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Grasobern, Grasoberl, Grasoberln, Graseberla, Grünobern, Lauboberl or Laubobern is a
card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...
that was once commonly played in Old Bavaria, especially in the old counties of
Bad Aibling Bad Aibling (; ) is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some southeast of Munich. It features a luxury health resort with a peat pulp bath and mineral spa. History Bad Aibling and its surroundin ...
and
Rosenheim Rosenheim () is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an independent city located in the centre of the Rosenheim (district), district of Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria), and is also the seat of its administration. It is located on the west bank of the Inn ...
, and is still popular in eastern Bavaria, especially in
Upper Palatinate The Upper Palatinate (; , , ) is an administrative district in the east of Bavaria, Germany. It consists of seven districts and 226 municipalities, including three cities. Geography The Upper Palatinate is a landscape with low mountains and nume ...
. The game has relatively simple rules and thus a rather relaxing and leisurely character without the mental demands of
Schafkopf Schafkopf (, lit. 'sheep's head'), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a popular German Trick-taking game, trick-taking card game of the ace–ten family for four players that evolved, towards the end of the 19th century, from German Schafkopf. ...
or psychological stress of Watten, two other traditional Bavarian card games. The name is taken from the game's penalty card, the
Ober Ober may refer to: * Ober (playing card), court card in the German and Swiss styles of playing cards * Ober, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Starke County * Oberek (also ''ober''), a lively Polish dance in triple metre ...
of
Leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
. The suit of Leaves is known in German variously as ''Laub'' ("leaves, foliage"), ''Gras'' ("grass") or ''Grün'' ("green").


