PIQUET, pe-ki', a game of cards played between two persons with 32 cards, all the plain cards below seven being thrown aside. On the cards being shuffled the players cut for deal; the party drawing the lowest card has to deal first. The cards are then dealt two by two until each player has 12 cards, the eight remaining undealt (called the stock) are laid on the table between the players. The first hand (the non-dealer) must then discard five or less of his cards (he must discard at least one), exchanging them for an equal number drawn from the stock; the younger hand (the dealer) may exchange from the stock three or less, but may refuse to ex change altogether. In playing, the cards rank in order as follows: the ace (which counts 11), the king, queen and knave (each of which counts 10) and the playing cards each of which counts according to the number of its pips. The player who first reaches 100 has the game. The score is made up by reckoning in the following manner: Carte blanche, the point, the sequence, the quatorze, the cards and the capot. Carte blanche is a hand of 12 plain cards, and counts 10 for the player who holds it. The point is the suit of highest value, the value being deter mined by the number it makes up when the cards held are added together ; thus, if a player holds ace, king, ten, nine and eight, his point would be 48. The first player having called a
point, the younger hand must then say whether his point is superior, equal or inferior in value to his opponent's, by calling in the first place "good," in the second "equal," and in the last °not good." If the elder hand's point is arood° he at once shows it, and counts one for each card in it, except with the points 34,44, 54 and 64, which count one less than the number of cards. If the points are equal he counts noth ing. The sequence is composed of a regular succession of cards in one suit, and the highest sequence. The quatorze is composed of four aces, four kings, four queens, four knaves or four tens, and counts 14. The winner of the greatest number of tricks counts 10 in addition (the "cards"), if he holds all the tricks he counts 40 in addition (the "capot"). For the sake of convenience the scores are generally recorded at the end of the hand; but they are recordable no matter by which hand they are made, according to the following table of pre cedence: 1, carte blanche; 2, point ; 3, sequences; 4, quatorzes and trios; 5, points made in play; and 6, the cards. If one player scores 100 be fore the other obtains 50 he wins a double. Consult Cady, 'Piquet' (1896).