Photo: Nala Okallo on Unsplash
How French tarot scoring works
In French tarot, you only count the attackers' tricks: the taker’s, plus the called partner’s with 5 players. The deck has 78 cards: four suits of 14 (with a knight between the jack and the queen), 21 numbered trumps and the Excuse.
1. The cards. The three oudlers (the 1 of trump, called the petit, the 21 of trump and the Excuse) and the kings are worth 4.5 points, queens 3.5, knights 2.5, jacks 1.5, and every other card 0.5: 91 in all. The discard counts for the attackers, and so does the kitty (le chien) in a garde sans; in a garde contre, the kitty goes to the defenders.
2. The target. It depends on how many oudlers the attackers hold:
| Attackers' oudlers | Points needed |
|---|---|
| None | 56 |
| 1 | 51 |
| 2 | 41 |
| 3 | 36 |
Hitting the target exactly counts as made. The difference is called the margin. The half point always goes to the winning side: with two oudlers, 41.5 points is made by 1, and 40.5 is failed by 1.
3. The value of the hand. Start with 25, add the margin, then the petit au bout: if the petit falls in the last trick, the side that wins that trick earns 10 points, whether it wins or loses the hand. They’re added if that’s the winning side and subtracted otherwise. Multiply the whole thing by the contract: prise ×1, garde ×2, garde sans (guard without the kitty) ×4, garde contre (guard against the kitty) ×6.
4. Bonuses, not multiplied. A single handful (poignée) is worth 20, a double 30, a triple 40. It always goes to the side that wins the hand, whoever showed it. You need 10, 13 or 15 trumps with 4 players, 13, 15 or 18 with 3, and 8, 10 or 13 with 5. A slam (every trick) is worth +400 to the attackers if announced and made, +200 if made without an announcement, and −200 if announced and missed. If the defenders make it, each defender gets 200 more points.
5. Who scores what. Each defender scores the value as a minus if the taker wins, as a plus if the taker fails. The taker scores the opposite: 3 times with 4 players, 2 times with 3. With 5, the taker scores 2 times and the partner once; a taker who called a card in their own hand plays alone and scores 4 times against the other four. A hand always adds up to 0: that’s your best check.
Worked examples, hand by hand
Hand 1, with 4 players. Emma bids garde with two oudlers, the petit and the 21, and takes 49 points. She showed a single handful and wins the last trick with the petit. She needed 41: made by 8. The math: (25 + 8 + 10) × 2 = 86, plus 20 for the handful, so 106. Jake, Priya and Liam score −106 each, Emma +318.
Hand 2. Priya bids prise with the petit and the Excuse, shows a single handful and brings the petit home in the last trick, but takes only 34 points: failed by 7. The defenders win, so the petit au bout is subtracted and the handful switches sides: 25 + 7 − 10 + 20 = 42. Each defender scores +42, Priya −126.
| Hand | Emma | Jake | Priya | Liam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Emma’s garde, made by 8 | +318 | −106 | −106 | −106 |
| 2. Priya’s prise, failed by 7 | +42 | +42 | −126 | +42 |
| Total | 360 | −64 | −232 | −64 |
Each row adds up to 0, and so does the total.
With 3 players. Noah bids garde sans against Grace and Ella; Grace showed a single handful of 13 trumps. Noah has the 21 and the Excuse, and 47.5 points against 41 needed: made by 7, thanks to the half point. The math: (25 + 7) × 4 = 128, plus 20 for the handful, which goes to Noah because he wins: 148. Grace and Ella score −148 each, Noah +296.
With 5 players and a called partner. Diego bids garde and calls the king of hearts: Aisha has it, so she’s his partner. Their side has the 21 and the Excuse, and 38 points: failed by 3. In the last trick, Sam plays the petit and the defenders win the trick. The math: (25 + 3 + 10) × 2 = 76. Diego scores −152 (2 × 76), Aisha −76, and Nora, Sam and Olivia +76 each: the total is 0, as it should be.
With the Buzzloo score counter
At the top of this page, type the names (3, 4 or 5 players), set a number of hands if you like and create the game. Send the link on WhatsApp, by text message, or copy it: everyone opens it on their phone and sees the same scoreboard, live.
Only one person keeps score: whoever created the game. They can hand over the pen with a separate link, and take it back whenever they want.
For each hand, they tap the taker, the contract and the number of oudlers, type the attackers' points (half points allowed), then use buttons for the petit au bout (nobody, attackers, defenders), the handfuls and the slam. With 5, they also tap the called partner, or “alone.” The site shows the full calculation before you confirm. You can undo the last hand and fix a name.
At the end: the winner in big letters, the ranking, a button to share the result and another to start a new game with the same group. Your group keeps its history: who wins most often, how many wins for each name. A game is deleted 30 days after its last hand, a group’s history 6 months after its last game. Free, nothing to install, no account: first names are enough.
To decide who deals first, draw a random order. Belote, rummy and Yacht dice also have their own page on the score counter.
Common mistakes
- Giving the half point to a taker who failed. 40.5 points with two oudlers is failed by 1.
- Multiplying the handfuls. The contract multiplies 25, the margin and the petit au bout, never the bonuses.
- Giving the handful to whoever showed it. It goes to the side that wins the hand.
- Forgetting the taker’s share. With 4 players, the taker scores 3 times the value. If the hand doesn’t add up to 0, look for the mistake.
Variations
Many tables keep older habits: a “petite” instead of the prise, a “pousse” before the garde, announced misères, or a petit au bout that isn’t multiplied. Our counter follows the official scoring of the French Tarot Federation (Fédération Française de Tarot): four contracts from prise to garde contre, petit au bout multiplied, bonuses added afterward, half point to the winning side.
The end of the game
Set a number of hands at the start, or don’t: the scorekeeper then ends the game whenever the table is done. The highest total wins.
To wrap up the evening or break a tie, run a quiz with the quiz buzzer. For teams or a random draw, find all the Buzzloo tools.