[1] Games related to Poch are the French Glic and Nain Jaune and the English Pope Joan.

[3] In north Germany it was called by the Low German name of Puchen or Puchspill, and the board was a Puchbrett.

[5] A game called boeckels is attested as early as 1441 in a Strasbourg ordinance and surfaces periodically during the 15th century as bocken, usually in the context of being banned.

By the 16th century the game had become well known enough to be featured in a 1519 satirical print of Emperor Charles V playing Bockspyl with an unnamed Turk and King Francis of France and for an anti-Luther pamphlet to be published called Bockspil.

[6] The oldest known board or Pochbrett is in the collections of the Bavarian National Museum and dates to the early 16th century.

These cards, all in the suit of hearts, are the Deuce, King, Ober, Unter and Ten ("X") and there is also a column for Bock (Poch) depicted by a billy goat.

[a] Other boards of that period were rectangular, often columnar, and with additional compartments for Sequenz (sequence), Braut (marriage) and Trio (run of 6-7-8).

[6] In 1619, in a letter, Dorothea, Sibylle, Duchess of Liegnitz and Brieg described how the young noblemen (Junkers) passed their time "riding, travelling, fighting, fencing and playing pranks... at night it's time to play Puchen and roll the dice until the day breaks."

Koch explains that "Puchen" was a popular card game at that time, but no longer common [in the early 1800s].

This may account for the custom among "common people today" of hitting the table during card games.

[7] The game of Poch went through its 'dark ages' from around 1620 to 1710 when neither references nor boards are recorded, but re-emerges in the early 18th century.

Pochen was not only popular in the German-speaking area of central Europe, but also appears to have spread to France.

[8] Each player antes 1 counter (Marke) to each of the following 7 rows or pools on the board: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Marriage (K+Q) and Sequence (7-8-9).

[8] Players show cards or combinations in the trump suit matching those on the board and collect the counters from the corresponding row.

Counters not won are carried forward, added to in later deals until a player has that meld and clears the pool.

[8] Part 2 is a vying (pochen) stage where players may vie if they have a set of 2 or more cards of the same rank; otherwise must pass.

), placing a stake equal to that of the knocker, or (c) "knock higher" (ich poche nach!

[10] Poch is a family game for 3 to 6 people using a pack of 32 French or German-suited playing cards.

Also needed is a Poch board (Pochbrett) with 9 compartments or pools into which are placed stakes for the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Mariage (King + Queen), Sequence (7 + 8 + 9), Poch (Joker) and Pinke (centre pot, pronounced "pinker").

A player who wins a figure or combination takes all the stakes in the relevant pool, including any left over from previous deals.

However, a player who thinks he or she has little chance of winning, may fold by saying "pass" and drop out of this stage of the game, losing any stake placed to that point.