How to Play Ecarte

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Ecarte is a two-player trick-taking card game played with a 32-card deck. Its defining feature is the exchange phase, in which either player may propose discarding cards from their hand and drawing replacements before a single trick is played. This negotiation adds a layer of tension and judgement that sets Ecarte apart from simpler trick-takers.

The game rewards sharp card reading, bold decision-making on whether to accept or refuse an exchange, and a clear sense of when to force the issue and when to let the cards play themselves. It is well suited to quiet head-to-head play at home or in a club setting, and a full rubber can be completed in well under an hour.

A little history

Ecarte is traditionally associated with nineteenth-century France and was widely popular in French gaming rooms and in fashionable London clubs during the same period. Its name comes from the French word for discarded, reflecting the exchange mechanic at the heart of the game. Beyond that, its precise origins are unclear; it developed from an earlier family of French trick-taking games but the exact line of descent is not firmly documented. It appears frequently in Victorian card-game manuals on both sides of the Channel, which confirms its mainstream popularity during that era.

Setting up

1. Remove all 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s from a standard deck. You are left with 32 cards ranking, from high to low in each suit: King, Queen, Jack, Ace, 10, 9, 8, 7.
2. Decide the first dealer by any agreed method, such as cutting for the highest card. The deal alternates each hand.
3. The dealer shuffles the deck and offers it to the non-dealer to cut.
4. Deal five cards to each player in packets of two then three (or three then two), beginning with the non-dealer.
5. Turn the next card from the remaining stock face up on the table. The suit of this card is the trump suit for the hand.
6. Place the remaining stock face down beside the turned trump card. Both are available during the exchange phase.

How to play

1. EXCHANGE PHASE: The non-dealer acts first. They may propose an exchange by saying 'I propose.' The dealer may accept or refuse. If the dealer refuses, play begins immediately and the dealer scores one bonus point (the point for the king) only if they hold the King of trumps, otherwise no bonus applies at this stage.
2. If the dealer accepts the proposal, both players discard as many cards as they wish from their hands (at least one) and draw replacements from the stock to restore their hands to five cards. The non-dealer discards and draws first.
3. After the first exchange, the non-dealer may propose again. The dealer may again accept or refuse. This continues until either player refuses, the stock is exhausted, or a player chooses to play.
4. A player who holds the King of trumps may declare it at any point before playing their first card of the hand. Declaring the King of trumps scores that player one point immediately.
5. PLAY: Once the exchange phase ends, the non-dealer leads any card to the first trick. The other player must follow suit if able. If unable to follow suit, they must play a trump if able. If unable to do either, they may play any card.
6. The highest trump in a trick wins it. If no trump is played, the highest card of the suit led wins. There are no other exceptions.
7. The winner of each trick leads to the next trick. Play all five tricks.
8. SCORING AFTER PLAY: Count the tricks each player has won. The player who wins three or four tricks scores one point. The player who wins all five tricks (the vole) scores two points.
9. If the non-dealer refused a proposal from their opponent (i.e. the dealer proposed and was refused, which is not standard play) or if the dealer refused the non-dealer's proposal, the refusing side faces a scoring consequence: if the refusing side fails to win at least three tricks, the proposing side scores two points instead of one.
10. The game is played as a rubber. The first player to reach five points wins the game. Players keep a running score, typically marked with counters or on paper.

Winning and scoring

The first player to accumulate five points wins the rubber. Points are scored as follows: one point for winning three or four of the five tricks; two points for winning all five tricks (the vole); one point for declaring the King of trumps before playing your first card. If the dealer refuses the non-dealer's proposal to exchange and then fails to win at least three tricks, the non-dealer scores two points. The same penalty applies in reverse if a player refuses a proposal and then loses. Keeping track of these penalty conditions is essential, as a single misjudged refusal can hand your opponent a two-point swing.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the obligation to trump when unable to follow suit. The rule is strict: a player must play a trump if they hold one and cannot follow suit. Playing a non-trump when a trump is held is a revoke and must be corrected before the trick is turned and quitted; once the trick is taken and the next lead is made, the revoke stands and the offending player forfeits the hand, giving their opponent two points. Similarly, failure to follow suit when able is a revoke subject to the same penalty.

A second common question is whether a player must discard at least one card when accepting an exchange. The answer is yes: accepting a proposal commits you to exchanging a minimum of one card. You cannot accept merely to prevent your opponent from drawing. If the stock runs out mid-exchange, a player who cannot complete their draw simply plays with fewer than five cards; there is no redeal. Declaring the King of trumps is optional but must be done before the holder plays their first card of the trick-play phase, not during or after.

How to win more often

• Count trumps before proposing or accepting. If you hold three or more trumps, you are usually strong enough to play without exchanging. Unnecessary exchanges give your opponent information and the chance to improve.
• Refusing a proposal is a high-stakes decision. Only refuse if you are confident of winning at least three tricks; the two-point penalty for a failed refusal can end the rubber quickly.
• Declare the King of trumps whenever you hold it. The point is free and declaring it does not give away the strength of your hand beyond confirming you hold one trump.
• When exchanging, prioritise securing a playable trump holding. A void in a side suit combined with strong trumps is a powerful combination; a scattered hand with one trump and no clear plan rarely improves by exchanging one card.
• Track your opponent's exchange decisions over several hands. A player who routinely proposes with weak hands or refuses with moderate ones will reveal patterns you can exploit when scoring decisions become tight near five points.

Variations

Three-Player Ecarte

A third player sits out each hand as a silent banker or observer and rotates in after each complete hand. This version is common when three people want to play but keeps the two-player dynamic intact. No rule changes are made to the core game; the rotation simply ensures everyone plays roughly the same number of hands.

Staked Ecarte

Historically the game was played for stakes, with a pool contributed to at the start of a rubber and supplemented each hand. Under this format each point won corresponds to a unit from the pool. The refusing-player penalty becomes especially consequential. Modern social play sometimes retains this format using tokens or low-value coins rather than currency.

Short Rubber (Three Points)

A faster version in which the first player to reach three points wins instead of five. This suits situations where time is limited and keeps individual decisions higher-pressure throughout, since a single vole can end the game. All other rules remain identical.

Compulsory Play (No Proposal)

In this stripped-back variant neither player may propose an exchange; both must play the five cards dealt to them. This removes the negotiation element entirely and turns the game into a pure trick-taking contest. It is a useful teaching format for players learning card hierarchy and trick management before adding the exchange phase.

Ecarte: frequently asked questions