History

Grasobern originated in "Old Bavaria" –
Altbayern Altbayern (; , also written Altbaiern, English: "Old Bavaria") is the territory and people of the three oldest parts of the present Free State of Bavaria, which were earlier known as Kurbayern (English: "Electoral Bavaria") after the former Elect ...
''Bayerische Kartenspiele: Vom Aussterben bedroht: Retten Sie das Karteln!''
at www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de. Retrieved 17 August 2018
- and is recorded in the ''Bavarian Courier'' as early as 1826 (as ''Grünober'') being played at home around the table by the "master craftsmen, journeymen and apprentices", along with
Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...
,
Schafkopf Schafkopf (, lit. 'sheep's head'), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a popular German Trick-taking game, trick-taking card game of the ace–ten family for four players that evolved, towards the end of the 19th century, from German Schafkopf. ...
, Kreuzmariage, Matzlfangen and others. However, as Lauboberspiel ("the game of Laubober") it was already popular by around 1800 as a form of evening relaxation during long winter evenings in rural communities where it was known as "the brothers' game" due to the low stakes it was played for. As Laubobern, Grasobern or Grasoberln, the game features in 19th century poetry and literature as a social game. Meyer (1852) includes it among the drinking games together with Cerevis, Schlauch and
Quodlibet A quodlibet (; Latin for "whatever you wish" from '' quod'', "what" and '' libet'', "pleases") is a musical composition that combines several different melodies—usually popular tunes—in counterpoint, and often in a light-hearted, humorous ma ...
. Competitions known as ''Grasober-Rennen'' (lit. "Grasober Races") were held as early as the mid-19th century in
Lower Bavaria Lower Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state. It consists of nine districts and 258 municipalities (including three cities). Geography Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two ...
, for example, in
Landshut Landshut (; ) is a town in Bavaria, Germany, on the banks of the Isar, River Isar. Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free state (government), Free State of Bavaria, and the seat of the surrou ...
or
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. Sometimes these were held alongside other tournaments for games such as Schlauch, Tarok
Wallachen Wallachen is an Old Bavarian card game, which used to be very popular in eastern Bavaria. Ober > Unter > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7. Trumps In the normal game, the card led to the first trick determines the trump suit for the hand. Within the trump su ...
and even
Quadrille The quadrille is a dance that was fashionable in late 18th- and 19th-century Europe and its colonies. The quadrille consists of a chain of four to six ''Contra dance, contredanses''. Latterly the quadrille was frequently danced to a medley of ope ...
. These competitions occurred regularly until preparations for the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
began, but restarted in the late 1920s and 1930s (alongside
Tarock Tarock is German for Tarot and may refer to: * German Tarok, progenitor of a family of American and Austro-German card games * Bavarian Tarock, once popular Bavarian card game * Königrufen, most popular Austrian tarot game, often just called Ta ...
) in
Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat of the district gove ...
. Today competitions are still played, for example, in
Bromberg Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its left-bank tributary, the Brda, the strategic location of Bydgoszcz has made it an inland ...
,
Windach Windach is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps ...
, Reutberg,
Bad Aibling Bad Aibling (; ) is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some southeast of Munich. It features a luxury health resort with a peat pulp bath and mineral spa. History Bad Aibling and its surroundin ...
and
Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...
, but are sometimes called ''Preisgrasobern'' ("Prize Grasobern") or ''Grasober-Turniere'' ("Grasober tournaments"). No early rules are known, but it is likely that it began as a relatively simple game, played like its American cousin, Slobberhannes, to which the various ''Bettel'' and ''Mord'' contracts were added later. This had happened by 1890 at the latest for we read that, in a competition in Griesbach, prizes were awarded not just for the winners, but for the player who had paid the most penalties for the Grasober and for those who had won or lost the most Mord and Bettel games. Together with Schafkopf, Watten, and
Wallachen Wallachen is an Old Bavarian card game, which used to be very popular in eastern Bavaria. Ober > Unter > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7. Trumps In the normal game, the card led to the first trick determines the trump suit for the hand. Within the trump su ...
, Bohemian Watten and Grasobern were once among the most popular card games in Old Bavaria and therefore an integral part of Bavarian pub culture. Although great fun, these two games are hardly played today and are thus threatened with extinction.Rohrmayer (2017), p. 2. As a result, both cultural and traditional costume (''
Trachten ''Tracht'' () refers to traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions. Although the word is most often associated with Bavarian, Austrian, South Tyrolean and Trentino garments, including lederhosen and dirndls, many other German ...
'') societies are striving to keep the game alive by holding
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
s. Even municipalities, such as the market town of
Bruckmühl Bruckmühl (Central Bavarian: ‘’Bruckmui’’) is a market town in the district of Rosenheim, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the River Mangfall, 16 km west of Rosenheim Rosenheim () is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an inde ...
, or smaller local associations, for example the volunteer fire-brigade in the market town of
Metten Metten is a municipality in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany. The town grew up around the Benedictine Metten Abbey, founded in 766. Metten is also the birthplace of former Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e ...
, routinely hold tournaments for Grasobern,
Schafkopf Schafkopf (, lit. 'sheep's head'), also called Bavarian Schafkopf, is a popular German Trick-taking game, trick-taking card game of the ace–ten family for four players that evolved, towards the end of the 19th century, from German Schafkopf. ...
and other card games. Some societies are also teaching children how to play the game. The game is named after the Ober of Leaves or 'Grass Ober', known in German as the ''Gras-Ober'' or ''Grasober''.''Grasoberln – In der Oberpfalz beliebt''
at www.br.de. Retrieved 17 August 2018
In Austria, it is usually known as ''Grünobern'', but also goes under the names of ''Bauernsuchen'', ''Grasobern, Grasoberln, Grasoberspiel, Grünbubenspiel, Grüneln, Grünoberfangen'' and ''Grünoberjagen''. Players of the game are known as ''Grasoberer'' and competitions as ''Grasoberrennen'' ("Grasober Races") or ''Grasober-Turniere'' ("Grasober Tournaments").


