Binokel it developed into the similar game of Pinochle. Binokel is also played in Switzerland. Binokel belongs to the family of melding and trick-taking games. Unlike others in the family, special card combinations (family, 4 of a kind, etc.) score additional points. After the deal, there is an auction to bid for the "dabb" (stack of undealt cards c.f. Skat) or "tapp". Players bid depending on the card points they expect to score from taking tricks and making melds. The team with the highest bid has to win the game, i.e. score more points in tricks and melds than they bid.
Pinochle team or player has been "set". This means that the total bid amount is subtracted from the total game score, often accompanied by losing the points scored in meld for that hand as well. This can result in a negative score. A related though different style of bidding is for the players to bid individually, and partners' bids are then summed. The winning bid only decides trump; both (or all) teams' bids become their contract, meaning any team can score or be set. This creates a more balanced game. In some versions of pinochle, after the bid has been taken