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'''THIS PAGE WAS WRITTEN BY A FRENCH PLAYER...'''
[[Category:Card games]]
== Overview ==


'''DO NOT HESITATE TO CORRECT THAT CLUMSY ENGLISH ;)'''
Each round of Tarot involves two stages: bidding and playing.


=== Cards ===
In the bidding stage, the person who bids highest becomes the Taker. All the other players are playing collectively against the Taker (except in the five-player version, where the Taker has a secret partner).
• 21 Trumps numbered from 1 to 21


The Fool
In the playing stage, the players play tricks of cards until all the cards have been played. Each card is worth a certain number of points and the winner of each trick gets the points in the trick. The Taker has to achieve a certain number of points to win the round. If the Taker succeeds, they gain to their score and everyone else loses. If the Taker does not succeed, the Taker loses score and everyone else gains. At the end of the set number of rounds (usually 5-8), the player with the highest score wins.


• 14 cards in each color suit, increasing order : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V C D R
== Cards ==


'''Jack (V) < Knight (C) < Queen (D) < King (R)'''
There are 3 types of cards.


• 21 Trump cards numbered from 1 to 21 (these have stars)


There are three Bouts: The 1 of Trump (The Petit), The 21 of Trump, and The Fool.
The Fool (only one of these)


DEALING THE CARDS: the cards must not be shuffled but cut by the player on the right of the card dealer. The cards must be given three by three to each player. While dealing, the card dealer must also set aside 6 (three-player version) or 3 cards (five-player version), which are collectively called the Dog (or here, the Kitty).
• 14 cards each of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The cards in increasing order are: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V C D R


=== Card points ===
'''Jack (V) < Knight (C) < Queen (D) < King (R)''' (These are normal playing cards plus the knight)
• Bout: 4 points and a half


• King: 4 points and a half
Three of the cards (the '''Bout''' cards) are particularly important: The 1 of Trump (The Petit), The 21 of Trump, and The Fool(The Excuse). They are worth many points and they change the target score for victory in a round.


• Queen: 3 points and a half
'''The more Bout cards the Taker has at the end of the round, the easier it is for the Taker to win.'''


• Knight: 2 points and a half
=== Card points ===


• Jack: 1 point and a half
Each card is worth a number of points. If you win a trick, you get the points of the cards in the won trick. You may hover over your cards to see the point value.


• Bout: 4 and a half points


Any other card: half a point.
King: 4 and a half points
 
• Queen: 3 and a half points


=== Taker's goal ===
• Knight: 2 and a half points


This is the amount of points the TAKER needs to win, in order to win the hand.
• Jack: 1 and a half points


The points are assigned per card. If you win a trick, you get the points of the cards in the won trick.
• Any other card: half a point.


The TAKER is the person who made the most aggressive bet at the beginning of the hand (Pass, Guard, Guard without, Guard with)
== Taker's goal ==


Bouts are special cards, that you do not want the TAKER to end the hand with.
This is the amount of points the Taker needs to get, in order to win the round. This target changes depending on the number of Bout cards the Taker has won at the end of the round.  


• 0 Bout : 56 points
• 0 Bout : 56 points
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• 3 Bouts: 36 points.
• 3 Bouts: 36 points.


=== Play ===
Since Bout cards make it easier for the Taker to win, the Taker wants to gain them and the other players want to keep them away from the Taker. The 21 of Trump will never switch sides, the Fool almost never switches sides, but the 1 of Trump can easily switch sides.
• One must follow suit


• One must play a Trump if one cannot follow suit
== Dealing ==


• If one must play a Trump, one must play an higher Trump than any Trump already played on the trick
BGA will deal the cards to the players and set aside face-down 6 (in the three- or four-player version) or 3 cards (in the five-player version) for a pile called the Dog (or here, the Kitty). The Dog remains hidden throughout bidding; the final bid determines whether the Dog is revealed and what happens to it.


• One must play a lower Trump if unable to play an higher
When dealing in real life: The cards must not be shuffled but are only cut by the player to the right of the card dealer. The cards must be dealt three at a time to each player. While dealing, the dealer must also set aside the 6 (in the three- or four-player version) or 3 cards (in the five-player version) for the Dog. Neither the first nor last card of the deck may be placed in the Dog, nor can successive cards be dealt into the Dog.


