Tippen, also known as Dreiblatt, Dreikart, Drei Karten, Dreekort, Kleinpréférence or Labet, is an historical
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
3-card,
plain-trick game
A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a '' hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of such ...
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 the English game of 3-Card
Loo. It was banned as a gambling game in some places.
History and etymology
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 a gambling game similar to
Grobhäusern
Grobhäusern is an historical German vying game in which players bet and then compare their 4-card combinations. It is played by two to eight players using a 32-card piquet pack. The game was illegal in most places. It was popular in rural Upper ...
and
Trischak,
[Förster, Thomas (1790), ''Thomas Försters Erzählungen von seinen Reisen in allen vier Welttheilen.'' Vol. 1. Weißenfels: Friedrich Severin. p. 199.] and in 1816 as a German card game, 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.
[_ (1821), p. 347]
''Tippen'' is
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
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 the 3 cards each player is dealt. In an 1829 Danish game anthology a variant was described under the name ''Trekort''.
Tippen is described in the 1905 edition of
Meyers Lexikon as follows:
Cards
Tippen is played with a 32-card
Piquet pack
Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" but ...
. The suits are illustrated in the table below. Card ranking is:
Ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...
>
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
>
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
>
Jack
Jack may refer to:
Places
* Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community
* Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA
People and fictional characters
* Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
> Ten > Nine > Eight > Seven.
Rules
The following rule sets indicate 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'.
Drei Karten (1821)
The earliest known rules appeared in 1821 under the name ''Drei Karten'' ("three cards") and describe the game as follows:
"Drei Karten. This is played between 3 to 6 people. The dealer antes 3 tokens, gives 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 tokens, and thereafter as much as is in the pool. When there is a
bête
Bête, la Bête (french: Jeu de la Bête), Beste or la Beste (''Jeu de la Beste''), originally known as Homme or l'Homme (''Jeu de l'Homme''), was an old, French, trick-taking card game, usually for three to five players. It was a derivative of Tr ...
, anyone may pass. In this game you can lose with 2 trumps, and make 2 tricks without a single trump."
Dreiblatt or Tippen (1859)
In 1859, 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
Mauscheln, also Maus or Vierblatt, is a gambling card game that resembles Tippen, which is commonly played in Germany and the countries of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Background Origin of the name
The name Mauscheln means something lik ...
'' to evade anti-gambling laws.
Preliminaries
The game is played by 3 to 6 players using a
Piquet pack
Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" but ...
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 tokens (''Marken'') and deals each player 3 cards individually. The next is turned as trumps.
Bidding
When there is only a basic stake in the pool, everyone must play until there is a
bête
Bête, la Bête (french: Jeu de la Bête), Beste or la Beste (''Jeu de la Beste''), originally known as Homme or l'Homme (''Jeu de l'Homme''), was an old, French, trick-taking card game, usually for three to five players. It was a derivative of Tr ...
. For each trick won, 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; if a player passes, he throws his cards, face down, on the table; if he plays, he 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 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.
Play
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 player
Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position.
Position
Games of Anglo-American origin
In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...
s, the first must lead a trump. If the player who took the first trick has the trump
Deuce, he 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.
Variations
Alvensleben records the following variations:
* Robbing (''rauben'') must be agreed beforehand. A player who holds the seven of trumps may rob the trump upcard before play begins.
* Sniffing (''riechen'') is when the dealer has the right to swap the trump upcard for a hand card that he then discards face down. The dealer must announce this by saying "I'm sniffing" (''ich rieche!'') and he must then play, unless he exercises the option to drop out and pay a simple bête i.e. a single stake. If he plays and takes no tricks, he pays a double bête.
* Hop and jump (''Hupf und Sprung'') is the feature that when the pack is cut, the lowest card is viewed and the deal passes to the next player if it is an Ace or Seven. This is done to raise the contents of the pot because the new dealer must also ante the basic stake. With this variation, players are not forced to play when there is only a basic stake in the pot.
Tippen (20th century)
The following modern rules are based on Grupp (1975) and Katira (1983) which are identical apart from the method of dealing and the penalty for taking no tricks.
Preliminaries
Three to five players play with a 32-card
Piquet pack
Piquet (; ) is an early 16th-century plain-trick card game for two players that became France's national game. David Parlett calls it a "classic game of relatively great antiquity... still one of the most skill-rewarding card games for two" but ...
. The cards rank in the natural order (aces highs) - see above. Dealing and play are clockwise. Dealer pays 3 chips into the pot (''Pott'', ''Topf'' or ''Kasse''), shuffles, offers the cut to rearhand (to his right), deals 3 cards, one at a time, to each player, and turns the next card for trumps (Grupp). Alternatively, he may deal 2 cards, one at a time, to each player and turn the next for trumps before dealing one more card each (Katira).
