The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (55 page)

AK and J. You may conceivably get the fourteen Queens or a

diamond quint, are in no danger of capot, and may even, with a

lucky club break, divide the tricks.

A scrappy hand, ful of loopholes. As Elder, you must choose

between the spade point and the potential fourteen Queens. If you

keep both, you must either throw A, assuring Younger of at least

20 for tricks, or discard four, thus reducing your chances of

improving the point or the quatorze. You may as wel forget the

Queens and discard al the clubs and diamonds.

As Younger, though, you certainly can’t expect to pick up a

Queen and the necessary King in a three-card draw, and would be

justified in abandoning the point by discarding three low spades in

order to remain safe in at least three suits. The draw of any high

diamond could enable you to at least divide the tricks.

Variations

1. Carte rouge Some traditions include a bonus of 40 for carte

rouge, defined as a hand of which every single card forms part

of at least one scoring combination.

2. Point and sequence of nought. A void suit may be counted as

a point and sequence of nought worth501/2. It the refore

beats any five-card point and sequence lower than AKQJT

(worth 51). It scores 5 for point (if good) and 10 for sequence

(likewise).

3. 10 for last. Players approaching Piquet from other games may

find the trick-scoring more fiddly than thefinal resultisworth.

Asimpler and strategical y more interesting variation is to

score a flat 1 per trick and to award a 10-point bonus not to

score a flat 1 per trick and to award a 10-point bonus not to

the player who wins a majority of tricks but to the player

who wins the last trick.

Saunt (Piquet au Cent)

The original form of Piquet is played up to 100 points over as

many deals as necessary, and the winner scores a double game if

the loser fails to reach 50. A partie is won by the first to win three

games, a double counting as two. Minor dif erences of procedure

are not essential, and many are optional. The main one is that Elder

is free to play without exchanging.

Elder does not lead until al announcements and scores have been

made. In trick-play, score 1 point for leading a card higher than a

Nine, and 1 point for winning the opponent’s lead with a card

higher than Nine. Score 1 more for winning the last trick, unless

also scoring for capot, 10 for more, and a further 30 for capot.

The first to reach 100 points scores the dif erence between the

two totals. If the loser fails to reach 50 points he is rubiconed, or

lurched, and the winner scores twice the dif erence.

Auction Piquet

One of the less successful at empts to apply Bridge principles to

other games, Auction Piquet originated in Oxford and was

developed by prisoners of war in 1914-18.

Bidding After the deal, each in turn, Elder first, may bid ‘seven’ or

more or pass. If both pass there is a new deal. A bid of seven of ers

to win at least seven tricks in the play-of – or, if so stated, to lose

at least seven tricks (i.e. win five at most). Since plus and minus

bids are equal in value, a bid can be overcal ed only by raising the

number of tricks to be won or lost. A given bid may be doubled by

the opponent and redoubled by the maker, but any doubling is

cancel ed if the next player then bids higher.

Exchange The exchange takes place as usual, except that Elder is

free to exchange none.

Declarations In a minus bid the bidder scores everything ‘good’ in

his opponent’s hand, so the exchange should be made with this in

mind. Point, sequence and set are declared and scored as usual,

except that they may be declared in any order (with a view to

scoring repique). In minus deals, obviously, ‘sinking’ (deliberate

under-declaring) is not permit ed.

Pique and repique In a plus deal pique or repique is made upon

reaching a count of 29 (not 30); in a minus deal it is made at 21.

Score for tricks Score 2 points for winning a trick led by yourself,

1 point for a trick led by your opponent (the reverse of normal

Piquet). In addition, the bidder scores 10 per overtrick, or 20 if

doubled or 40 if redoubled. Failing the contract entitles the

opponent to score the same amount for undertricks. For example:

bid seven, take ten, score 30 extra; bid seven, take six, opponent

scores 10. Bid minus seven, take seven, lose 20 (because you

undertook to lose at most five). Doubling and redoubling af ect only

the score for overtricks or undertricks.

Game The rubicon is 150 points. If tied, play a seventh deal; but if

stil tied, the partie ends.

Contract Piquet (Counterpique)

A version developed by myself and Andrew Pennycook.

Preliminaries Scores are kept on a Bridge-pad divided by a

horizontal line. Scores made for combinations go above the line,

those for tricks below. Although 12 tricks are played, the last trick

counts double, making the number of tricks nominal y thirteen.

Deal Lowest cut deals first. Each subsequent deal is made by

whichever player scored for tricks below the line in the previous

hand. Deal as in the parent game. A player who has a blank may

declare and score for it (above the line) immediately.

Bidding There fol ows a round of bidding for the privilege of

becoming Elder. Dealer starts by announcing a bid, and non-dealer

replies ‘Yes’ if he can bid the same or higher, or ‘Pass’ if he can’t

match it. Dealer continues raising the bid, jumping to any higher

level as desired, until one of them passes, leaving the other as Elder

hand. (If both pass immedately, the game is misère: see below.)

The lowest bid is 5-7 (announced ‘Five-Seven’). This is a bid to

win at least seven tricks after discarding and drawing five cards. It

can be raised by increasing the number of tricks to be won – for

example, 5-8, 5-9, 5-10, etc., up to 5-13. Or it can be raised by

reducing the number of cards to be drawn. Thus any bid of ‘5’, even

5-13, can be bet ered by 4-7, any bid of 4 by 3-7, and so on. The

highest possible bid is ‘0-13’.

If non-dealer becomes Elder, he may state a higher-valued game

than the one he accepted. Dealer, however, upon becoming Elder,

must play the game he last bid, and may not raise it.

