How to Play Piquet

Piquet

taken from: Encyclopedia of card games: games of combinations, of trick, of chance, patience, etc.
Author: Boussac, Jean
Publisher: L. Chailley (Paris)
Date of publication: 1896
Translation: Lydie M.

The Success of Piquet

The success of the Piquet is a way to play alone in this game. After beating and cutting the cards, you must reach ninety with twelve cards which must be taken and so on.

We return three cards if among them, they are two of the same family, two hearts, two diamonds, two clubs or two spades, [you have the right to take one of these cards according your choice, and to place it separately. It is with the cards that we place as well that we form his game. It is quite obvious that if, instead of two cards of the same family, it was three, the player would always have the right to choose a, but never both. This first gives or returns of three cards being made, it returns three other cards, and if there, still has two or three cards of the same family, you put one in his game.

Note: the card that it takes to put in his game must always belong to one of the four major quint; it is to say that we leave the Nine, Eight and Seven. But when in the cards returned, a lady is located with a nine or an eight or a seven, or can put this lady in his game of the same for any other card of the quint if it is not of similar cards, pass on to the other three cards until the game is exhausted.

Any player of Piquet immediately sees that 32 is not divisible by 3, the last blow of the first trick, which will necessarily be the eleventh, will not include soft cards which are burned or, in other words, they do not count. During  the ten blows it may be released more or less double or triple cards, but  the released number does not matter, because it begins to interfere, to beat and to return the cards, until it has completed its game. In other words, until there is 2 cards spread out. Sometimes, you can return five or six times three cards without having to remove one. The number of tricks is not limited, and you can continue until you obtain twelve cards.

When the twelve cards compose the game of a Piquet’s player, the game is considered as the regular piquet; if it was ninety, success is made if you don’t reach this number. Although it is composed only of three cards when it forms a major third, plus four, we have seven.

We must above all seek the fourteen, contrary to what must be done to the ordinary Piquet.

This demonstration may appear impenetrable for you as hermetical. I am taking a Piquet game, do the same, and detach three cards at random. Here are seven and nine of club, ace of hearts; there is nothing to put on one side. Second trick: eight of club, seven and ten of the spades; I am obliged to take the ten of spades Third trick: king of tile, King and Jack of Clubs I have the choice between the King and the valet, I take the valet. Fourth trick includes seven of spades, as and queen of club, I take the queen, because it can make me later A tierce with the valet. You will tell me that it is, even of the king; this is true, but as I already have a ten of spades, if I have to opt in the suite between the ten of club. Or another card of the Quint, I will take the ten because I already have another ten. Fifth trick: Ace of Spades, King and Jack of spades. I take the valet not only because I already have a valet, but yet because with my ten of the same color, it gives me hope of a tierce, if the queen suits me.

Continue until you have twelve cards, (not twelve tricks) and count the game as in the Piquet. If you do not know how to play to the Piquet, it is useless to try this success.

Charter of Queens

This patience, also bit complicated as possible, is suitable for those who do not like the Chinese puzzle. Take a game of fifty-two cards (standard deck used in blackjack and poker); place the four queens on a horizontal line and in the middle of the carpet, while handling carefully a sufficient free space at the top and bottom of this carpet.

As the forty-eight cards that you remain in hand, are well mixed, you return them one by one. If it you spell six; either that of heart, for example, you place immediately above your lady to heart. If it is seven, you place them below this queen.

The seven will be used as strains of ascending hierarchies ending to the king and the six of the" descending hierarchies ending to the ace.

When the heel is exhausted and that was mounted all cards that could take place in one of the sequences or hierarchies, they start again the operation. It has three blows in order to constitute the four hierarchies, of spades, club, diamond and heart. The patience is successful when we reach this result.

It is obvious that after that, the valet of the upward hierarchy will become the king, as the queen has been placed in the center of the figure.