Cards4Couples
Hard · 5/5No-trump trick-taking with combinationsFrance / Britain, 16th century

Piquet

Also known as Rubicon Piquet

A classic, deeply strategic two-player game barely changed since the 1500s. Across a six-deal 'partie' you improve your hand from a talon, score for the best point (longest suit), sequence, and set, then play out no-trump tricks. Rich in declaration bluffing and precise card play.

You'll need: A 32-card pack (remove 2s-6s). Cards rank 7 8 9 10 J Q K A (high).

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Objective

Score more points than your opponent over a partie of six deals; also aim to pass 100 points to avoid the 'Rubicon' penalty.

Roles

The non-dealer is 'elder hand' (leads and declares first, a real advantage); the dealer is 'younger hand'. Deal alternates.

Setup

  1. 1Deal 12 cards to each player, leaving an 8-card talon face down.
  2. 2Carte blanche: a hand with no court cards scores 10 (announced and shown).
  3. 3Exchange: elder hand discards 1-5 cards (usually 5) and draws that many from the top of the talon; younger hand then discards 1 up to the cards remaining (usually 3) and draws to match.

How to play

  • Trick play with NO trumps; you must follow suit.
  • Score 1 for leading a card, 1 for winning a trick led by the opponent, and 1 extra for the last trick.
  • The player winning more tricks scores 10 for 'the cards' (40 for 'capot' if they win all 12); no score if tricks split 6-6.

Declarations

  • Point: most cards in one suit — scores that many points.
  • Sequence: longest run of 3+ in a suit — tierce (3) = 3, quart (4) = 4, quint (5) = 15, sixieme (6) = 16, septieme (7) = 17, huitieme (8) = 18.
  • Set: quatorze (four Aces/Kings/Queens/Jacks/Tens) = 14; trio (three of those) = 3.
  • Only the holder of the best combination in each category scores it (and may then also score their lesser combinations in that category). Declarations use a 'good / not good / equal' exchange that reveals as little as possible. You may 'sink' (not declare) a combination for tactical reasons.

Bonuses

  • Repique: scoring 30 in declarations alone before the opponent scores anything in declarations = +60.
  • Pique: scoring 30 in declarations and play before the opponent scores at all = +30 (only elder hand can make a pique).

Scoring

Scored in points over 6 deals

Good to know

  • Players announce a running per-hand total as they score; hand totals accumulate across the partie.
  • Winner is whoever has more after 6 deals (extra hands if tied).
  • Rubicon: if the loser reached 100+, they pay the difference + 100; if the loser failed to reach 100, they pay the SUM of both scores + 100.

Winning

Win the partie by having the higher total after six deals.

Game mechanics referenced from pagat.com (John McLeod); rules text is our own wording.

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