Play Elder then makes exactly the number of discards stated in the

bid, and draws replacements from the talon. He may not see the

faces of any cards he leaves to Younger. Younger discards and draws

as in the parent game, and combinations are declared and scored in

the usual way, except that Elder does not score ‘1 for leading’. This

makes it possible for either player to score 30 for pique.

Score Tricks are scored below the line, and by one player only.

For winning at least as many tricks as bid, Elder scores the

number of tricks actual y taken, multiplied by the number of cards

left to Younger in the draw. For example, a bid of 5-7 scores 21 if

seven tricks were taken, 24 if eight, 27 if nine, and so on. There is

seven tricks were taken, 24 if eight, 27 if nine, and so on. There is

no special bonus for capot.

If Elder fal s short of the number bid, Younger scores for

‘counterpique’. This amount is what Elder would have won for

making the bid exactly, multipliedbythe numberbywhich Elder fel

short. For example, if Elder bid 5-7 and took only six, Younger

would score 21. If Elder bid 4-9 and took only seven, Younger

would score 72. And so on.

Game The first to reach 100 below the line wins a game, and a new

line is drawn. The first to win two games wins the partie (rubber).

Both players then total their above- and below-line scores, and the

winner adds a bonus of 300, or 500 if the loser did not win a game,

plus (in either case) 100 for any game in which the loser failed to

make any score.

Misère If both pass immediately, there is no draw and no declaring

of combinations. Elder leadsto thefirst trick, and whoever wins the

smal er number of tricks scores below the line 5 points for each

trick won by the other, giving a range of 35 to 65.

Piquet for three and more

Piquet Chouet e

(for 3). Not so much three-hand Piquet as two-hand Piquet played

by three players in rotation. Highest cut has choice of deal and

plays against the other two in combination (the lat er are said to

play á la chouet e). Lowest cut sits out and participates in his

partner’s hand by advising him on play and making the same score.

If the soloist wins the partie, the others swap their active and

If the soloist wins the partie, the others swap their active and

passive roles. If he loses, he becomes the passive opponent and the

active opponent who beat him becomes the new soloist. The soloist

always has choice of deal and, if the game is played for stakes,

plays double.

Piquet Normand

(for 3). Three take part in play, al against al . Deal ten each and

lay the last two aside. Dealer (but nobody else) may discard two

and take the undealt cards in their place. Eldest announces first:

only the player with the best point, sequence or set may score it

and, in the case of sequence or set, may score any lower ones he

may also hold. Bonuses: 90 for repique upon reaching 20 in

combinations before either opponent has scored, 60 for pique upon

reaching 20 in combinations and tricks before either opponent

scores, 10 for taking more tricks than either opponent, plus 30 for

taking al ten. If two players take ten between them, each scores 20

for capot. Game is 100 points.

Partnership Piquet

(for 4). Deal eight each. Eldest announces his best combinations in

al classes, and leads. His left-hand opponent fol ows, announcing

any bet er combinations that he may have. This establishes which

side may score in each category. As the rest of the first trick is

played, the partner of the player scoring for sequence or set may

announce any score for any sequence or set held by himself.

Repique of 90 is scored for making 20 in combinations before the

opposing partnership has anything to count, or pique of 60 for

reaching 20 in combinations and play before the opponents score.

Duplicate Piquet

(for 4). A and B are partners against Y and Z. With the aid of a

fifth person to deal identical hands and talons at both tables, A

plays Elder against Y’s Younger at one, while B plays Younger

plays Elder against Y’s Younger at one, while B plays Younger

against Z’s Elder at the other.

Round Piquet

(for 3 or more). Three or more may play a series of two-hand

games, each playing a hand first as Elder against the player on his

right, then as Younger against the player on his left. When al have

played an equal number of times, each pays to any with a higher

score the dif erence between their two scores. This works best with

an even number of players, al active at the same time but in

dif erent combinations.

Imperial (Piquet Imperial, Trump

Piquet, Vingt-quatre)

2 players, 32 cards

This sixteenth-century hybrid of Triomphe and Piquet remains

popular in the Midi and of ers many points of interest to card-game

explorers. Descriptions vary: the fol owing is typical.

Preliminaries Two players use a 32-card pack nowadays, ranking

AKQJT987 in each suit (but original y KQJAT987, as may stil be

encountered in some books). Scores can be writ en, but counters are

bet er. Each starts with five reds and six whites on his left, and

passes one white from left to right for each point won in play. Six

points make an imperial, indicated by moving a red to the right

and returning six whites to the left. Game is 36 points, being won

by the first to pass al eleven counters from left to right.

Deal Deal twelve each in twos, threes, or fours. Turn the twenty-

fifth card for trump, and place the rest face down across it. If the

turn-up is an honour (K Q J A or 7), dealer scores a white. If it is a

King or an Ace, and dealer holds the Seven, he may exchange it for

the turn-up.

Point Whoever now has the bet er point scores one white. Point is

the total face value of al cards held in any one suit, counting Ace

11, courts 10 each, numerals as marked. If equal, Elder scores. (It is

usual, but not legal y binding, to declare and score for point before

announcing imperials.)

Imperials Each in turn, starting with Elder, scores for any of the

fol owing imperials he may have been dealt. Imperials must be

declared in this order, and shown on request:

1. K Q J T of trumps (impériale d’atout)

2 reds

2. K Q J T of non-trump suit

1 red

3. All four of A, K, Q, J or 7 (impériale d’honneur) 1 red

4. No court cards (impériale blanche)

2 reds

Play Elder leads to the first trick. Second to a trick must fol ow suit

andheadthe trickifpossible; must trumpifunabletofol owanon-trump

lead; and may renounce only if unable to do either. The trick is

taken by the higher card of the suit led, or by the higher trump if