Ecarte – – – Écarté
Complete Rules for Two-Player Écarté
The Deck
A standard 52-card deck is stripped of all 2s through 6s, leaving a 32-card Piquet pack (7, 8, 9, 10, A, J, Q, K in each suit).
Card Ranking (high to low): K, Q, J, A, 10, 9, 8, 7 Note: The Ace ranks below the Jack — unusual and important to remember.
Trump cards beat all non-trump cards, but follow the same ranking order within the trump suit.
The Deal
• Players cut for first deal; highest card wins the cut and chooses seats.
• The dealer gives each player 5 cards, dealt in packets of 2 then 3 (or 3 then 2).
• The 11th card is turned face up to establish the trump suit for that hand.
• The remaining cards form the stock (draw pile).
• If the turned-up card is a King, the dealer immediately scores 1 point.
• Deal alternates each hand.
• The non-dealer is called the Elder Hand; the dealer is the Younger Hand.
The Proposal Phase (The Écarté)
This is the defining feature of the game — the discard-and-draw exchange before play begins.
1. The Elder Hand (non-dealer) looks at their cards and decides whether to play as-is or propose an exchange.
2. If satisfied, Elder says “I play” and trick play begins immediately.
3. If not satisfied, Elder says “I propose” — offering to exchange cards.
4. The Younger Hand (dealer) can either:
• Accept: Both players may now discard any number of cards and draw replacements from the stock. Elder discards and draws first, then Younger.
• Refuse: No exchange is made and trick play begins immediately.
5. After a successful exchange, Elder may propose again. This continues until:
• Elder decides to play
• Younger refuses a proposal
• The stock runs out of cards
6. The turned-up trump card is never exchanged or changed during the hand.
The King of Trumps
• If either player holds the King of trumps in hand (after any exchanges), they may declare it before the first card is led and score 1 point.
• This must be declared before leading or following to the first trick or the right is lost.
Trick Play
Elder leads first. All subsequent tricks are led by whoever won the previous trick.
Strict following rules apply — the second player to each trick must:
1. Play a higher card of the suit led if they have one.
2. If unable to beat it, play a lower card of that suit if they have one.
3. If they have no card of the suit led, they must play a trump if they have one.
4. Only if they have neither the led suit nor any trump may they play any card freely.
The trick is won by the highest trump played, or if no trump was played, by the highest card of the suit led.
Scoring Per Hand
Result
Points
Win 3 or 4 tricks
1 point
Win all 5 tricks (the Vole)
2 points
King of trumps (turned up or held)
1 point
Penalty Scoring — this is where strategy gets interesting:
• If Elder plays without proposing and fails to win at least 3 tricks, Younger scores 2 points instead of 1.
• If Younger refuses the first proposal and then fails to win at least 3 tricks, Elder scores 2 points instead of 1.
• These penalties apply only to the first proposal or refusal in a hand.
Winning the Game
First player to reach 5 points wins the game.
Games are commonly played as a rubber (best of 3 games) for a longer match.
Key Strategy Notes
• The proposal phase is the heart of the game. Elder must decide whether their hand is strong enough to play or whether improving it risks tipping off the opponent.
• Refusing a proposal is a bold move — if Younger refuses and then loses the point, they pay double.
• Playing without proposing as Elder is equally bold — if Elder skips the proposal and loses, Younger scores double.
• Because you must try to win the trick if you can, a strong hand can virtually lock out the opponent mechanically.
It’s a tight, elegant game — you can see why it was popular in gambling dens. The penalty rules alone create a ton of psychological pressure even before a card is played.
