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Grasobern / Grünobern

Grasober

Introduction

Grasobern is a classic Bavarian and Austrian card game with a relaxing character that is easy to learn and fun to play. It makes a good introduction to those unfamiliar with German-suited cards. The first references appear in the early 19th century but it is probably much older. It remains popular in eastern Bavaria, especially in the Upper Palatinate, and in the south of Old Bavaria. Meanwhile it has experienced a revival in Upper Austria’s Mühlviertel region in recent years where players have competed annually for the Grea Bua Cup since 2005.

The simplest and probably original form of the game - still played in Austria today - is one in which the aims are to avoid capturing the Grass (or Green) Ober and to avoid taking the last trick. However, as early as 1895, special contracts were added. These were undertakings to lose all the tricks (Bettel) or to win all the tricks (Mord). Over time these were further elaborated, especially in Bavaria, by adding "open" versions in which the declarer's hand was laid face up on the table after the first trick, an option for a player attempting a Mord to call for a card from another player (Rufmord) and Schleichmord, a "sneaky" version of Mord in which the intention to win all the tricks was not announced until partway through the play.

This page was contributed by Paul Eaton and is based on his research of the literature as well as consultation with active players.

History and Names

Grasobern probably dates to at least the 18th century, although the earliest known mention is in a poem called “Unglück im Spiele” (“Misfortune in Games”) in an 1824 anthology, in which the author bemoans his bad luck when playing cards at the Mohrenkopf in Munich, including Laubobern at which he longs for a Durchmarsch (slam). The earliest Austrian record notes that Grünoberln was still the most popular game among the middle classes in 1852. However, the first detailed descriptions do not appear until 1895, by whch time the game included Bettel and Mord. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the game became so popular that tournaments known as Grasober Races (Grasober-Rennen) were held. Today local competitions are still held in the south of Bavaria and in Upper Austria, but the game is on the endangered list according to Erich Rohrmayer.

The game has numerous names all centred on its penalty card, the Ober of Leaves. In Bavaria it is usually called Grasobern, dialectally Graseberla, which means “playing Grass Ober”, Gras being the suit of leaves. In Austria, it is more commonly Grünobern, Grün meaning “green” and, again, referring to the suit of Leaves. In the Mühlviertel dialect it is Grea Bua, “Green Boy”.  Other regional and historical names include Grasoberln, Grasoberspiel, Grüneln, Grünoberfangen, Grünoberjagen, Laubobern, and Lauboberspiel.

Grasobern (Bavaria)

The main account on this page is a version of Grasobern described to Paul Eaton by Helmut Vierkant who plays it regularly with local players Josef (“Sepp”) Hemauer, Franz Neumeier and Wolfgang Buchner in his home village of Zaitzkofen in the Upper Palatinate (thank you to business consultant and card game author Erich Rohrmeyer of Schierling who facilitated the discussion).

Players, Cards and Objective

The following rules describe a typical variant: the four-handed game played in Zaitzkofen near Regensburg in northern Bavaria.

A 32-card, German-suited pack is used, normally created by removing the sixes from a Bavarian Schafkopf/Tarock pack. There are never any trumps, and the cards of each suit rank from high to low: Ace, King, Ober, Unter, 10, 9, 8, 7. As usual in Bavaria the aces are normally known as "sows".

  • In a normal game each player plays for themselves with the aims of avoiding taking the last trick and avoiding taking the trick that contains the Grasober (the Ober of leaves).
  • In the special contracts Bettel and Durch, one of the players is the declarer, who volunteers to play alone and lose every trick or win every trick, while the other three form a team that tries to prevent this.

At the start of the session the players should agree on the stake. At the time of writing (2026) this is normally 50 cents.

Deal and play are clockwise.

The Deal

The first dealer is chosen by any agreed method. The dealer shuffles the pack, offers it to the player to the right for cutting and deals the cards in packets of 4, beginning with forehand, the player to the dealer’s left and going twice around the table so that each player has a hand of 8 cards.

The Auction

There is a single round of bidding, beginning with forehand, in which each player in turn either passes by (saying “weiter” or “weg”) or names one of the two special contracts: Bettel (an undertaking to lose every trick) or Mord (an undertaking to win every trick). If a player bids Bettel, subsequent players can only pass or bid Mord. Mord is the highest bid and ends the auction. Most of the time all four players pass, in which case a normal game is played. If the final bid is Bettel or Mord, the final bidder becomes the declarer and plays that contract alone against the other three players.

The Play

In a normal game, forehand begins by leading any card to the first trick. Players must follow suit if able. A player who is unable to follow suit and who holds the Grasober (Ober of leaves) must play it. Otherwise, a player who cannot follow suit may play any card. The highest card played of the suit that was led wins the four-card trick, which is placed face down next to the player who took it. The winner of each trick leads to the next trick. There are penalties for the player who wins the trick containing the Grasober and for the winner of the last trick.

