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Auction Piquet

Auction Piquet seems to have little to no internet presence. (At the time I created this page—April 2003—a Google search turned up only a single library listing at the University of North Carolina.) This is a shame. Any self-respecting pair of cardplayers probably knows and loves Piquet, and Auction Piquet deserves attention as an interesting twist on this truly classic two-hander. Moreover, how many worthwhile bidding games are there for two? Clobyosh is great, but it's pretty much a simple pass-or-take affair, whereas Auction Piquet lets you compete over the number of tricks to be won or lost. Finally, the option of minus bids (to lose tricks) is a unique attraction of Auction Piquet, as there is a notable dearth of two-player reverse games (a kind of entertainment best known to most from Hearts).

This page assumes that you know the rules of Piquet, and indeed that you have played Piquet in its normal version.

The Rules of Auction Piquet

The Deal and Auction

1. No points are scored for blank (carte blanche).
2. The auction comes after the deal and before the exchange.
3. Non-dealer has the first turn to bid.
4. If both players pass, the same dealer deals again.
5. The lowest permissible bid is plus 7 or minus 7 = a contract to win or lose, respectively, 7 of the 12 tricks.
6. Plus and minus bids for the same number of tricks are equal, so that a higher bid is to win or lose more tricks than have yet been bid.
7. Besides passing or bidding higher, player B can double player A's bid. In this case, player A can
   1. bid higher (the double is cancelled);
   2. pass (player B is the maker of a doubled contract); or
   3. redouble (player A is the maker of a redoubled contract).
      • In a doubled or redoubled contract, it is only the bonus or penalty points for overtricks or undertricks that are doubled or quadrupled.
      • Variant: David Parlett indicates that the opponent must either bid higher or redouble. This has the odd result that a doubled game is impossible, and it seems to rob the gesture of doubling of half its meaning (namely, a willingness to be the maker).
8. The winner of the auction is Elder—i.e. goes first in the exchange and the declarations and leads to the first trick.

The Exchange and Declarations

1. The exchange follows the normal rules, except that neither player is obligated to exchange at least one card.
2. In a minus contract, each player scores for any winning point, sequence(s), and set(s) in his opponent's hand (and, obviously, sinking is not permitted).
3. 60 for repique is scored at 30 in a plus contract, at 21 in a minus contract.

The Play and Scoring

1. One point is scored for each trick won. (This is simpler than in regular Piquet, where points are scored for leading, for winning a trick you didn't lead to, and for the last trick.)
   • Point of confusion: To the best of my understanding, a point is scored for tricks won, even in a minus contract, where this amounts to a consolation prize. I would also assume that (as in Hearts) the winner of the trick leads to the next, even in a minus contract.
2. 30 for pique is scored at 29 in a plus contract, at 21 in a minus contract.
   • Carried over from regular Piquet is the principle that in a plus contract, Younger can never score for pique. Despite the apparent illogicality of this (which David Parlett emphasizes), I believe this rule is reasonable inasmuch as it confers a traditional advantage on Elder—a privilege that is all the more justified in Auction Piquet, since the rights of Elder are the stakes of the auction (rather than simply alternating).
3. After all 12 tricks have been played, scoring is as follows:
   • 10 for cards and 40 for capot. (In a plus contract, cards is for winning 7-11 tricks, regardless of whether this fulfils the contract, and capot is for winning all 12. In a minus contract, cards is for losing 7-11 tricks, and capot for losing them all.)
   • 10 points for each overtrick/undertrick. (Points go to the maker for each trick won/lost beyond those contracted; points go to his opponent for each trick by which he fell short.)
     • Note: These are the only points that are affected by doubling or redoubling.
4. At the end of the partie, Rubicon is 150 (not 100) points. (That is, the payout to the winner is 150 plus the difference of the two players' scores, unless the loser has been Rubiconed with fewer than 150 points, in which case the winner is paid 150 plus the sum of the two scores.)

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