Jaggln
Jaggln
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Jaggln

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Jaggln

Jaggln or Jaggeln is an historical Tyrolean card game designed for five players that used to be played purely as a winter pastime by farming folk. An unusual feature are its three highest trumps known as Jaggl, Zanggl and Buggl. The aim is to win the majority of Gewisses – i.e. the four Sows, the four Tens and the Jaggl. So, for example, if a player holds all three top trumps, he is certain to win 3 tricks. And if, in doing so, he captures the four Sows, he has won because he has five of the nine Gewisses.

Hailing from the Brixental valley in Austria, Jaggln is an almost-forgotten, East Tyrolean card game which was described in 1938 by Schipflinger as "very special", its rules having been "passed from generation to generation only by word of mouth". Schipflinger recounted that it was played "when the long winter evenings draw in [and] it is not possible to work outside for as long as in summer. You do not want to go to bed immediately after the rosary [evening prayer]; you want entertainment [and] the best and most popular card game is Jaggln." It was a social game played between neighbours from just after Christmas to March.

Today the game is still played in some places in the region and courses have been held to teach it.

The name of the top trump, Jaggl, is a Tyrolean forename and means Jacob.

The following rules are based on the game as described by Schipflinger:

Jaggln is a partnership game in which the aim is to win at least five of the nine Gewisses (Gwiß). The Gewisses are the four Sows (actually Deuces, but sometimes erroneously called Aces), four Tens and the Jaggl (the Unter of Bells).

Jaggln is a game for five or six players. If seven play, the dealer sits out.

Jaggln is played with a Single German (Salzburg) pack comprising four suits – Acorns, Leaves, Hearts and Bells – and 33 cards i.e. the Sow to Seven in each suit plus the Six of Bells or Buggl.

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