card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

s, a talon (; French for "heel") is a stack of undealt cards that is placed on the table to be used during the game. Depending on the game or region, they may also be referred to as the blind, kitty, skat, stock, tapp or widow (US).

Description

In 1909, Meyers Lexicon described the talon as ''"the cards left over after dealing..."'' In games of chance, such as Pharo, it is ''"the stock of cards which the banker draws on"''. The talon is usually a pack of cards, placed face down, in the middle of the

card table A folding table is a type of folding furniture, a table (furniture), table with legs that fold up against the table top. This is intended to make storage more convenient and to make the table more portable. Many folding tables are made of lightwei ...

. In other games, there are however very different variations, for example in Königrufen. Talons may be placed face up or face down. Parlett describes a ''kitty'' as "the pool or pot being played for" or "a dead hand or widow". He also equates ''talon'' to ''stock'' as the "cards which are not dealt initially but may be drawn from or dealt out later in the play".Parlett, David. ''The Penguin Book of Card Games''. London: Penguin (2008), p. 642-646. .

Examples of usage

The following are examples of games and the term usually used for talon. They are taken from Parlett unless otherwise indicated: * Blind: Auction Euchre, Cego,

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

, Sheepshead, Six-Bid * Cego: Cego * Dabb: Binokel, Tapp, Tappen * Doaba:

Jaggln Jaggln or Jaggeln is an historical Tyrol (state), Tyrolean card game designed for five players that used to be played purely as a winter pastime by farming folk. An unusual feature are its three highest trumps known as ''Jaggl, Zanggl'' and ''Bug ...

* Dobb: Dobbm * Kitty: Bid Whist, Five-Card Brag, Five Hundred, Newmarket, Three-Card Brag, Crash, Sergeant-Major * Pott: Tausendundeins * Skat: Admirals' Skat, Fipsen, North American Skat, Ramsch, Schieberamsch, Skat * Start: Tausendundeins, Wallachen * Stock: Bavarian Tarock,

Belote Belote () is a 32-card, trick-taking, ace–ten game played primarily in France and certain European countries, namely Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia (country), Georgia (mainly Guria), Greece, Luxembourg, Moldova, North Mac ...

, Bezique, Bisca, Bondtolva, Bourre, Briscola, California Jack,

Canasta Canasta (; Spanish language, Spanish for "basket") is a card game of the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 rum. Although many variations exist for two, three, five or six players, it is most commonly played by four in two par ...

Coinche Coinche (), also called belote coinchée (), is a variant of the French belote. The rules of the game are the same, but there are differences in how cards are dealt and how trumps are chosen. Like most popular games, coinche rules may differ ...

Crazy Eights Crazy Eights is a Card game#Shedding games, shedding-type card game for two to seven players and the best known American member of the Eights Group which also includes Pig (card game), Pig and Spoons (card game), Spoons. The object of the game i ...

, Cuarenta, Durak,

Écarté Écarté () is an old French casino game for two players that is still played today. It is a trick-taking game, similar to whist, but with a special and eponymous discarding phase; the word ''écarté'' means "discarded". Écarté was popular in ...

Eleusis Elefsina () or Eleusis ( ; ) is a suburban city and Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in Athens metropolitan area. It belongs to West Attica regional unit of Greece. It is located in the Thriasio Plain, at the northernmost ...

, Gleek, Hand and Foot, Tausendundeins, Klaberjass, Klondike, Marjolet, Ristiklappi, Rummy, Sixty-Six, Skitgubbe, Toepen, Tute * Stoß: German Rummy * Talon: Bauernschnapsen, Binokel, Bohemian Schneider, Droggn,

, Elfern, Gaigel, German Rummy, Guinguette, Hungarian Tarock, Illustrated Tarock, Königrufen, Mau-Mau, Mariás, Mauscheln, Mizerka,''Mizerka''
at www.pagat.com. Retrieved 29 Jun 2018. Nain Jaune, Piquet, Préférence,

Preference In psychology, economics and philosophy, preference is a technical term usually used in relation to choosing between alternatives. For example, someone prefers A over B if they would rather choose A than B. Preferences are central to decision the ...

, Russian Bank,

Schnapsen Schnapsen, Schnapser or Schnapsa is a trick-taking card game of the bézique (ace–ten) family that is very popular in Bavaria and in the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and has become the national card game of Austria and Hung ...

, Sixty-Six, Treppenrommé, Ulti * Tapp: Binokel, Cego, Tapp, Tapp Tarock, Troggu * Widow: Army and Navy Pinochle, Auction Euchre, Auction Manille, Auction Pinochle,

, Smear, Widow Cinch, Widow Hearts, Widow Nap/ Sir Garnet, Widow Pinochle

Footnotes

References

Literature

* Dummett, Sir Michael (1980). ''The Game of Tarot''. London: Duckworth. * * Card game terminology Playing cards {{card-game-stub

Description

Examples of usage

See also

Footnotes

References

Literature