French Tarot: The Ultimate Strategy Guide to Rules, Bidding & Scoring

The 78-Card Deck Hierarchy and Values

Before we dive into the strategy, you need to understand the physical makeup of a french tarot deck. This isn't your standard 52-card pack; it is a sophisticated 78-card masterpiece designed for complex trick-taking. To keep you from looking like a novice at the table, here is the essential hierarchy you must memorize:

• The 21 Atouts (Trumps): Numbered 1 to 21, these dictate power. The 21 is the strongest, while the 1 (Le Petit) is the most vulnerable yet valuable.
• The 56 Suit Cards: Four standard suits (Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, Clubs) but with an extra court card—the Cavalier (Knight), which sits between the Valet (Jack) and the Dame (Queen).
• The Excuse: The 'Fool' or 'Joker' of the deck, used to avoid playing a card when you cannot follow suit.
• The Court Hierarchy: Roi (King) > Dame (Queen) > Cavalier (Knight) > Valet (Jack) > 10 through Ace.

Imagine you are sitting in a bustling café in the 11th Arrondissement of Paris. The air smells of espresso and old paper. Your opponent, a silver-haired man with a knowing smirk, leads a high trump. You feel that sharp spike of adrenaline—the 'shadow pain' of potentially losing your 'Petit' card. You realize that French Tarot isn't just about the cards in your hand; it is about the psychological armor you wear while playing them. To win here, you must move past the basic rules and embrace the high-energy logic of the 'Contract.' This game is a dance of probability where the 78-card deck becomes a tool for social and tactical dominance.

Physiologically, playing a high-stakes game like this triggers the same cognitive pathways as a complex negotiation. You aren't just matching suits; you are managing a 78-element system. Historical records from the French Federation of Tarot suggest that the 78-card structure was refined specifically to increase the 'informational gain' per trick, making it far more intellectually demanding than Bridge or Hearts. If you want to master this, you have to treat the deck as a map of potential energy.

The Art of Bidding and the Chien

Bidding in french tarot is where the ego meets the algorithm. It is the moment you declare your worth to the table. When the cards are dealt, you must decide if you can take on the three other players alone. This is not just a 'bet'; it is a psychological contract. If you bid too high (Garde), you risk public failure. If you bid too low (Petite), you miss the 'Glow-Up' moment of a massive score. Here are the decision rules for choosing your bid:

• Prise (Take): You have a decent hand and at least one Bout, but you need the 'Chien' (the 6-card kitty) to succeed.
• Garde (Guard): You are confident. You take the Chien and add its points to your score, but you are effectively saying 'I am the master of this round.'
• Garde Sans (Guard Without): You take the points of the Chien, but you do not look at it or use it to improve your hand. High risk, high reward.
• Garde Contre (Guard Against): The ultimate flex. The points of the Chien go to your opponents' score. Only for the tactically elite.

From a behavioral perspective, the 'Chien' represents the 'Unknown Variable' in a person's life. We often struggle with the 'Chien' because it requires us to adapt our strategy mid-stream. In French Tarot, after you win the bid, you incorporate the Chien into your hand and then discard six cards. This 'discarding' is a lesson in cognitive load management—you are literally shedding the weakest parts of your strategy to optimize for the goal. Beginner guides often emphasize the cards, but the real game is in the discard. What you let go of defines what you keep.

The Three Bouts: The Spiritual Heart of the Game

In french tarot, not all cards are created equal. The most important cards in the deck are the 'Oudlers' or 'Bouts.' These are the three pillars of your score: the 21 of Trumps, the 1 of Trumps (Le Petit), and the Excuse. If you hold all three at the end of the round, the number of points you need to 'fulfill your contract' drops significantly. This mechanism is a brilliant design that balances risk and reward. Think of them as your 'Core Assets.'

• The 21: The absolute power. It cannot be lost. It is your safety net.
• The Excuse: Your social bypass. It allows you to keep a high card for later by 'excusing' yourself from a trick you can't win.
• Le Petit (The 1): The 'Child' of the deck. It is a Bout, but it is the weakest trump. Losing the Petit to an opponent's high trump is the ultimate 'Shadow Pain' for a Tarot player.

