Le Truc

What You Need

• A 32-card deck. Take a standard deck and remove the 2s through 6s.
• Pen and paper, or matchsticks, to track points up to 12.

Setup

1. Shuffle. The dealer gives each player 3 cards, one at a time.
2. Put the rest of the deck aside face down.
3. The non-dealer may ask for a fresh deal. The dealer can agree or refuse. If the dealer agrees, both hands go back and each player gets 3 new cards from the rest of the deck. Only one redeal per hand.
4. The deal alternates after each hand.

Card Ranking

Suits mean nothing in Le Truc. Only rank matters, and the order is odd. From highest to lowest it runs 7, 8, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9. Yes, the 7 beats everything and the 9 is the worst card in the pack.

How a Hand Works

1. The non-dealer leads any card face up. The dealer answers with any card. There is no need to follow suit.
2. The higher-ranked card wins the trick. Equal ranks make a tied trick. Nobody wins it.
3. The winner of a trick leads the next one. After a tie, the same player leads again.
4. Play up to three tricks. Stop as soon as the hand is decided.

Winning the Hand

• Win two of the three tricks and you win the hand.
• The first trick breaks ties. If you win the first trick and the second is tied, you win the hand. If each player wins one trick and the third is tied, the winner of the first trick wins.
• If the first trick is tied, the hand goes to whoever wins the next trick that is not tied.
• All three tricks tied? The non-dealer takes the hand.

Raising the Stakes

A hand is worth 1 point to start. That changes fast. Before playing a card to a trick, either player can propose a raise of any amount. This offers to raise the value of the hand, for example from 1 point to 2, or from 2 to 5. There is no limit on the size or number of raises.

The other player has two choices. Say yes, and play goes on at the new value. Say no, and you fold. You throw in your hand, and the raiser scores the value the hand had before the raise. You cannot raise twice in a row. After you raise, only your opponent may raise next.

There is one bigger raise. On your turn you may say "Mon reste" (my remainder). This raises the hand to exactly the number of points you need to reach 12. Accept it and the whole game rides on this hand. Refuse and the raiser scores the old value.

Scoring

• The winner of the hand scores its final value. Write it down at once.
• If a player folds, the raiser scores the value the hand had before that raise.
• Tricks themselves score nothing. Only the hand counts.

Winning

The first player to reach 12 points wins the game. This usually takes several hands. For a longer session, play a rubber. The first player to win two games takes the rubber.

Strategy Tips

• Raise on the first trick when you hold a 7 or an 8 plus one other decent card. You only need two tricks.
• A raise from a player who just lost the first trick is often a bluff. Call it when your remaining cards are strong.
• Two 9s and a 10 is a fold. Do not pay to see the third trick with junk.

Variations

• Older French rules used a 36-card deck ranked 7, 6, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8.
• In some regions the 8 beats the 7. In others the 8 is the lowest card, so the order runs 7, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8.