 20th century Poch board (Pochbrett) | |
| Origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Release date | Before 1441 |
| Type | Melding, vying and shedding |
| Family | Stops group |
| Players | 3–8 |
| Skills | combinations, chance |
| Age range | 10+ |
| Cards | 32 or 52 |
| Deck | French or German-suited pack |
| Rank (high→low) | A K Q J 10 – 7 or 2 |
| Play | Anticlockwise |
| Playing time | 10 min |
| Related games | |
| Nain Jaune • Pope Joan | |
Poch, Pochen or Pochspiel (French: Poque) is a very old card game that is considered one of the forerunners of poker, a game that developed in America in the 19th century. An etymological relationship between the game names is also assumed.[1] Games related to Poch are the French Glic and Nain Jaune and the English Pope Joan.[2] Other forerunners of poker and possible relatives of the game are the English game, Brag, from the 16th century and the French Brelan (later Bouillotte) and Belle, Flux et Trente-et-Un. Poch is recorded as early as 1441 in Strasbourg.[3] In north Germany it was called by the Low German name of Puchen or Puchspill, and the board was a Puchbrett.[4]
Pochen is also another name for the card game Tippen or Dreiblatt.[5]
- ^ Parlett 1990, p. 86.
- ^ Pope Joan, description of the game by David Parlett.
- ^ Parlett 1990, pp. 88 and 95-98.
- ^ Schütze (1800), p. 238.
- ^ Hoffmann 1874, p. 119.