Königrufen

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Königrufen (Game of Kings)

What it is
Königrufen is a four-player, trick-taking card game from Austria and the South Tyrol. It belongs to the Tarock (Tarot) family and is played with a 54-card deck that mixes tarock (trump) cards and regular suited cards. The game is known for its many possible contracts and flexible rules, which vary by region and club.

Players, deck, and goal
- Four players sit counter-clockwise. The game is usually played with a "calling a King" mechanic to form partnerships, but many contracts let partnerships form in other ways.
- Deck: 54 cards total, including 22 tarocks (trumps) and 32 suit cards (eight cards per suit: King, Queen, Cavalier, Jack, and four pips). The highest tarock is Sküs (the Excuse), and the pagat (Tarock I) is the lowest tarock.
- Points: The 54 cards contain 70 points in total. The aim is to score more than half (35 plus 1/3 points) to win the round. Scores are counted in thirds, with common rounding rules used in play.

How to play (in brief)
- Setup: Each player gets 12 cards (two hands of six). In the middle is the talon (six cards in two piles of three). The auction (Lizitation) decides the contract and who will be the declarer.
- Auction: Forehand starts bidding. Players can bid for a contract or pass. The highest bid wins and the declarer chooses the contract and, if using a partner contract, calls a King to determine their partner.
- Talon and discards: After a contract is chosen, the declarer may take some or all of the talon cards (depending on the contract) and discard some from hand (subject to rules). In some contracts the talon is not opened.
- Contracts: There are many. Broadly:
- Positive contracts (the declarer tries to win the majority of points). These include Rufer (with a partner called by the declarer), Dreier (one player against three), Solo (declarer plays alone), and various Suit (Farb) Solo/Dreier variations.
- Negative contracts (Negativspiele): the goal is to score as few points or take few tricks as possible.
- Forehand contracts: announced only by the forehand player.
- Playing tricks: The winner of the last trick leads the next. You must follow the led suit if possible; tarocks beat suit cards, and a higher tarock beats a lower tarock. If no tarock is played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
- Emperor/Trull and birds: A special rule—if all three Trull cards (the “Birds,” typically tarocks I–IV) are played to the same trick, Pagat (Tarock I) wins that trick. Birds are also tied to certain bonuses in many variants.
- Partnerships and called kings: In Rufer-type contracts, the declarer calls a King. The player who has that King becomes the partner. If the called King is in the talon, the declarer may have to give up the game or adjust the contract according to local rules.

Scoring and bonuses
- Card values: The total is 70 points. Cards are counted in thirds, with rounding used to simplify calculation. You try to score a majority of the points (more than 35 and 1/3).
- Bonuses: There are several bonuses that can increase the score, including special tricks with Birds, the Pagat Ultimo (last trick with Tarock I), and various other announced bonuses. Many bonuses can be doubled with Kontra (counter), Rekontra, and other multipliers.
- Valat: If one side wins all tricks, that is a Valat and yields a high bonus.
- Draws do not exist in Königrufen; if the declarer fails to score more than the opponents, they lose.

Rules and variations
- Rules vary widely by region, club, and even family. The Austrian Final and various cups use closely aligned rules, but local clubs may have their own tweaks.
- Special cases include how the talon is handled, when and how Kontra can be used, and which bonuses count in a given contract.
- The game naturally evolved from older Tarock variants and has many regional cousins in Central Europe (e.g., Slovenian Tarock, Romanian Tarock, Polish Taroki). Each variant keeps the core idea of tarock trump cards and a King-calling mechanic but adapts contracts and talon rules.

Strategy and skill
- Königrufen is often praised as a game that rewards planning, memory, and flexible partnerships. With up to 22 trumps in play and many possible contracts, players must weigh risk, bidding power, and the likelihood of achieving the chosen contract.

Online play and popularity
- The game has a dedicated following in Austria, especially in Upper Austria, which hosts major competitions and the Austrian Final. Since 2004, some platforms have offered online Königrufen, and annual tournaments have helped keep the tradition alive.

A quick snapshot
- Four players, 54-card Tarock deck, calling a King for partnership.
- Many contract types: positive (aim to win) and negative (aim to avoid tricks).
- Tricks determine the score; tarocks trump suits; bonuses and multipliers add strategic depth.
- Rich regional variations, with a long history and active modern play in Austria and neighboring regions.