Piquet

Piquet is a classic two-handed card game that originated in France in the 15th century. It is known for its strategic depth and the significant amount of skill required to play it well. The game is played with a special 32-card deck, consisting of ranks 7 through Ace in each of the four suits. The goal of Piquet is to be the first player to reach a predetermined score, usually 30 points, through various scoring combinations.

Before play begins, players establish the point by declaring the "point" – the suit in which they believe they have the most cards. The player with more cards in a given suit scores points for "point," with higher point cards (like Aces and Kings) contributing more. Following the declaration of point, players engage in the "discard" phase, where they may exchange cards from their hand for new ones from the deck to improve their hand.

After discarding, players then declare and score various combinations in their hands. These include sequences (called "tertiades" and "quatorzes" for three or four cards of the same rank, and "sequences" for cards in numerical order), and "pique" (having all cards of one suit). The gameplay continues with trick-taking, where players play cards to win tricks. Points are awarded for winning tricks, with a "capot" (winning all tricks) being a significant bonus. Piquet requires careful card counting, strategic discarding, and astute play of tricks.