• If one cannot follow suit nor play a Trump, one can play any card
== Bids ==


• The Fool can be played anytime, except on the last trick, otherwise it switches sides (exception: Chelem)
Counterclockwise from the Dealer, the players either bid or pass, going exactly once around the table. The person who bid the highest becomes the Taker. There are only four possible bids:


• Small: coefficient x 1


'''English Speaker to the rescue:'''
• Guard: coefficient x 2


The purpose of the game is to play against the TAKER.
• Guard Without the Dog/Kitty: coefficient x 4


The TAKER is the person who made the most aggressive bet at the start of the round.
• Guard Against the Dog/Kitty: coefficient x 6


You do not want to let the TAKER get any of the three bouts. The more bouts the TAKER has, the less points they need to win the hand.
For Small and Guard, the Dog/Kitty is revealed and the Taker integrates it in their hand then discards an equal number of cards. The discarded cards go to the Taker's score pile. For Guard Without, the Dog remains hidden and the cards go into the Taker's score pile. For Guard Against, the Dog remains hidden and the cards go into the score pile of the Taker's opponents.


If the TAKER achieves the correct amount of card points (total amount of points gained via tricks), then the taker wins the hand and everyone else loses points.
Most variants forbid the Taker from putting any kings, trumps, or bout in the Dog/Kitty, though some variants allow those cards to placed if the Taker announces it.


If the TAKER does not achieve the needed amount of card points, then everyone else scores points based on the takers losses. (Added up at the end of each deal).
In the five-player version, after the Taker has been determined, but before the Dog is revealed, the Taker calls out a suit. The person who has the king of that suit is the Taker's secret partner, making the round 2 versus 3. The partner's identity is not revealed until the called king is played, allowing the partner to help the Taker in secret. If the king of that suit is in the Dog or in the Taker's own hand, the Taker has no partner and the round is 1 versus 4. In the rare case that the Taker has all four kings in hand, then when calling a suit, they show the 4 kings. In this case, the player with the queen (D) in that suit becomes the secret partner.


== Play ==
• One must follow suit


Other Notes:
• One must play a trump if one cannot follow suit


The fool only goes to the winner, if they won the hand with trump.
• If a previous player could not follow suit and played a trump, the other players still have to follow suit if they can. (In current game set-up)
----
THREE PLAYERS


The Dog/Kitty is made of 6 cards.
• If one must play a trump, one must play a higher trump than any trump already played on the trick


FIVE PLAYERS
• One must play a lower trump if unable to play a higher


The Dog/Kitty is made of 3 cards. After announcing a bid but before revealing the Dog/Kitty (if applicable), the taker can call on another player to help by calling out a King (eg. "King of Spades"). The player who has the called King must help the taker and does so secretly until the relevant King is played. The called player will share the spoils / the loss of the taker (1/3 for the player, 2/3 for the taker).
• If one cannot follow suit nor play a trump, one can play any card
If the called King is in the Dog/Kitty, the taker plays alone.


=== Bids ===
The Fool can be played on any trick and the person who played the Fool keeps it, regardless of who won the trick. '''However''' if the Fool is played on the last trick, then the Fool switches sides (exception: Chelem/Slam).
Small: coefficient x 1


• Guard: coefficient x 2
== Scoring ==


• Guard without the Dog/Kitty: coefficient x 4
The scores of all the players always add up to 0 after each round.


• Guard against the Dog/Kitty: coefficient x 6
In the five-player variant, the Taker's partner shares the spoils / loss of the Taker (2/3 for the Taker, 1/3 for the partner).


For Small and Guard, the Dog/Kitty is revealed and the taker integrates it in his/her hand then discards an equal number of cards. Any card may be put in the Dog/Kitty but the taker must announce it if they put Kings in (some variants forbid it / it is frowned upon).
There are certain bonuses:


=== Petit au bout ===
=== Petit au bout ===
If the Petit is played on the last trick, the team who wins that trick scores the Petit au bout bonus:
 
If the Petit (1 of trump) is played on the last trick, the team who wins that trick scores the Petit au bout bonus:


• 10 points x coefficient of the bid.
• 10 points x coefficient of the bid.


