Écarté
Écarté Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Écarté is played by two people and the object is to win at least three of the five tricks dealt in a hand (called winning "the point"). Winning all five tricks is called winning "the vole."
The Cards
All cards from two to six are removed from a standard 52-card pack, producing the 32-card Piquet pack. The cards of each suit rank, from high to low: king, queen, knave (jack), ace, 10, 9, 8, 7. Note that the ace ranks between the 10 and the knave, so the king is the highest card of the suit — not the ace.
The Deal
The players cut to determine the dealer, who deals five cards to each player, in packets of two and three, or three and two, either by whim or by prior agreement. Once the dealer has chosen an order of distribution, that order must not be changed during the game.
After both hands are dealt, the eleventh card is turned face up on top of the remaining stock to determine the trump suit for the hand.
The Turned King
If the card turned up to determine trumps is a king, the dealer immediately scores one point.
Separately, if either player holds the king of trumps in hand, that player may score one point for it by announcing the fact before playing their first card to a trick. The point must be announced before play begins — it is not enough merely to hold the card or to mark the point silently; a player who forgets to announce it before playing loses the right to score it.
Proposing and the Exchange
The elder hand (the non-dealer) is entitled, if desired, to begin the exchange — a crucial part of the game, and the source of Écarté's name. This lets a player improve a weak hand by trading unwanted cards from the stock for fresh ones.
To make an exchange, the elder hand proposes a specific number of cards to discard, and the dealer must decide whether to accept or refuse:
- If the dealer accepts, the elder hand discards that many cards face down, and the dealer deals the same number of fresh cards from the stock. The dealer must then also exchange at least one card of their own. Discarded cards are dead — they are not used again and may not be looked at.
- After an accepted exchange, the elder hand may propose again if desired, and can keep proposing for as long as the dealer keeps accepting.
- The proposing and exchanging ends when the elder hand chooses not to propose further, the dealer refuses a proposal, or the stock of remaining cards runs out.
The elder hand is under no obligation to propose an exchange at all. If the elder hand plays without ever proposing, the elder hand becomes a "vulnerable" player, giving the dealer a chance to score an extra point (see Scoring). The dealer suffers the same liability — and becomes vulnerable — if the dealer refuses the elder hand's very first proposal. After that first proposal and response, either player may decline to propose or accept further without becoming vulnerable.
Play of the Hand
The elder hand leads to the first trick. Thereafter, the winner of each trick leads to the next.
If a player can follow the suit that was led, that player must do so. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, unless a trump is played, in which case the highest trump played wins the trick. A player who is able to win a trick — whether by following suit with a higher card or by trumping — must do so.
Scoring
Points are scored as follows:
- One point to the dealer, for the eleventh card (the trump indicator) being a king.
- One point to either player, for holding and correctly announcing the king of trumps before playing a card.
- One point ("the point") to whoever wins the majority of the tricks (three or four of the five).
- Two points ("the vole") to whoever wins all five tricks, instead of the usual one point.
- One extra point to a player who defeats a "vulnerable" opponent (see Proposing and the Exchange) by winning the majority of tricks. No extra point is scored for winning the vole against a vulnerable opponent — a vole against a vulnerable player scores exactly as it would against a non-vulnerable one.
Five points wins the game. Play sometimes consists of multiple games making up a "rubber" or set, as in Whist. Score is often kept with counters, or with spare cards, as in Euchre.
Early 20th-Century London Rules
The following formal laws of Écarté were accepted by the principal clubs in London at the start of the 20th century and are cited in Cavendish's treatise on the game. They cover shuffling, cutting, dealing, and the many irregularities that can arise mid-hand, in addition to confirming the scoring already described above.
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Each player has a right to shuffle both his own and his adversary's pack. The dealer has the right to shuffle last.
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The pack must be shuffled neither below the table, nor in such a manner as to expose the faces of the cards, nor during the play of the hand.
