Müller Matz

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Müller Matz is a card game that was played in the Baltic States in the first half of the 20th century and probably in the 19th century . The game is mentioned in the literature, for example in Else Hueck-Dehio's “Tipsys special love story”. When Tipsy makes a marriage proposal, she justifies her "refusal" (and proves her naivete) and the like. a. as follows: “You are wasting your money in the most unsettled way ... Yes, you are gambling. You sit on the cliffs of Monte Carlo and play with the Prince of Monaco - Müller Matz ”.

origin

The origin of Müller Matz probably lies in a Russian card game called Melniki (Russian: the millers). The rules are largely the same. About Melniki, the book Card Games of Russia by Nikolaj Rozaliev says that it is a family game with which adults and children spent their free time. It died out in the 20th century and can no longer be found today. As Bernd Baron von Maydell testifies, it is still played in Baltic German families to this day. According to Grimm's dictionary, the term “Matz” is used as the name of a lowly or foolish person and thus corresponds to the Russian word Durak (Russian “stupid”). Since the first part of Müller Matz in particular is similar to the well-known Russian card game Durak , the second origin of the game and the name can probably be found here.

Rules of the game

You play with one (with two to about four players), otherwise with two full decks of cards (without jokers). The value of the cards corresponds to the numbers. The 10 is followed by the Jack, Queen, King and Ace, in that order. You play with cards face down.

The game consists of two parts (called "life" here). The winner is the one who is the first to run out of cards at the end of his second life.

The first life

The goal of the first life is to be able to start the second life with a cheap hand. A common strategy is to collect high cards of each suit (but not too many overall) and trumps for the second life.

Each player is initially dealt three cards, the rest are placed face down in a pile in the middle of the table. A card is placed face up next to it and the suit is then trump. It is possible to swap them with a six or two playing card, but only when it is your turn.

The cards are kept face down. The one sitting to the left of the dealer starts by playing a card to his left neighbor.

There are now three options:

  1. He can trump the card, either with a higher of the same suit or any trump. He then places both cards face down in front of him for his second life. Whoever has stabbed can, in turn, play their left neighbor.
  2. He can give the card back to the player with a smaller one, then he must take the two cards with him into his second life and can play again. (If you are playing with two decks of cards, the person to whom the card was played and who has the same card again can decide whether to return the card or keep it for his second life.)
  3. He can pick up the card; This time, however, may not lead, but his left neighbor has a turn. This gives you four or more cards in your hand. You can only take another card from the middle pile when you only have two cards left in your hand.

Caution : You must not forget to always take a new card from the stack if you have fewer than three cards in your hand. If you have three trumps in hand, you can “go to sleep”, which means that you can discard the three trump cards in your second life and take three new cards for them.

As soon as the stack in the middle is empty, play continues until only one player has cards in hand. The first life is ended and the second life begins. When the pile is used up, you can go to sleep with two or one trump card.

the second Life

The person who was the first to run out of cards in their first life begins by playing a card in the middle (preferably the smallest number of the longest suit).

Its left neighbor has three options:

  1. He can serve with a higher card of the same suit and place it on the previous card (s).
  2. He can serve with a (higher) trump (expediently his lowest trump) (then the game continues with trump).
  3. He can pick up the last card in the middle because he cannot or does not want to operate. Then it is his left neighbor's turn.

If there are as many cards in the middle as there are other players, the last card wins and the cards are removed from the game. The one who stabbed may play again. Whoever is the first to run out of cards has won. This does not end the game, however; the remaining players continue to play. If there are still cards on the table when a player is eliminated, the original number of players will be stabbed. As soon as the game is played again, you win according to the current number of players.

The last player with cards in hand has lost.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Else Hueck-Dehio : Tipsys special love story. An idyll from old Estonia . E. Salzer, Heilbronn 1999, ISBN 3-89808-003-X , p. 76 .
  2. ↑ Millers. Description of the game in Russian. Retrieved March 27, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Nikolaj Rozaliev: Card Russia . Moskva 1991, p. 82 (Original title: Карточные игры России / Kartočnye igry Rossii .).
  4. ↑ Millers. Russian game instructions. Retrieved March 27, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Matz. German dictionary by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. Retrieved March 27, 2016 (Volume 12, 1768-1770).