Playing the Score
The same trick means something different depending on the score: comfortably ahead you play it safe, badly behind you take risks you'd never touch otherwise. Knowing where the game stands changes what the right card even is.
Read the official scoring rules.
Ace and Ten of Hearts: twenty Augen sitting in two cards. Whether you chase them or let them go depends entirely on the score.
Already won? Play it safe
At 61 Augen the game is yours no matter what happens next, so stop taking risks. Play your lowest cards and let tricks go: there's nothing left to prove, only Schneider left to think about.
Behind? Take the trick
Badly behind late in the round, the calculus flips: a trump you'd normally save is worth spending if it's the only way to win the trick. Every point still matters more than keeping a card in reserve for a later trick that might not come.
Can't win this one
Not every trick is yours to take. When nothing in your hand beats what's already on the table, don't waste a good card trying: play your lowest and save the rest for a trick you can actually win.