How to Play

A classic French 2-player trick-taking game played with a 32-card piquet pack. Features a unique pre-play proposal/exchange phase and special scoring for the King of trumps. Match target 5 points.

Écarté (French for 'discarded') is a classic 19th-century French 2-player trick-taking game played with a 32-card piquet pack. Each deal, both players receive 5 cards and the 11th card is turned up to set the trump suit. The signature feature is the pre-play card exchange: the non-dealer (elder hand) may propose an exchange of any number of cards for fresh ones from the stock, and the dealer may either accept (after which both players may exchange) or refuse and play immediately. This 'propose/accept' phase is purely voluntary but carries a strategic price: if the elder plays without proposing and fails to win 3 or more tricks, the dealer scores a bonus. The King of trumps is specially privileged, earning 1 point whether held, declared, or turned up. Each hand is played to 5 tricks; winning 3 or 4 tricks scores 1 point (le point), winning all 5 (le vole) scores 2 points. Matches are played to 5 points. Écarté was the signature gambling game of Parisian salons and London clubs in the 19th century, and it appears prominently in Bram Stoker's Dracula as the fashionable game of the gentlemen's club scene.

Players

Exactly 2 players head-to-head. Deal alternates after each hand. A match to 5 points typically runs 10 to 20 minutes. 3-player Écarté exists as a variant (see Variations) but the 2-player form is the classic game.

Card Deck

One standard 32-card piquet pack (remove all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s from a 52-card deck). Card ranking within a suit (high to low): King, Queen, Jack, Ace, 10, 9, 8, 7. This is a distinctive rank order where Aces are LOW (below the 10) and Kings are the absolute top. The King of trumps is a special scoring card.

Objective

Be the first player to accumulate 5 points across a series of hands. Points come from winning the majority of tricks (le point = 1), winning all 5 tricks (le vole = 2), and holding, declaring, or turning up the King of trumps (1 point).

Setup and Deal

1. Cut for the first dealer; low card (7) deals. Deal rotates after each hand.
2. Shuffle the 32-card pack. The dealer deals 5 cards to each player, typically in batches of 3 then 2 (or 2 then 3). The non-dealer is the elder hand.
3. Turn the 11th card face up beside the stock to determine the trump suit.
4. Trump-up King bonus: If the turned-up card is the King of trumps, the dealer immediately scores 1 point.

Proposal and Exchange

1. Elder proposes or plays: The elder hand examines their hand and decides whether to propose an exchange of cards ('Je propose', 'I propose') or to play without proposing.
2. Dealer accepts or refuses: If elder proposes, the dealer may accept ('J'accepte') or refuse ('Je joue' or 'I play').
3. On accept: Elder discards any number of cards (from 1 to all 5) face down and draws replacement cards from the stock. Then the dealer may also discard and replace any number of cards, but must exchange at least 1 card. After both players have exchanged, elder may propose again; the process repeats until elder plays without proposing, dealer refuses, or the stock is empty.
4. On refuse: Play begins immediately with both players' original hands. If elder fails to win 3 or more tricks in this case, the dealer scores a bonus (see Scoring).
5. Playing without proposing: Elder may also skip the proposal entirely and lead immediately. If elder plays directly without proposing and fails to win 3 tricks, dealer scores the same bonus (so playing without proposing, and being refused by dealer, both carry the same risk for elder).
6. King of trumps declaration: At any time before leading to the first trick, a player holding the King of trumps may declare it ('Roi') and score 1 point. The declaration is mandatory to score the bonus.

Gameplay

1. Lead: Elder hand leads any card to the first trick.
2. Follow suit strictly: Subsequent player must follow the suit led if able.
3. Trump if void: If unable to follow suit, the player must play a trump if they hold one.
4. Head the trick: If the player can win the trick (higher card of the suit led, or a trump of any rank when the lead was off-suit), they must do so. This 'force-win' rule is strictly enforced.
5. Winning a trick: Highest trump wins, or highest card of the suit led if no trump is played. Winner leads the next trick.
6. All 5 tricks: Every hand plays out all 5 tricks; no early-termination rules.

Scoring

1. Le point (winning 3 or 4 of the 5 tricks): 1 point to the winning side.
2. Le vole (winning all 5 tricks): 2 points to the winning side.
3. King of trumps declared before play: 1 point to the holder (must be declared before leading to the first trick).
4. King of trumps turned up at deal: 1 point to the dealer.
5. Bonus for elder's poor choice: If elder played without proposing (or proposed and was refused) and then failed to win 3 or more tricks, the dealer scores a bonus. Specifically: le point becomes 2 points to dealer instead of 1; le vole (if dealer wins all 5) becomes 3 points instead of 2.
6. Match target: 5 points. First player to reach 5 wins.

Winning

The first player to accumulate 5 points wins the match. Matches are usually best-of-three or best-of-five. In Parisian club play the match was often the basis for monetary stakes, with each match point worth a fixed sum; in Dracula, 19th-century London gentlemen's clubs are depicted playing for substantial sums across multiple matches in an evening.

Common Variations

• Écarté au Cercle (club Écarté): Additional spectators (galleries) may bet on the outcome, with rotating kibitzer conventions. Standard at 19th-century Parisian clubs.
• Three-Handed Écarté: Three players where one deals and sits out each hand; the other two play standard Écarté. Dealer rotates left after each hand.
• Écarté for Stakes: Each point carries a fixed monetary or chip value; le vole and the King of trumps earn higher-multiple bonuses.
• Quick Écarté: Match target is 3 points rather than 5, for shorter matches.
• Ecarté de Napoléon: Attributed apocryphally to Napoleon's exile days; identical rules with a higher point target (11 points).
• Jeux de Règles (fixed bidding style): Pre-World-War form with rigid conventions for when elder may propose; strictly rules-based.

Tips and Strategy

• The proposal decision is the single biggest strategic choice. Propose when you hold fewer than 3 likely trick-winners; play without proposing only when you hold 3+ sure tricks (the bonus penalty is too costly otherwise).
• The head-the-trick rule makes medium cards dangerous. A hand of 10-9-8 in one suit is almost always a losing hand because every mid-card is forced into a losing trick.
• Kings and trumps of high rank are your best assets. Lead high trumps early to flush opponent trumps and clear the path for your Queens and Kings.
• If you hold the King of trumps, declare it before the first lead. The 1 point is free and can be the difference between reaching 5 and falling short.
• As dealer, accept proposals liberally when your hand is weak; refuse only when your hand is very strong. The elder's proposal is information about their own hand weakness.
• Track what the opponent has discarded in exchanges. A player who discards 3 cards and takes 3 new cards has effectively admitted their original hand was weak; their post-exchange hand is likely to contain middling cards.

Glossary

• Elder hand: The non-dealer. Proposes or plays first, and leads to the first trick.
• Propose (Je propose): Elder's request to exchange cards with the stock.
• Accept (J'accepte): Dealer's acceptance of the proposal; exchange begins.
• Refuse (Je joue): Dealer's refusal of the proposal; play begins immediately with original hands.
• Le point: Winning 3 or 4 of the 5 tricks. Scores 1 (or 2 if elder played without proposing).
• Le vole: Winning all 5 tricks. Scores 2 (or 3 if elder played without proposing).
• King of trumps: The highest card in the deck when trumps are in play; 1 bonus point for declaring or turning up.
• Head the trick: Strict rule requiring a player who can win the trick to do so.
• Galleries: Spectators who bet on outcomes in club-level Écarté au Cercle.
• Piquet pack: The 32-card deck (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 per suit) used for Écarté, Piquet, and several other French games.A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠9♠8♠7♠