Mechanically, the Oudlers work by lowering the threshold of victory. If you have 0 Bouts, you need 56 points to win. If you have 1 Bout, you need 51. With 2 Bouts, you need 41, and with all 3, you only need 36. This creates a fascinating 'back-chaining' strategy: your entire gameplay should revolve around protecting your Petit and capturing your opponents' high cards. It is a lesson in prioritizing high-value assets over volume. You don't need the most tricks; you need the right tricks.

Trick-Taking Mastery and the Excuse

Gameplay in french tarot follows the standard 'trick-taking' flow, but with a twist of French elegance. You must follow suit if you can. If you can't, you must play a trump. If someone else has already played a trump, you must play a higher trump if you have one. This is called 'over-trumping,' and it forces you into a state of tactical transparency. You cannot hide your strength for long.

• The Rule of the Petit at the End: If you play the Petit on the very last trick of the round, you get a massive point bonus. This is the ultimate 'High-Energy Logic' move.
• Leading the Trick: The winner of the previous trick leads the next. This creates 'momentum'—a psychological state where one player feels they are in control of the table's flow.
• The Excuse Protocol: You don't 'win' a trick with the Excuse, and you don't 'lose' it either. You simply take it back and put it in your pile, giving a low-value card to the winner of the trick instead.

Psychologically, this mimics the concept of 'Bounded Rationality.' You are making the best possible decision with the cards you have, while also predicting the hidden hands of three other people. The 'Petit at the End' strategy is particularly revealing of a player's risk tolerance. It requires you to save your weakest trump until the very end, hoping no one can 'flush it out' earlier. It is the card-game equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, and when it works, the 'Ego Pleasure' is unmatched.

The Scoring Table: Decoding the Math

Now we get to the part where most people's brains start to itch: the math. Point counting in french tarot is done in pairs. You don't just count one card; you count a high-value card plus an ordinary card. If you're doing this at a table in Lyon, you'll see people counting by 'halves.' To make your life easier, I've broken down the values for you in a way that actually makes sense. Remember, your goal is to reach the target based on your Bouts.

Why does the game use half-points? It’s a mathematical filter designed to prevent ties and ensure that the 'Contract' is either definitively met or failed. When you count, you group one 'honor' card (like a King) with one 'small' card (like a 3 of Spades) to make a round 5. This 'pairing' method is a great system-thinking tool. It forces you to see the deck not as 78 individual units, but as a series of combined values. If you are struggling with the math, just remember: your Kings and Bouts are your 5-point anchors. Everything else is just noise.

Variations for 3 and 5 Players

While the 4-player version of french tarot is the 'official' standard, the game is incredibly flexible. Playing with 3 or 5 players changes the psychological dynamic of the table entirely. In a 3-player game, you have more cards in your hand and the Chien is larger, which leads to more aggressive bidding and higher scores. In a 5-player game, you introduce the 'Call to the King.'

• 3 Players: Each player receives 24 cards. The Chien remains 6 cards. This is a game of pure individual tactical skill.
• 5 Players: Each player receives 15 cards, and the Chien is only 3 cards. The bidder 'calls' a King. Whoever holds that King becomes the bidder's secret partner.
• The Partnership Reveal: In 5-player Tarot, you don't know who your partner is until the called King is played. This creates a 'hidden identity' mechanic that builds intense social tension.

From a social strategy perspective, the 5-player variant is a masterclass in 'Implicit Cooperation.' You have to play in a way that signals to your partner who you are without explicitly saying it. Recent cultural shifts, as noted by Epiphany Magazine, show that these multi-player variants are becoming social staples because they accommodate varying group sizes while maintaining the game's intellectual depth. Whether you are 3 or 5, the core logic remains: adapt or be outplayed.

French Game Etiquette and Social Strategy

To truly master french tarot, you have to understand the 'Etiquette' of the French table. This isn't just a game; it's a cultural performance. There are unwritten rules about how you handle your cards and how you interact with the 'Taker.' For example, it is considered poor form to 'waste' a high trump on a trick that your partner (or the defender group) has already won. You are expected to play with 'economy.'

• The Silence of the Chien: When the Taker is looking at the Chien, the table should be silent. This is their moment of strategic recalibration.
• Defensive Solidarity: If you are not the Taker, you are part of the 'Defense.' You must work with the other two players to bring down the Taker, even though you haven't spoken a word of strategy to them.
• The 'Poignée' (Handful): If you have a large number of trumps, you must declare them at the start to get bonus points. It's a 'show of force' that sets the tone for the round.

