Grosstarock

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 but spread rapidly into Austria and northwards as far as the Netherlands and Scandinavia. 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.

This form of Tarot game was introduced into Germany from France around 1720, its initial terminology and mode of play being typically French. The original game - which may be referred to as classical Taroc (Tarocspiel or Taroc-Spiel) - was a simple, three-hander with no bidding but several card combinations, as can be seen from descriptions in the 1750s. However, it differed from its French predecessor in having significantly fewer declarations; in addition, the Fool had to be played before the last three tricks, not just before the final trick, and there was a new emphasis on the Pagat Ultimo bonus.

The next development of the game is first described in the 1783 edition of Das neue Königliche l'Hombre which, for the first time, records a feature whereby a player taking no tricks is able to score all the points. Dummett sees this as the distinguishing mark of the game he calls Grosstarock and believes that this name was not introduced until the mid-19th century. More recent research has revealed that, in fact, the name Grosstarock was being used far earlier than that. For example, it is recorded in 1785 that "Großtarock" was one of several card games played in Göttingen, and, in 1803, a Professor Wildt wrote that "the so-called Gross-Taroc, in which 6 to 7 ultimo’s are possible, and several are tried at the same time, really requires more mental effort than the usual chess game." Meanwhile German authors use the term more widely; for example, Mayr and Sedlaczek refer to the 1754 rules as the "oldest surviving form" of Grosstarock, while Alscher describes the Danish version as "Danish Grosstarock".

According to Dummett, the name 'Grosstarock' ("Great Tarock") was coined at a time when the 78-card game was being threatened by competition from newer games played with a shortened, 54-card pack. However, there is no evidence of 54-card games being played in northern Germany and Denmark where Grosstarock was popular in the late 18th and early 19th century, so it may be that the name arose in southern Germany or Austria and migrated north with the game or that the name was coined to avoid confusion with Tarok l'Hombre which was popular across Germany as stated in contemporary sources such as the 1838 ladies' encyclopaedia, the Damen Conversations Lexikon. As Tarok l'Hombre became more popular among the middle classes during the 19th century, Grosstarock continued to be played by the common folk, which may have resulted in another name for it: Schustertaroc or Schuster Tarock (literally: "Cobbler's Tarock").

In Germany and Austria, Grosstarock continued to be played throughout the 19th century. Dummett believed that it did not survive the First World War, but Hülsemann states in 1930 that Grosstarock was still popular in southern Germany and Austria, while in 1892, the Coburger Zeitung confirms that Tarok is only native to Austria and Bavaria. Neither country produces 78-card Tarock packs any longer.

The game was known in Denmark as early as 1770 where it was played at the royal court. The first rules were published in 1786, and by 1840 they already included features that are peculiar to the Danish variant, such as separate pots for the King and Pagat ultimo. The Danes also retained the anticlockwise mode of play and adopted a very wide range of declarations, although some authors counselled against having too many.

The game is still played in Denmark today where it is usually called Tarok. However, this game is also referred to – for clarification – in English as Danish Tarok or Danish Tarock. The modern Danish game is played in a form that Martin argues is close to the original German Grosstarock. The Danes produced their own Tarok cards from the mid-18th century, initially based on the Bavarian Animal Tarot pattern and later to Jacob Holmblad's own design, but manufacture of all Danish Tarok cards had ceased by 1939, so nowadays they use imported French Tarot Nouveau packs. In 2010, the Danish Tarock Association (Dansk Tarokforbund) was formed and, today, there are local clubs in Aarhus, Aalborg, Allerød, Blovstrød, Brabrand, Fredericia, Hjørring, Holbæk, Kalundborg (the Royal Tarock Club and the Kalundborg Tarock Club), Nørrebro, Randers and Westre.