Bezique Card Game
Objective:
Bezique card game and all variations require two players. To score points by winning key tricks and making melds.
Bezique card game requires a 64-card deck, with two standard decks with the cards valued two to six removed. The rank is ace high to seven low. Players agree on a winning total score, usually 1,000, 1,500 or 2,000 points, arrived at by adding points scored in melds and tricks won by each player.
Melds and their values:
| Trump marriage (King and Queen of trumps) |
40 |
|
No-trump marriage |
20 |
| Ace, ten, king, queen, jack of trumps |
250 |
 Q and  J (bezique) |
40 |
| Pairs of the above sequence (double bezique) |
500 |
| Any four aces |
100 |
| Any four kings |
80 |
| Any four queens |
60 |
| Any four jacks |
40 |
Rules On How To Play:
Score melds immediately because the cards can be used again. Each brisque taken in a trick counts 10 points. The dealer receives 10 points if he turns a seven as trump card, and on winning a trick either player may exchange a seven of trumps for the trump face up on the table. Or he can show the seven and score 10. Ten points are also given for winning the last trick.
Each Bezique card game player starts with eight cards, first three at a time, then a pair, then the final trio. The next card is turned face up and denotes trumps.
The non-dealer plays a card, and his opponent responds with the trick won by the highest of the suit led or the (highest) trump. If identical cards are played, the first wins the trick. The winner keeps the trick cards face down, and can then make a maximum of one meld, before drawing the first card from the top of the stock, followed by his opponent.
The holder may lead or play a card in a meld as if it were in his hand. A card may be used in different melds, but not twice in the same one. For example, a
Q may be used to score in four melds: a marriage, sequence, bezique, and four queens. But once four queens have been melded, and one of the queens played, another queen may not be added to create a "new" meld. So if the bezique is melded as 40 points, a second bezique can he added to make a double bezique, scoring an additional 500 points. A double Bezique melded in one turn scores only 500 points.
Melding stops when one face down card and the trump card remain in the stock. Winner of the next trick takes the hidden card, his opponent the trump, and each picks up all his melds. Then the last eight tricks are played, with players required to follow suit and to win tricks if they can.
Brisques are scored at once, not at the end of the hand. Games are over when the first player reaches the agreed total of points.
The strategy of Bezique is that players should strive to save cards that may be turned into declarations of melds. So queens and jacks are by far the most important, and
Q and
J’s should always be saved. If four of a kind is scored, always play one of them so that the same meld can be scored again. Leads should be designed to force the opponent to give up cards which might form melds in the future if retained.
Bezique Card Game Variations:
First melded marriage decides trumps. No-trump card is turned up. Instead, the first marriage melded and scored decides the trump suit. There is no score for the seven of trumps.
Five Hundred Bezique, One Deck Bezique or French Pinochle:
Use a 32-card deck, with values two to six inclusive removed. An additional special meld of ace-king-queen-jack-ten of any no-trump suit is allowed, scoring 120 points.
The
Q and
J meld is called "binage". Once a card is melded it can’t be used to form another meld. Values of cards taken in tricks are: ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2.
Count points when the game is over, each player scores cards taken in tricks, keep a running total of melds. Game is over at 500 points. If a player thinks he has reached or passed this total he announces it during or after a hand. If he is right, he wins even if his opponent has more points. If he is wrong, the opponent wins regardless of his score. If neither calls out but both discover they have scored over 500 after a hand, the target is raised to 600.
Rubicon Bezique Instructions:
Requires a 128 card deck, or use of a four 52-card deck with all values between two and six inclusive removed. Deal nine-card hand to each player, alternate one card at a time, place the rest face down.
The non-dealer takes one card from stock, plays the first card, and the dealer can only win the trick with a higher card of the same suit. Trumps are not decided until the first marriage or sequence is melded, when its suit becomes trumps for the hand. Trumps come into play after this. If the same card is played by both players, the one led wins. The winner of each trick draws the top card from stock, and his opponent takes the next. Cards won in tricks before the introduction of trumps have no scoring value.
Standard melds in bezique card game, and the following melds are allowed:
A backdoor: Ace, king, queen, jack and ten of trumps. 150 points.
Triple Bezique: Three
Q and three
Jacks, laid down as a single meld. 1,500 points.
Quadruple Bezique: Four
Q and four
Jacks, laid in a single meld. 4,500 points.
Carte Blanche: A hand with no picture cards equals 50 points. This must be shown to the opponent. When a player fails to draw a picture card he scores another 50 points.
Scoring is different from standard two-handed Bezique. A player can break up a meld by playing one or more cards from it, then adding cards to it to score the whole meld again. Players don’t gather tricks they have won which don’t have point valued cards (aces or tens), until a brisque is played. Then winner of that trick takes in all already played cards. If he fails to do this, and his opponent wins the next trick containing brisques, the opponent takes all the cards.
Each
Bezique card game contains one deal. The higher scorer wins, and scores the difference between the two scores, and a bonus of 500 points. Ignore fractions of 100 points, unless it determines the winner. Brisques are counted when it will keep him from being rubiconed. The only score counted from the play is 50 points for the last trick. If you score less than 1,000 points, your rubiconed, and you score nothing, while the winner gets 500 bonus, plus your points and 320 points for all brisques.
Chinese Bezique Directions:
Same as Rubicon, but a 192-card deck is used, made up of six 52-card decks by removing every value between two and six. Dealer deals 12 cards each, one at a time, and in addition to the melds allowed in Rubicon Bezique, the following are used:
| Bezique Card game Meld Points |
|
| Four aces of trumps |
1,000 |
|
Four tens of trumps |
900 |
| Four kings of trumps |
600 |
| Four jacks of trumps |
400 |
Brisques aren’t scored, and all played cards are placed upwards in the center for everyone to see them. bezique card game players may also count the cards left in stock. In the Bezique card game each played hand makes a game, and a game bonus of 1,000 points is made to the winner of the hand. If the loser scores under 3,000 points, he is rubiconed, his score is then added to the winner’s. Ignore fractions of 100 points, unless it determines the winner.
Spades
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