Grasobern
"A game with a rather leisurely character" Plain-trick | |
Players | 4 |
---|---|
Cards | 32 |
Deck | German |
Rank (high→low) | A K O U 10 9 8 7 |
Play | Clockwise |
Playing time | 5 min/hand; 20 min/round |
Related games | |
Eichelobern • Schinderhansen • Slobberhannes | |
Aim: avoid winning 1st and last tricks or capturing the O |
Grasobern, Grasoberl, Grasoberln, Graseberla, Grünobern, Lauboberl
History
Grasobern originated in "Old Bavaria" –
Competitions known as Grasober-Rennen (lit. "Grasober Races") were held as early as the mid-19th century in
, 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.[a] 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.[15]
Together with Schafkopf,
The game is named after the Ober of Leaves or 'Grass Ober', known in German as the Gras-Ober or Grasober.[22]
In Austria, it is usually known as Grünobern, but also goes under the names of Bauernsuchen, Grasobern, Grasoberln, Grasoberspiel, Grünbubenspiel, Grüneln, Grünoberfangen and Grünoberjagen.[23] Players of the game are known as Grasoberer and competitions as Grasoberrennen ("Grasober Races") or Grasober-Turniere ("Grasober Tournaments").[24][25]
Players and cards
Grasobern is usually played with four players and a traditional pack of 32
If three play, the Sixes and Sevens and Eights are removed and each player receives 8 cards.
In Austria,
Suits of German playing cards | |||
Bells (Schellen)
|
Hearts (Herz)
|
Leaves/Grass (Gras)
|
Acorns (Eichel)
|
Card ranking
There are no
Hierarchy of the cards within the four suits | |||
Acorns | Leaves/Grass | Hearts | Bells |
A K O U 10 9 8 7 | A K O U 10 9 8 7 | A K O U 10 9 8 7 | A K O U 10 9 8 7 |
Aim
Grasobern is a pure
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.[27]
Dealing
Dealing proceeds clockwise and each player receives eight cards in two packets of four; thus all cards are dealt and there is no
Playing
Bidding
After each player has received eight cards, the player to the left of the dealer,
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.[22]
Taking the first or last trick costs the player a unit or block, e.g. 5 cents, to the
At the end of the game, or as agreed, the pot is divided among the players.[28]
Other contracts
In addition to the normal game there are three higher contracts:[22]
- 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.[22]
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.
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.[22]
Austrian variants
Grünobern
The Austrian variant, usually called Grünobern, is played with either 32 or 36 cards from a
Variants:
- All the Obers are worth a penalty point, making at total of seven points per hand.[23]
- 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.[23]
- 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.[23]
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.[23]
Eichelobern
Eichelobern is a very similar game played with a
In this variant, the Ober of Acorns (Eichelober) which, in a Double German pack, depicts the character William Tell, 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.[23]
Geiser states that the rules are the same as those given by Parlett for
The game is also called Schinderhannes or Schinderhansen although this may also be the game of
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d Bayerische Kartenspiele: Vom Aussterben bedroht: Retten Sie das Karteln! at www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de. Retrieved 17 August 2018
- ^ Bayerisches Volksblatt, 1858. Retrieved 5 Aug 2019.
- ^ Bayerische Landbote, 1826, p. 606
- ^ Korn (1858), p. 107.
- ^ "CM's Unglück im Spiele" in Gedichte, Aufsätze und Lieder im Geiste Marc. Sturms by Carl Müller, Regensburg, 1843. Retrieved 1 Dec 2018
- ^ "Wo soll man sparen?" in Skizzenbuch by Carl Theodor Griesinger, Vol. 2, Leipzig, 1844. Retrieved 1 Dec 2018
- ^ Meyer (1852), p. 1067.
- ^ _ (1854). Kurier für Niederbayern: Landshuter Tag- u. Anzeigerblatt. 14 March 1854. Landshut. p. 292.
- ^ _ (1868). Neueste Nachrichten aus dem Gebiete der Politik. 11 January 1868. Munich: Wolf. p. 578.
- ^ _ (1855). Kurier für Niederbayern: Landshuter Tag- u. Anzeigerblatt. 14 November 1855. Landshut. p. 1256.
- ^ _ (1856). Kurier für Niederbayern: Landshuter Tag- u. Anzeigerblatt. 27 February 1856. Landshut. p. 228.
- ^ _ (1880). Landshuter Zeitung: niederbayerisches Heimatblatt für Stadt und Land. 9 March 1880. No. 56. Landshut: Thomann. p. 367.
- ^ _ (1928). Grafinger Zeitung. 28 February 1928. p. 3.
- ^ _ (1932). Grafinger Zeitung. No. 46. 25 February 1932. p. 3.
- ^ _ (1890). Donau-Zeitung. 8 March 1890. Passau. p. 4.
- ^ Rohrmayer (2017), p. 2.
- ^ Alexander Weber siegte beim Grasoberln at www.mittelbayerische.de. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Bertin Prasch gewinnt Grasoberln Archived 23 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine at www.djk-beucherling.de. Retrieved 23 September 2018
- ^ "Grasobern tournaments in Upper Bavaria". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Grasobern events in Bruckmühl". Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Trachtenerhaltungsverein Moosinning: Kinder lernen Grasobern at www.merkur.de. Retrieved 17 August 2018
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Grasoberln – In der Oberpfalz beliebt at www.br.de. Retrieved 17 August 2018
- ^ a b c d e f g h [1] Archived 27 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Geiser, Remigius. "100 Kartenspiele des Landes Salzburg", p. 47.
- ^ Schafkopf- und Grasoberrennen am Dienstag 20. November 2018 at fcpipinsried.de. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Grasober- Turnier der JU Tuntenhausen at www.ovb-online.de. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Although called the Sau (Sow), modern cards are typically marked with an "A".
- ^ a b c d Sirch (2008), pp. 54–55.
- ^ Rohrmayer (2017), p. 75.
- ^ Parlett (1992), pp. 344–345.
Literature
- Hausler, Manfred (2010). Trommler und Pfeifer: Die Geschichte der bayerischen Spielkarten. Munich, Volk. ISBN 978-3-937200-89-7.
- 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. ISBN 3-8068-7333-X.
- Mala, Matthias (2000). Die interessantesten Kartenspiele. Niedernhausen/Ts., Falken. ISBN 3-8068-7515-4.
- Meyer, J. (1852). Das grosse Conversations-Lexicon für die gebildeten Stände, Part 2, Vol. 9. Hildburghausen, Amsterdam, Paris and Philadelphia: Bibliographische Institut.
- Parlett, David(1992). The Dictionary of Card Games. Oxford: OUP.
- Rohrmayer, Erich (2017). Lerne Böhmisch Watten & Grasobern: Eine Spielanleitung für Anfänger. Oberpfalz: Buch + Kunstverlag. ISBN 978-3-9558-7056-0
- Sirch, Walter (2008). Vom Alten zum Zwanzger – Bayerische Kartenspiele for Kinder and Erwachsene – neu entdeckt. Traunstein: Bayerischer Trachtenverband.