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. Games related to Poch are the French Glic and Nain Jaune and the English Pope Joan . 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 . In north Germany it was called by the Low German name of Puchen or Puchspill , and the board was a Puchbrett .
46-479: Pochen is also another name for the card game Tippen or Dreiblatt . A game called boeckels is attested as early as 1441 in a Strasbourg ordinance and surfaces periodically during the 15th century as bocken , usually in the context of being banned. It was mainly played in the south German states as well as Alsace and the Rhineland . By the 16th century the game had become well known enough to be featured in
92-469: A bête (the amount in the pot). Once the pot includes a bête , any player not confident of taking a trick may pass (" passen "); a player, however, with good cards, may say: "I'll go with you" ( "Ich gehe mit" ) or taps ( tippt ) his finger on the table. For each trick taken, a player receives one third of the existing pool. Players must follow suit or trump. The following modern rules are based on Grupp (1975) and Katira (1983) which are identical apart from
138-445: A Marriage or Sequence collects the counters for the individual cards as well as the combination. Counters not won are carried forward, added to in later deals until a player has that meld and clears the pool. Part 2 is a vying ( pochen ) stage where players may vie if they have a set of 2 or more cards of the same rank ; otherwise must pass . Forehand begins and may pass or "knock!" ( ich poche! ) and place 1 or more counters in
184-425: A Piquet pack of 32 cards, or by more players using a Whist pack of 52 cards. Players choose any seat and the first dealer is the one who is dealt an Ace. The dealer antes a basic game stake ( Kartenstamm ) of 3 counters ( Marken ) and deals each player 3 cards individually. The next is turned as trumps. When there is only a basic stake in the pool, everyone must play until there is a bête . For each trick won,
230-492: A 1519 satirical print of Emperor Charles V playing Bockspyl with an unnamed Turk and King Francis of France and for an anti- Luther pamphlet to be published called Bockspil . No detailed rules are known, but it is evidently a pure gambling game for any number of players. The oldest known board or Pochbrett is in the collections of the Bavarian National Museum and dates to the early 16th century. It
276-425: A 52-card French-suited pack and a staking board with eight pools. Each player antes 1 counter ( Marke ) to each of the following 7 rows or pools on the board: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Marriage (K+Q) and Sequence (7-8-9). The eighth row, Poch , is used in stage 2. The player who draws the first Ace deals first. He has the cards cut by the player to the right, deals 5 cards each (3+2) and turns
322-515: A gambling game of cards that is very widely played in Germany. It is played by 3–6 people with 32 cards or, with more participants, with 52 cards. The dealer pays three counters ( Marken ) as the initial stake ( Stamm ), deals each player 3 cards, one at a time, and turns the next for trump. If only the Stamm is available, all the players must play ( mitgehen ), and anyone who fails to take a trick pays
368-441: A gambling game similar to Grobhäusern and Trischak . In 1810 it is briefly described as follows: "Tippen... each of the participants in the game is dealt 3 cards, after which trump is then turned, with which he must be able to take at least one trick if he enters the game in order to win a part of the stakes ; [the game is named] from the fact that a player who wants to play in the game indicates this by tapping his finger on
414-416: A letter, Dorothea, Sibylle, Duchess of Liegnitz and Brieg described how the young noblemen ( Junkers ) passed their time "riding, travelling, fighting, fencing and playing pranks... at night it's time to play Puchen and roll the dice until the day breaks." She adds that some women also played dice and Puchen "in secret". Koch explains that "Puchen" was a popular card game at that time, but no longer common [in
460-406: A new ascending sequence. This continues until a player runs out of cards and becomes the winner of part 3, collecting from each player 1 chip per card still held in the hand. Pierer (1844) describes a domino -like version of part 3 where the first player (presumably forehand) plays any card, but typically the lowest card of the longest suit held by the player. The player with the next higher card in
506-407: A single trump." Each trick taken earned 1 counter. A variant called Loup or Wolf is also mentioned. "This is the same game, except that each player is dealt 6 cards, and so at most only five may play, because otherwise there would not be enough cards. The dealer antes 6 counters, not 3, so that when there is no bête, each trick earns 1 counter." In Ludwigslust Castle is a surviving example of
