playing and drawing, in the base game and in the tactics variant alike.
- Empty deck: you keep playing from your hand, you just stop drawing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim a stone before my opponent has finished their side?
Yes, if your side is complete and no card not yet on the table could give them a better formation than yours. The cards you hold are no proof: for the calculation, they are still cards your opponent could get.
What happens in a tie in Schotten Totten?
Same formation and same total: the stone goes to whoever completed their side first. If the opponent's side is not complete yet, the tie works in your favour, since they could only complete it after you.
What do you do when the deck runs out?
Nothing special: each player keeps playing a card from their hand and claiming, just without drawing. Hands shrink, and every card played carries more weight.
What if I can't play any card?
The rulebook only covers this case for the tactics variant, where you may then pass. This site's engine does the same in the base game: if every unclaimed stone is already full on your side, your turn passes, you keep your hand and the game goes on. If neither player can play any more and no stone can still be claimed, no rulebook covers it, so the engine ends the game: each undecided stone goes to the player whose side is complete, otherwise to the higher sum, and a game nobody has won by then is a draw.
Can you claim several stones in the same turn?
Yes. During the claim step you can take every stone whose proof is complete at once, whether that is one, two or more.
Do 8-9-1 or 9-1-2 count as a run?
No. Values do not wrap around: only three consecutive values, such as 7-8-9, make a run. In mixed colours, 8-9-1 counts as a plain sum of 18.