In Bettel, the declarer begins by leading any card to the first trick. Throughout the game, players who have cards of the suit that was led must follow suit and if possible must beat the highest card of that suit so far played to the trick. Players who are unable to follow suit may play any card (there is no special rule for the Grasober). As usual each trick is won by the highest card of the led suit and the trick winner leads any card to the next trick. The declarer must lose every trick to succeed: as soon as the declarer wins a trick the play ends and the contract is lost.

Note that the requirement to overtake allows the declarer with a lone high card, such as a king, to lead it safely to the first trick, since the holder of the ace must play it. On the other hand the requirement to overtake applies to all players including the declarer, so for example a declarer holding A-9-8-7 of a suit that is led by an opponent will be required to play the ace, losing the contract.

In Mord the declarer leads any card to the first trick, and as usual players must follow suit if possible. Players who are unable to follow suit may play any card (there is no special rule for the Grasober). Each trick is won by the highest card of the suit that was led and the winner leads any card to the next trick. The declarer must win every trick to succeed, so as soon as a trick is won by any other player the play ends and the contract has failed.

Schleicher

In a normal game, a player who wins the first five tricks may knock on the table before leading to the sixth trick. This is an announcement of a Schleicher or Schleichmord (a "sneaky Mord"), an undertaking to win the last three tricks as well. In this case there are no penalties for taking the Grasober or the last trick: instead the knocker wins if they take all eight tricks or loses if any of the last three tricks is won by an opponent.

The Scoring

In a normal game with no Schleicher

  • if the last trick and the Grasober were taken by two different players, each of them pays one stake and each of the other two players receives one stake
  • if the same player took both the Grasober and the last trick, that player pays one stake to each of the other three players.

If a Schleicher was announced, the knocker wins two stakes from each player for winning the last three tricks, or pays two stakes to each of the other players if anyone else wins a trick.

In a Bettel the tariff is two stakes, paid to the declarer by each other player if the Bettel succeeds or by the declarer to each other player if it fails.

In a Mord the tariff is four stakes, paid to the declarer by each other player if the Mord succeeds or by the declarer to each other player if it fails.

Grasobern: Variations and Uncertainties

In Bavaria the following common variations are known.

Pot. In many places it is usual for penalties in the normal game to be paid to a pot, which is distributed to the players at the end of the session or saved for some common purpose such as paying for a meal together. Note that in the Zaitzkofen game above, the penalties in the normal game are equivalent to the players who took the Grasober and the last trick each paying two stakes to a pot whose contents are immediately distributed to the players, each receiving one stake back.

First Trick Penalty. In many places the player who takes the first trick in a normal game must also pay a penalty equal to the penalty for taking the last trick.

Grasober Penalty. In many places taking the Grasober in a normal game costs twice as much as winning the first or last trick.

Note that in a normal game that ends with a Schleicher there are no penalties for taking the first trick, last trick or Grasober. For this reason it is convenient to make payments to the pot only at the end of play. We are not sure what is the usual practice, but if players pay the pot for taking the first trick and the Grasober as soon as these events occur, they should remember to withdraw these payments from the pot if a Schleicher is announced.

Playing the Grasober. It is always a rule that in a normal game the holder of the Grasober must dispose of it as soon as possible if able to discard it on a suit in which they have no cards. In some places there is an additional rule that the Grasober must be played by the holder if another player leads the ace or king of leaves to a trick. Players would normally want to get rid of the Grasober as soon as they can safely do so, but it's possible that a player holding say O-8-7 of leaves might want to hold back the Ober to prevent a Schleicher by another player. This tactic would only make sense if playing for a tariff where paying for a Schleicher was significantly more expensive than the penalty for taking the Grasober. This extra rule prevents that tactic. It is not completely clear, but apparently the extra rule only applies if the ace or king of leaves is led to the trick: if a low leaf is led and the second or third player plays the ace or king, a later player is still allowed to hold back the Ober if they wish to.

Bauer. In some places a player who incurs all three penalties in a normal game, winning the first and last tricks and the Grasober, is called the Bauer (“peasant” or “boy”). The other players stand up and poke fun at this misfortune by chorusing “Hellooo!”

Additional special contracts

Gelegter Bettel, formerly known as Bettel ouvert ("Open Bettel"). Ranks above Mord in the auction. The declarer plays Bettel with their hand laid face up on the table after the first trick.

Gelegter Mord, also known as Herrenmord ("Open Mord"). Ranks above Gelegter Bettel in the auction. The declarer plays Mord with cards laid face up on the table after the first trick.

Rufmord ("Call Mord"). Tanks immeduately below a Mord. The declarer calls for a card and the holder of that card must give it to the declarer after which the declarer returns an unwanted card face down in exchange. The declarer then plays Mord. In some places this replaces Mord as an option in the auction and is just called Mord.

