Tarot (French)

Three - Five Players

Deal

Deal out the cards in 3s. The last 6 cards (last 3 when 5 player) form the Talon (chien)

Bids

A round of bidding follows. When 3 play, one player will be the Declarer who tries to take a target number of points, against the Defenders who attempt to thwart him. When 4 play, it will be one against 3 (although in the lowest bid of ‘Small’, the Declarer may elect to call for a partner instead of making a Purchase.) When 5 play, the declarer will always call for a partner.

Announcements

A player may announce the intention to make a Slam (Chelem) before play begins.

When playing to the first trick, any player may announce and show a Handful (poignée) of Trumps. If announced by a Defender, it counts against the Declarer; if announced by the Declarer, it counts toward him if he wins his bid, and against him otherwise.

Announcing a handful is optional, and a smaller handful may be declared than you hold. However, if the Excuse is shown, it is required that you hold no other trumps.

Play

Unless a Slam was declared, Eldest leads to the first trick. If Declarer announced a Slam, she leads.

Players must follow suit if possible, if not they must trump. When playing a trump, one must head the trick, if possible.

The Excuse

The Excuse may be played at any time, regardless of one’s ability to follow suit. It doesn't win the trick, but isn't lost: The player of the Excuse adds it to their own pile, and substitutes a low card for the winner of the trick. If lead, the next player may play any card.

If the Excuse is played to the last trick, it is lost to the winner of the trick, except in the case of a Slam: If the player has won every previous trick, he may lead the Excuse to the last trick, and it will win.

Pagat Ultimo

Taking the last trick with the 1 of Trumps scores a bonus.

Score

The target number of points the Declarer needs to equal to win is determined by the number of Oudlers he (or his team) has captured:

• With 3 the Declarer needs 36 points,
• With 2 the Declarer needs 41 points,
• With 1 the Declarer needs 51 points, and
• With 0 the Declarer needs 56 points.

Pagat Ultimo

A Pagat Ultimo is worth 10 points, which may be counted ‘within’ or ‘without’: That is, it may reduce the required total by 10 (so that, for example, with 3 one need only 26 points), or it may simply serve as a 10 point bonus to the score. The latter is more usual nowadays; the former makes it easier to win the hand with a Pagat Ultimo.

Slam

An announced Slam is worth 400 if successful, or -200 if not; an unannounced slam is worth 200.

Federation Scoring

To a base value of 25 is added the number of points in excess of the target (as well as the 10 points for a Pagat Ultimo, if reckened ‘without’). This value is multiplied by 1 for a Small, 2 for a Guard, 4 for a Guard Without, and 6 for Guard Against. Finally any bonuses for Handfuls or Slams are added or subtracted. This final total is the value of the Game.

Handfuls are worth 20, 30, or 40 points for a Single, Double, or Triple.

In the 3-player game, the Game score is subtracted from each defender, and twice the value is added to the Declarer. In the 4-player game, three times the value is added to the Declarer, unless she bid a Small with a partner; then each of them will score only the game value. In the 5-player game, the Declarer will score twice the value of the game, his partner will score only the game value; and each opponent will subtract the game value. In every case the total value equal zero.

Traditional Scoring

Traditional scoring uses pots and tokens, rather than paper. At the start of the game, and whenever there is no pot on the table, each player contributes 10 and the dealer 20. If a pot is already present, the dealer adds 5 to the largest pot.

When a Declarer makes a Purchase, he pays 10 to the player from whom he receives a card.

When a player declares a Handful, if a Defender, he receives that value from each other player. If the Declarer, at the end of the hand, he receives the value from each other player if he won; if he loses, he pays it to each other player.

Handfuls are worth 10, 20, or 30 points for a Single, Double, or Triple.

If reckoned ‘without’, each other player (including any partners) pay the winner of a Pagat Ultimo 10 points. If a Pagat Ultimo is attempted and failed, the player pays each other player 10.

At the end of the hand, the value of the game is the number of points taken beyond the target, plus 10 for a Guard, 20 for a Guard Without, or 30 for a Guard Against. This value is payed by each Defender to the Declarer if he won; or payed by the declarer to each defender if he loses. (When five play, the partner pays or receives from one Defender; the Declarer from the other two). If he won, the Declarer also receives the largest pot (which he splits with his partner, if any). If he looses and the pot has not been doubled, he doubles it; otherwise he contributes a new pot of equal value.

A Slam is worth 200 payed or received, along with the largest pot.

Card Ranks and Values

The ranking of the cards was changed in the early twentieth century: previously, the red suits ranked 1 (high) to 10 (low); whereas the black suits ranked 10 (high) to 1 (low). Now all four rank 10 (high) to 1 (low). Either system is acceptable, but should be agreed upon before starting.

To count the number of Card Points taken, add up the point values from the counting cards (the face cards, the ’Scuse, Mond, and Pagat), and count in addition 1 point for every two cards.