At Tarot, the 78 cards of the game have different values depending on them being figures, trumps, or low cards:

  • All cards from Ace to 10 and from 2 to 20 of trump are worth 0,5 points.
  • The Jacks are worth 1,5 points.
  • The Knights are worth 2,5 points.
  • The Queens are worth 3,5 points.
  • The Kings and Oudlers (1, 21, and Excuse) are worth 4,5 points.

Card values

This brings the total of points to 91 points. 

The players look at the cards they have been dealt, it's time for the bidding phase to begin. Each player speaks and declares if they pass or take a contract. During the bidding phase, each player considers their hands and chooses from these four contracts (in ascending order):

  • The SMALL. It's the safest bid with a good chance of success, often based on the hope of discovering a very beautiful Dog.
  • The GUARD. It overbids the Small of the opponent. It's often used as 1st bid, as it has similar chances of success as a Small with a higher reward as the points are multiplied by 2.
  • The GUARD WITHOUT THE CHIEN. With a very good hand, the attacker believes that they can carry out this contract without incorporating the Chien into their hand, therefore without making the Écart. The Chien's points are counted at the end of the deal and added to the pile of tricks of the attacker. No player should look at the Chien until the round is over. The points are multiplied by 4.
  • The GUARD AGAINST THE CHIEN. With an exceptional hand and a good strategy, the attacker is carrying out this contract without the help of the Chien, whose points are counted with those of the Defense. The points are multiplied by 6.

How many points must the attacker achieve to win his contract? It depends solely on the number of oudlers the player has in his hand or tricks at the end of the deal.

The attacker, according to the number of oudler(s) he has, must cumulate the following number of points (on a total of 91 pts):

  • Without oudlers: 56 points are required.
  • With one oudler: you need 51 points.
  • With two oudlers: you need 41 points.
  • With three oudlers: you need 36 points.

Target score

The more oudlers the attacker has in his hand, the fewer points he has to accumulate to succeed.

The defenders, so the taker fails and according to the number of Oudler(s) the taker has, must cumulate the following number of points (on a total of 91 pts) to win:

  • 3 Oudlers = 55,5 points.
  • 2 Oudlers = 50,5 points.
  • 1 Oudler = 40,5 points.
  • 0 Oudler = 35,5 points or the rest of the points + 0.5 points.

And don't forget, some bonuses can help you succeed!

Le Petit au bout (depending on the chosen contract) will grant you the extra points you need:

  • 10 points if you announced a Small,
  • 20 points if you announced a Guard,
  • 40 points if you announced a Guard without,
  • 60 points if you announced a Guard against.

As well as a Poignée, which will add to the score of the round extra valuable points, according to the number of trumps that compose it:

  • an announced poignée of 10 trumps (Simple) will add 20 points to the score of the round,
  • an announced poignée of 13 trumps (Double) will add 30 points to the score of the round,
  • an announced poignée of 15 trumps (Triple) will add 40 points to the score of the round.

Now that you know more about the cards and contract values, let us learn more about card distribution and the bidding phase in our next FAQ.