Škis, mond, pagat: three kings without crowns

Slovenian tarok has three trumps we call the trula: the škis, the mond (XXI) and the pagat (I). Each is worth five points, as much as a king, but their true value lies in what you can do with them. Or lose.

The škis, laughing at everyone

The strongest card in the game is: a jester. The škis beats everything, even the mighty XXI, and its name most likely comes from the French l'excuse via the German Sküs. In older tarot games it was the card of apology that sat tricks out; the Slovenian table put a sword in its hand. Whoever holds the škis sleeps well.

The mond that is not a moon

Trump XXI we call the mond, and nearly every newcomer thinks of the moon. Linguists point instead to the French le monde, the World, highest card of the old tarots. A German ear turned "monde" into "Mond", and the moon has stayed in the name ever since.

The mond is also the riskiest card in the game: worth the most, beaten only by the škis, and that is exactly why a special penalty exists for it. Losing your XXI to the škis is never cheap, at any table. "The mond has fallen" is a sentence that makes the whole company sit up straight.

The pagat, a small hero

Trump I is the lowest trump, named after the Italian bagatto, the little street conjurer. For most of the evening the pagat travels carefully, hiding from the škis and the mond. But it has its great moment: pagat ultimo, winning the last trick with the lowest trump. A declared ultimo is one of Slovenian tarok's finest stunts: the table holds its breath to the final card, then erupts or groans.

The trula together

Whoever gathers all three in their tricks, or even declares the trula, earns a bonus that can decide the game. And whoever learns when to sacrifice the škis, when to hide the mond and when to send the pagat into the last trick has stopped being a beginner.

You will find all three cards in three artistic guises in the decks of Tarok 124, from the old school to painted Slovenia.