A game clearly developed from the Austrian game of Königrufen but has enough differences to make it individual and play certainly has a different feel to it. The usual version played is the four player but there is a strategically more demanding three player version.
Cards
This is played with an Austrian Tarock pack of 54 cards using irrational ranking. It is made of:
22 Trumps, numbered I-XXI, and the Fool which counts as the highest trump.
Swords & Batons / Spades & Clubs
K, Q, C, V, 10, 9, 8, 7
Cups & Coins / Hearts & Diamonds
K, Q, C, V, 1, 2, 3, 4
The card values are:
The card points are counted in groups of 3 cards, subtracting 2 points for every group. Two odd cards count for 1 less than their sum and one odd empty card counts for nothing. This gives at total of 70 card points.
Rings
This is an unusual feature that affects the players scores quite dramatically. When drawing up a score sheet, a row is draw below each players’ name and above where the scores are tallied. When a bid or bonus marked with an * is played, then a ring is drawn in this row for each player. When a ring is used to affect the score, it is filled in.
Deal
The first Dealer is chosen at random, the deal moves to the right. The first 6 cards are dealt to the table as a stock, then each player receives two packets of 6 cards. If one player has been dealt no trumps, then they must declare this, the hand thrown in, re-dealt and played as a All Beggars (see bids below) without any bidding or bonuses.
Bidding
Starting with Eldest’s right, each player may bid to play as Declarer, either against all the other players or with a partner.
Call With Two: Declarer may call a King for a partner and exchange two cards with the stock. Scores 20
Call With One: Declarer may call a King for a partner and exchange one card with the stock. Scores 30
Solo With Three: Declarer plays without a partner and exchanges three cards with the stock. Scores 40
Solo With Two: Declarer plays without a partner and exchanges two cards with the stock. Scores 50
Solo With One: Declarer plays without a partner and exchanges one card with the stock. Scores 60
*Beggar: The stock is ignored. Declarer plays without a partner and contracts to lose every trick. There are no bonuses allowed, players must play to win a trick if they can, they may not play the Pagat unless they have no other legal card to play or unless it is to the Emperor Trick (see bonuses below). Scores 70
*Solo Without: Declarer plays without a partner and does not exchange with the stock. Scores 80
*Beggar Exposed: The stock is ignored. Declarer plays without a partner and contracts to lose every trick with all his/her cards exposed. There are no bonuses allowed, players must play to win a trick if they can, they may not play the Pagat unless they have no other legal card to play or unless it is to the Emperor Trick (see bonuses below). Scores 90
*Colour Slam Without: Declarer plays without a partner, does not exchange with the stock and contracts to win every trick. There are no bonuses and trumps lose their ability to trump, instead they are treated like a normal suit. Scores 125
*Slam Without: Declarer plays without a partner, does not exchange with the stock and contracts to win every trick. Scores 500
If any of the players have bid, then Eldest may now claim priority and take the bid for him/her self. If all players pass, then Eldest must choose from either:
*All Beggars: The stock is ignored, all play alone to take as few points as possible, players must play to win a trick if they can, they may not play the Pagat unless they have no other legal card to play or unless it is to the Emperor Trick (see bonuses below). Players lose as many game points as they win card points.
Call With Three: Eldest is Declarer, may call a King for a partner and exchange three cards with the stock. Scores 10
Calling for Partner
If the bid requires it, then Declarer must call a King and whoever holds that card is Declarer’s partner for the hand. As is common in these games, partner may not identify him/her self in any way but through playing their hand or by declaring for a bonus (see below). It is acceptable for Declarer to call a card that he/she holds and thus play alone, though they might have been better to bid a higher contract if they had such a strong hand. If Declarer has three of the Kings, then ‘the forth King’ can be called, instead of naming the suit. If the called King is in the stock, then Declarer must play alone.
Exchange
If the Declarer has bid to exchange one card, then the stock is exposed and Declarer has free choice of the cards. If Declarer has bid to exchange two cards, then the stock is divided into three groups of two cards and exposed. Declarer must pick two grouped cards. If the Declarer has bid to exchange 3 cards, then the stock is divided into two groups of three. Declarer must pick three grouped cards. The remainder of the stock will count towards the opponents tricks at the end of the game. Declarer must then discard a number of cards equal to those taken from the stock. The discarded cards may not include Honours or Kings and may only include other trumps if there is no choice, in which case the discarded trumps must be shown to the other players.
