Illustrated Tarock () or Illustrated Dreiertarock is an Austrian card game that has been described as the "queen" of all three-handed Tarock games played with the 54-card pack. It was thought by Mayr and Sedlaczek to be extinct but, in 2009 when the two Tarock authors were guests on an ORF radio programme, players from Vienna called in who confirmed they still played the game.Illustriertes Tarock 1: Ein interessantes und herausforderndes Spiel zu Dritt by Wolfgang Mayr & Robert Sedlaczek in Wiener Zeitung, 7 February 2009. It is sometimes called Point Tarock which, however, is a different, probably extinct, game, albeit a close cousin. Although it has "a reputation for being a little more convoluted than the others", Furr maintains that this is not so, but recommends that players become familiar with Tapp Tarock before attempting this game.
History and etymology Illustrated Tarock is one of a family of classical Austrian card games known as Tarock games; so much so, that the area of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, in which they have a strong tradition, has been described as 'Tarockania'.Tarockania at web.archive.org. Retrieved 19 September 2020. These games have been featured in literature such as Herzmanovsky-Orlando's Masquerade of the Genii and Johann Nestroy's Zu ebener Erde und im ersten Stock. There are numerous variations of Tarock, many still played today, including the challenging four-player games of Königrufen (the "game of kings"), Zwanzigerrufen and Neunzehnerrufen, the original three-handed game of Tapp Tarock and its derivatives, and the "attractive" two-hander of Strawman Tarock.Kastner, Hugo (2005). "König- oder Zwanz'ger-rufen? Nein, Strohmandeln!" in Kartenspiele, p. 38.
In 1923, Unger published rules for Tapper (i.e. Tapp Tarock) which incorporated several additional optional bonuses such as Uhu, Absolut and Grammopoi, all of which eventually became part of Illustrated Tarock. After the Second World War, Löw printed a similar set of rules in 1954 under the name of Point Tarock. An elaboration known as Illustrated Tarock was recorded by Beck from 1965 and reprinted into the 1980s. Other versions are recorded by Grupp (1974), Alscher (2004), Bamberger (2011), Mayr and Sedlaczek (2015) and Stöckl (2019).
Name There is no consensus over the name of this game, which is variously called Illustrated Tarock (Illustriertes Tarock) or Point Tarock or both. However, both these names are also used for another, simpler, form of game that involves point-bidding, some calling that game Point Tarock and others, Illustrated Tarock. Since illustriertes implies "embellished", there is a logic in using Point Tarock for the variant that involves point-bidding and Illustrated Tarock for the more complex variant here that is embellished (Dummett suggests "embroidered") with additional announcements and bonuses making it "the queen of all Tarock games played with the 54-card pack, at least of three-handed ones." As Mayr and Sedlaczek explain, "the term 'illustrated' describes those card games that offer additional options of play."
Cards Like other Tarock games in Austria and other lands of the former Habsburg Empire, Illustrated Tarock uses a 54-card deck of the type described in the article on Königrufen. This deck contains 22 tarocks as trumps (I – XXI + Sküs) and 32 suit cards in the four French suits of Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs. The game uses the same values as other Austrian tarock games like Königrufen.
5 Points – Kings, I, XXI, Sküs; 4 Points – Queens; 3 Points – Cavaliers; 2 Points – Valets; 1 Point – remaining tarocks and pip cards
Scoring of card points is carried out using the Tarock scoring scheme by grouping cards into threes. From the points in each triplet, 2 are deducted e.g. King + Cavalier + X = 9 points, minus 2 points gives 7 points. If fewer than 3 cards remain, 2/3 points are deducted from the total. 1/3 or 2/3 points are rounded up or down at the end to the nearest whole number.
Rules An overview of rule sets showing the three main stages of development are given below. First, an example of the early, much simplified rules by Löw; next, the highly complex rules described by Beck; and, finally, the streamlined modern rules by Mayr and Sedlaczek.
Early simple variant (1954) Deal Dealer shuffles and offers to the pack to the left for cutting. Six cards are then placed face down on the table to form the talon; then the remainder are dealt, anti-clockwise beginning with the forehand, in packets of four; each player receiving 16 cards. If, after the deal, a player has no Tarocks in his hand, he shows his hand and the dealer re-deals.
Auction There are four positive contracts: 3 Blatt ("Three Cards"), 2 Blatt ("Two Cards"), 1 Blatt ("One Card") and Solo. They have a game value of 3, except for Solo which is 8.
Forehand begins by saying pass (weiter) or naming any contract. If a player passes, the right to bid goes to the next player in clockwise order. Once a player has bid, the next player may accept it (gut heißen) by saying "good" (gut), take it over with "take" or "I'll take it" (Ablösung), which raises the game value to 4, or name a higher bid. If his bid is 'taken over', the first player must accept or "hold" it (mein Spiel). If held, the second player may take it over again by saying "retake" (zweite Ablösung), in which case the game value rises to 5. Once either player drops out of the bidding by saying "good", the third player may now accept it with "good" or outbid it with a higher contract. Once a player has passed or accepted a bid, he may not take any further part in the auction. In addition, once a player announces a Solo the auction ends immediately; there is no option to take it over or hold.