Players and cards

Grasobern is usually played with four players and a traditional pack of 32 Bavarian-pattern playing cards, although it can theoretically be played with as few as three or as many as eight players. In the trade, card packs are usually marketed under the name ''Tarock/Schafkopf,'' from which the Sixes are removed in order to play Grasobern. Each player is dealt the same number (e. g. 40) of counters or coins (''Spielmünzen'' or ''Blöcke'') of the same value (e. g. 5 euro cents); at the end the difference is balanced out by 'buying' (''Zukaufen'' i.e. losses) or 'selling' (''Verkaufen'' i.e. winnings). If three play, the Sixes and Sevens and Eights are removed and each player receives 8 cards. In Austria,
William Tell pack German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional playing card used in many parts of Central Europe characterised by 32- or 36-card packs with the suits of Acorns (''Eichel'' or ''Kreuz''), Leaves (''Grün'', ''Blatt'', ''Laub ...
s are always used and the game may be played with 32 or 36 cards.


Card ranking

There are no
trumps A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its usual rank in trick-taking games. Typically an entire suit is nominated as a ''trump suit''; these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the terms ''trump c ...
in Grasobern. The ranking of card values follows the hierarchy of
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 suc ...
s, such as Watten, i. e. the Ten ranks between the Unter and the Nine. The ranking of cards in each suit is as follows (highest to lowest): Sow (''Sau''), also called the
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 a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
(''Ass'') albeit in reality a Deuce (''Daus'') >
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
>
Ober Ober may refer to: * Ober (playing card), court card in the German and Swiss styles of playing cards * Ober, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Starke County * Oberek (also ''ober''), a lively Polish dance in triple metre ...
> Unter > Ten > Nine > Eight > Seven.Sirch (2008), pp. 54–55.


Aim

Grasobern is a pure
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 suc ...
. In the 'normal game' the aim is to avoid taking the first trick, the last trick and the trick containing the ''Grasober'', the Ober of Leaves. Taking these tricks results in a penalty (''Miese''), which means that the player who wins them has to pay an agreed fee in coins or counters, such as a ''Fünferl'' (five cents) or ''Zehnerl'' (10 cents), into the pot or has points deducted. There are also higher contracts than the normal game.. In ''Mord'' ("murder") and ''Schleichmord'' ("sneaky murder"), the aim is to win all the tricks. In ''Bettel'', the goal is to lose all the tricks. In these three contracts, the ''Grasober'' is not relevant for scoring purposes.


Dealing

Dealing proceeds clockwise and each player receives eight cards in two packets of four; thus all cards are dealt and there is no talon as, for example, in
Bavarian Tarock Bavarian Tarock () or, often, just Tarock, is a card game that was once popular in Bavaria and also played in parts of Austria as well as Berlin. The name is a clue to its origin in the historical German game of ross-arock, a game using traditio ...
.{ If the player to the right of the dealer knocks with his fist on the deck, instead of
cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the sca ...
, stakes are doubled and each player is dealt one packet of eight cards in clockwise order.


Playing


Bidding

After each player has received eight cards, the player to the left of the dealer,
forehand The forehand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and pickleball, where the palm of the hand precedes the back of the hand when swinging the racket. In tennis, except in the context of the phrase ''forehand volley ...
begins a single round of bidding in which players either pass or bid to play a ''Mord'' or a ''Bettel''. ''Mord'' outranks ''Bettel'', but if two players announce a contract of equal value (e. g. two bid for a Bettel), positional priority decides; i.e. player nearest to the dealer's left has priority. If all pass, a normal game is played.


Normal game

If all pass, a normal game is played in which every player plays for himself. There are no teams. Forehand leads to the first trick and everyone else must follow suit. A player unable to follow suit, must play the ''Grasober'' if held. If not, any card may be played. In addition, the ''Grasober'' must be played if the King of Leaves or Sow of Leaves has been led. Taking the first or last trick costs the player a unit or ''block'', e.g. 5 cents, to the
pot Pot may refer to: Containers * Flowerpot, a container in which plants are cultivated * Pottery, ceramic containers made from clay * Cooking pot, a type of cookware * Pot, a beer glass Places * Ken Jones Aerodrome, IATA airport code POT * ...
. Anyone who captures the ''Grasober'' in his tricks pays out two ''blocks'' to the pot. If a player incurs all the penalties, i. e. takes the first and last trick as well as the ''Grasober'', he is a Farmer (''Bauer'') and has to pay four ''blocks'' to the pot. His fellow players stand up with a shout of "Hello!" to draw his attention to the fact that he has to pay a total of four ''blocks''. Payment is made to a common pot, which is divided equally among the players at the end. If a player has wrongly played the ''Grasober'', he pays the two ''blocks'' due to the pot and is thus punished for his infringement. At the end of the game, or as agreed, the pot is divided among the players.


