Écarté Rules for 2 Players

"Écarté" is a classic two-player trick-taking card game that was popular as a gambling game in 19th century Paris. The game is played with a 32-card French-suited deck, where each suit ranks from high to low: King, Queen, Jack, Ace, 10, 9, 8, 7. That ranking is the first thing to memorise — the ace is not the top card here, it sits below the jack.

Five cards are dealt to each player, one card is turned to determine the trump suit, and the object is to win at least three of the five tricks.

Objective

The objective of Écarté is to win at least three out of the five tricks in a hand. Winning all five is worth more, and the game as a whole is played to a target score.

Setup

Each player is dealt five cards, usually in two packets of two and three. The next card is turned face up on the remainder of the pack: its suit is trumps for the whole hand. The undealt cards stay on the table as a stock, which is used for the discard.

Under the classic rules, if the turned card is a King, the dealer immediately scores one point. A player holding the king of trumps in hand may likewise announce it — but only before playing their first card — to score a point. Announce it late and the point is lost.

The Discard

Before any card is played, the non-dealer may either play the hand as dealt or propose the discard. The dealer is then free to accept or refuse.

• If the dealer accepts, each player sets aside as many cards as they wish and draws the same number from the stock. This can be repeated as long as both players want to and the stock allows.
• If the dealer refuses, the hand is played exactly as dealt.

That refusal carries a commitment. In the classic rules, a player who refuses the discard — or who chooses to play without proposing at all — and then fails to take three tricks gives the opponent two points instead of one. The game's name comes from precisely this step: if neither hand looks good enough to win three tricks, both players may écarter, discard, and take fresh cards in exchange.

How to Play

The non-dealer leads to the first trick. Each trick consists of two cards, and the winner of a trick leads to the next one.

The rules of play are stricter than in most trick-taking games, and this catches out newcomers: you must follow suit, and you must head the trick if you can — playing a higher card of the suit led when you hold one. If you cannot follow suit, you must trump. Discarding is only allowed when you hold neither the suit led nor a trump.

The trick goes to the highest card of the suit led, or to the higher trump if either player has trumped.

Example

Suppose the turned card is the 8 of clubs, making clubs trumps. The non-dealer leads the 9 of spades. If the dealer holds the queen of spades and the 7 of spades, they must play the queen — following suit and heading the trick are both compulsory. Holding no spades at all, they would have to trump with a club instead. Only with neither spades nor clubs may they throw away a card from another suit.

Scoring and End of Game

Scoring per hand is compact:

• Taking three or four tricks scores 1 point.
• Taking all five tricks — la vole — scores 2 points.
• The King point, whether turned up by the dealer or announced from hand, is added on top.
• A player who refused the discard, or played without proposing, and then fails to take three tricks concedes 2 points instead of 1.

The game is usually played to 5 points. Scoring conventions vary between clubs, so agree on the details before the first deal if you are playing with a new opponent.

A Bit of History

Écarté was a popular gambling game in 19th century Paris and survived in Germany until the 1960's. At the start of the 21st century, it is still played in some cercles de jeu in France. It was well enough established to earn its own entry in the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and a detailed modern rule set has been written in German by Roland Scheicher, a shortened version of which circulates on the German Wikipedia.

Where to Get the Game

Écarté needs no special equipment — any 32-card French-suited deck will do: 32-card deck écarté on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Treating the ace as the top card. In Écarté the ace ranks fourth, below the king, queen and jack.
2. Forgetting to announce the king of trumps. The announcement only counts before you play your first card of the hand.
3. Discarding instead of trumping. With no card of the suit led, you are obliged to trump if you hold a trump.
4. Refusing the discard on a mediocre hand. Refusing commits you to three tricks; falling short hands your opponent two points rather than one.

FAQ

1. Q: Can I bid for the trump suit? A: No. In Écarté the trump suit is decided by the card turned up after the deal — there is no auction.

2. Q: What happens if I have no card of the suit led? A: You must trump if you hold a trump. Only if you have neither the suit led nor a trump may you discard another card.

3. Q: How many players can play? A: Two. Écarté is a duelling game, and there is no standard version for more players.

4. Q: How is the scoring done? A: One point for taking three or four tricks, two points for taking all five, plus the point for the king. A player who refused the discard and then failed to take three tricks concedes two points. Games are typically played to 5 points.

5. Q: Can the discard be repeated? A: Yes. As long as both players agree and the stock still has cards, the exchange can be made more than once in the same hand.

6. Q: Why is the game called Écarté? A: From the French écarter, to discard — the exchange that both players may make when neither likes the hand they were dealt.

7. Q: Is the ranking really King-Queen-Jack-Ace? A: Yes, followed by 10, 9, 8, 7. It is the single most common source of mistakes for players arriving from other card games.

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