Should the called King be found in the stock and Declarer takes the card as part of the exchange, then there is a chance for Declarer to win the remainder of the stock for his/her own trick pile. If, after taking the King, Declarer can win a trick with it, then the stock cards are won with the trick.
With the exchange completed, then if no partner has been called, Declarer has one further privilege, to raise the play bid to a *Colour Slam:
In this case, Declarer contracts to win every trick. There are no bonuses and trumps lose their ability to trump, instead they are treated like a normal suit. Scores 125
Bonuses
Bonus points are awarded for the following feats but the points are doubled if they are announced directly after the bidding and exchange are finished. These are awarded as game points rather than card points and so they do not count towards winning a hand.
Honours: Take all three Honours in tricks. Scores 10 points
Full Kings: Take all four kings in tricks. Scores 10 points
King Ultimo: Win the last trick with the called King. Scores 10 points
Pagat Ultimo: Win the last trick with the Pagat. Scores 25 points
*Slam: Take all tricks. The bid and other bonuses do not score if this is won, or if it was announced and lost. Scores 250
Play
If a bid lower than Beggar is being played (this includes All Beggars and Call With Three), then Eldest leads to the first trick - otherwise, Declarer leads. Play moves to the right, each player in turn must follow suit or, if they cannot, they must play a trump. If they can neither follow suit or trump, then they may play any card - though it cannot win. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick unless a trump was played, then it is highest trump that wins. However, there is one exception to this called the Emperor trick: if all three Honour cards are played to the same trick, then it is the Pagat that wins it.
There is a fixed penalty of 20 game points for losing the Mond to a player in the other team, payable to the winner of the trick.
Scores
Finally, those rings come into play! If the bid was won and Declarer has an outstanding ring, then the points for the hand and any bonuses played to it are doubled and the ring is cancelled by filling it in. If the bid was lost, then, if Declarer has an outstanding ring, the points are still doubled but the ring is not cancelled.
Where there are partnerships, the risks and rewards by winning the hand and any bonuses are shared equally.
For all bids over and including Beggar, the game score is fixed. If the bid is won, this is paid by each of the defenders to the winning side. If lost, the defenders are each paid this.
For Calls and Solos with an exchange, the hand is won by winning 36 or more card points. The points won or lost are equal to the bid’s score plus the difference in points over or below 35. Again, if won, this is paid by each of the defenders to the winning side. If lost, the defenders are each paid this.
After this, bonuses are scored.
If, after the scores are tallied, a player’s score is exactly 0, or equals any multiple of 500, then the next hand is played as All Beggars - no bidding, no bonuses.
Ending the Game
This is why those rings are important. If, after the game reaches its agreed end, any player has any unused rings, then they must pay each of the other players 100 points for each ring. A harsh punishment for not bidding to play!
Tarok for Three
Deal
The first six cards are dealt to the stock. The players are then dealt 16 cards in two packets of eight cards.
Bidding
There are no partnership bids available, leaving:
Solo With Three: Declarer plays without a partner and exchanges three cards with the stock. Scores 10
Solo With Two: Declarer plays without a partner and exchanges two cards with the stock. Scores 20
Solo With One: Declarer plays without a partner and exchanges one card with the stock. Scores 30
*Beggar: The stock is ignored. Declarer plays without a partner and contracts to lose every trick. There are no bonuses allowed, players must play to win a trick if they can, they may not play the Pagat unless they have no other legal card to play or unless it is to the Emperor Trick. Scores 70
*Beggar Exposed: The stock is ignored. Declarer plays without a partner and contracts to lose every trick with all his/her cards exposed. There are no bonuses allowed, players must play to win a trick if they can, they may not play the Pagat unless they have no other legal card to play or unless it is to the Emperor Trick. Scores 90
*Colour Slam Without: Declarer plays without a partner, does not exchange with the stock and contracts to win every trick. There are no bonuses and trumps lose their ability to trump, instead they are treated as a normal suit. Scores 125
*Slam Without: Declarer plays without a partner, does not exchange with the stock and contracts to win every trick. Scores 500
If all players pass, then All Beggars is played.
Bonuses can be announced and played as for four players.
