How to Play the Card Game Aluette
Aluette is a very old trick taking game which is believed to have been actively played in the very early 1500's and was a descendant of an even older game with the name Luettes, with the rules for that game apparently lost to history. This game is designed for four players playing in two partnerships consisting of two players each. Although Aluette was (and still is) primarily played in Western France, the game is traditionally played with the Spanish suited deck or special decks that were specially created for the game. The extended Spanish deck was a deck consisting of 48 cards in four suits; Cups, Coins, Swords and Clubs. In each of these suits, there was one card in each of the following ranks: Ace (1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Jack, Knight, and King.

If such a Spanish deck is not at hand, a standard French suited deck can also be used to play the game, with some modifications. To create such a deck, all four tens should be removed from a standard 52 card French deck. Since the suits in this deck are mostly different, these suit substitutions would be Spades (Swords), Diamonds (Coins), Hearts (Cups), and Clubs (which is of course, Clubs). The cards as used in this game have a very specific ranking (shown from highest to lowest) The four highest ranking cards in Aluette Many of the cards used for this game have special names, such as the three of diamonds called Monsieur, the three of hearts called Madame, and the two of hearts known as the cow.

There is a special procedure for determining partnerships and first dealer in Aluette. To begin, the deck should be shuffled by any player and then this player then begins dealing the cards from the shuffled pack, face-up to each player (including himself) in a clockwise rotation around the table starting with the player at his right. He continues dealing around the table until the four highest cards in the game (three of diamonds, three of hearts, two of diamonds, two of hearts) have been dealt out to the players. As soon as a player receives one of these highest four cards, he retains that card, and no more cards are dealt to that particular player. Thus, through this deal, each of the players should receive one of these four high cards in the game. Once these cards have been so dealt, the player dealt the three of diamonds (called Monsieur) will play as partner for the game with the player dealt the three of hearts (called Madame). These two players will thus play as partners against a partnership consisting of the players dealt the two of diamonds and two of hearts. Each player should sit directly across the table from his partner during the game. The player dealt the three of hearts is also set as the first dealer, and thereafter, for each hand the role of dealer rotates in a clockwise direction around the table.

Once partnerships have been determined and the players seated at the table, all the cards should be formed back into the deck and thoroughly shuffled by the dealer. The player at his immediate right then cuts the deck. After the cut, the dealer then begins dealing the cards in face-down packets of three cards, in a clockwise rotation around the table. He continues dealing these packets of three cards until each player (including himself) has a total of nine cards. This should thus leave 12 remaining, currently undealt cards.

It is then briefly discussed amongst the players if they would prefer to have these last 12 cards distributed to the dealer and the player at the dealer's left. All four players must so agree to this (called "singing"), and if so, the dealer then deals these remaining cards, one at a time, to the player at his left and himself, such that both of these players receive six additional cards. If one or more players do not agree to this extra distribution of the remaining cards, these cards are set aside and out of play for the remainder of that hand. If the extra cards were distributed, the two players receiving these extra cards must then discard enough cards from their hands to reduce the hand back to nine total cards. These cards are discarded face-down and are set aside out of play for the remainder of that hand.

Once the cards have been dealt, play of the hand begins. The player to the immediate left of the dealer starts the first trick by playing any card from his hand face up to the table. Each other player then, in a clockwise direction adds one card currently remaining in their hand, face-up to that same trick. There are no restrictions on what card a player can play to the trick, and thus a player, on his turn to play a card to the trick may play any card which is still remaining in his hand to the trick regardless of it's suit.

A spoiled trick in Aluette
If two cards of equal card ranking (as per the rankings shown above) are played to the same trick the trick is spoiled and won by none of the players
Whichever player has played the highest card to the trick (using the ranking as shown above), is said to have won the trick. This player would thus take the cards from the trick, place them in a face-down pile at his side, and then play any card still remaining in his hand to start the next trick. If there is a tie for the highest card played to a trick, that trick is said to be spoiled and no one wins that trick. That trick is set aside, won by no player, and the same player who had led to that trick plays the first card to the next trick.

