Ultimate Book of Card Games: The Comprehensive Guide to More Than 350 Games (42 page)

Partnership Klaberjass uses a different scoring system than the standard game. If the bidding team makes their bid (by having more total points than the non-bidders), they earn 1 point for a standard win, 2 points for a Kontra win, and 4 points for a Rekontra win. If the non-bidding team wins, they earn 2 points for a standard win, 4 points for a Kontra win, and 8 points for a Rekontra win. Games are typically played to 25 points.

1. DIFFICULTY
   :
   high
   
2. TIME LENGTH
   :
   medium
   
3. DECKS
   : 1
   

Piquet is an aristocrat’s game, with a noble pedigree stretching back for centuries. The game has hardly changed since it was first documented in the 1550s. Piquet is little known today except in France, where it is considered the national card game (psst! don’t tell the French: The game was likely invented in Spain). Piquet rode a wave of popularity in England in the 1880s and ‘90s, but never established itself in the United States.

HOW TO DEAL
Start with a fifty-two-card deck, and remove all 2s through 6s. This leaves thirty-two cards ranking (high to low) A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7. Deal twelve cards to both players, three at a time and face down. Place the remaining eight cards in the center of the table, face down, to form the stock.

In Piquet, the dealer’s hand is called elder and the opponent’s hand younger. The deal rotates after each hand.

SCORING
Games of Piquet are traditionally played to 100 points. However, the first player to reach 100 points does not automatically win the game. Instead, the current hand is played out and then the final points are tallied.

After cards have been exchanged, players battle to earn points in the
declaration phase
by declaring the highest cards in the following combinations:

CARTE BLANCHE
If either player is dealt no face cards, she earns 10 points.

POINT
The player declaring the most cards (minimum of three) in any single suit wins “point.” That player scores 1 point for each card in the long suit. In case of a tie, players count the value of cards in their long suit (11 for ace, 10 for face cards,
index value
for all other cards), with the highest score winning. If the players are still tied, no points are awarded.

SEQUENCE
The player declaring the longest run of cards in the same suit earns points for the sequence as well as points for all other valid sequences in his hand. A three-card sequence earns 3 points, a four-card 4, a five-card 15, a six-card 16, a seven-card 17, an eight-card 18. In case of a tie, players compare the high card in each sequence. If the players are still tied, no points are awarded.

SET
The player declaring the best set—either three or four cards of the same rank—wins 3 points for each triplet, 14 for each foursome. A set of four always beats a set of three. If players have sets of equal length, the higher set wins (e.g., K-K-K beats 9-9-9). The player who wins set may also score points for other sets he may hold.

In the declaration phase, players can also earn points for the following penalties (or bonuses, depending on your perspective). If a player scores 30 points exclusively in the declaration phase before her opponent earns a single point, that player scores a bonus—called a repique—of 60 points.

The elder can earn a similar 30-point bonus—called a
pique
—by scoring 30 points in the declaration and/or trick-taking phase before the younger scores any points. Note that if the elder scores 29 points in the declaration phase and then earns 1 point for leading the first trick in the trick-taking phase, the elder earns a 30-point pique bonus but not a 60-point repique bonus.

The following points are also scored during the
trick-taking phase:

LEADING TRICKS
The leader of each trick earns 1 point.

WINNING A TRICK LED BY YOUR OPPONENT
This earns you 1 point plus the lead of the next trick (which earns you a subsequent leading-trick point).

WINNING LAST TRICK
The player who wins the last trick scores 1 point.

Players also earn 10 points for winning seven or more tricks, or 40 points for winning all twelve tricks.

HOW TO PLAY
A hand of Piquet is divided into three phases: first the exchange, then declarations, and finally head-to-head trick taking. Your strategy for each phase depends on whether you’re the elder or the younger hand.

THE EXCHANGE
Once both players are dealt twelve cards, both can improve their hands by swapping cards for cards in the stock. First, however, players should check for Carte Blanche. It is the players’ choice whether to declare Carte Blanche before or after their opponent has exchanged cards.

If there is no Carte Blanche, the elder hand always exchanges first, with a
minimum
of one card and a
maximum
of five cards. Piquet has an interesting twist at this point: If the elder exchanges fewer than five cards, he is allowed to secretly examine the cards not taken. For example, if the elder exchanges two cards, he may look at the next three cards in the stock. This is part of the elder’s overall advantage in Piquet.

The younger follows, exchanging up to as many cards as are left in the stock, or exchanging none at all (the younger is not required to exchange any cards). Here again Piquet offers an interesting twist: If the younger
leaves any cards in the stock pile, she may decide to turn all remaining stock cards face up for both players to see. Sometimes it is to the younger’s advantage to show these cards, sometimes not.

DECLARATION PHASE
In this phase, players compete to earn points for holding the highest point, sequence, and set. Players also may earn bonus points for repique and pique. In Piquet, it is important to declare (and score) in the following order, with the elder always acting first: point, sequence, set.

The player with the most cards in a suit earns
point
. The typical interaction goes like this: The elder declares “five,” indicating five cards in his or her long suit. The younger replies with a higher amount (such as “six”), or says “good” (thereby conceding the point), or asks “how much?” (this assumes a tie, in which case points must be calculated and compared). Either way, the winning point cards must be shown on request.

Next up is
sequence
, in which the player with the longest sequence of cards in the same suit (minimum of three) earns points as described in the scoring section above. Note that the player who wins sequence is also entitled to score all other valid sequences in her hand, even if these are of lower value than what was declared. The winning sequence (plus any other sequences scored) must be shown on request.

Last up is
set
, in which the player with the highest-value triplet or four-of-a-kind earns points.

TRICK-TAKING PHASE
The elder always leads the first trick in the final phase of Piquet (and thereby automatically wins 1 point for first lead). The highest card in the leading suit wins the trick, and players are required to play a card in the leading suit if they have one. Otherwise it is OK to play a card from any other suit. The winner of each trick leads the following trick.

One point is awarded each time a player leads a trick; 1 point is awarded if a player wins a trick they did not lead; and 1 point is awarded to the player who wins the last trick in the hand.

HOW TO WIN
With only thirty-two cards in play, and with each player holding twelve at the first deal, it is relatively easy to calculate which cards your opponent is likely holding. Certainly by the start of the trick-taking phase, experienced Piquet players know (usually down to the exact cards) what their opponent holds. And as in most worldly pursuits, knowledge is power.

In Piquet, the old adage also holds true: Loose lips sink ships! Do everything possible to prevent your opponent from guessing what cards you hold. Consider
sinking
(not declaring a possible scoring point, sequence, or set combination) if you think the combination can’t win.

Piquet favors the elder hand, so your primary strategy as elder is to establish your long suit (or suits) by flushing out your opponent’s
stopper
cards. Conversely, as younger, your strategy is more defensive. It is important to hold high-ranking stopper cards in your opponent’s likely long suit or suits. It is also important to survey your twelve cards early, and decide where to fight and where to flee.

POINTS OF ETIQUETTE
If you’re contemplating a round of Piquet in France, where the game is still religiously played, following these points of etiquette will earn you a warm place in the hearts of your French competitors.

The rules of Piquet state that, upon request, a player must show a winning combination of point or sequence cards. However, this is never done—it is considered highly rude. Instead, an experienced Piquet player will only ask for the bare minimum required to confirm your winning cards. For example, if you score a tie on a sequence declaration, your opponent may ask to see only the highest card necessary to confirm the winning sequence. Or, if they are truly experienced, they may ask to see one of your discards as indirect proof.