As Hahnrey, it appears in a list of games embedded in a poem by Johann Christian Trömer in 1755.
For example, on long winter evenings in the Holstein village of Hardebek around 1800, it was one of the most popular card games alongside others such as Solo, Sixty-Six, Brusbart, Black Peter and Hartenlena.
In Grimm's 1877 dictionary it is described as played in Mecklenburg, Pomerania and im Göttingischen (Göttingen area), and was known in Denmark as Hanrei.
[4] And in the early 20th century it was still being played in Dithmarschen and Stapelholm on the North Sea coast of Holstein and in the post-war years Christa Bohlmann from Holsten recalls playing Hohnendreier um een Schluck with her grandparents.
[5] Today there is evidence that it is still played in one or two places, such as Wachendorf (Syke), just over the Schleswig-Holstein border in Lower Saxony under the name of Hohnendreier um Sluk or Hohnendreier um’n Sluck ("Hahrei for a Tot"), the loser getting to drink a tot of schnaps.
[6][7] The earliest rules appear in Jørgensen's Danish games book in 1802 under the name Hanrey.
[8][9] Single Hanrey is best played by two to four players using 36 French-suited cards from the Ace to the Six.
If the dealer cannot beat it either with a trump or a higher card of the led suit, he or she must pick it up, and the non-dealer keeps leading until beaten.
[8][9] Jørgensen calls it Long Hanrey and says it is best played by two players; Schwartz refers to it as Double Hanrei.
All is as in Single Hanrey, except that players keep the tricks they take, and always have to beat with the highest card in their hand.
When the stock is used up, players keep their hand cards, pick up their tricks, and the game continues.
[10] A German variant is Cheat Hahnrei, simply known as Hahndreier, Hahnreier or Niescherei in south Dithmarschen.
Players are usually dealt 3 cards each and the next turned for trump, the rest of the stack remain face down.
Cards are beaten face down; a player who doubts the correctness of a played downcard taps the table and calls "just checking" (nieli, "curious").
Sometimes the game is called neli Hahn ("curious chicken"), whoever is left with cards is a "rooster" and, on waking up the next morning, shouts "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"