User:Bermicourt/Card games/Eichenlaub

Eichenlaub ("Acorn Leaves") is a card game that originally came from the Danube region of East Bavaria and Austria. It is played in the German states of Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate as well as in Upper Austria and Lower Austria. It is a card game in its own right, although it is also played as a component of the so-called "Großer Rumpel". In Großer Rumpel, a series of card games is played during, say, an evening, which may include well known examples such as Grasobern and Schafkopf.

Cards and players
Like Grasobern and Schafkopf, Eichenlaub is invariably played with the traditional, 32-card, German suited pack.

Trick-taking power
As is common with card games in which the aim is to win as many card points (Augen) as possible, the Ten is "high", that is in terms of trick-taking power it ranks between the Sow (Deuce) and King. So the card ranking in Eichenlaub, from highest to lowest, is: Sow > Ten > King > Ober > Unter > Nine > Eight > Seven

The same card rankings are found in related games such as Blattla, Bavarian Tarock and Bauerntarock.

Card values
All cards in the suits of Hearts and Bells are blanks i.e. they score 0 points. The only counters are cards in the suits of Acorns and Grass which are valued as follows: In all there are therefore 60 card points in the game.
 * Sow: 11
 * Ten: 10
 * King: 4
 * Ober: 3
 * Unter: 2
 * Nine, Eight and Seven: each 0

Trumps
There are neither permanent nor variable trumps in Eichenlaub.

Aim
The objective is to win as many points as possible by taking tricks. The more counters in the suits of Acorn and Grass are won, the better is the player's score. At the end of the hand, each player's score is added up and deducted from the maximum possible score of 60 points; the difference is then awarded as minus points to the player. After an agreed number of games, the winner is the player with the fewest minus points.

Dealing
After shuffling the cards the dealer offers them to the player on his right to cut. Then eight cards are dealt in clockwise order to each player. The cards are dealt in four packets of two cards.

Game type
In Eichenlaub each player plays for himself. There are usually no partnerships.

Leading
Forehand, the player to the dealer's left, always leads to the first trick.

Following
Players must follow suit (Farbzwang), i.e. they must play a card of the led suit if they have one. If that is not possible, they may play any card. There is no obligation to head the trick (Stechzwang).

Literature
Mala, Matthias. Das grosse Buch der Kartenspiele Niedernhausen/Ts.: FALKEN, 1997 ISBN 3-8068-7333-X

Original source
Taken from:
 * Wikipedia
 * Löschdiskussion bei Wikipedia

First author: 217.95.114.69 angelegt am 00.02.2010 um 33:, , All authors: Bwag, 217.95.113.193, 217.95.114.69

This version translated from Pluspedia