The bid winner becomes the declarer and exposes the talon (except in a Solo) without changing the card order. If he bid 3 Blatt, he must take either the top or bottom three cards, add them to his hand and discard three to start his trick pile. In a 2 Blatt, he picks up the top, middle or bottom pair of the talon and discards two cards; in a 1 Blatt, he may select any card and discards one. The discards must not include the Sküs, Mond, Pagat or any Kings. A Tarock may only be discarded if there is no option and it must be placed face up. The discards count to the declarer at the end; the unselected talon cards are placed face down to start the defenders' trick pile and count to them. They may not be looked at thereafter until the end of the deal. Summary:
Contracts in early variant (Löw) Contract Game value Multiplier Talon exchange Basic 1st take 2nd take 3 Blatt 3 4 5 x 1 Declarer picks up top 3 or bottom 3 cards 2 Blatt x 2 Declarer picks up top, middle or bottom pair 1 Blatt x 3 Declarer picks up any one card Solo 8 – – x 4 Declarer does not exchange with the talon
Announcements The declarer may announce "40" before talon pickup, which is an intention to score at least 40 card points and earns 5 game points if successful. The opponents may respond with "contra", doubling the bonus score. After pickup, he may announce "Pagat", the intent to win the last trick with the lowest Tarock; or, optionally, "Uhu", the intent to do the same with the penultimate trick with the Tarock II. He may also announce "50", an intent to score 50 or more card points. When he has finished, the declared announces "ready" (es liegt), whereupon the defenders now accept the game and announcements by saying "good" or contra them separately. Each defender may also announce a Pagat or Uhu, the bonus counting to the individual, not the team. The points for these declarations are shown in the table below.
Play Forehand leads to the first trick and the winner of the trick leads to the next. Players must follow suit or, if unable, play a tarock. If neither is possible, they may play any card. A trick is won by the highest card of the led suit, or highest tarock if any are played. Tricks are placed face down and players may only view their own tricks.
Scoring Card points are added up using the usual Tarock scoring system (see above). Thirty-six points are needed to win. If the declarer wins, those points in excess of 35 are 'overshoot points'; if he loses, the points by which he falls short of 35 are 'undershoot points'. These count towards the score.
The basic game value is 3, except in the case of a Solo when it is 8, or if, during the auction, the winning bid was 'taken', in which case it is 4, or 'retaken' in which case it is 5. If the declarer wins, his score comprises the game value (3, 4, 5 or 8) plus overshoot points plus any bonus points. This raw score is doubled if he played a 2 Blatt, trebled for a 1 Blatt and quadrupled for a Solo. The losers each score for any bonuses they achieved; these are also multiplied depending on the contract. If the declarer loses, the defenders score the game value plus undershoot points plus any bonuses. Again, their raw score is increased by any multiplier. If an announced bonus fails, the points go to the opposition; likewise if the Pagat is played to the last trick and lost, the bonus for Pagat ultimo goes to the side that captured it.
Examples: if A declares a 2 Blatt with Pagat ultimo and wins it with 37 points, but loses the Pagat in the last trick, he scores (3 + 2) x 2 = 10 points. Meanwhile B and C score 10 x 2 = 20 each for the captured Pagat. If A declares a Solo with 50, wins with 51 points and declares a Royal Trull, he scores (8 + 15 + 3) x 4 = 26 x 4 = 104 points. If he only scores 49 points, he gets (8 + 3) x 4 = 44 points and the defenders each get 15 x 4 = 60 for the failed "with 50".
Game is 100 game points and there is a further 10 point bonus for any player who has 100 or more points when the game ends.
The possible bonuses are summarised in the table below:
Announcements and bonuses in early variant (Löw) Announcement or bonus Value (game points) Bonus name Meaning By whom Before Pickup After Pickup Silent Pagat Taking the last trick with the Pagat (Tarock I) Any player – 10 5 Uhu Taking the penultimate trick with the Tarock II Any player – 10 5 40 Scoring at least 40 points Declarer 5 – – 50 Scoring at least 50 points Declarer – 15 – Without Trull Winning without Trull cards in the opening hand Declarer – – 5 Without Kings Winning without Kings in the opening hand Declarer – – 5 Tarock Trull All 3 Trull cards in the hand before play starts Any player – – 3 Royal Trull All 3 Trull cards in the hand before play starts Any player – – 3 2 Tarock Honours Two Trull cards in the hand before play starts. Any player – – 1 N.B. This table gives the 'raw scores' which must be multiplied by the contract multiplier and as a result of any contras.
Complex variant (1950s–1980s) The rules given here were first published by Fritz Beck in 1956 and reprinted into the 1980s. They are confused in places, so this overview incorporates corrections and clarifications by Dummett.
Deal Deal and play are anti-clockwise. A player is nominated as the dealer by lots. The dealer shuffles, and the player on his left cuts or knocks. Six cards are dealt face down to for a talon. The rest of the cards, even if they have been 'knocked', are dealt in four packets of four cards.
Auction Before the auction (Lizitation), players examine their cards to decide whether they will bid. As before, there are four positive contracts: Dreiblatt, Zweiblatt, Einblatt and Solo, all with a basic game value of 3.
The bidding process is as before with the following exceptions: only the lowest bid of Dreiblatt may be 'taken over' (das Spiel lösen = 'take over the game') by an announcement of Unterer and this may only happen once, raising the game value to 4. If it is held, the game is worth 5. If all pass, the cards are redealt; alternatively players may agree to play a Trischaken (see below).
Announcements