| The common ancestor of several American and south German games | |
 Hearts: the preference suit | |
| Origin | Bavaria |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | German Tarock, Tarok, Sansprendre. Native names: Deutsch-Tarok, Deutscher Tarock, Tarock |
| Type | Point-trick |
| Family | German Tarok group |
| Players | 3 |
| Age range | 10+ |
| Cards | 36 |
| Deck | German, Bavarian or Württemberg pattern |
| Rank (high→low) | A, 10, K, O, U, 9, 8, 7, 6 |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Playing time | 6 min/deal |
| Related games | |
| Bauerntarock • Bavarian Tarock • Frog • Grosstarock • Tapp | |
| Contracts: Frage, Solo and Heart Solo; no point bidding. | |
German Tarok, sometimes known as Sansprendre or simply Tarok, is an historical ace–ten card game for three players that emerged in the 18th century and is the progenitor of a family of games still played today in Europe and North America. It became very popular in Bavaria and Swabia during the 19th century before being largely superseded by Schafkopf, but has survived in the local forms of Bavarian Tarock and Tapp. During the mid-19th century, it became the most popular card game among Munich's middle classes and was also played in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by notable Bavarian author Ludwig Thoma, frequently appearing in his novels and journal articles. It was superseded after the First World War by other forms such as Bavarian Tarock.
German Tarok originated in an attempt to play the Tarot game of Grosstarock with a standard 36-card German-suited pack instead of Tarot cards, but later evolved into a much more interesting game featuring bidding and a suit of preference. The family of games descended from German Tarok includes Austrian Bauerntarock, Mexican rana and the American games of frog and six-bid solo.