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La Poule is an exciting and easy-to-learn card game for 4 players, played in teams of two. It’s all about collecting points by winning card tricks. The team that reaches 200 points first wins the game. If you enjoy games like Hearts or Spades, you’ll love La Poule!
Setup: Getting Started
To begin, remove all cards 6 and lower from a regular deck. You’ll be left with 32 cards in total. That’s what you’ll use in the game.
- Players form 2 teams of 2.
- Teammates sit across from each other.
- Choose a dealer randomly for the first round. The deal moves to the left each new round.
- Each player gets 8 cards.
Bonus Rule: If a player gets all four 7s in one deal, they automatically win the game!
Card Rank and Points
Cards are ranked from high to low as follows:
10 (highest), 9, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 8, 7 (lowest)
Here’s how scoring works:
- Aces = 1 point each
- 10s, 9s, Kings, Queens, Jacks = ⅓ point each
- 8s and 7s = No points
- Winning the last trick = 1 extra point
Total available points per round = 11 full points (we ignore fractions).
How to Play Each Round
- The player to the left of the dealer starts the round.
- Players take turns playing one card each in a trick, going clockwise.
- You must follow the same suit as the first card, if you can.
- If you can’t, play any card.
Who wins the trick?
- The highest card in the original suit wins the trick.
- That player then leads the next trick.
If the trick has less than 1 full point, the winner must lead with their lowest card next.
Special Bonus: What is a Politaine?
This game has a fun extra rule!
If you have three high cards (like 10, 9, and Ace) of the same suit, and you win three tricks in a row using them, you can earn a bonus of 11 points!
But there’s a rule:
- You must declare your plan to go for a Politaine at the start of your first trick.
This can change the game quickly and help your team catch up or take the lead!
Scoring the Round
At the end of the round:
- Add up points from all the cards your team won.
- Drop any fractions (only full points count).
- Both teams’ scores will always total 11 points per round.
- Keep adding scores from each round until one team reaches 200 or more.
Ending the Game
The game ends when:
- A team reaches 200 points – they win the game.
- If both teams reach 200 in the same round, the team with more points wins.
- If there’s a tie, play one more round to break it.
Also Read: Romania Bans Celebrities from Gambling Ads: New Law To Start Soon
