The tarot (tarok?) game

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

WillieHewes	22 Oct 2002
Is there anyone who knows the rules to the tarot game, or knows where to find them? I understand it is still played today by some, and I'd love to know how it's done. I'd also like to know if any of you have made up games of your own, that aren't related to fortunetelling or meditation, but just as a game. Like tarot solitaire (which I imagine you play with just the minors?). Thanks. Willie - Games Master

ihcoyc	22 Oct 2002
Thomas Tadfor Little's site has a section on it giving a synopsis of the rules of the game of tarot. If you can play bridge, or euchre, or hearts, even, you basically know how to play the game. What you need to know are the rules for scoring the cards you win. The trumps, of course, count as the permanent set of trumps. The Fool is an "excuse" whose lucky holder can be excused from following suit by playing it, at his or her option. The Fool is not lost in this case, but can be reused. You may want to play with an abridged deck, leaving out some of the small numbered pips; 78 cards dealt among three or four people is a large wad to try and keep straight. I sometimes play patience with tarot cards, especially with a new deck, to go over them. When trumps appear, I set them aside.

jmd	22 Oct 2002
I thought I had previously posted somewhere a link to the full rules (the question also came up a few months ago), but I just cannot locate the post or thread. In terms of the rules, when excusing with the Fool, it cannot be re-played... and it can be lost if played as one's final card. Also, I would suggest, if playing the game, to maintain the full 78 cards. As mentioned by ihcoyc, you need at least three people, and classically a maximum of six - in my experience, three or five are the best options. I haven't done one, but you may wish to do a search using its Italian name (for some reason more commonly used when referring to the game in Anglophonic sites): tarocchi. ----- (edited to add) try this site: http://www.pagat.com/tarot/index.html

Indigo	22 Oct 2002
Just a side note, completely unrelated to reality: In one of the Star Wars books (one of the Han Solo trilogy, I think), there is a scene describing the (fictional) game of Sabacc. It mentioned several trumps... which seemed to correspond to the Major Arcana. Kinda cool, huh? ;)

WillieHewes	23 Oct 2002
Thank you! I'll have to try this with a couple of friends. :)

catlin	23 Oct 2002
Tarock (I prefer this spelling to distinguish from our tarot use) is still played in parts of Alsace-Lorraine in France, South Germany (regions around Black Forest and near Swiss or Alsatian borders, sometimes known as "cego") and in parts of Austria. I wonder if this game is somehow related to an old German game known as "Binokel" (my great-grandmother used to play this but as she died when I was too young to learn it, I don't know about this game). There is another traditional German card game played known as "Gaigl". This game is played with the old German playing cards depicting acorns and bells.

ihcoyc	23 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by jmd In terms of the rules, when excusing with the Fool, it cannot be re-played... and it can be lost if played as one's final card. This goes to show you how reading rules is no substitute for watching the game actually being played. A few friends and I decided to try this out several years ago. We read that the person who was dealt the Fool gets to keep it after using it. We figured that meant that the Fool's owner gets to put it back in her hand and reuse it. This of course makes the Fool even more powerful than he would be otherwise.

The The tarot (tarok?) game thread was originally posted on 22 Oct 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.