Other contracts

In addition to the normal game there are three higher contracts: * ''Mord'' * ''Bettel'' * ''Schleicher'' The Grasober plays no role in these contracts and the payments for winning or losing are paid directly from the loser(s) to the winner(s); the pot is not involved.


Mord (Rufmord)

If a player believes he is in a position to win all the tricks, he can announce a Mord (which roughly corresponds to the Solo Tout in Schafkopf). The Mord declarer may call for a card from his opponents and exchange it for any card from his hand. To compensate for the benefit of an additional card, the player called to give up the called card has the right to announce and play a Return Bettel (''Retour Bettel''), also called a Re-Bettel. Otherwise the Mord declarer is allowed to play his announced game. The other three players then form the defending team in a Mord. So unlike a normal game, Mord is not everyone for himself, but one against three. In Mord the declarer leads to the first trick, irrespective of which player is sitting in the forehand position. If the declarer wins, he is paid four ''blocks'' by each loser; if he loses, he pays four ''blocks'' to each defender. If the declarer opts not to exchange a card, he automatically plays a Herrenmord, in which the stakes are doubled to eight ''blocks'' per defender.


Bettel

If a player believes he can avoid taking any tricks, he can announce a Bettel. Unless a Mord or Herrenbettel is announced, the Bettel announcer becomes the declarer and plays a Bettel. As in Mord, the other three players form the defending team, playing against the soloist. The declarer always plays to the first trick in a Bettel. Each player thereafter must attempt to win the trick if at all possible, i.e. ''
Stichzwang 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 suc ...
'' applies. Thus a player can even risk announcing a Bettel if he holds a King, because the corresponding Sow has to be played and will beat it. As soon as the soloist takes a trick, the game is lost. If the declarer wins, he is paid three ''blocks'' by each of the defenders; if he loses, he pays three ''blocks'' to each defender. If the player of the Bettel feels certain of winning, he can announce a so-called Herrenbettel. That means that after the first trick is played, he must play with all his hand cards revealed. The stakes are doubled for Herrenbettel to six ''blocks'' per defender.


Schleicher (Schleichmord)

If a player has taken all the tricks from the beginning and is sure that he will win the rest, he may announce a Schleicher ("lurker"). However, he must still hold at least three cards in his hand. If the declarer wins, he collects seven ''blocks'' from each of the 3 defenders; if he loses he pays seven ''blocks'' to each of them i.e. it costs him 21 ''blocks''.


Austrian variants


Grünobern

The Austrian variant, usually called Grünobern, is played with either 32 or 36 cards from a
William Tell pack German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional playing card used in many parts of Central Europe characterised by 32- or 36-card packs with the suits of Acorns (''Eichel'' or ''Kreuz''), Leaves (''Grün'', ''Blatt'', ''Laub ...
. It is played in Upper Austria as ''Grünbubenspiel'', ''Grünoberfangen'' and ''Grünoberjagen'', as well as in Salzburg and Upper Austria as ''Grünobern''. After each hand, the penalty-earning tricks are turned face up. The pot is divided among the players after a pre-agreed period of time or alternatively saved up for several weeks and used by the players to buy drinks at a so-called 'Grünober Ball'. ''Variants'': * All the Obers are worth a penalty point, making at total of seven points per hand. * Sometimes there is also a rule that forehand (''Vordermann'') must play a Leaf to the first trick. If he has the ''Grasober'', he must play that. * The game is played until the pot reaches a certain pre-determined amount of money. Then it is paid out in a reversal of the aim, so that the tricks that were worth penalty points are now worth bonus points.


