Perlaggen

Perlaggen is a trick-taking card game from the Tyrol, where it first appeared in the early nineteenth century. It is most often played by four people in two fixed partnerships, who sit opposite each other and are dealt five cards each from a 33-card German-suited pack of bells, acorns, hearts and leaves. Teams score points for three figures: the best set of equal-ranked cards, the best sequence in one suit, and winning the majority of the tricks. Any figure can be bet up during play, and the opponents must accept the raise or concede it. What sets the game apart from its simpler ancestor Giltspiel is a group of wild cards, the Perlaggen, which a player names, or baptises, when playing them. Partners may talk and signal while playing, so bluffing and table talk are a large part of the game. Perlaggen was recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2016. Local rules differ from valley to valley, with the Innsbruck style and the acorn-based Eichelperlaggen as the two main forms.