Six games, one deck, fifteen head-to-head comparisons inside the family plus four against the neighbors (Skat, French Tarot, Doppelkopf, Bridge): Calling the Twenty (Zwanzigerrufen), Calling the King (Königrufen), Slovenian Tarok (slovenski tarok), Hungarian Tarokk (the Paskievics game), Strawman (Strohmandeln), and Dappen. Each essay ends with a clear answer to “which of these two is mine?”, plus signposts when a third game fits your table better.
Fastest route: pick by player count.
- 2 players → Strawman
- 3 players → Slovenian Tarok
- 4 players → Calling the Twenty (start here), then Calling the King, Slovenian Tarok, or Hungarian Tarokk
- 5 players → Slovenian Tarok (dealer sits out)
- 6-8 players → Dappen
Start from zero: new to card games of this kind entirely? Read what a trick-taking game is, the history of trick-taking games, and why Tarok first. Prefer hard data? Six Tarok games by the numbers compares 300,000 simulated deals per game.
The fifteen comparisons
Calling the Twenty (Zwanzigerrufen) vs …
- Calling the Twenty vs Calling the King: the first step and the deep end, with the numbers that separate them
- Calling the Twenty vs Slovenian Tarok: easy evening or sharp ledger
- Calling the Twenty vs Hungarian Tarokk: two games that call the same card
- Calling the Twenty vs Strawman: the family’s two friendly doors, four chairs or two
- Calling the Twenty vs Dappen: four friends or the whole party
Calling the King (Königrufen) vs …
- Calling the King vs Slovenian Tarok: the baroque and the blade
- Calling the King vs Hungarian Tarokk: Vienna’s contracts or Budapest’s announcements
- Calling the King vs Strawman: hidden information or open battlefield
- Calling the King vs Dappen: the coffeehouse and the long table
Slovenian Tarok vs …
- Slovenian Tarok vs Hungarian Tarokk: two national games, two kinds of nerve
- Slovenian Tarok vs Strawman: the ledger or the duel
- Slovenian Tarok vs Dappen: precision engine or party engine
Hungarian Tarokk vs …
- Hungarian Tarokk vs Strawman: the promise, loud or quiet
- Hungarian Tarokk vs Dappen: two games that refuse a boring deal
Strawman vs …
- Strawman vs Dappen: the family’s two extremes, two players or eight
Beyond the family
Coming from another great card game? We compare respectfully: Tarok vs Skat, Tarok vs French Tarot, Tarok vs Doppelkopf, Tarok vs Bridge. And two stories worth telling: can you play games with tarot cards? (yes, that was the whole point), the Fairy Tale Trick, plus how to teach Tarok in one night.
Quick answers
Which tarock game is easiest? Calling the Twenty for four players and Strawman for two; both carry the family’s lowest difficulty rating, so “easiest tarock game” is really a question about your chair count.
Is there a 2 player tarock game? Yes, Strawman (Strohmandeln): a full two-player duel using all 54 cards, with face-up Straw Man piles between the players.
What is a good card game for 6-8 players with one deck? Dappen, the Black Forest tarock, deals one 54-card deck to six, seven or eight players and gives everyone a real stake in every deal.
What is the best tarock for beginners? Calling the Twenty; it is the family’s entry game, and the deck ships presorted for its guided first game.
All six games are taught from zero in the Tarok Exploration Book, played with one deck.