Retour Bettel ("Re-Bettel"). Can be bid by a later player to overcall Rufmord. Played and scored the same as Bettel.

Tariffs

There are numerous local variants of the payments for the various contracts, and each published set of rules we have seen (see sources) gives a different schedule. For example:

Mala (1997) describes the game Grün-Ober as a component of a compendium game Großer Rumpel in which any selection of the sub-games can be played. All scores are recorded as penalty points for the losing player(s), which is effectively equivalent paying these penalties to a pot..

  • normal game: first trick 2 stakes, Ober of leaves 3 stakes, last trick 4 stakes
  • silent Mord (winning all tricks in a normal game with no announcement) each opponent pays 5 stakes (no payments for first and last tricks and Ober of leaves)
  • Schleicher: if won each opponent pays 6 stakes, if lost declarer pays 12 stakes
  • Bettel: if won each opponent pays 6 stakes, if lost declarer pays 12 stakes
  • Mord: if won each opponent pays 8 stakes, if lost declarer pays 16 stakes

Sirch (2008)

  • normal game: winners of first trick, last trick and Grasober each pay 1 stake to the pot
  • Schleicher: announced after 4th trick. declarer wins 2 stakes from each opponent if successful, otherwise pays 2 to each
  • Bettel: declarer wins 2 stakes from each opponent if successful, otherwise pays 2 to each
  • Mord: this is a Rufmord, i.e. declarer asks for a card. declarer wins 4 stakes from each opponent if successful, otherwise pays 4 to each
  • Gelegter Bettel: declarer wins 4 stakes from each opponent if successful, otherwise pays 4 to each
  • Gelegter Mord: no card called - declarer wins 8 stakes from each opponent if successful, otherwise pays 8 to each

Bayerische Rundfunk (2012)

  • normal game: winners of for the first and last tricks each pay 1 stake to the pot, the player who takes the Grasober pays 2 stakes to the pot
  • Schleicher: declarer receives/pays 7 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Bettel: declarer receives/pays 3 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Mord: this is a Rufmord - declarer calls for a card and receives/pays 4 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Retour-Bettel: declarer receives/pays 3 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Herrenbettel: this is open Bettel, declarer receives/pays 6 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Herrenmord: this is an ordinary Mord with no card called. declarer receives/pays 8 stakes from/to each opponent

Rohrmayer (2017)

  • normal game: winners of for the first and last tricks each pay 1 stake to the pot, the player who takes the Grasober pays 2 stakes to the pot
  • Schleicher: declarer receives/pays 7 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Bettel: declarer receives/pays 3 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Mord: declarer receives/pays 4 stakes from/to each opponent

Gruber (2026) aclls the game Grassoberln

  • normal game: winners of the Grasober and the last trick each pay 1 stake to one of the winners. No payment for the first trick.
  • Schleicher: declarer receives/pays 6 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Bettel: declarer receives/pays 2 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Rufmord (optional): declarer calls for a card and receives/pays 3 stakes from/to each opponent
  • Mord: declarer receives/pays 5 stakes from/to each opponent

Other numbers of players

Although it is usually played by 4 people Rohrmayer says that Grasobern can theoretically be played by 3 to 8 players, and is best for 4 to 6. If there are 5 or 6 players two sevens, for example acorns and bells, are removed from the pack so that 5 players each have a hand of 6 cards and 6 players each have 5. He implies that the rules are analogous to those of the 4-player game but clearly some scoring adjustments will be needed.

Grünobern (Austria)

Austrian players use the 32- or 36-card William Tell pack. The suit of leaves is called grün (green), so the game is generally known as Grünobern, In the Mühlviertel, however, it is commonly called Grea Bua (green boy) or, according to Michael Wurm, designer of the app Queen of Spades, as Grünober Suchen or Grün-Bauern Jagen (hunt the green boy).

The description of Grea Bua that follows is based on observation and participation in a three-hand game played with Michael Lang, Berthold (Butty) Reisinger and “Pez” in Langs Wirtshaus, Sankt Ulrich im Mühlkreis, Upper Austria. At Langs Wirtshaus, “Pez”, who was from neighbouring Sankt Peter am Wimberg, said that they only played the classic game; there were no special contracts and players simply had to avoid the last trick and Grea Bua. However, “Butty” said they always played with Bettel and Mord. They described two special rules that do not appear in the Bavarian game, but are mentioned in online descriptions of Grea Bua: the first is that the opening lead may not be a leaf; the second is the feature of Buam suacha (explained below) which is clearly why the game is called Grea Bua suacha in Sankt Martin im Mühlkreis.

Grea Bua

Players and Cards

From three to six people may play. The usual game, described here, is for four players. A 36-card Tell pack is used, the cards of each suit ranking from high to low A, K, O, U, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.The leaf suit is usually called Pik (spades) by local players.

