Basic Rules of Tarot

Objective of the Game

The objective of Tarot is to score points by forming valuable card combinations. Players take turns playing a card from their hand, trying to capture valuable cards and build sets. Each game has a declarer (the player who calls for the contract) and defenders (the remaining players), and the goal is for the declarer to meet their contract while the defenders try to prevent them from succeeding.

The Deck

A Tarot deck contains 78 cards divided into three types: the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana, and the trumps. The Major Arcana has numbered cards from 1 to 21, plus the Fool card, which can play special roles. The Minor Arcana includes four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, each containing cards numbered 1 to 10 and four face cards: King, Queen, Knight, and Page. The trumps, also called the Major Arcana, are the cards with the highest values.

The Game Flow

The game begins with each player receiving a set number of cards, depending on the number of players. One player, the declarer, chooses a contract, which is a target score or specific condition they aim to achieve. The game proceeds in rounds, where players take turns playing one card each. Each round's winner is determined by the highest trump or, if no trumps are played, the highest card in the leading suit.

The declarer aims to fulfill their contract, while the other players act as defenders, working to prevent the declarer from meeting their goal. When a player has completed a contract, the game ends, and scores are calculated based on the number of valuable cards won in each round.

Trumping and Following Suit

• Players must follow the suit led if they have a card of that suit in hand.
• If a player has no card in the led suit, they may play a trump card to try to win the round.
• The Fool card, which belongs to no suit, can be played at any time without following suit, but it cannot win the round and returns to its owner afterward.

The Contracts

Each contract in Tarot has specific conditions and scores. Common contracts include "Petite" (small contract) and "Garde" (keep), where the declarer tries to score at least a certain number of points. More challenging contracts like "Garde Sans" (keep without partner) and "Garde Contre" (keep against all) offer higher stakes.

Scoring

Points are scored based on the number and value of specific cards, primarily the "Bout" cards (1 of trumps, 21 of trumps, and the Fool) and court cards in each suit. The declarer needs a minimum number of points based on the contract they declared. The defenders win if they successfully prevent the declarer from reaching the target score.

Players earn bonuses for meeting or exceeding contracts, with additional points awarded for each Bout card in the declarer’s possession. Scoring is calculated at the end of each game, and the player with the highest total score after all rounds is the winner.