=== Poignées ===
=== Poignées ===
• Simple Poignée, 13 Trumps with three players, 10 Trumps with four players, 8 Trumps with five players, 20 points


• Double Poignée, 15 Trumps with three players, 13 Trumps with four players, 10 Trumps with five players, 30 points
A player can declare a poignée ("handful") before playing their first card. BGA will prompt you, but you do not have to declare a poignée. It adds points for whoever wins the hand as follows:
 
• Simple Poignée, 13 trumps with three players, 10 trumps with four players, 8 trumps with five players, 20 points
 
• Double Poignée, 15 trumps with three players, 13 trumps with four players, 10 trumps with five players, 30 points


• Triple Poignée, 18 Trumps with three players, 15 Trumps with four players, 13 Trumps with five players, 40 points
• Triple Poignée, 18 trumps with three players, 15 trumps with four players, 13 trumps with five players, 40 points


The Poignée bonus is won by the team who wins the hand (it is not multiplied by the bid coefficient).
The Poignée bonus is won by the team who wins the hand (it is not multiplied by the bid coefficient).


=== Slam ===
=== Slam ===
That is winning all tricks. Can be announced over the normal bid.
That is winning all tricks. Can be announced over the normal bid.


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If the team acheving the Slam has the Fool in hand, it can be played on the last trick and it will win it. In this case, the Petit is considered au bout at the penultimate trick.
If the team acheving the Slam has the Fool in hand, it can be played on the last trick and it will win it. In this case, the Petit is considered au bout at the penultimate trick.
== Variants ==


=== Misères (variant) ===
=== Misères (variant) ===
Any player can declare Misère ("misery") before playing their first card, to announce that they have:
• Misère of Trumps: no Trump nor the Fool, 10 points
• Misère of Trumps: no Trump nor the Fool, 10 points


• Misère of Honours: no Figure nor Bout, 10 points
• Misère of Honours: no Figure (face cards) nor Bout, 10 points


The announced Misères are paid immediately to the declarer, whoever wins the hand next.
Every other player gives the declarer 10 points from their score immediately.


=== Goulash (variant) ===
=== Goulash (variant) ===
If everybody pass, it is free-for-all and the goal is to avoid taking points.


At the hand of the hand, each player pays each opponent the points he took.
If everybody passes, it is free-for-all and the goal is to avoid taking points.
 
At the hand of the hand, each player pays each opponent the points they took.


The play is the same but there is no Petit au bout nor Slam and Poignées cannot be declared.
The play is the same but there is no Petit au bout nor Slam and Poignées cannot be declared.


The Fool remains the property of one who plays it. If it is played on the last tricks, it wins it.
The Fool remains the property of one who plays it. If it is played on the last trick, it wins it.


The Dog/Kitty is not revealed and is no one property.
The Dog/Kitty is not revealed and is no one's property.

Latest revision as of 21:44, 17 September 2022

Overview

Each round of Tarot involves two stages: bidding and playing.

In the bidding stage, the person who bids highest becomes the Taker. All the other players are playing collectively against the Taker (except in the five-player version, where the Taker has a secret partner).

In the playing stage, the players play tricks of cards until all the cards have been played. Each card is worth a certain number of points and the winner of each trick gets the points in the trick. The Taker has to achieve a certain number of points to win the round. If the Taker succeeds, they gain to their score and everyone else loses. If the Taker does not succeed, the Taker loses score and everyone else gains. At the end of the set number of rounds (usually 5-8), the player with the highest score wins.

Cards

There are 3 types of cards.

• 21 Trump cards numbered from 1 to 21 (these have stars)

• The Fool (only one of these)

• 14 cards each of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The cards in increasing order are: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V C D R

Jack (V) < Knight (C) < Queen (D) < King (R) (These are normal playing cards plus the knight)

Three of the cards (the Bout cards) are particularly important: The 1 of Trump (The Petit), The 21 of Trump, and The Fool(The Excuse). They are worth many points and they change the target score for victory in a round.

The more Bout cards the Taker has at the end of the round, the easier it is for the Taker to win.

Card points

Each card is worth a number of points. If you win a trick, you get the points of the cards in the won trick. You may hover over your cards to see the point value.

• Bout: 4 and a half points

• King: 4 and a half points

• Queen: 3 and a half points

• Knight: 2 and a half points

• Jack: 1 and a half points

• Any other card: half a point.

Taker's goal

This is the amount of points the Taker needs to get, in order to win the round. This target changes depending on the number of Bout cards the Taker has won at the end of the round.

• 0 Bout : 56 points

• 1 Bout : 51 points

• 2 Bouts: 41 points

• 3 Bouts: 36 points.

Since Bout cards make it easier for the Taker to win, the Taker wants to gain them and the other players want to keep them away from the Taker. The 21 of Trump will never switch sides, the Fool almost never switches sides, but the 1 of Trump can easily switch sides.

