Grasobern
Grasobern, Grasoberl, Grasoberln, Graseberla, Grünobern, Lauboberl or Laubobern is a card game that was once commonly played in Old Bavaria, especially in the old counties of Bad Aibling and Rosenheim, and is still popular in eastern Bavaria, especially in Upper Palatinate. The game has relatively simple rules and thus a rather relaxing and leisurely character without the mental demands of Schafkopf or psychological stress of Watten, two other traditional Bavarian card games. The name is taken from the game's penalty card, the Ober of Leaves. The suit of Leaves is known in German variously as Laub, Gras or Grün.
History
Grasobern originated in "Old Bavaria" – Altbayern - and is recorded in the Bavarian Courier as early as 1826 being played at home around the table by the "master craftsmen, journeymen and apprentices", along with Solo, Schafkopf, Kreuzmariage, Matzlfangen and others. However, as Lauboberspiel it was already popular by around 1800 as a form of evening relaxation during long winter evenings in rural communities where it was known as "the brothers' game" due to the low stakes it was played for. As Laubobern, Grasobern or Grasoberln, the game features in 19th century poetry and literature as a social game. Meyer includes it among the drinking games together with Cerevis, Schlauch and Quodlibet.Competitions known as Grasober-Rennen were held as early as the mid-19th century in Lower Bavaria, for example, in Landshut or Munich. Sometimes these were held alongside other tournaments for games such as Schlauch, Tarok Wallachen and even Quadrille. These competitions occurred regularly until preparations for the First World War began, but restarted in the late 1920s and 1930s in Upper Bavaria. Today competitions are still played, for example, in Bromberg, Windach, Reutberg, Bad Aibling and Augsburg, but are sometimes called Preisgrasobern or Grasober-Turniere.
No early rules are known, but it is likely that it began as a relatively simple game, played like its American cousin, Slobberhannes, to which the various Bettel and Mord contracts were added later. This had happened by 1890 at the latest for we read that, in a competition in Griesbach, prizes were awarded not just for the winners, but for the player who had paid the most penalties for the Grasober and for those who had won or lost the most Mord and Bettel games.
Together with Schafkopf, Watten, and Wallachen, Bohemian Watten and Grasobern were once among the most popular card games in Old Bavaria and therefore an integral part of Bavarian pub culture. Although great fun, these two games are hardly played today and are thus threatened with extinction. As a result, both cultural and traditional costume societies are striving to keep the game alive by holding tournaments. Even municipalities, such as the market town of Bruckmühl, or smaller local associations, for example the volunteer fire-brigade in the market town of Metten, routinely hold tournaments for Grasobern, Schafkopf and other card games. Some societies are also teaching children how to play the game.
The game is named after the Ober of Leaves or 'Grass Ober', known in German as the Gras-Ober or Grasober.
In Austria, it is usually known as Grünobern, but also goes under the names of Bauernsuchen, Grasobern, Grasoberln, Grasoberspiel, Grünbubenspiel, Grüneln, Grünoberfangen and Grünoberjagen. Players of the game are known as Grasoberer and competitions as Grasoberrennen or Grasober-Turniere.
Players and cards
Grasobern is usually played with four players and a traditional pack of 32 Bavarian-pattern playing cards, although it can theoretically be played with as few as three or as many as eight players. In the trade, card packs are usually marketed under the name Tarock/Schafkopf, from which the Sixes are removed in order to play Grasobern. Each player is dealt the same number of counters or coins of the same value ; at the end the difference is balanced out by 'buying' or 'selling'.If three play, the Sixes and Sevens and Eights are removed and each player receives 8 cards.
In Austria, William Tell packs are always used and the game may be played with 32 or 36 cards.
Card ranking
There are no trumps in Grasobern. The ranking of card values follows the hierarchy of plain-trick games, such as Watten, i. e. the Ten ranks between the Unter and the Nine. The ranking of cards in each suit is as follows : Sow, also called the Ace albeit in reality a Deuce > King > Ober > Unter > Ten > Nine > Eight > Seven.Aim
Grasobern is a pure plain-trick game. In the 'normal game' the aim is to avoid taking the first trick, the last trick and the trick containing the Grasober, the Ober of Leaves. Taking these tricks results in a penalty, which means that the player who wins them has to pay an agreed fee in coins or counters, such as a Fünferl or Zehnerl, into the pot or has points deducted.There are also higher contracts than the normal game.. In Mord and Schleichmord, the aim is to win all the tricks. In Bettel, the goal is to lose all the tricks. In these three contracts, the Grasober is not relevant for scoring purposes.
Dealing
Dealing proceeds clockwise and each player receives eight cards in two packets of four; thus all cards are dealt and there is no talon as, for example, in Bavarian Tarock.Playing
Bidding
After each player has received eight cards, the player to the left of the dealer, forehand begins a single round of bidding in which players either pass or bid to play a Mord or a Bettel. Mord outranks Bettel, but if two players announce a contract of equal value, positional priority decides; i.e. player nearest to the dealer's left has priority. If all pass, a normal game is played.Normal game
If all pass, a normal game is played in which every player plays for himself. There are no teams. Forehand leads to the first trick and everyone else must follow suit. A player unable to follow suit, must play the Grasober if held. If not, any card may be played. In addition, the Grasober must be played if the King of Leaves or Sow of Leaves has been led.Taking the first or last trick costs the player a unit or block, e.g. 5 cents, to the pot. Anyone who captures the Grasober in his tricks pays out two blocks to the pot. If a player incurs all the penalties, i. e. takes the first and last trick as well as the Grasober, he is a Farmer and has to pay four blocks to the pot.
His fellow players stand up with a shout of "Hello!" to draw his attention to the fact that he has to pay a total of four blocks. Payment is made to a common pot, which is divided equally among the players at the end. If a player has wrongly played the Grasober, he pays the two blocks due to the pot and is thus punished for his infringement.
At the end of the game, or as agreed, the pot is divided among the players.
Other contracts
In addition to the normal game there are three higher contracts:- Mord
- Bettel
- Schleicher