ÉCARTÉ.
The game of Écarté is played with what is known as the Piquet pack of thirty-two cards. The relative value of the cards is the same as at Whist, with one exception, viz. that the king is the highest card, the ace ranking between the knave and the ten. Thus the knave can take the ace, but the ace can take the ten.
Trumps, as at Whist, are the most powerful cards. A seven of trumps can take the king of another suit.
LAWS OF ÉCARTÉ.
The laws of Écarté, as accepted by the principal clubs in London and elsewhere, are as follows. We here quote them as given in "Cavendish on Écarté,"[[21]] a standard authority on the subject. Any reader who desires to become a skilful player cannot do better than procure and study this work.
The Club Code laws are—
1.—Each player has a right to shuffle both his own and his adversary's pack. The dealer has the right to shuffle last.
2.—The pack must not be shuffled below the table, nor in such a manner as to expose the faces of the cards, nor during the play of the hand.
3.—A cut must consist of at least two cards, and at least two must be left in the lower packet.