French Tarot Rules for 4 Players

French Tarot is a popular trick-taking card game that originated in France and is now also played in French-speaking regions of Canada. It is a game for 4 players, and this article will outline the official rules for playing French Tarot with 4 players.

Game Overview

French Tarot is a card game played with a 78-card deck, which includes the standard suits of diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs, as well as 21 atouts (trumps) and a special card called the Excuse. The game is most commonly played by 4 players, but can also be played with 3 or 5 players.

Objective

The objective of the game is for one player, known as the taker, to accumulate enough card points in tricks to win the hand by reaching a specific point target. The target depends on the number of bouts (21, 1, or the Excuse) the taker has in their tricks.

Setup

The first dealer is chosen at random, and thereafter the turn to deal passes to the right after each hand. The player opposite the dealer shuffles, and the player to the left of the dealer cuts. Each player is dealt 18 cards in packets of 3, and 6 cards are dealt face down to the center of the table to form the talon or chien.

How to Play

Each player, starting with the player to the dealer's right and continuing counter-clockwise, has one chance to bid or pass. The possible bids, from lowest to highest, are:

1. Petite (Small) - Also known as prise (take) in many books. The bidder can use the chien cards to improve their hand and tries to take enough card points in tricks to win.
2. Garde (Guard) - Same as Petite but outranks Petite in bidding.
3. Garde sans le chien (Guard without the kitty) - No one looks at the chien, but the card points in it count as part of the taker's tricks.
4. Garde contre le chien (Guard against the kitty) - No one looks at the chien and it is counted as part of the tricks of the opponents of the taker.

The highest bidding player becomes the taker. The remaining three players form a temporary team, trying to prevent the bidder from making enough card points.

The taker turns the six cards of the chien face up for all to see and then takes them into their hand. They then discard face down any six cards which must not include trumps, kings, or the Excuse. The cards discarded by the taker count as part of their tricks.

The play of the cards begins with the player to the dealer's right leading to the first trick. Each trick is won by the highest trump in it, or the highest card of the suit led if no trumps were played. The winner of a trick leads to the next. Players must follow suit if they can, and if they have no cards of the suit which was led, they must play a trump. If trumps are led, the other players must of course follow with trumps if they can.

There is a further restriction: whenever a player must play a trump (either because trumps were led or because they have no cards of the suit which was led), they must if possible play a trump which is higher than the highest trump so far played to the trick. If they are unable to do this, they are free to play any trump, but they must still play a trump, even though they cannot win the trick with it.

The Excuse is an exception to the above rules. If a player holds the Excuse, they may play it to any trick they choose, irrespective of what was led and whether they have that suit or not. With one rare exception (see below), the Excuse can never win the trick - the trick is won as usual by the highest trump, or in the absence of trumps by the highest card of the suit led.

It is legal to lead the Excuse, and in this case, the second player to the trick can play any card, and this second card defines what suit must be followed.

Provided that the Excuse is played before the last trick, the team that played the Excuse keeps it in their trick pile, even though they may have lost the trick to which it was played. If the trick is in fact won by the opponents of the player of the Excuse, the trick will be one card short; to compensate for this, the team that played the Excuse must transfer one card from their trick pile to the winners of the trick. This will be a 0.5 point card; if they do not yet have such a card in their tricks, they can wait until they take a trick containing a 0.5 point card and transfer it then.

If the Excuse is played in the last trick, the Excuse is taken by the team who wins the trick. (Note: this was the rule given by most books, at least until the 1990's, but the official rules of the Fédération Française de Tarot (FFT) are slightly different. They say that if the Excuse is played to the last trick it changes sides. So according to the FFT rule, if an opponent of the bidder plays the Excuse to the last trick, the declarer captures the Excuse even if they do not win the trick.)

There is just one extremely rare case in which the Excuse can win a trick: if one team has won every trick except the last one, and then leads the Excuse to the last trick the Excuse wins.

Scoring and End of Game

The game continues until a player reaches a score of 121 points. The score for each trick is the sum of the card points in the trick, with face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) worth 10 points, and Aces worth 11 points. The taker receives bonus points if they take all the tricks (10 points) or take the last trick with the Excuse (20 points).

Common Variants

There are some special bonuses in French Tarot. The scores for these bonuses are not card points, so they do not help you to win your bid. They are extra points which can be scored in addition to what you win or lose for your bid.

Where to Get the Game

Jeu de Tarot 78 cartes on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not understanding the bidding system and the importance of the chien.
2. Forgetting to follow suit when possible.
3. Not playing the Excuse strategically to gain bonuses or force the opponents to take a penalty.
4. Not paying attention to the point target and the number of bouts the taker has in their tricks.

FAQ

Q: What is the point of the chien in French Tarot? A: The chien is a pile of cards that is dealt face down in the center of the table. The taker can use the cards in the chien to improve their hand and increase their chances of winning the bid.

Q: Can I lead the Excuse in French Tarot? A: Yes, you can lead the Excuse, but it cannot win the trick unless one team has won every trick except the last one, and then leads the Excuse to the last trick.

Q: What happens if the Excuse is played to the last trick? A: If the Excuse is played to the last trick, the team who wins the trick takes the Excuse. According to the Fédération Française de Tarot (FFT) rules, if an opponent of the bidder plays the Excuse to the last trick, the declarer captures the Excuse even if they do not win the trick.