The Danish Tarock is the last surviving game of the Grosstarock family that originated in Germany. It has some striking differences from other tarot games making it a good for a bit of a change as well as an exciting variation in its own right. Unlike other tarot games of this section, there is a round of obligatory declarations, so that players can work out quite a lot about where the cards lie from the start.
It is a game for three players, played with a 78 card French suited pack using irrational ranking. The Fool is used as an excuse and play is counter-clockwise.
This game is best played with hard score, so you will need some poker chips and two bowls or plates to serve as a King Pot and a Pagat Pot.
There is no bidding in this game and while you do score for card points in your tricks, the real aim is to try and win an Ultimo (the last trick) with either a King or the Pagat, winning you the respective pot.
The Foundation
At the start of the game, players pay 40 points in chips into each of the pots as a foundation payment. Thereafter, should one of the pots be emptied, each player must again pay 40 points into it.
Deal and Discard
The first Dealer is chosen at random with deal moving to the right after each hand. Each player is dealt 25 cards in packets of 5, with Dealer taking the last three cards to have 28. Dealer must then discard 3 to the stock pile.
Honours and Kings may not be discarded and nor may trumps unless the discard will leave Dealer void in trumps (ie. leave Dealer without any trumps).
Cards may not be discarded if they would count towards a bonus declaration (see below). If there is no option but to discard such a card, then Dealer must show them and must declare for bonuses with these cards.
Dealer then pays 5 points into each pot.
Bonuses
Before play commences, players score for having certain combinations in their hand. These declarations are not optional though. This can give away a great deal of information about your hand to the other players, so the bonus payments awarded should be seen as compensation. When a player declares for a bonus, the other players must pay immediately.
Kings:
Full Kings: All four kings (10 points)
Abundant Kings: All four kings and the Fool (15 points)
Half KingsThree: Kings and the Fool (5 points)
Royalty: This is based on having the court cards of one a single suit.
Full ‘suit name’: All four court cards of that suit (10 points)
Abundant ‘suit name’: All four court cards of that suit and the Fool (15 points)
Half ‘suit name’: Three court cards of that suit and the Fool (5 points)
You must declare for each qualifying suit.
Honours:
The Honours are The Fool, Pagat, & Mond.
Four Honours are the Honours + 20 of trumps
Five Honours are the Honours + 20 and 19 of trumps
….and so on to the 2 of trumps.
The Honours score 10 points with a further 5 for each trump
Trumps: Players must declare for 10 or more trumps. As with the other bonuses, the Fool is counted but unlike them, it is not indicated. However, if you have the Pagat, you must indicate it in your declaration: eg “13 trumps with the pagat”
10 Trumps score 10 points with a further 5 for each additional trump.
Play
Eldest, the player to Dealer’s right, leads to the first trick, playing any card in his/her hand to the middle of the table. Each player in turn, moving to the right, must then play a card of the same suit (follow suit). If a player cannot follow suit, then they must play a trump, if they cannot play a trump, then they can play any card, though it will not win. If no trumps have been played, then the highest card of the suit led wins the trick and that player takes the cards and puts them into his/her trick pile. Otherwise, the highest trump played wins the trick.
The Fool may be played to any trick as an excuse for not playing a card you are otherwise obliged to play, but may be neither won nor lost. At the end of a trick to which the Fool has been played, the person who played it takes it into his/her own trick pile and gives the player who won the trick, an empty card from their trick pile in exchange. If a slam is won, that is, when a player takes all the tricks in the game, then the Fool is won also.
There are two payments that apply during play up to but excluding the last trick:
If the Pagat is played to a trick but does not win it, then the player pays each of the other players and the Pagat Pot 5 points.
If a King is played to a trick but does not win it, then the player pays each of the other players and the King Pot 5 points.
Finishing the Hand
Slam: If a player takes all the tricks, each of the other players must pay 85 points (this is in addition to the card points) and both pots are won.
Beggar: If one player (ie not if a slam has been won) takes no tricks, then Ultimos and Baguds are not counted. Each of the other two players must pay 25 points.
Pagat Ultimo: If the last trick is won with the Pagat, then the Pagat Pot is won and each of the other players must pay 45 points.
King Ultimo: If the last trick is won with a King, then the King Pot is won and each player must pay 40 points.
Simple Ultimo: If the last trick is won but without a King or the Pagat, then each player pays 20 points.
Pagat Bagud: If the Pagat is played to the last trick but does not win, then each of the other players and the Pagat Pot must be paid 45 points.
King Bagud: If a King is played to the last trick but does not win, then each of the other players and the King Pot must be paid 40 points.
Payments for Card Points:
Except for Eldest, the players now count their card points:
Each point under 26, rounded to the nearest multiple of 5, is paid to Eldest.
Each point over 26, rounded to the nearest 25, is paid by Eldest.
Finishing the Session:
After the last game, if there is anything left in the pots, then they are divided equally between the three players.
