The player of a Zwiccolo ouvert commits himself to make two tricks, not more and not less. As with all ouvert games, the cards of all players are uncovered after taking the first trick and playing the first card after that. Apart from that, the rules for negative games apply. In a Zwiccolo game, you can subdivide your hand cards in the following categories:
- Safe takers
- Unsafe takers
- Unwanted takers
- Unsafe non-takers
- Safe non-takers
The Zwiccolo ouvert player should act follows:
- If he can lead the first card, this should happen three times only, he should try to make the unwanted takers non-dangerous by playing them as first card. Because of the over trumping obligation, the opponents must take them if possible.
- If he has reached the committed number of tricks already or he has enough safe takers left and he is forced to overtrump the highest card on table, he should choose a card that could be over trumped by a following opponent if any possible.
- If he has not reached yet the committed number of tricks and he has no safe takers left, he should try to save his unsafe or unwanted takers against over trumping by an opponent.
The opponents of the Zwiccolo ouvert player should act as follows:
- As long as the Zwiccolo ouvert player still needs a trick and his best taker can be over trumped by another player, you should try to force the Zwiccolo ouvert player to play his best taker prior the player with that overtrumper.
- As long as the Zwiccolo ouvert player still needs a trick and his best taker cannot be over trumped by another player, you should try to avoid that trick until the Zwiccolo ouvert player must take more than two tricks. This can be achieved often by playing suits the Zwiccolo ouvert player has lower - escape - cards of.
- If the Zwiccolo player has taken two tricks already, you should try to bring that player in the leading position, who can play a card that the Zwiccolo ouvert player must overtrump so high that no follower can overtrump it once again.
- If you cannot recognize such a possibility, you should try to reduce the tarocks in your hand and in the hands of your partners.
For a Zwiccolo ouvert game, you should have 2 safe takers, not more and not less. You should not have any unsafe taker. The number of possibly unwanted takers should not be greater than 1. The remaining cards should be safe non-takers and not more than a few unsafe non-takers.