How to Play Écarté
How to Play Écarté
Écarté is a quick two-player trick-taking game with a clever exchange phase before the action begins. You need a normal deck of cards, and a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore can help you get started. This guide uses one common version of Écarté; family and regional house rules can vary.
Quick facts
| Detail | Rule |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 |
| Cards | 32 cards, from 7 through king in each suit |
| Goal | Reach 5 points |
| Hand length | Five tricks |
| Trump | One suit beats the other suits |
What you are trying to do
In each hand, you want to win at least three of the five tricks. A trick is one small round in which both players play one card. The stronger card wins that round. Before the tricks start, you may exchange unwanted cards for new ones, hoping to build a hand that can win.
Écarté has an unusual ranking and a firm play rule. Within every suit, the cards rank from highest to lowest as king, queen, jack, ace, 10, 9, 8, and 7. The ace is below the jack, not above the king. The trump suit is stronger than every other suit for that hand.
What you need
Use a standard 52-card deck, but remove every 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The remaining 32 cards are the four suits—hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades—with the ranks 7, 8, 9, 10, ace, jack, queen, and king. You also need a way to record points, such as paper and a pencil or a notes app.
Set it up
- Choose a dealer for the first hand. You can cut the deck to decide, with the higher card dealing.
- Shuffle and deal five cards to each player. Deal in small groups, such as two cards and then three cards, so each hand is fair.
- Place the undealt cards face down as the stock, which means the draw pile. Turn the top stock card face up beside it. Its suit is trump for the hand.
- Keep the face-up card separate. It is only showing the trump suit and is not part of the cards players may draw.
- In this version, if the face-up trump card is a king, the dealer immediately scores 1 point. If that point takes the dealer to 5, the game ends before the tricks are played.
How to play
- Let the non-dealer decide. The player who did not deal looks at their five cards first. They may say “I play” to keep the hand, or “I propose” to ask for an exchange.
- Accept or refuse. The dealer may accept the proposal or refuse it. If the dealer refuses, play begins immediately. The player who refused is considered vulnerable for scoring: if the other player wins, that winner receives an extra point.
- Exchange cards. If the dealer accepts, the non-dealer discards any number of cards, from none to all five, face down. Draw the same number from the stock so the hand returns to five cards. The dealer may then discard and draw cards as well. Put discarded cards aside; do not mix them back into the stock.
- Choose whether to continue exchanging. After the dealer’s exchange, the non-dealer may propose again or say “I play.” The dealer can refuse a new proposal. Continue this way while cards remain. If the stock runs out, stop exchanging and begin the tricks. No one draws the face-up trump card.
- Check for the trump king. Before the first trick, a player holding the king of trumps may show it and score 1 point. This claim must happen before anyone leads a card.
- Lead the first trick. The non-dealer plays any card face up. This is called leading. The dealer then plays one card in response.
- Follow suit and try to win. If you have a card in the suit led, you must play that suit and, if possible, play a higher card than the one already played. If you cannot follow suit, you must play a trump card if you have one. Only when you can do neither may you play any card.
- Give the trick to its winner. A trump beats any non-trump card. If both cards are trump, the higher trump wins. If neither card is trump, the higher card in the suit led wins. The winner places the two cards in a personal won-tricks pile and leads the next trick.
- Finish all five tricks. Repeat the same process until both players have played all five cards. Count the won-tricks piles before scoring the hand.
How you win
The player who wins three or four tricks scores 1 point. A player who wins all five tricks scores 2 points instead: 1 point for winning the majority, plus 1 extra point for taking every trick. If the opponent became vulnerable by refusing the first exchange proposal, add 1 more point to the winner’s score.
Write down the points after each hand. Deal the next hand, switching the dealer. Keep playing until someone reaches 5 points. If a player reaches 5 through the trump-king point before the tricks begin, that player wins immediately.
Easy first-game tips
Remember the special order: king, queen, jack, ace, 10, 9, 8, 7. Saying it aloud before your first hand can prevent mistakes. A strong trump card is especially valuable because it can win against any ordinary suit, but do not spend it too early if you can win a trick with a less important card.
During an exchange, look for a simple plan. Keep high cards, especially kings and queens, and consider replacing low cards that are unlikely to win. Keeping several cards in one suit may also help, because it becomes easier to follow suit and control later tricks. Pay attention to what your opponent takes from the stock, too; their choices can reveal which suits or ranks they like.
When following suit, do not forget that you must try to head the trick when you can. If you are void in the led suit, meaning you have none of it, trumping is required. Take your time, keep won tricks in separate piles, and say each score out loud so both players agree.
Quick questions
Can I exchange just one card?
Yes. You may exchange any number from zero to five when a proposal is accepted, then draw the same number to return to five cards.
Who leads the next trick?
The player who wins the previous trick leads the next one. The non-dealer leads the first trick of the hand.