Tarock was one of the most popular card games played in the old Danube Monarchy, Austria-Hungary. The idea of the game is somewhat different from the original Tarocchi game but the basic rules are the same. From the original 78 card deck were stripped 24 pip cards to form a more convenient one of 54 cards. Other important differences compared to the Tarocchi deck is that the pictures on the trump cards no longer follow the traditions that have remained in the Tarot decks used for divination (although Trump I is called Pagat (from It. Bagatello) and the Trump XXI is called Mond (from Fr. Le Monde, "The World", the pictures have no relations to these names), and that the suits used are the regular French ones (clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds) instead of the original swords, batons, cups and coins. The French Tarot decks, although still consisting of 78 cards, also carry the French suit marks.

The game (more elaborately explained on another page under the headline Catching the Moon) is mostly played by three or four players. The card "The Fool" which follows special rules in Tarocchi (and also in French Tarot), which e.g. say that you can play it at any time, was transformed into the highest trump card. Below are a few examples of that card (in Austria called "Sküs" from the French word "Excuse") taken from various "Industrie & Glück" (which is a very common pattern) Tarock, Cego Tarock and French Tarot decks.