Once all nine tricks have been played, scoring for the hand then occurs. Each player then totals the number of tricks he has won. The team of that individual player who won the most tricks then wins one game point. If two or more players tie as the player who won the most tricks during the hand, the partnership consisting of the first player to have reached that point score earns the point for winning the hand.

If any individual player has not won any of the first 6 tricks, but manages to win the last three tricks of the hand, that player automatically wins the hand (regardless of how many tricks any other player has won) and earns his partnership two points for that win (called mordienne).

Similarly, a team, if they do not believe they can win the hand, may offer to surrender the hand (both partners of that partnership must agree to the surrender). If the opposing team accepts the surrender, the hand is not played, and the team that accepted the surrender immediately scores one point. However, if the opponents of the team offering to surrender do not accept the surrender, they have thus obligated their team to win with mordienne. If one of the players in that team does manage to win with mordienne, that team scores two points. However, if they win (but not with mordienne) or do not win the hand at all, the team which originally offered the surrender (which was refused) earns two points instead.

Exactly five hands are dealt, and the partnership with the highest point score after these five hands have been played is declared the game winner.

Although partners are not normally allowed to discuss their cards or divulge information about their hand, the game of Aluette features the use of signals to thus provide information to your partner. This signaling is an accepted (and even expected) part of the game, although in games with new players, this signaling should not initially be used. The following are some of the more commonly accepted and used signals in the game:

                     
Variations and Optional Rules

The Cow Game Vache (The Cow Game): It is thought that Aluette is descended from a combination of several other games, including an ancient game called Luette and another called Vache, or "The Cow Game", which is also an alternate name for Aluette itself. Vache is also a name of a simplified variant of Aluette. Vache is designed for play by three, four or five players each playing independently and using the same 48 card deck as used for Aluette. The ranking of the cards in the deck as used for this game is as follows, from high to low; Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Jack, Knight, King.

It is thought that this predecessor to Aluette is at least as old as the 14th century if not even older, and is known to still be played in areas of South-Western France.

Determination of seating positions and first dealer can be performed in a variety of ways with draw for high cards commonly used. Using that method each player draws a card from the shuffled face-down deck. If any two or more players draw cards of the same denomination, those cards should be set aside, and those players draw replacement cards. The players are then entitled to take seats at the table in order of cards drawn (from highest to lowest), and the player drawing the highest card of all set as the first dealer. After each hand the deal rotates in a counter-clockwise direction around the table. The designated dealer should then thoroughly shuffle the deck and offer it to the player at his left to cut. After the cut, the dealer then begins distributing the cards one-by-one and face-down, starting to the player at his right and continuing in a counter-clockwise rotation around the table. He continues dealing until each player has a total of nine cards. He then sets the remaining cards in the deck aside, out of play for the remainder of that hand.

The players then pick up the cards dealt to them and play begins. The player to the immediate right of the dealer leads the first card to the first trick. Each other player in turn, in a counter-clockwise direction then also plays one card to that same trick until each player has played exactly one card to the trick. On each play to that trick, each player (including the leader to that trick) may play any card of choice from his hand to that trick.

After each player has played one card to the trick, it is determined who won that trick. The player who played the highest ranked card (regardless of suit) is the winner of that trick. The winner of each trick then sets the cards from that trick aside, and that player leads the first card to the next trick. If two or more players play a card of the same rank to the trick, that trick is won by none of the players, and move to the side. The same player who led to the last trick leads again to the next trick, and the winner of this next trick wins both tricks. If the next trick is also tied, this trick too, is set aside and further tricks are played until there is a clear winner of the trick, who wins that trick and all the immediately previous tied tricks. If the last trick of the hand is tied for the player of the highest card to it, the winner of the first trick in that hand wins that trick.

After all tricks in the hand have been played and won, the player who managed to win the most total tricks in that hand is declared the winner. If two or more players tie for most tricks, the hand is said to be a tie. Each hand is considered an independent game, however, a game session can also be scored by declaring the player to have won the most games during that session to be the overall winner.

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