Welcome to the World of Piquet!
Objective: The goal of Piquet is to reach 100 points.
Players: This exciting game is played by two people.
Cards: Piquet is played with a special deck of 32 cards, which includes the Aces, Kings, Queens, and numbers 10 through 7 of each suit.
Ranks: The cards are ranked in the following order, from highest to lowest: A (high), K, Q, 10, 9, 8, 7.
Type of Game: Piquet is a thrilling trick-taking game that will keep you on your toes.
Audience: This game is perfect for adults who love a good challenge.
An Introduction to Piquet
Piquet is a captivating two-player trick-taking game that uses a unique deck of cards with 32 cards. Unlike regular decks, this one doesn’t include number cards 2-6. In Piquet, you will engage in 6 rounds, known as “parties”.
This incredible game has an ancient heritage, dating back over 400 years. Its popularity traces back to the 1600s and it’s even mentioned in Rabelais’ famous novel, “Gargantua and Pantagruel“, which was published in 1535.
The Art of Scoring
When we play a game called “Rubicon,” we have to keep track of our scores. After each round, we tell everyone how many points we scored. At the end of the game, we add up all the points from each round to see who won. The person with the highest score is the winner. But if two or more players have the same score, they play a few more rounds to break the tie. If they still have the same score after those rounds, then it’s a tie.
The goal of the game is to get a score of 100 or more. We call it “getting over the Rubicon.” So we try to score as many points as we can in each round.
After we finish playing six rounds, we calculate the difference between the winner’s score and the loser’s score. If the loser’s score is at least 100, they have to pay the difference plus 100 points. But if we decide to play another game, we start with a clean slate, and everyone’s score goes back to 0. If the loser doesn’t reach 100 points, they have to pay the sum of all their scores plus 100.
For example, let’s say Player A has 99 points and Player B has 120 points. Since Player A didn’t reach 100 points, they have to pay the sum of their scores (99) plus 100. So they end up paying Player B a total of 319 points (99 + 120 + 100).
Hey there! Here’s how the game goes down:
THE DEAL
So, the deal goes back and forth between us players. We start by shuffling the deck and then deciding the high card to determine who gets to deal first – whoever has the highest card wins! After that, we shuffle the cards again, making sure they’re really mixed up.
Okay, now each of us gets 12 cards. But wait, there’s more! We’re going to have 8 extra cards called the talon. These talon cards will be placed face-down right in the middle of the table. They’re kind of like secret bonus cards that we’ll get to use later.
When we’re dealing the cards, we have an important role. The player who’s not dealing is called the elder hand, while the one doing the dealing is called the younger hand. It’s kind of like taking turns in being the boss of the cards!
If you don’t have any face cards (J, Q, K) in your hand, you can declare “carte blanche” and earn 10 points. Remember, you need to do this right away. Here’s how it works: once your opponent discards, you quickly lay your hand face-up on the table. If you have carte blanche, you let the other player know how many cards you’re getting rid of. This way, they can choose their discards before seeing your hand.
THE EXCHANGE
When we play the card game, the person who is older goes first. They have to get rid of anywhere from 1 to 5 cards, but they can’t let anyone see which cards they are tossing out. After that, they have to take the same number of new cards from the pile. The younger player does the same thing, but they can only get rid of between 1 and the number of cards left in the pile. So, if the older player got rid of 5 cards, the younger player can only get rid of up to 3. If someone gets rid of fewer than the maximum number of cards, they have to say so out loud, and the cards they got rid of go next to them on the table.
If the older player gets rid of less than 5 cards, they can peek at the pile of cards. And once the older player starts playing their new cards, the younger player can look at the pile too, but only if the older player got rid of less than 5 cards.
THE WINNING COMBOS
There are three different kinds of combinations that give you points. The person who has the best combination gets the points.
