The following rule sets indicate the development of the game from the early 19th century to the present. Note that, although most sources cite three to five players, Pierer suggests the game is also playable by two or up to ten players. Von Alvensleben says that more than five players require a 'whist pack'.
Drei Karten (1821) The earliest known rules appeared in 1821 under the name
Drei Karten ("three cards") and describe the game as follows: "Drei Karten. This is played between 3 to 6 people. The
dealer antes 3
counters (
Marken), deals each person one card, three times in succession, the ninth, which belongs to him, determines trumps. Everyone must play the first
hand. Anyone who fails to take a trick pays, the first time, 3 counters, and doubles the
pool. When there is a
bête [pool with more than 3 counters], anyone may
pass. In this game you can lose with 2 trumps, and make 2 tricks without a single trump." Each trick taken earned 1 counter. A variant called
Loup or
Wolf is also mentioned. "This is the same game, except that each player is dealt 6 cards, and so at most only five may play, because otherwise there would not be enough cards. The dealer antes 6 counters, not 3, so that when there is no bête, each trick earns 1 counter." In
Ludwigslust Castle is a surviving example of a so-called "Loup Table" (
Loupe-Tisch), a card table with seating for six players and six money pockets at each place.
Dreiblatt or Tippen (1859) In 1859, von Alvensleben gives a more detailed account of the game under the names of
Dreiblatt, Dreikarten or
Tippen. He also notes that it was sometimes played with four cards and known as
Vierblatt to evade anti-gambling laws.
Preliminaries The game is played by 3 to 6 players using a
Piquet pack of 32 cards, or by more players using a
Whist pack of 52 cards. Players choose any seat and the first dealer is the one who is dealt an Ace. The dealer antes a basic game
stake (
Kartenstamm) of 3 counters (
Marken) and deals each player 3 cards individually. The next is turned as trumps.
Bidding When there is only a basic stake in the pool, everyone must play until there is a
bête. For each trick won, a token is paid from the pot (
Pot). Anyone who fails to make a trick, antes a bête equal to the basic stake. When there is a bête in the
pot, players may choose to play or pass; a player who passes throws his cards, face down, on the table; one who plays, undertakes to make at least one trick and does this by saying "I'm playing" (
ich spiele) or tapping (
tippen) his finger on the table. Each player that takes a trick receives one third of the bête and anyone who fails to take a trick must double the pot. All new bêtes are added to any existing ones.
Play Players must
follow suit if possible, otherwise may
trump if able. If the trick has already been trumped, they may
overtrump or
discard as they please. If there are at least three
active players, the first must lead a trump. A player who took the first trick and has the trump
Deuce, must
lead it to the second trick. To limit the size of the pot, players usually agree a maximum bête. Everything above that is set aside for the next or subsequent deals along with the basic stake anted by the dealer.
Variations Von Alvensleben records the following variations: •
Robbing (
rauben) must be agreed beforehand. A player who holds the 7 of trumps may
rob the trump upcard before
play begins. •
Sniffing (
riechen) is when the dealer has the right to swap the trump
upcard for a
hand card that is then
discarded face down. The dealer must announce this by saying "I'm sniffing" (
ich rieche!),
before turning the trump. The dealer must either play or exercise the option to drop out and pay a simple bête i.e. a single stake. If the dealer plays and takes no tricks, the dealer pays a double bête. •
Hop and jump (
Hupf und Sprung) is the feature that when the pack is
cut, the lowest card is viewed and the deal passes to the next player if it is an Ace or Seven. This is done to increase the contents of the pot because the new dealer must also ante the basic stake. With this variation, players are not forced to play when there is only a basic stake in the pot.
Tippen (1905) Tippen is described in the 1905 edition of
Meyers Lexikon as follows:
Tippen (late 20th century) The following modern rules are based on Grupp (1975) and Katira (1983) which are identical apart from the method of dealing and the penalty for taking no tricks.
Preliminaries Three to five players play with a 32-card
Piquet pack. The cards rank in the
natural order (aces highs) - see above. Deal and play are clockwise. Dealer pays 3 counters into the pot (
Pott,
Topf or
Kasse),
shuffles, offers the cut to the player on the right, deals 3 cards, one at a time, to each player, and turns the next card for trump (Grupp). Alternatively, 2 cards may be dealt, one at a time, to each player and the next turned for trumps before one more card each is dealt (Katira).
Bidding and exchanging Players now examine their hands, assess whether they can take at least one trick and bid to "play" or "pass". If they pass, they lay their cards face down on the table. If they want to play, they
tippen i.e. tap their fingers on the table. If all pass, the next dealer also pays a stake, shuffles, offers the cut and
redeals. If only one player
tipps, that player wins the pot, the dealer rotates and a new deal begins. Each
active player, beginning with
forehand, may now exchange up to 3 cards, laying their discard(s) face down; the dealer then gives them the same number of cards from the
talon.
Play Forehand, or the next active player sitting after the dealer in clockwise order, leads to the first trick. Players must follow suit; trump if unable and
head the trick if possible. If unable to do any of those, they may discard any card. The aim is to win at least 2 of the 3 tricks. Each won trick is worth a third of the pot. Any active player who fails to win a single trick must pay a
bête equivalent to the contents of the pot (Katira) or the basic stake of 3 counters (Grupp).
Variations Grupp and Katira mention the following as variations: •
Force called
Tipp-Zwang is played when there is only the basic stake in the pot. •
Shoving (
schieben). The dealer pays the ante but may 'shove' the cards to his left for the next player to add another ante and then deal. That player may also shove. •
Knocking. The dealer has the right to 'knock' on the - as yet unfaced - trump card before looking at his or her own hand. In exercising this right, the dealer picks the trump up without revealing it, announces the trump suit, picks up the hand cards and discards a card. A dealer who knocks and fails to take a trick pays a double stake. A dealer who takes just one trick having knocked, pays a single stake. •
Sniffing (
riechen). All is as in von Alvensleben's account, except that the dealer may knock the pack instead of saying "I'm sniffing" and add the trump, unseen, to his or her hand cards announcing its suit, before making a discard, face down. The dealer may not drop out, but must take at least 2 tricks. The dealer pays a single bête if only 1 trick is taken and a double bête if none are taken. == Variants ==