Game: Tarok
Type: Trick-taking card game
Players: Typically 3 or 4
Equipment: 54- or 78-card Tarot deck (depending on the regional variant)
Origin: 15th century Italy, flourishing in Central Europe by the 18th century
Other Names: Tarock, Tarot (game), Königrufen, Tapp Tarock, Bavarian Tarock

Historical Background

Tarok developed from early Italian trick-taking games using the tarot deck, including Trionfi. By the 18th and 19th centuries, Austrian and German variants had formalised into distinct games. Tarok’s popularity endured in Central Europe even as it faded elsewhere, especially in forms like Königrufen (Austria) and Tapp Tarock (Bavaria and beyond). These versions incorporated refined bidding systems, partnerships, and contracts, making Tarok one of the most strategically rich pre-modern card games.

Number of players: 5 originally. Optional rules for 3,4 or 6
Type of game: Card
Period: 1500s

Laugh and Lie Down is a 16th-century English gambling game for five players using a standard 52-card deck. It’s a game of matching pairs and sets, with an early form of pool betting. Simple to learn but chaotic to play, it blends elements of chance, strategy, and social drama—perfect for taverns and long evenings.

Number of players: 4
Type of game: Cards (trick-avoiding)
Period: 1601 to 19th Century

Reversis is a four player card game where the aim is the reverse of most trick-taking games: instead of winning tricks, you try to avoid taking the high cards (Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks). The most dangerous card of all is the Quinola, the Jack of Hearts. A player who is brave enough can turn the game upside down by winning every trick, which is called making the reversis. It is one of the ancestors of Hearts.