Bidding and exchanging
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 the cut and redeals. If only one player ''tipps'', he 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.
Play
Forehand, or the next active player sitting after the dealer in clockwise order, leads to 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
Bête, la Bête (french: Jeu de la Bête), Beste or la Beste (''Jeu de la Beste''), originally known as Homme or l'Homme (''Jeu de l'Homme''), was an old, French, trick-taking card game, usually for three to five players. It was a derivative of Tr ...
equivalent to the contents of the pot (Katira) or the basic stake of 3 chips (Grupp).
Variations
Grupp and Katira mention the following as variations:
*
Force called ''Tipp-Zwang'' is played when there is only the basic stake in the pot.
* Shoving (''schieben''). The dealer pays the ante but may 'shove' the cards to his left for the next player to add another ante and then deal. That player may also shove.
* Knocking. The dealer has the right to 'knock' on the - as yet unfaced - trump card before looking at his own hand. He picks the trump up without revealing it, announces the trump suit, picks up his hand and discards a card. A dealer who knocks and fails to take a trick pays a double stake. If he takes just one trick he pays a single stake.
* Sniffing (''riechen''). All is as in von Alvensleben's account, except that the requirement to sniff before looking at one's hand is not explicit.
Variants
Vierblatt or Mauscheln
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
Mauscheln, also Maus or Vierblatt, is a gambling card game that resembles Tippen, which is commonly played in Germany and the countries of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Background Origin of the name
The name Mauscheln means something lik ...
'', ''
Angehen'' or (especially in south Germany and Austria) ''
Mauscheln
Mauscheln, also Maus or Vierblatt, is a gambling card game that resembles Tippen, which is commonly played in Germany and the countries of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Background Origin of the name
The name Mauscheln means something lik ...
''. Today, Mauscheln is common in Austria and south Germany, unlike Tippen which is not played in Austria, but still played in Germany.
Loup or Wolf
Loup or Wolf was a variant for up to 5 players in which each was dealt 6 cards. The dealer paid 6 chips to the pot, each trick won earning one chip unless a
bête
Bête, la Bête (french: Jeu de la Bête), Beste or la Beste (''Jeu de la Beste''), originally known as Homme or l'Homme (''Jeu de l'Homme''), was an old, French, trick-taking card game, usually for three to five players. It was a derivative of Tr ...
has been paid to the pot. The game is recorded in the 1821 and 1841 editions of ''Das Neue Königliche l'Hombre''.
[
]
See also
* Vierblatt
Mauscheln, also Maus or Vierblatt, is a gambling card game that resembles Tippen, which is commonly played in Germany and the countries of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Background Origin of the name
The name Mauscheln means something lik ...
* Zwicken
Zwicken is an old Austrian and Germany, German card game for 4 to 6 players, which is usually played for small stakes and makes a good party game. It is one of the Rams group of card games characterised by allowing players to drop out of the curre ...
Footnotes
References
Literature
* _ (1821)
''Das neue Königliche l’Hombre nebst einer gründlichen Anweisung''
16th revised edition, Herold & Wahlstab, Lüneburg.
*.
* Campe, Joachim Heinrich (1807). ''Wörterbuch der Deutschen Sprache''. Volume 1. Brunswick.
Geiser, Remigius (2004). "100 Kartenspiele des Landes Salzburg"
in ''Talon'', Issue 13.
* Grupp, Claus D (1975/1979). ''Karten-spiele'', Falken, Niederhausen.
* Heinsius, Theodor (1818). ''Volksthümliches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache'', Volume 1 (A–E). Hanover: Hahn.
* .
* Katira, Kay Uwe (1983). ''Verbotene Kartenspiele''. Wilhelm Heyne, Munich.
* Meyer, Joseph (1909)
"Tippen"
Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Volume 19. Leipzig, p. 564.
*
* Pierer, H. A. (1863)
"Tippen"
in ''Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
Heinrich August Pierer, c.1850
Heinrich August Pierer (26 February 1794 in Altenburg – 12 May 1850, Altenburg) was a German lexicographer and publisher known particularly for his ''Universal-Lexikon der Vergangenheit und Gegenwart'', a multi-vo ...
'', Volume 17. Altenburg.
External links
''Dreiblatt''
at www.neuropool.com.
{{Trick-taking card games
German card games
Gambling games
Rams group
French deck card games
Austrian card games
Multi-player card games
19th-century card games