Tarok

Objective

Win valuable tricks and fulfil your commitments. In Warsaw, avoid points.

Deal and setup

Czech calling-XIX variant for four players. One game is one complete deal against three computer opponents. Play proceeds anticlockwise. Each player receives 12 cards; six form the talon. Game units have no monetary value.

How to play — step by step

1. The pack contains 54 cards. Trumps I–XXI and the Skys are permanent trumps; Skys is highest and I (Pagat) lowest. XXI is Mond. Suit cards rank downwards: king, queen, cavalier, jack, then 10, 9, 8, 7 in black suits or ace, 2, 3, 4 in red suits. The cavalier is a separate court card between jack and queen.
2. One bidding round: first duty, second duty, Trojka, Solo. Forehand cannot pass or bid second duty. Later players may pass or overcall; second duty requires holding Pagat and commits the declarer to winning the last trick with it.
3. In either duty, call XIX, or the highest missing trump down to XVI provided you hold all higher callable trumps. You may call your own XIX. Its holder is your secret partner. The declarer takes four talon cards; the next two players must each take one, then discard the same number. Kings, Pagat, Mond and Skys cannot be discarded. Other trumps can only be discarded after all eligible suit cards, and must be exposed. Discards count for their owner. A declarer holding the called card plays alone.
4. In Trojka the declarer plays alone. Inspect the first three talon cards and take them, or expose them and inspect the second three. Taking the second group is level two; exposing it and returning to the first is level three. Discard three cards. The unused group counts for the defence. In Solo no talon cards are taken; all six count for the defence.
5. After exchanging, players have one round to declare combinations and bonuses. Ten to twelve trumps, or no trumps/Pagat alone, pay 10 units. Eight or nine trumps, one or two trumps other than Pagat alone, Trul (I, XXI, Skys), or at least four five-point cards pay 5. Four kings pay 10 instead of the ordinary honours bonus. Compatible declarations add up. A separate doubling round follows. Game, announced Pagat and Valat are doubled separately: double ×2, redouble ×4, super ×8, alternating between opposing teams. Four consecutive passes start play.
6. Forehand, to the dealer’s right, leads. You must follow suit, or play a trump if you have none of that suit. Overtaking is not compulsory. Highest trump wins, or highest card of the led suit if no trump was played. The winner leads next. An announced Pagat must be kept while another legal card is available.
7. Kings, I, XXI and Skys are worth 5; queens 4, cavaliers 3, jacks 2, other cards 1. Subtract two points per group of three cards and one for one or two remaining cards. The pack totals 70. Declarer needs more than 35. Each point above 35 pays 1 unit in duty or level-one Trojka, 2/3 at levels two/three, and 6 in Solo. At 35:35 declarer loses a base 1 unit. Doubling multiplies this component.
8. Pagat played to the last trick wins 10 units if it wins that trick itself, otherwise loses 10 even if its partner wins. Announced Pagat is worth 20 and also fails if played early. Valat means all 12 tricks for a team: 70 unannounced or 140 announced; a failed announcement loses 140. Each component is settled separately. In two-against-two each partner has the same net score; a solo player pays or receives from all three defenders.
9. After first duty and three passes, forehand may choose Warsaw instead of calling. Each player tries to avoid points. Follow suit, trump when void, and overtake when possible. Pagat must be the last trump. Mond cannot be led or played onto Skys while another trump besides Pagat remains. The first six trick winners each receive one talon card. Most card points loses: up to 29 pays each opponent 10 units, 30–39 pays 20, 40 or more pays 40. A player taking no trick receives double. Tied losers share the payment. No declarations score.
10. This digital variant uses compulsory 4/1/1 talon distribution, no common pool, no automatic settlement of undoubled duty and no surrender after drawing your own called trump. Every deal is played out. Local variants may have different rates or procedures.

Important rules to remember