Grünuntern

Another Austrian variant is Grünuntern in which the Unter of Leaves or ''Grünuntern'' simply replaces the function of the ''Grünober''. It is played in Upper Austria, where it is also called ''Grünunterjagen'', ''Grünbauernfangen'' or ''Grünbauernsuchen'', in Lower Austria as ''Grünbauernjagen'' and in the state of Salzburg as ''Grünuntern''.


Eichelobern

Eichelobern is a very similar game played with a Double German pack in the Austrian states of
Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
,
Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
and
Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...
, all of which border on the German federal state of Bavaria. In this variant, the Ober of Acorns (''Eichelober'') which, in a Double German pack, depicts the character
William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...
, is the penalty card instead of the Ober of Leaves. However, the game is far less widespread than "Grünobern", which is the usual name given to Grasobern in Austria.
Geiser, Remigius. "100 Kartenspiele des Landes Salzburg", p. 47.
Geiser states that the rules are the same as those given by Parlett for Slobberhannes presumably, though, using a German-suited pack. There are 32 cards ranking in their natural order (cards), natural order. If five or six play, two 7s are removed. All the cards are dealt and the aim is to avoid taking the first and last tricks or the one with the ''Eichelober'', the
Ober Ober may refer to: * Ober (playing card), court card in the German and Swiss styles of playing cards * Ober, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Starke County * Oberek (also ''ober''), a lively Polish dance in triple metre ...
of
Acorns Acorns may refer to: * Plural of acorn, the nut of the oak tree * Acorns (company) Acorns is an American financial technology and financial services company. Based in Irvine, California, Acorns specializes in micro-investing and robo advice ...
. Forehand leads to the first trick Suit must be followed if possible; otherwise players may play any card. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick. There are no trumps. One penalty point is scored for the first trick, last trick and capturing the Acorn Ober. If one player is unlucky enough to achieve all three, he or she incurs 4 penalty points or, alternatively, may 'deduct' 4 penalty points. The game may be played for hard score.Parlett (1992), pp. 344–345. The game is also called Schinderhannes or Schinderhansen although this may also be the game of '' Schinderhansl'', a variant of Black Peter played in Bavaria, Germany.


Notes


References


Literature

* Hausler, Manfred (2010). ''Trommler und Pfeifer: Die Geschichte der bayerischen Spielkarten''. Munich, Volk. . * Korn, Karl (1858). ''Adolph und Walburg: oder die Tannenmühle eine Erzählung aus dem Anfange dieses Jahrhunderts''. Augsburg: Lampart. * Mala, Matthias (1997). ''Das grosse Buch der Kartenspiele.'' Niedernhausen/Ts., Falken. . * Mala, Matthias (2000). ''Die interessantesten Kartenspiele.'' Niedernhausen/Ts., Falken. . * Meyer, J. (1852)
''Das grosse Conversations-Lexicon für die gebildeten Stände''
Part 2, Vol. 9. Hildburghausen, Amsterdam, Paris and Philadelphia: Bibliographische Institut. *
Parlett, David David Parlett (born 18 May 1939 in London) is a games scholar, historian, and translator from South London, who has studied both card games and board games. He is the president of the British Skat Association. Life David Sidney Parlett was bo ...
(1992). ''The Dictionary of Card Games''. Oxford: OUP. * Rohrmayer, Erich (2017). ''Lerne Böhmisch Watten & Grasobern: Eine Spielanleitung für Anfänger''. Oberpfalz: Buch + Kunstverlag. * Sirch, Walter (2008). ''Vom Alten zum Zwanzger – Bayerische Kartenspiele for Kinder and Erwachsene – neu entdeckt''. Traunstein: Bayerischer Trachtenverband.


External links


Archived description of Grasobern from ''Vom Alten zum Zwanzger''




{{Trick-taking card games German deck card games Trick-avoidance games Bavarian card games Four-player card games Austrian card games Card games introduced in the 1820s