Bidding is the process in many card games, such as Skat, Pinochle, Binokel, Bridge, Solo Whist, Préférence, L’Hombre, Bauernschnapsen and most types of Tarock, whereby players compete to be able to specify the type of contract, the trump cards and/or to be able to pick up a set of face-down cards known variously, for example, as the talon, skat, dabb.[1]
Bidding is one of only two major innovations to traditional trick-taking games since they were invented; the other being the idea of a trump suit.[2] The concept of bidding comes from the game known in Spain as Tresillo and elsewhere as Ombre or L'Hombre. Ombre emerged in Spain between 1600 and 1650 from the Spanish variant of Triomphe (Triumphus Hispanicus).[3]