Six-bid solo
Straight Solo • German Tarok • Tapp |
Six-bid solo, six bid solo or just six-bid for short, is a
, the Swabian version of German Tarok.History
The origins of six-bid solo lie with an old south German game called
Rules
The following rules are based on HSG supplemented by the other sources cited.[7]
Players
Six-bid may be played by three or four, but there are always only three active players; if four play the dealer is '
Cards
Thirty-six
Rank | A | 10 | K | Q | J | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Value | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – |
Deal and auction
Beginning with eldest, players may
Six-bid or American solo | |||
Name of contract | Bidder's aim | Trumps | Game value |
Solo | Take at least 60 points. | ♠ ♣ ♦ | 1 counter/point |
Heart Solo | Take at least 60 points. | ♥ | 2 counters/point |
Misère | Take no points. | None | 40 counters |
Guarantee Solo | Take at least 74 (♥) or 80 points (♠ ♣ ♦) | Any | 40 counters |
Spread Misère | Take no points. Player left of bidder leads and bidder plays ouvert from the 2nd trick onwards.
|
None | 60 counters |
Call Solo | Take all 120 points. First, bidder calls for a card and its holder must exchange it with the bidder. | Any | 100 counters (♠ ♣ ♦) 150 counters (♥) |
Some rules rename Guarantee Solo andSpread Misère to Guarantee and Spread respectively.
Play
Except in Spread, eldest leads any card to the first trick and play proceeds clockwise, each player playing one card. Players must
Scoring
Scoring is as per the table above. If the game is won, the bidder is paid the game value by each active opponent; if lost, the bidder pays the same to each player at the table including the dealer if there are four players.[7]
Progressive solo
Another variant of frog that emerged at the same time as six-bid was progressive solo,[7] later also called Denver progressive solo[10] or Denver solo.[14] The 1940 Official Rules subtitle progressive solo as the "Denver Athletic Club variation" without substantiating the statement.[8] Its rules were last recorded in the 1980s[14] so it may now be extinct. Pennycook describes it as a "simple, yet skilful, game." The rules are as for Six-Bid, except where stated.[14]
Three to five may play.
To win, the bidder must then take at least 60 card points in tricks and the widow. If successful, the bidder is paid by each opponent for each point above 60; if unsuccessful, the bidder pays them each the same amount.[d] The tariffs, which are multiplied by any doubling or redoubling, are shown in the summary table below:[14]
Progressive Solo or Denver Solo | |||
Name of contract | Exchange with widow | Suits | Tariff (counters/point) |
Frog | Yes | ♥ only | 1 |
Spade solo | No | ♠ | 2 |
Club solo | No | ♣ | 3 |
Diamond solo | No | ♦ | 4 |
Heart solo | No | ♥ | 5 |
In addition, there may be two pots – one for Frog and one for the Solos – to which players ante an agreed amount each deal. Pennycook specifies the same stake for each pot;[14] HSG states that the solo pot receives a double stake from each player.[7]
Footnotes
- ^ Most rules give the order of dealing cards as 4-(3)-3-4, eg. Culbertson (1957), Goren (1961) and Morehead et al. (1991).
- ^ HSG says three or four players; other rules go up to seven, but there are only 3 active players at any time.
- ^ HSG says when "all have passed", but that makes no sense as the player with the highest bid has no subsequent opportunity or motive to pass.
- ^ Some rules imply, but are not explicit, that the non-active players are paid as well if the bidder loses e.g. HSG (1924).
References
- ^ a b Parlett (1991), p. 196
- ^ SSP (1839), pp. 3–4
- ^ Dummett (1980), p. 569
- ^ Hoyle's Games (1907), pp. 241–243
- ^ Official Rules of Card Games (1922), p. 214
- ^ AAD (1881), p. 18
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hoyle's Standard Games, (1924), pp. 185–186.
- ^ a b Official Rules (1940), pp. 201–206.
- ^ Goren (1961), pp. 328–329
- ^ a b Wood & Goddard (1938), pp. 152–154
- ^ Wood & Goddard (1938), p. 150.
- ^ Goren (1961), p. 327.
- ^ Gibson (1993), pp. 309–311
- ^ a b c d e f Pennycook (1982), pp. 286–287
Literature
- _ (1839). Das Sansprendre-Spiel in Regeln zur richtigen Auffassung und Ausführung desselben nach seinen verschiedenen Nuancen dargestellt (SSR). Bayreuth: Grau 50 pp.
- _ (1881). Ausführliche Anleitung zum Deutschtarokspielen, nebst einem Anhange, enthaltend: ein Verzeichniß über alle technischen oder Kunstausdrücke, Provinzialismen und vulgären Bezeichnungen, welche bei diesem Spiele vorkommen. (AAD) Munich: Cäsar Fritsch. 88 pp.
- _ (1907). Hoyle's Games. NY: McClure.
- _ (1922). Official Rules of Card Games. Cincinnati: USPC.
- _ (1924). Hoyle's Standard Games. Cincinnati: USPC.
- _ (1940). Official Rules of Card Games: Hoyle Up to Date. Cincinnati: USPC.
- Beattie, Rob (2009). The Art of Playing Cards. NY: Quarto. ISBN 9780785836698
- Phillips, Hubert(ed.), Culbertson’s Card Games Complete, Watford: Argo
- ISBN 0715610147
- Gibson, Walter B.(1993) [1974]. Hoyle's Modern Encyclopedia of Card Games. Devizes: Selecta.
- Goren, Charles(1961). Goren's Hoyle - Encyclopedia of Games. NY: Chancellor Hall, Ltd.
- Geoffrey Mott-Smith(1991). The New Complete Hoyle NY, London: Doubleday.
- Parlett, David(1991), A History of Card Games, Oxford: OUP.
- ISBN 978-0-141-03787-5
- Pennycook, Andrew (1982). The Book of Card Games. London/NY: Grenada. ISBN 0246117567