GAME GUIDE
French Tarot
Trick-taking game for 4 or 5 players with a kitty and contract.
01 · UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE
Essential rules
Objective
Trick-taking game for 4 or 5 players with a kitty and contract.
Variant played: CardVerse variant · 78 cards · contracts, kitty, and bouts
- Players
- 4 to 5
- Duration
- 30–60 min
- Deck
- 78 cards
Choose a contract
Contracts go up in this order: Prise, Garde, Garde sans, Garde contre. Pass or bid higher than the contract already announced.
Take the kitty
With Prise or Garde, the taker receives the kitty, then must discard the same number of cards. With Garde sans or Garde contre, the kitty is not taken into hand.
Choose the discards
Discard the ordinary cards first. Kings, trumps, and bouts are protected as long as ordinary cards remain available in the proposed variant.
Follow the requested suit
You must play a card of the requested suit if you have one. The value of your other card does not let you avoid that obligation.
Trump in Tarot
If you do not have the requested suit, play a trump if you have one, overtrumping any trumps already played if possible. The Excuse remains a special option.
Overtrump
On a trump lead, follow suit with trump. If you have a trump higher than the highest one already played, you must play it; otherwise, a lower trump is allowed.
Play the Excuse
The Excuse may be played without following suit or trumping. It does not win the trick. Its assignment depends on when it is played; see the end-of-deal tally.
Recognize the three bouts
The Petit, the trump 21, and the Excuse are the three bouts. Their number in the taker's cards determines the points target.
The target according to the bouts
The taker must reach 56 points with zero bouts, 51 with one, 41 with two, and 36 with three. The contract multiplier then applies to the result.
Detailed rules
Variant played: CardVerse variant · 78 cards · contracts, kitty, and bouts · Version 1.0.0
The essentials to get started
Trick-taking game for 4 or 5 players with a kitty and contract.
Choose a contract
Contracts go up in this order: Prise, Garde, Garde sans, Garde contre. Pass or bid higher than the contract already announced.
Take the kitty
With Prise or Garde, the taker receives the kitty, then must discard the same number of cards. With Garde sans or Garde contre, the kitty is not taken into hand.
Choose the discards
Discard the ordinary cards first. Kings, trumps, and bouts are protected as long as ordinary cards remain available in the proposed variant.
Follow the requested suit
You must play a card of the requested suit if you have one. The value of your other card does not let you avoid that obligation.
Trump in Tarot
If you do not have the requested suit, play a trump if you have one, overtrumping any trumps already played if possible. The Excuse remains a special option.
Overtrump
On a trump lead, follow suit with trump. If you have a trump higher than the highest one already played, you must play it; otherwise, a lower trump is allowed.
Play the Excuse
The Excuse may be played without following suit or trumping. It does not win the trick. Its assignment depends on when it is played; see the end-of-deal tally.
Recognize the three bouts
The Petit, the trump 21, and the Excuse are the three bouts. Their number in the taker's cards determines the points target.
The target according to the bouts
The taker must reach 56 points with zero bouts, 51 with one, 41 with two, and 36 with three. The contract multiplier then applies to the result.
The table guides you through each turn and suggests the legal moves. This guide presents the basic rules; regional variants may differ.
02 · Cards to inspect
Cards to inspect
Look at the ranks and suits of these cards.
VIDEO ACTIONSView every type of move
Choose a contract
1 / 9Preparing cards…
Read the steps in this demo
- Spot the choices or the count in this example.
- Bid Garde after a Prise bid, or pass.
- The last bid sets the taker and the contract.
Cards to inspect
01 · Situation
Spot the choices or the count in this example.
Contracts go up in this order: Prise, Garde, Garde sans, Garde contre. Pass or bid higher than the contract already announced.
Teaching example · playable table cards