Dealing

BGA will deal the cards to the players and set aside face-down 6 (in the three- or four-player version) or 3 cards (in the five-player version) for a pile called the Dog (or here, the Kitty). The Dog remains hidden throughout bidding; the final bid determines whether the Dog is revealed and what happens to it.

When dealing in real life: The cards must not be shuffled but are only cut by the player to the right of the card dealer. The cards must be dealt three at a time to each player. While dealing, the dealer must also set aside the 6 (in the three- or four-player version) or 3 cards (in the five-player version) for the Dog. Neither the first nor last card of the deck may be placed in the Dog, nor can successive cards be dealt into the Dog.

Bids

Counterclockwise from the Dealer, the players either bid or pass, going exactly once around the table. The person who bid the highest becomes the Taker. There are only four possible bids:

• Small: coefficient x 1

• Guard: coefficient x 2

• Guard Without the Dog/Kitty: coefficient x 4

• Guard Against the Dog/Kitty: coefficient x 6

For Small and Guard, the Dog/Kitty is revealed and the Taker integrates it in their hand then discards an equal number of cards. The discarded cards go to the Taker's score pile. For Guard Without, the Dog remains hidden and the cards go into the Taker's score pile. For Guard Against, the Dog remains hidden and the cards go into the score pile of the Taker's opponents.

Most variants forbid the Taker from putting any kings, trumps, or bout in the Dog/Kitty, though some variants allow those cards to placed if the Taker announces it.

In the five-player version, after the Taker has been determined, but before the Dog is revealed, the Taker calls out a suit. The person who has the king of that suit is the Taker's secret partner, making the round 2 versus 3. The partner's identity is not revealed until the called king is played, allowing the partner to help the Taker in secret. If the king of that suit is in the Dog or in the Taker's own hand, the Taker has no partner and the round is 1 versus 4. In the rare case that the Taker has all four kings in hand, then when calling a suit, they show the 4 kings. In this case, the player with the queen (D) in that suit becomes the secret partner.

Play

• One must follow suit

• One must play a trump if one cannot follow suit

• If a previous player could not follow suit and played a trump, the other players still have to follow suit if they can. (In current game set-up)

• If one must play a trump, one must play a higher trump than any trump already played on the trick

• One must play a lower trump if unable to play a higher

• If one cannot follow suit nor play a trump, one can play any card

• The Fool can be played on any trick and the person who played the Fool keeps it, regardless of who won the trick. However if the Fool is played on the last trick, then the Fool switches sides (exception: Chelem/Slam).

Scoring

The scores of all the players always add up to 0 after each round.

In the five-player variant, the Taker's partner shares the spoils / loss of the Taker (2/3 for the Taker, 1/3 for the partner).

There are certain bonuses:

Petit au bout

If the Petit (1 of trump) is played on the last trick, the team who wins that trick scores the Petit au bout bonus:

• 10 points x coefficient of the bid.

Poignées

A player can declare a poignée ("handful") before playing their first card. BGA will prompt you, but you do not have to declare a poignée. It adds points for whoever wins the hand as follows:

• Simple Poignée, 13 trumps with three players, 10 trumps with four players, 8 trumps with five players, 20 points

• Double Poignée, 15 trumps with three players, 13 trumps with four players, 10 trumps with five players, 30 points

• Triple Poignée, 18 trumps with three players, 15 trumps with four players, 13 trumps with five players, 40 points

The Poignée bonus is won by the team who wins the hand (it is not multiplied by the bid coefficient).

Slam

That is winning all tricks. Can be announced over the normal bid.

• 400 points if announced and achieved (it not multiplied by the bid coefficient)

• 200 points if silent and achieved

• -200 points if announced but failed

If the team acheving the Slam has the Fool in hand, it can be played on the last trick and it will win it. In this case, the Petit is considered au bout at the penultimate trick.

Variants

Misères (variant)

Any player can declare Misère ("misery") before playing their first card, to announce that they have:

• Misère of Trumps: no Trump nor the Fool, 10 points

• Misère of Honours: no Figure (face cards) nor Bout, 10 points

Every other player gives the declarer 10 points from their score immediately.

Goulash (variant)

If everybody passes, it is free-for-all and the goal is to avoid taking points.

At the hand of the hand, each player pays each opponent the points they took.

The play is the same but there is no Petit au bout nor Slam and Poignées cannot be declared.

The Fool remains the property of one who plays it. If it is played on the last trick, it wins it.

The Dog/Kitty is not revealed and is no one's property.