Few rules in French Tarot generate as much debate at the table as the Petit au bout. And for good reason: the condition that triggers it is very precise, and a misunderstanding can significantly change the score of a deal.
The principle is nevertheless simple: the Petit, that is, trump number 1, must be played during the very last trick of the deal. The side that wins this last trick with the Petit then receives the Petit au bout bonus.
The exact Petit au bout rule
The Petit au bout is a 10-point bonus. It is awarded to the side that holds the Petit and plays it on the last trick, provided that side wins the last trick.
The key point to remember is therefore this: only the last trick counts.
Playing the Petit on the second-to-last trick, even deliberately, never triggers the bonus. The Petit must be played on the very last trick of the deal.
So it is not enough to simply "keep the Petit until the end". The Petit must be in the last trick, and its side must also win the trick.
Two possible situations
When the Petit is played on the last trick, two situations can arise:
- The side holding the Petit wins the last trick: that side receives the 10-point Petit au bout bonus.
- The side holding the Petit loses the last trick: the 10-point bonus is awarded to the other side.
It is this second situation that most often causes arguments around the table. A player can perfectly well keep their Petit until the last trick and still lose the bonus if they do not win the trick.
Petit au bout therefore truly rewards successfully ending the deal with the Petit in the last trick, rather than simply keeping it until the end.
Is the bonus always worth 10 points?
The basic value of Petit au bout is 10 points. Like the other bonuses, it is included in the deal calculation according to the multiplier corresponding to the contract played.
With 4 or 5 players, for example, the contract announced by the taker determines the multiplier used to calculate the final result of the deal. The Petit au bout bonus is therefore added to the calculation using this same multiplier.
It is important not to confuse this rule with a bonus whose value would directly be 20 or 30 points depending on the contract: the Petit au bout bonus remains a 10-point bonus, which is then included in the overall calculation of the deal.
Why keep the Petit until the last trick?
Keeping the Petit until the end can be very worthwhile, but it is also a risky gamble.
The player holding the Petit must take into account, in particular:
- the number of trumps that have already been played;
- the higher trumps that opponents may still hold;
- which player will have the lead as the last trick approaches;
- the suits that have already been trumped;
- and the actual possibility of winning the last trick with the Petit.
A player may therefore be tempted to keep their Petit in order to go for the bonus, only to find themselves forced to play it in a situation where an opponent can win the trick with a higher trump.
Conversely, playing the Petit too early can sometimes make it safer, but it means that the Petit au bout bonus is permanently lost.
Petit au bout does not depend on who leads the last trick
Another common misconception is that the player holding the Petit must necessarily be the one who leads the last trick. This is not the case.
The Petit can be played by any player on its side during the last trick. What matters is simply that:
- the Petit is played on the last trick;
- and the side holding it wins that trick.
What if the Petit is played before the last trick?
In that case, there is no Petit au bout.
Even if a player deliberately plays the Petit on the second-to-last trick and wins the trick, the bonus is not awarded. The Petit must be played on the last trick.
There is also no way to recover the bonus afterwards: once the Petit has been played before the last trick, the condition for Petit au bout can no longer be met.
A rule that can change the result of the deal
The 10-point bonus may seem small compared with the overall score of a deal. Yet it can have a significant impact on the final result, particularly when the contract is close.
Petit au bout can make the difference between a won deal and a lost deal, or between two players who are very close in the standings. That is why it is important to take it into account when counting the points.
Petit au bout: the most common mistakes
- Confusing the second-to-last and last tricks: only the very last trick counts.
- Thinking that keeping the Petit is enough: the side holding it must also win the last trick.
- Automatically awarding the bonus to the taker: Petit au bout can benefit either the taker or the defense.
- Forgetting the bonus when scoring: it must be included in the deal calculation.
- Confusing the value of the bonus with its impact on the score: the bonus is worth 10 points, then enters the calculation according to the contract multiplier.
A strategic issue right down to the last card
Petit au bout therefore adds an interesting strategic dimension to French Tarot. Until the last trick, holding the Petit can influence the way trumps and suits are played.
For the player holding the Petit, the question is not simply "can I keep it?", but above all "can I still win the last trick with it?".
That is the whole difficulty of Petit au bout: sometimes you have to take risks to keep this small card until the end, without ending up trapped on the last trick.
What TarotMate does for you
Because Petit au bout is precisely one of the rules that is easiest to forget when scoring a deal, TarotMate helps you when entering the result.
The app lets you indicate whether the Petit was played at the end and automatically applies the corresponding bonus as well as the contract multiplier. No more mental calculations or wondering, several deals later, whether the bonus was properly taken into account.
The result of the deal is calculated automatically, so you can focus on what matters most: playing French Tarot.