The first thing, however, to be noticed is Have either of the players carte-blanche? Should the eldest hand have it, he must tell the dealer to discount for it, and show his cards. Should the younger hand have it, he must wait until the elder has discarded, then show his hand also.
The player who has carte blanche not only counts ten towards the pique, or repique, but prevents his opponent having either.
The dealer has the option of discarding or not as he feels inclined, but should he do so he must take in first any that may be left by the elder hand, and after that his own three which are at the bottom of the stock. The cards that may be left he can look at; but in that case the elder hand may do the same.
It is wiser, therefore, in some instances for the dealer not to look at the cards he leaves, because it will be more to his advantage that the cards should not be seen by his opponent. If the dealer should happen to mix up with his own discard any of the cards left by him, the elder hand can claim to see all, as soon as he has intimated what suit he means to lead. If, however, the elder hand should not lead the suit he named, the dealer can insist upon his leading any suit he pleases.
In the game of Piquet the value of the cards depends to a very great extent upon the various combinations that are made. The learner must, therefore, become thoroughly acquainted with these combinations, otherwise he might make the mistake in discarding of simply throwing out such cards as were of the least numerical value, which really would be a loss to him. There are no trumps in Piquet, therefore each trick is won by the highest card of the suit that is led.
In laying out try to secure a quatorze. Should neither player have four aces, quatorze kings annul queens, and, by the same rule, in the adversary's hand queens annul knaves. If you have four aces, you may reckon also any inferior quatorze, as of tens, and your opponent cannot reckon four kings, though he should hold them. In the same way, you can count three aces, and inferior threes down to tens, while your opponent cannot count his three kings.
The player who has the greatest number of cards in a suit has the point; but when both players have an equal number of cards in the same or different suits, the point is then won by the player who has the greatest number of pips, counting the ace as eleven and the court cards as ten each. The point being chosen, the eldest hand announces what it is, asking at the same time if it is good; if his adversary has more he replies "it is not good," if he has just as many he answers "it is equal," but if he has not so many he answers "it is good." The player who has the best counts as many for it as he has cards which compose it, and whoever has the point counts it first, be he elder or younger hand, points being equal; or the two players having equal tierces, quints, quarts, &c., neither can count.
The points, tierces, quarts, quints, &c., must be shown on the table, that their value may be reckoned; quatorzes, threes of aces, and kings need not be shown.
In reckoning after the carte-blanche comes the point, next the sequences, and then the quatorzes, or threes of aces, kings, &c. The cards are then played, each card, excepting a nine or an inferior one, counting one.
The elder hand having played the first card, the dealer before answering the card must count his own game, point, sequence, quatorze, or carte-blanche, if he has it, and, after reckoning them altogether, he takes the first trick if he can with the same suit; if he cannot do so his opponent has the trick.