The first dealer is chosen by any convenient random method. The dealer shuffles and the player to dealer's right cuts. All the cards are then dealt out, so that each player has a hand of 9 cards.

Deal and play are clockwise.

Objectives and Auction

In a normal game the aims are to avoid winning the trick containing the Grea Bua (Ober of Leaves) and to avoid winning the last trick.

Before play, players may bid one of the two special contracts to be played instead of a normal game. The special contracts are:

  • Bettler, in which the declarer must take no tricks, and players must head the trick if able.
  • Durch(gang), in which the declarer must take all tricks.

Formally, each player in turn, beginning with the player to the dealer's left may either pass (saying "weiter") or bid Bettler if no previous player has bid Bettler or Durch, or bid Durch if no previous player has bid Durch. In most cases all players pass.

In practice the auction may be less formal. If anyone wants to play Bettler or Durch they just say so. Durch outranks Bettler, and if two players want to play the same special contract, the player nearer to dealer's left in clockwise order has precedence.

Play

In a normal game forehand, the player to dealer's left, leads any card except a leaf to the first trick. Players must always follow suit if they can. If unable to follow suit they may play any card. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led - there are no trumps. The winner of each trick leads to the next and from the second trick onwards any card may be led.

Note that, unlike most versions of the Bavarian game, there is no requirement for the holder of the Grea Bua to discard it if unable to follow suit, nor to play it to a lead of the ace or king of leaves.

Buam suacha (“hunting/searching for the Boy”). From the second trick onwards, if the Grea Bua has not been played, the player who is due to lead may lead a card of the leaf suit face down. The remaining players also play a card face down, which must be a leaf if they have one. When everyone has played a card, the played cards are turned face up and the trick is taken by whoever played the highest leaf.

In a Bettler or Durch the bidder leads any card to the first trick. As usual players must follow suit and if unable to follow suit may discard any card. The winner of each trick leads to the next.

In a Bettler only, players who can follow suit must also beat the highest card of the suit led that is in the trick if they can.

In Bettler and Durch the leaf suit and the Grea Bua have no special role. There is no restriction on leading a leaf to the first trick and no "Buam sucha" - all cards are played face up.

Scoring

In a normal game

  • if the Grea Bua and the last trick are taken by different players they each lose one stake and the opponents receive 1 stake each.
  • if one player takes both the the Grea Bua and the last trick, that player pays one stake to each opponent.

For a successful Bettler, the bidder receives four stakes from each opponent. If the bidder takes a trick the play ends and the bidder pays four stakes to each opponent.

For a successful Durch, the bidder receives five stakes from each opponent. If the bidder takes a trick the play ends and the bidder pays five stakes to each opponent.

Grea Bua: Variations and Uncertainties

Other number of players

We do not have full details how Grea Bua is played with 3. 5 or 6 players, but so far as we know the rules are the same as for the 4-player game with the following adjustments.

If there are five players, a 6 of a suit other than leaves is removed from the pack. All the cards are dealt so that three players receive 12 cards each, five receive 7 cards each and six receive 6 cards each.

When there are 3 players and the the Grea Bua last trick are taken by different players they each pay 1 to the third player, who thus recieves 2. Paul Eaton suggests that if one player takes both they have to pay 2 stakes to each opponent, losing 4 in all.

With 5 players maybe the Grea Bua costs 2 stakes and the last trick 1 if taken by different players, each of the opponents winning 1 stake. If the same player takes both they pay 1 stake to each opponent, losing 4 stakes in all.

With 6 players probably the Grea Bua and the last trick should each cost 2 stakes if lost by different players, each opponent winning 1 stake. If the same player takes both they pay 1 stake to each opponent. losing 5 in all.

Grea Bua without Bettel and Durch announcements

In some places, for example in Sankt Peter am Wimberg as mentioned above, there is no possibility to bid Bettel or Durch. Every deal is played as a normal game with payments for taking the Grea Bua and the last trick.

In Michael Wurm's app there is no possibility to bid Bettel or Durch, but there is the possibility to win by taking every trick without any announcement. For this 'silent slam' the player who wins all the tricks receives one stake from each opponent instead of paying for the Grea Bua and the last trick.

Sources

Rules

Other Sources

  • Dr. Carl Müller: “C* M**s Unglück im Spiele” in Gedichte: Aufsätze und Lieder im Geiste Marc Sturms. Stuttgart. pp. 167-168. Earliest known record in any German state.
  • Math. Jelinek: “Aus Salzburg” in Der Grenzbote. Mar Zugschwerdt. Reichenhall, 1855. pp. 209-210. Earliest Austrian record.
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This page is maintained by John McLeod, john@pagat.com   © Paul,Eaton, John McLeod, 2026. Last updated: 19th August 2026

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