Écarté (French: groin)174

Definition:Écarté, also known as "French écarté", is a simple card game for two players, played with a standard 32-card deck. Écarté is one of the oldest card games still played today, with its origins dating back to the 16th century. The game is particularly popular in France, where it is known as "le jeu de l'écarté" or simply "écarté".

Objective:The objective of écarté is to be the first player to score 5 points. Points are scored by taking tricks, which are groups of cards that are won by the player with the highest-ranking card in each suit.

Setup:To set up the game, shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player. The remaining cards are placed face down in a pile in the center of the table. The top card of the pile is turned face up and placed next to it to form the upcard.

Gameplay:Players take turns playing cards from their hands. On each turn, a player must play a card that matches the suit of the upcard. If a player does not have a card that matches the suit of the upcard, they must discard a card.
After both players have played a card, the cards are compared. The player with the highest-ranking card wins the trick and takes both cards. The winning player then leads the next trick by playing a card from their hand.

Scoring:Points are scored by taking tricks. The following combinations of cards score points:* Roi (King): 1 point
* Dame (Queen): 1 point
* Valet (Jack): 1 point
* L'Écart (The écart): 1 point (if the player takes all five tricks)

Winning:The first player to score 5 points wins the game. If both players reach 5 points at the same time, the player with the highest-ranking card in their hand wins.

Variations:There are many different variations of écarté, including:* Écarté à l'assiette (Plate écarté): A variation in which the players play for a set amount of money, which is placed in a plate on the table.
* Écarté à la vole: A variation in which the player who takes all five tricks in a row wins the game.
* Écarté aux points: A variation in which players score points for taking tricks and for holding certain combinations of cards.

Écarté is a simple but challenging game that can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels. The game's popularity has endured for centuries, and it remains a favorite pastime in France and around the world.

2024-12-12

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