Troggu

Troggu, also known as Trogga, is a card game of the Tarot family played in a few villages in the German speaking part of the canton of Wallis (Valais) in Switzerland, with Visp among the places where it has been observed. The Pagat rules page describes it as close to extinction, with little interest from younger players. It is played with 62 cards chosen from the Italian suited Swiss Tarot pack: the 21 permanent trumps, the Fool and the long and short suits trimmed to the cards the game needs. Between three and eight people can play, and six or seven are said to be best. In a game for up to six players one player, the Tappist, takes the talon (the Tapp), swaps cards with it and plays alone against everyone else; a player may instead declare a Solo and play without looking at the talon. Players must follow suit or else play a trump. The Fool normally ranks as the highest trump, but a player whose only trump it is may withhold it, which strips it of any power to win a trick while it keeps its point value, and this hybrid rule makes the game interesting to historians of Tarot. The cards carry 114 points in all and a side needs 58 to win. If everyone passes, a misère is played, and stakes are traditionally paid in small coins.