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#1732787904386552-407: A so-called "Loup Table" ( Loupe-Tisch ), a card table with seating for six players and six money pockets at each place. In 1859, von Alvensleben gives a more detailed account of the game under the names of Dreiblatt, Dreikarten or Tippen . He also notes that it was sometimes played with four cards and known as Vierblatt to evade anti-gambling laws. The game is played by 3 to 6 players using
598-407: A time, to each player and the next turned for trumps before one more card each is dealt (Katira). Players now examine their hands, assess whether they can take at least one trick and bid to "play" or "pass". If they pass, they lay their cards face down on the table. If they want to play, they tippen i.e. tap their fingers on the table. If all pass, the next dealer also pays a stake, shuffles, offers
644-420: A token is paid from the pot ( Pot ). Anyone who fails to make a trick, antes a bête equal to the basic stake. When there is a bête in the pot , players may choose to play or pass; a player who passes throws his cards, face down, on the table; one who plays, undertakes to make at least one trick and does this by saying "I'm playing" ( ich spiele ) or tapping ( tippen ) his finger on the table. Each player that takes
690-422: A trick receives one third of the bête and anyone who fails to take a trick must double the pot. All new bêtes are added to any existing ones. Players must follow suit if possible, otherwise may trump if able. If the trick has already been trumped, they may overtrump or discard as they please. If there are at least three active players , the first must lead a trump. A player who took the first trick and has
736-557: Is a glossary of terms used in card games . Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to bridge , hearts , poker or rummy ), but apply to a wide range of card games played with non-proprietary packs. It should not include terms solely related to casino or banking games. For glossaries that relate primarily to one game or family of similar games, see Game-specific glossaries . Note: Dummett prefers to restrict 'announce' for
782-496: Is generally defined as a sequence of at least three consecutive cards of a suit, e.g. ♥ J - ♥ 10 - ♥ 9. Sometimes it is also played in such a way that the player who has the highest ranking sequence (according to Meyer) may collect the stakes from the Sequence pool. Here, a longer sequence beats a shorter sequence, a higher sequence beats a lower sequence, if both sequences are of equal length and ran, Trumps beat
828-441: Is not often won. If a pool is not cleared in the course of melding, its stakes remain in place and, at the start of the next deal, new stakes will be added to it. A player who wins a figure or combination takes all the stakes in the relevant pool, including any left over from previous deals. The next stage is Pochen , a vying round which resembles a simple poker game. The dealer asks "Who's knocking?" Beginning with forehand ,
874-456: Is played between 3 to 6 people. The dealer antes 3 counters ( Marken ), deals each person one card, three times in succession, the ninth, which belongs to him, determines trumps. Everyone must play the first hand . Anyone who fails to take a trick pays, the first time, 3 counters, and doubles the pool . When there is a bête [pool with more than 3 counters], anyone may pass . In this game you can lose with 2 trumps, and make 2 tricks without
920-613: Is square in shape and has 7 rows of 6 cells each, marked out by white lines. The top row displays German-suited playing cards , probably of the Ansbach pattern . These cards, all in the suit of hearts, are the Deuce, King, Ober, Unter and Ten ("X") and there is also a column for Bock ( Poch ) depicted by a billy goat . Other boards of that period were rectangular, often columnar, and with additional compartments for Sequenz (sequence), Braut (marriage) and Trio (run of 6-7-8). In 1619, in
966-552: The Ace , King , Queen , Jack , Ten , Mariage (King + Queen), Sequence (7 + 8 + 9), Poch (Joker) and Pinke (centre pot , pronounced "pinker"). Deal, vying and play are clockwise. Before the start of the game, the board is dressed in that each player antes one chip to each of the nine. The Pochen receives additional stakes during the 2nd phase and the Pinke is won in the 3rd phase along with any direct payments for cards left in
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#17327879043861012-452: The Poch row. In turn players (a) pass, or (b) " hold " ( ich halte! ), placing a stake equal to that of the knocker, or (c) "knock higher" ( ich poche nach! ), i.e. raise , and add a higher stake. A player not willing to hold a raise, folds and forfeits his or her stake. Once no-one wants to raise further, those who held the last raise reveal the cards they are vying with and the player with
1058-465: The 3 cards each player is dealt. It appears related to the Danish game of Trekort whose rules appear as early as 1774 and again in an Jørgensen's 1829 Danish game anthology. Tippen is played with a 32-card Piquet pack . The suits are illustrated in the table below. Card ranking is: Ace > King > Queen > Jack > Ten > Nine > Eight > Seven. The following rule sets indicate
