Piquet has a very particular kind of tension: you spend half the hand quietly shaping your future, then you spend the other half proving you shaped it better. If you enjoy card games where small information leaks matter, how to play Piquet card game is worth learning once—because it keeps rewarding you long after the rules feel familiar.

It’s also one of the classic two player card games that doesn’t rely on chaos or speed. It relies on judgment.

The deck, the deal, and the talon

Piquet uses a 32-card pack: each suit runs from 7 up to Ace (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7). You can make this from a standard deck by removing all 2–6 cards.

A deal starts with 12 cards to each player. The remaining 8 cards form the talon (stock) placed face down between you. The non-dealer is called elder hand; the dealer is younger hand.

Carte blanche: the rare hand you must announce immediately

If your hand contains no court cards (no J, Q, K), you can declare carte blanche for 10 points—but it has to be announced right away, and proven by showing the hand at the correct moment (the timing differs depending on whether you are elder or younger).

This rule feels like a historical flourish until it happens to you—then it feels like a small emergency, because the declaration gives away information you might prefer to keep.

The exchange: shaping your hand before anyone fights for tricks

After the deal (and any carte blanche procedure), you improve your hand by exchanging with the talon.

• Elder exchanges first: discard 1–5 cards face down and draw the same number from the talon. Elder must discard at least one.

• Younger exchanges next: discard and draw up to the number remaining in the talon (often 3 if elder took 5). Younger is not always obliged to exchange in every ruleset, so agree on your table’s standard before you begin.

This exchange phase is where the game quietly starts. Elder has the bigger improvement window; younger has the harder defensive job.

Declarations: point, sequence, set (and the mind games inside them)

Piquet doesn’t just score tricks. Before trick play, you compare hands in three categories, with elder declaring first each time: point, sequence, and set.

Point (longest suit)

Point is the suit where you hold the most cards (typically at least four to matter in practice). The winner scores the number of cards in that suit. Ties in length are broken by adding card values in the suit (Ace 11, courts 10, others face value).

Sequence (runs in one suit)

A sequence is a run of 3+ consecutive cards in the same suit. Common names you’ll hear: tierce (3), quart (4), quint (5), and longer. A quint is scored differently (15) while 3 and 4 score their length.

Only the player with the best sequence scores for sequences, and that player may also score any additional sequences they hold.

Set (trios and quatorzes)

Sets count only for Tens and above (10, J, Q, K, A). Three of a kind is a trio worth 3 points; four of a kind is a quatorze worth 14 points. 7s, 8s, and 9s don’t count as sets.

One key tactical note: you’re allowed to sink a declaration—choosing not to claim a scoring feature to conceal information. That’s advanced, but it’s part of what makes Piquet feel like a conversation in half-truths.

Repique and pique: bonuses that punish slow starts

Piquet has two famous bonuses:

• Repique: if you reach 30 points from declarations alone before your opponent has scored anything in declarations, you earn an extra 60. The counting order for this is strict (carte blanche, point, sequences, sets, then play points).

• Pique: if elder reaches 30 points from declarations + early play before younger scores anything, elder earns an extra 30. Because elder leads first, only elder can score a pique. pagat.com

You don’t need to “hunt” these bonuses as a beginner, but you should recognize when you’re accidentally walking into them—especially as younger hand.

Trick play: no trumps, follow suit, and score as you go

After declarations, you play 12 tricks with no trumps, and you must follow suit.

Scoring during play is unusual if you’re used to simpler trick games:

• You score 1 point whenever you lead a card to a trick.

• You score an extra point for winning a trick that was led by your opponent.

• You score 1 point for winning the last trick.

Then come the big swing awards for trick totals:

• Winning more tricks than your opponent (7–5 or better) scores 10 points for “cards.”

• Winning all 12 tricks scores 40 for capot (and you don’t also add the 10).

One real-table habit that makes the game click

Most beginners focus on what they picked up and forget what they threw away. In Piquet, remembering your discards (and what your opponent likely kept, based on declarations) turns the trick phase from guesswork into inference. At a casual table—quiet evening, tea/coffee within reach—the strongest player often looks calm not because they’re “fast,” but because they’re simply tracking the hand like a short story with missing pages.

Once you’ve seen the rhythm—deal, exchange, declare, then play a clean no-trump trick game—Piquet becomes far less intimidating than its reputation. And the second time you revisit how to play Piquet card game, you’ll notice the real hook: it’s not only about winning tricks, it’s about choosing when to reveal strength, when to hide it, and when to cash it in.