troeven

Troeyen? troeven are trump cards in Dutch card games. The term troef (singular) denotes a designated suit or set of cards that outranks others in a trick-taking round, and the plural troeven refers to the trump cards themselves or the entire trump suit in a given game. The designation and the exact ranking of troeven are determined by the rules of each game.

How troeven work varies by game. In trick-taking games that use a trump suit, a card of the trump suit generally beats cards from other suits, and the winner of each trick is determined by the game’s ranking rules. If both players play a trump, the higher-ranked trump wins according to the game's order. Players typically must follow the led suit if possible, with trumping allowed when following is not possible. The specific order of cards within the trump suit and how many trump cards are in play depend on the game.

Etymology and usage. The term troef is used in Dutch card-game vocabulary to denote trump cards. Beyond card games, troeven is used metaphorically to denote an advantage or "trump card" in a negotiation or strategic situation; a common expression is "een troef achter de hand hebben" (to have a trump card up one's sleeve).

See also: Trump (card game) and other discussions of trump cards in trick-taking games.