1104-475: The English game of Three-Card Loo . It was banned as a gambling game in some places. The game was described in 19th century anthologies and encyclopedias but appears related to 3-card Loo , which was already described in the 18th century. In some locations the game was illegal. Dreiblatt is recorded as early as 1807 as a gambling game in which players received three cards, and Tippen is mentioned in 1790 as
1150-468: The amount in the relevant pool of the board. Players with the King of trumps, Queen of trumps, Jack of trumps, and Ten of trumps do the same. If a player holds the combination of King and Queen in trumps, he receives the stake for Marriage as well as the stakes in the two individual pools for the King and Queen. The stake on the Sequence pool goes to the player who has the 7, 8 and 9 of the trump suit and
1196-400: The cut and redeals . If only one player tipps , that player wins the pot, the dealer rotates and a new deal begins. Each active player , beginning with forehand , may now exchange up to 3 cards, laying their discard(s) face down; the dealer then gives them the same number of cards from the talon . Forehand , or the next active player sitting after the dealer in clockwise order, leads to
1242-487: The description at pagat.com which, in turn, reflects the typical rules supplied with the game and in books. The board used is of the modern circular type with eight 'scoops' around the outside and one in the centre. Poch is a family game for 3 to 6 people using a pack of 32 French or German-suited playing cards . If 5 or 6 play, a pack of 52 playing cards is recommended. Also needed is a Poch board ( Pochbrett ) with 9 compartments or pools into which are placed stakes for
1288-422: The development of the game from the early 19th century to the present. Note that, although most sources cite three to five players, Pierer suggests the game is also playable by two or up to ten players. Von Alvensleben says that more than five players require a 'whist pack'. The earliest known rules appeared in 1821 under the name Drei Karten ("three cards") and describe the game as follows: "Drei Karten. This
1334-454: The early 1800s]. The trumps were numbered as in Tarock and were called Puch . The one who led a Puch or trumped another card with one, knocked on the table. This may account for the custom among "common people today" of hitting the table during card games. The game of Poch went through its 'dark ages' from around 1620 to 1710 when neither references nor boards are recorded, but re-emerges in
1380-558: The early 18th century. This is also when the first octagonal boards appear. These were joined and eventually superseded by round boards in the 19th century. Over the centuries the number of compartments rose from the original six to the nine that are used today. Pochen was not only popular in the German-speaking area of central Europe, but also appears to have spread to France. Poch was and is played in many variations with different details; its rules have changed over time and even
1426-425: The first player with has a set ( Kunststück ), i.e. two or more cards of the same rank , may knock on the table or say "I'll knock!" and place a number of chips in the Poch compartment. Or forehand may name the stake by saying e.g. "I'll knock one!" and staking one chip or "I'll knock three!" and staking three chips. Any player who thinks he can beat the 'knocker' ( Pocher ) with a better set says "Hold!" and places
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1472-428: The first trick. Players must follow suit; trump if unable and head the trick if possible. If unable to do any of those, they may discard any card. The aim is to win at least 2 of the 3 tricks. Each won trick is worth a third of the pot. Any active player who fails to win a single trick must pay a bête equivalent to the contents of the pot (Katira) or the basic stake of 3 counters (Grupp). Grupp and Katira mention
1518-527: The following as variations: Where the game was illegal under its name Dreiblatt , players sometimes played a variant with a hand of 4 cards. This was a game in its own right known variously as Vierblatt , Angehen or (especially in south Germany and Austria) Mauscheln . Today, Mauscheln is common in Austria and south Germany, unlike Tippen which is not played in Austria, but still played in Germany. See above . In forehand The following
1564-517: The highest set wins. Forehand leads. Cards rank in natural order and players must follow suit , otherwise cannot play a card at all. The player who plays the highest card wins the trick and leads to the next trick. The first player to shed all cards is the winner and the game stops as soon as the winner plays his or her last card, even if the others can follow suit. The winner receives as many counters from each other player as they have cards in their hand. The modern rules reproduced below are based on
1610-399: The highest wins both the contents of the Poch pool. Sets must be either four of a kind ( Gevierte ), three of a kind ( Gedritte ) or pairs ( Paare ). Any four of a kind beats any three of a kind and any three of a kind beats a pair. If the sets are of the same type, the higher ranking set wins; if two players have sets of the same rank, the player with the trump card wins. If all but one pass,