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A cut must consist of at least two cards, and at least two must be left in the lower packet.
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A player exposing more than one card when cutting for deal must cut again.
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The player who cuts the highest Écarté card deals, and has choice of cards and seats. The choice determines both seats and cards during the play.
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The cut for deal holds good even if the pack be incorrect.
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If in cutting to the dealer a card be exposed, there must be a fresh cut.
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The dealer must give five cards to his adversary and five to himself, by two at a time to each, and then by three at a time to each, or vice versa. The dealer, having selected the order in which he will distribute the cards, must not change it during that game; nor may he change it at the commencement of any subsequent game, unless he informs the non-dealer before the pack is cut.
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If the dealer give more or fewer than five cards to his adversary or to himself, or do not adhere to the order of distribution first selected, and the error be discovered before the trump card is turned, the non-dealer, before he looks at his hand, may require the dealer to rectify the error, or may claim a fresh deal.
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The hands having been dealt, the dealer must turn up for trump the top card of those remaining.
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If the dealer turn up more than one card, the non-dealer, before he looks at his hand, may choose which of the exposed cards shall be the trump, or may claim a fresh deal. Should the non-dealer have looked at his hand, there must be a fresh deal.
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If, before the trump card is turned up, a faced card be discovered in the pack, there must be a fresh deal.
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If the dealer expose any of his own cards the deal stands good. If he expose any of his adversary's cards, the non-dealer, before he looks at his hand, may claim a fresh deal.
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If a player deal out of his turn, or with his adversary's pack, and the error be discovered before the trump card is turned up, the deal is void. After the trump card is turned up, it is too late to rectify the error, and if the adversary's pack has been dealt with, the packs remain changed.
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If, after the trump card is turned up, and before proposing, or, if there is no proposal, before playing, it be discovered that the non-dealer has more than five cards, he may claim a fresh deal. Should the non-dealer not claim a fresh deal, he discards the superfluous cards, and the dealer is not entitled to see them.
Variations
Pool Écarté
Pool Écarté is designed for three players, with only two playing each hand and one observing. The losing player of a hand swaps places with the observer, and play continues until one player wins two games consecutively.
French Écarté
In French Écarté, observing bystanders are allowed to place certain wagers on the game, similar to some versions of Baccarat, and are also allowed to give the players certain input during the course of the game. (Under English rules, bystanders were permitted to bet on a game but not to comment or offer input.)
Alternate Card Ranking
In a more modern variation, the cards may instead be ranked with the ace as the highest card and the king as the second-highest, matching the ranking used in most modern card games, rather than the traditional ranking in which the king outranks the ace.
Doubling
Betting was originally a central feature of Écarté as an old casino game. Where chips or money are not used, one common mechanic lets either player propose to "double" the point value of the hand currently in play — functionally similar to raising a bet.
The proposal can be made by either player at any time before the start of the third trick (the midpoint of the hand). If the opponent accepts, the total point value of the hand is doubled for whoever wins it, including any extra point earned from an opponent's vulnerability. If the opponent declines, the hand ends immediately (similar to folding in Poker), and the proposing player is awarded points as if they had won the majority of tricks but not the vole — one point for a standard hand, or two points if the declining player was vulnerable.
Offering the Point
A similar variation lets either player "offer the point" to their opponent, again similar to folding in Poker. If the opponent accepts the offer, the hand ends immediately and is scored as though the opponent had won the point (three or four of the five tricks). If the opponent declines the offer, they are bound to win the vole (all five tricks): if they succeed, scoring proceeds normally, but if they fail — if the offering player takes even one trick — the offering player scores two points instead. This offer is generally understood to be available only before play begins, since offering it later in the hand could give away no real value to the opponent, or could ask the opponent to do something already impossible.
Bourré
Bourré is sometimes considered a variant of Écarté adapted for more than two players.
Related Games
Écarté is closely related to Triomphe, Whist, Euchre, and Bourré.