ÉCARTE (French, écarté, separated, discarded), a game at cards, of modern origin, probably first played in the Paris saloiis, in the first quarter of the 19th century. It is a development of a very old card game called la triomphe, or French-ruff (Academic des Jeux, various editions ; Cotton and Seymour, Compleat Gamester, various editions; and Paul Boiteau D Ambly, Les Cartes a jouer, Paris, Hachette, 1854).
Ecarte" is generally played by two persons, but a pool of three may be formed, the player who is out taking the place of the loser, and the winner of two consecutive games winning the pool. At French ecarte (but not at English) bystanders who are betting may advise the players, by pointing to the cards they desire them to play, and the loser of the game goes out and one of the rentrants takes his place, unless the loser is playing la chouette (i.e., taking all the bets that are offered), when he does not have to resign his seat if he loses.
A pack of cards is used from which the small cards (from the two to the six both inclusive) are removed. The players cut for deal, the highest having the choice. The dealer gives five cards to his adversary and five to himself, by two at a time to each and by three at a time to each, or vice versa. The eleventh card is turned up for trumps. If it is a king, the dealer scores one.
The non-dealer then looks at his cards If satisfied with them he plays, and there is no discarding ; if not satisfied he proposes. The dealer may either accept or refuse. If he accepts each player discards face downwards as many cards as he thinks fit, and fresh ones are given from the undealt cards or stock, first to complete the non-dealer s hand to five, then to complete the dealer s. Similarly, a second proposal may be made, and so on, until one player is satisfied with his hand. If the dealer refuses the hand is played without discarding.
If the non-dealer announces that he holds the king of trumps, he scores one ; and similarly, if the dealer holds the king and announces it, he scores one.
The non-dealer, being satisfied with his hand, leads a card. The dealer plays a card to it, the two cards thus played forming a trick. The winner of the trick leads to the next, and so on. The highest card of the suit led wins, the cards ranking king (highest), queen, knave, ace, ten, nine, eight, seven. Trumps win other suits. The second to play to a trick must follow suit if able, and must win the trick if he can, whether by trumping or otherwise.
The scores are for the king (as already explained), and for the majority of tricks. The player who wins three tricks scores one for the point; if he wins all five tricks, he scorns two for the vole. If the non-dealer plays without proposing, or the dealer refuses the first proposal, and fails to win three tricks, the adversary scores two, but no more even if he wins the vole. The game is five up.
Hints to Players.—The following hints, which merely touch on the elements of the play, may be of service to beginners:—
Shuffle thoroughly after every deal to prevent the cards packing in suits, otherwise the trump card is not unlikely to be of the same suit as those preceding it, which are in the dealer s hand. It is an act of courtesy to the adversary to shuffle your own pack well, to save him the trouble of making your cards.
Do not look at your hand when dealer, until after the non-dealer has decided whether he will propose or not. The countenance or manner, often betrays the nature of the hand.
Do not announce the king until in the act of playing your first card.
Propose quickly, as hesitation exposes the nature of the hand. In order to be quick, the hands which should be played without proposing, called jeux de regie, ought to be thoroughly known. They are as follows:—
1. All hands with three trumps, whatever the other cards.
2. Hands with two trumps which contain also
a. Any three cards of one plain suit;
b. Two cards of one plain suit, one being as high as a queen;
c. Two small cards of one suit, the fifth card being a king of an other suit;
d. Hands intermediate between b and c, i.e., with higher cards in one plain suit, and lower in another, e.g., two trumps, knave, ace of one suit, and nine or eight of another ; or ace, ten of one suit, and ten of another ; or ten, nine of one suit, and knave of another;
e. Three cards of different suits, as high as king, knave, and a small card, or cards of equal value in different suits, as king, ace, nine ; or king, and two tens ; or two queens ; or queen, knave, ace ; or three knaves.
3. Hands with one trump, which contain also—
a. King, queen, knave of one suit, and a small card of another ;
b. Four cards of one suit headed by king ;
c. Three cards of one suit headed by queen, and queen of an other suit.
4. Hands with no trump, which contain three queens or cards of equal value in different suits, e.g. , four court cards.
5. Hands from which only two cards can be discarded without throwing a king or a trump.
Holding cards which make the point certain, propose, as you have the chance of a refusal, and one good card taken in may give you the vole. If you hold a jeu de reyU, and one of the trumps is the king, it is generally right to propose, as your adversary, if he accepts, cannot then take the king. But, except in the case of the king, the value of the trumps does not affect the proposal hands, as the game is not to lead trumps originally (without the king), unless you have three, but to keep them for trumping, and for this purpose high trumps are no better than low ones.
When discarding, throw out all cards except trumps and kings.
If your adversary proposes you should accept, unless you are guarded in three suits (a queen being a sufficient guard), or in two suits with a trump, or in one suit with two trumps. Hence the rule not to discard two cards, unless holding the king of trumps, applies to the dealer.
The hands with which to refuse are the same as those with which to play without proposing, except as follows:—
1. Two trumps and three cards of one plain suit should not be played unless the plain suit is headed by a court card.
2. One trump and a tierce major is too weak, unless the fifth card is a court card. "With similar hands weaker in the tierce major suit, accept unless the fifth card is a queen.
3. One trump and four cards of a plain suit is too weak to play.
4. One trump and two queens is too weak, unless both queens are singly guarded.
5. One trump, queen of one suit, and knave guarded of another should not be played unless the queen is also guarded, or the card of the fourth suit is a court card.
6. One trump, a king and a queen, both unguarded, should not be played, unless the fourth suit contains a card as high as an ace.
7. Four court cards without a trump are too weak to play, unless they are of three different suits.
Refuse with three queens, if two are singly guarded ; otherwise, accept.
Lead from your guarded suit, and lead the highest. An ex ception to this rule is with two small trumps, a guarded queen, and a small card of another suit, when the single card should be led.
When playing a weak hand after a refusal, with no hope of the point and fear of losing the vole, lead the strongest single card, unless you have a king.
If the strong suit led is not trumped, persevere with it, unless with king of trumps, or queen (king not having been announced), or knave, ace, when lead a trump before continuing your suit. Also, when playing for the vole with a weak trump and high cards, change the suit each time to avoid a ruiF. Having made three tricks, then lead the trump.
You should not lead trumps at starting, even if your best suit, unless you hold king, or queen, knave, or knave, ace, with court cards out of trumps. Holding three trumps, the two best being in sequence, lead a trump.
If cards are refused, it is better to lead from two small cards in sequence, than from a high tenace.
If you have won two tricks, your opponent one, and you hold a trump and a plain card, lead the plain card ; but if your adversary has won two tricks and you win the third, lead the trump. If you make two tricks and have the queen and two small trumps (the king having been announced against you), by leading a small trump you must win the point.
The score has to be considered. If the dealer is at four, and the king is not in your hand nor turned up, play any cards without proposing which give an even chance of three tricks, e.g., a queen, a guarded knave, and a guarded ten. The same rule applies to the dealer s refusal, but he ought to be protected in three suits, e.g., three knaves, or a knave and two guarded tens. At the adverse