1656-473: The losing players' hands. The dealer shuffles the cards, offers to the right for cutting, deals out all the cards bar the last one which belongs to no-one but is turned face up to determine the trump suit . After the cards are dealt, the players move to the first stage of the game, melding, where they declare their 'figures' or combinations. For example, if a player has the Ace of trumps, he reveals it and collects
1702-466: The method of dealing and the penalty for taking no tricks. Three to five players play with a 32-card Piquet pack . The cards rank in the natural order (aces highs) - see above. Deal and play are clockwise. Dealer pays 3 counters into the pot ( Pott , Topf or Kasse ), shuffles , offers the cut to the player on the right, deals 3 cards, one at a time, to each player, and turns the next card for trump (Grupp). Alternatively, 2 cards may be dealt, one at
1748-521: The modern rules are not universal or binding like the rules of chess . The rules reproduced below are based on the description in Von Alvensleben (1853). The board illustrated is of the earlier, rectangular type that date to at least the early 16th century. The aim is to win counters by melding , vying ( pochen ) and shedding . Three to eight may play, but the game is best for three to six. Deal, vying and play are clockwise. Players required
1794-400: The next for trump . Players show cards or combinations in the trump suit matching those on the board and collect the counters from the corresponding row. A player with the trump K+Q wins Marriage ; the player with the highest run wins Sequence ; if they are the same, a trump sequence wins; if they are the same and neither is in the trump suit, the player in forehand wins. A player with
1840-498: The other suit; if that does not make a difference, then the player closer to the left of the dealer wins. Tippen Tippen , also known as Dreiblatt , Dreikart , Drei Karten , Dreekort , Kleinpréférence or Labet , is an historical German 3-card, plain-trick game which was popular as a gambling game for three or more players. The Danish version of the game was known as Trekort and more elaborate Swedish variants include Knack and Köpknack . It appears to be related to
1886-421: The player left in wins and does not need to show any cards. Thus bluffing is possible. The last stage of the game is the 'playing out' ( Ausspielen ) or shedding phase. The winner of part 2 leads and may play any card onto the centre pot of the board. Whoever has the next higher card in suit sequence plays it and this continues until no-one has the next card. The person who played the last and highest card starts
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1932-470: The same suit (which could be the same player), places it on the card played, etc. until the run ends because it is either completed with the Ace or the next higher card is in the talon. The player who played the last card may now start a new run with any card. The game continues in this way until a player can discard his or her last card. This player now receives as many chips from each player as they each have cards in their hand. According to Meyer, Sequence
1978-544: The same number of chips in the pool as the knocker did. Alternatively a player may take over as knocker by saying "I'll knock higher!" or "I'll knock two!", thus raising the stake. However, a player who thinks he or she has little chance of winning, may fold by saying "pass" and drop out of this stage of the game, losing any stake placed to that point. Bidding continues around the table until the amounts bet by all those left in are equal or until all bar one have folded. If at least two players are left in, they reveal their sets and
2024-478: The table." In 1816, Tippen is included in a list of German card games, but the earliest description of the rules appears in 1821 in Das neue Königliche l'Hombre as Drei Karten ("Three Cards") along with a variant called Loup or Wolf ( loup being French word "wolf"), described below . Several early 19th century sources affirm that Dreiblatt and Tippen were the same game. By 1836 it had reached Mecklenburg where it
2070-400: The trump Deuce , must lead it to the second trick. To limit the size of the pot, players usually agree a maximum bête. Everything above that is set aside for the next or subsequent deals along with the basic stake anted by the dealer. Von Alvensleben records the following variations: Tippen is described in the 1905 edition of Meyers Lexikon as follows: Tippen (Dreiblatt, Zwicken),
2116-436: Was played by the lower classes exclusively with French-suited cards alongside Schafskopf , Fünfkart and Solo , the dignitaries playing Whist , Boston , Ombre , Faro and, less often, Solo as well. Tippen is German for tapping and refers to the practice of players tapping on the table to indicate that they intend to "play" and not "pass" i.e. drop out of the current game. Dreiblatt or Drei Karten refers to
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