Grosstarock

Grosstarock
Old 78-card German Tarot (Tarock) game.
Cavalier of Clubs from a Tarot Nouveau deck
OriginGermany
Alternative namesGroßtarock, German Taroc
TypeTrick-taking game
Players3
Cards78
DeckTarot Nouveau
Rank (high→low)Trumps: 21–1
K Q C J 10 – 2 A
K Q C J A 2 – 10
Playsee text
Playing time20 min/deal
Related games
Droggn • Troccas • Troggu • Taroc l'Hombre
Fool as 'Excuse'.

Grosstarock (German: Großtarock) is an old three-handed card game of the Tarock family played with a full 78-card Tarot pack. It was probably introduced into the southern German states around 1720[1] but spread rapidly into Austria and northwards as far as the Netherlands and Scandinavia.[2] It only survives today in Denmark where it is called Tarok.

Classical Grosstarock is not related to the modern 54-card game known as Viennese Grosstarock which developed out of Zwanzigerrufen.[3]

  1. ^ Depaulis, Thierry (2010). "When (and how) did Tarot reach Germany?", The Playing-Card, 39 (2): 77–78.
  2. ^ Dummett (1980), p. 53.
  3. ^ Dummett & McLeod (2004), pp. 18–19.