Points
Did you know that there are different ways to score in the game of cards? Let me explain some of them to you:
Greatest Amount of Cards in a Single Suit
In this scoring method, the goal is to have the highest number of cards in one suit. When you have a lot of cards in the same suit, you get to announce how many of them you have, like saying “I have a point of 4.” And guess what? You actually score that number of points! Isn’t that cool?
Sequence
In this method, the goal is to have a sequence of cards in order. You need to have at least 3 consecutive cards to form a sequence. The longer the sequence, the more points you score. It’s like going on a winning streak!
Set
Now, let’s talk about sets. A set is a collection of cards that have the same rank. There are two types of sets:
- Quatorze – This is a set of four cards with either Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, or 10s. And guess what? You score a whopping 14 points for this kind of set! That’s a lot of points!
- Trio – This is a set of three cards with either Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, or 10s. For this type of set, you score 3 points. Not as much as a quatorze, but still a good score!
Oh, and by the way, sets with 9s, 8s, and 7s don’t count. So make sure you focus on the higher-ranked cards if you want to score big!
When we start playing the game called Elder Hand, we have to show our best hand for each category. After that, the other player, who is younger, has to respond with either “good” or “not good.” If they say “good,” it means that my hand is better and we can score it. But if they say “not good,” it means that their hand is actually better. They can also say “equal” if our hands are exactly the same, and in that case, there is no scoring involved.
If we both have sequences of the same length, we compare them based on the value of each card. Basically, a 10 is worth 10 points, face cards are worth 10 as well, and an Ace is worth 11. We also compare sequences based on the highest card in the set. For example, if I have an Ace sequence of 3 cards and the other player has a King sequence of 3 cards, my hand would win. And if one of us has a set of four cards called Quatorze, it always beats a set of three cards called Trio. The higher-ranking Quatorzes and Trios beat the lower-ranking ones.
When it comes to scoring in the game, the player who has the highest ranking sequence can earn points for any other sequences they have in their hand. On the other hand, the other player doesn’t earn any points for that category. This rule applies to all the other categories as well.
Once the elder player declares, the younger player can also declare combinations where the elder player was “not good” or didn’t declare. This gives the younger player a chance to earn points.
But here’s an important note: you don’t have to declare anything if you think it’s best to keep your cards a secret for the trick-taking part of the game. This is known as a sinking declaration.
Repique & Pique
If a player scores at least 30 points during declarations before their opponent scores any points, they receive a special bonus. It’s called a repique and is worth 60 bonus points. On the other hand, if a player scores 30 points during declarations and starts playing before their opponent scores any points, they receive a pique worth 30 bonus points. The points are declared in this order:
- Carte Blanche
- Point
- Sequences
- Quatorzes & Trios
- Points during play
The Exciting Game of Belote
Belote is a thrilling card game that has been enjoyed for generations. It’s a game that requires skill, strategy, and a bit of luck. The goal of the game is to score points by winning tricks. Let’s dive in and learn more about this captivating game!
Understanding the Basics
Belote is played with a standard deck of 32 cards. The four suits are hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. The cards in each suit are ranked from high to low: Ace, 10, King, Queen, Jack, 9, 8, and 7.
The game is played between two teams of two players each. The players on the same team are seated across from each other. The player sitting to the left of the dealer is known as the elder hand, and the player to their right is the younger hand.
Scoring
In Belote, points are awarded for several different things. Let’s take a look at the scoring system:
The elder hand always scores 1 point for leading in the first trick, so only the elder can score the pique.
The Play
Belote is a trick-taking game without any trumps. Players must follow suit. The player who leads the trick scores a point, and the player who takes the trick led by the opponent also scores a point. Additionally, there is one point awarded for taking the last trick. The highest-ranking card in the suit led wins the trick.
The number of tricks won determines the points received for the cards. If a player wins more tricks, they receive 10 points. If a player wins all 12 tricks, they earn 40 points for the capot. However, if both teams win an equal number of tricks, no points are given for the cards.
The game continues until a player reaches 100 points. Refer to the scoring mechanism mentioned above under “Scoring” for more information.