How to Play

A historic French-Spanish trick-avoidance game for four, played with a 48-card deck. The feared Quinola (Jack of Hearts) punishes whoever captures it, and a bold player may try to win everything for a Reversis bonus.

Reversis is a four-player trick-avoidance card game that grew out of 16th-century Spain, became the favourite of French aristocrats in the 17th and 18th centuries, and is widely credited as a direct ancestor of modern Hearts. The central idea is counter-intuitive for trick-taking games: you do not want to win tricks. Honour cards in your trick pile cost fiches (counters), and the feared Quinola, the Jack of Hearts, carries the heaviest penalty of all. An audacious player may attempt a Reversis by trying to win every trick for a huge reward.

Players

Reversis is strictly for four players playing as individuals. There are no partnerships. Each player keeps a personal supply of counters (fiches) from which all penalties are paid and rewards are received.

Card Deck

Use a 48-card deck: a standard 52-card pack with the four 10s removed. Cards rank from King high down to the 2 low within each suit; the Jack ranks between the Queen and the 9, and Aces rank low (just above 2). There are no trumps. You will also need a supply of counters or chips (fiches) for settling penalties and rewards.

Objective

Avoid winning tricks that contain honour cards, and above all avoid capturing the Quinola (Jack of Hearts). The player with the most counters after an agreed number of deals wins the match. A player who wins every trick of a deal scores a Reversis and takes the pool plus a bonus from each opponent.

Setup and Deal

1. Each player antes an agreed number of counters into a central basket (the pool) at the start of each deal.
2. Choose a dealer by any method. The deal rotates clockwise each hand.
3. Deal 12 cards face down to each player, one at a time, clockwise.
4. There is no trump, no upcard, and no stock remaining after the deal.
5. The player to the dealer's right (eldest in Spanish/French dealing direction) leads the first trick.

Gameplay

1. Each trick consists of one card played in turn by each of the four players, starting with the leader and continuing counter-clockwise.
2. Following suit: You must play a card of the same suit as the lead if you have one. If you do not, you may discard any card.
3. Winning the trick: The highest card of the led suit wins. There are no trumps, so a discard cannot win a trick.
4. Collecting: The trick winner gathers the played cards face-down into their trick pile. They then lead the next trick.
5. Penalty cards: Each honour card (King, Queen, Jack, Ace) captured earns a penalty when settling: Ace 4 fiches, King 3 fiches, Queen 2 fiches, Jack 1 fiche. Pip cards carry no penalty.
6. The Quinola (Jack of Hearts): The most dangerous card in the deck. Capturing it incurs a heavy flat penalty on top of its Jack value. However, a player who is forced to discard the Quinola on another suit (i.e., they are void in Hearts when Hearts is led, and must shed it) instead collects the pool and is paid by the trick-taker; a small windfall.J♥
7. Espagnolette: A player dealt four Aces, or three Aces plus an Ace-equivalent (e.g., King), may declare Espagnolette before the first trick. This binds them to a solo goal; either lose every trick or win every trick; for a larger reward or penalty.
8. Reversis attempt: A player who wins the first nine tricks must continue and win all twelve; success pays a very large reward (typically 16 fiches from each opponent) plus the pool. Failure (any trick lost after the declaration) costs the same amount.

Scoring

• After the twelfth trick, each player examines their trick pile and counts the honour-card values: Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1 fiche.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• The Jack of Hearts (Quinola) adds an extra flat penalty, traditionally the pool contents plus 4 fiches paid by the capturer.J♥
• Tricks themselves are worth no fiches; only the cards they contain.
• The player with the fewest total penalty fiches for the deal is the winner and collects a set payment from the player with the most fiches (who is the Bête of the deal).
• Reversis bonus: Winning every trick scores 16 fiches from each opponent and the contents of the pool.
• Espagnolette payout: Succeeding in the declared solo earns a large collection from all three opponents; failing costs a matching penalty.

Winning

Play a pre-agreed number of deals, commonly 6, 12, or until one player is out of fiches. The player with the most counters at the end of the session wins the match. In a single deal the player with the fewest penalty counters is the winner of that deal. A successful Reversis or Espagnolette sweep ends the deal immediately with that player as the big winner.

Common Variations

• Party Reversis: A multi-deal session in which the pool grows until cleared by a Reversis, Espagnolette, or an undisturbed Quinola discard; adding a bigger jackpot.
• Simple Reversis: Drops the Espagnolette and Quinola-forced-discard bonus for a gentler game suitable for beginners.
• Five-player Reversis: Dealer sits out of each hand and collects part of the Bête payment; the deal rotates so everyone takes a turn watching.
• Modern home rules: Some groups preserve the 10s (full 52-card deck) and award them zero penalty value to keep the game closer to Hearts.

Tips and Strategy

• Void yourself in Hearts early if possible so that you can dump the Quinola on someone else's trick when Hearts is led.
• Shed your highest non-Heart cards on tricks you cannot avoid winning; the goal is to leave your trick pile low in honour counters, not empty of tricks.
• Watch for an opponent preparing a Reversis. If one player has taken the first four or five tricks, the others must cooperate to force that player to lose a trick by playing an unbeatable card on a fresh lead.
• Treat Kings and Aces as hot potatoes: lead a short suit to force an opponent to capture the trick with an honour.
• Espagnolette is a gambling bet. Only declare it when your four Aces let you either dump the lead endlessly (to lose every trick) or guarantee you can steer every trick you need.
• Track the Quinola constantly. Until it is played, anyone can be set up to capture it by a careful lead.

Glossary

• Fiches: Counters or chips used to settle penalties and rewards.
• Pool (basket): The ante collected before each deal; paid out for special events like Reversis or Quinola discards.
• Quinola: The Jack of Hearts; the single most penalising card if captured.J♥
• Honour cards: Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks; the cards that carry a penalty value.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Bête: The player with the most penalty fiches at the end of a deal; pays the winner.
• Reversis: Winning every trick of a deal, earning the largest reward.
• Espagnolette: A solo declaration made with four Aces (or equivalent), committing to lose every trick or win every trick.
• Void: Having no cards of a suit, which allows you to discard any card when that suit is led.