Think of these rules as 'Social Lubricants.' They keep the high-intensity logic of the game from turning into actual conflict. In the 25–34 age bracket, we often seek out these 'Heavy' games because they provide a structured way to engage in competition. By following the etiquette, you prove that you aren't just a player—you are a connoisseur of the tradition. It's about 'Dignity and Renewal,' ensuring the game stays sophisticated and fun for everyone at the table.

Mastering the Strategy: Beyond the Rules

Ultimately, french tarot is a game of probability management. The best players aren't those who get the best cards, but those who understand the 'Meta-Game.' This involves tracking which trumps have been played and knowing when to 'flush' your opponents' trumps. If you can count to 21 and remember four suits, you can win. But to dominate, you must understand the 'Excuse'—both the card and the social concept.

As we wrap up this playbook, remember that the logic of the cards is a mirror for your own decision-making style. Do you play it safe with a Prise, or do you risk it all on a Garde Contre? The beauty of French Tarot is that it rewards both bold leaps and careful, calculated steps. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the scoring or the bidding tiers, just remember that every expert was once a novice losing their Petit on the first trick. Keep your head high, your 'Excuse' ready, and your 'Chien' well-discarded.

Mastering this game is a journey of self-discovery through social strategy. It’s about more than points; it’s about the 'Glow-Up' that comes from outsmarting a complex system. Use these rules, respect the Bouts, and soon you'll be the one smirking across the table in that Lyonnais café. The world of French Tarot is waiting for your first bid. What will it be?

FAQ

1. What is the difference between French Tarot and occult Tarot?

French Tarot is a trick-taking card game played with a unique 78-card deck, while occult Tarot is used for divination and fortune-telling. Although they share the same historical roots and card names, the French game is purely for competitive play and has no 'mystical' component in its rules.

2. How do you count points in French Tarot?

To count points in French Tarot, you group cards into pairs consisting of one high-value 'honor' card and one 'ordinary' card. For example, a King (4.5) plus a 3 of Spades (0.5) equals 5 points. If you have two ordinary cards, they count together as 1 point.

3. What are the three Bouts in French Tarot?

The three Bouts (also called Oudlers) are the 21 of Trumps, the 1 of Trumps (Le Petit), and the Excuse. These are the most valuable cards in the game because they carry high point values and determine how many total points you need to win your contract.

4. How many cards are dealt in French Tarot with 4 players?

In a standard 4-player game of French Tarot, each player is dealt 18 cards. The remaining 6 cards are placed face-down in the middle of the table to form the 'Chien' (the dog), which the winning bidder may use to improve their hand.

5. What happens if you lose the Petit at the last trick?

If you play the Petit (the 1 of Trumps) on the very last trick of a round and win that trick, you receive a significant point bonus (Petit au Bout). However, if an opponent wins that final trick, the bonus goes to the defense, making it a high-risk move.

6. How does the Chien work in French Tarot?

The Chien is a 6-card 'kitty' that goes to the player who wins the bidding process (the Taker). They add these cards to their hand and then discard 6 cards of their choice (except Kings or Bouts) back into their scoring pile to keep their hand size at 18.

7. Can you play French Tarot with 3 players?

Yes, French Tarot can be played with 3 players. In this version, each player is dealt 24 cards, and the Chien remains 6 cards. The strategy is often more aggressive because there are more cards in play for each individual.

8. What is the role of the Excuse card?

The Excuse is a unique card that acts as a 'joker.' You can play it on any trick to avoid following suit or trumping. You don't win the trick with it, but you get to keep the card for your scoring pile, regardless of who wins the trick.

9. What is a Garde bid in French Tarot?

A Garde (Guard) is a bid where the player is confident enough to play against the other three players combined. The Taker gets to use the Chien to improve their hand, and the points from the Chien are counted toward their final total.

10. How many trumps are in a French Tarot deck?

A French Tarot deck contains exactly 21 numbered trumps (Atouts). These cards are separate from the four suits and are used to 'trump' or beat cards of a standard suit, with higher numbers always beating lower numbers.

References

en.wikipedia.org — French Tarot - Wikipedia

berriesandbarnacles.com — How To Play Tarot (A Vintage French Card Game)

epiphanymagazine.org — French Tarot on the Credenza