Card values
Tarot points are counted in pairs: each honour or oudlers is paired with a low card. These are the values used for counting:
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Oudler (Petit, 21 or Excuse) | 4.5 points |
| King | 4.5 points |
| Queen | 3.5 points |
| Knight | 2.5 points |
| Jack | 1.5 points |
| Any other card | 0.5 point |
For example, a King (4.5) paired with a low card (0.5) totals 5 points for the two cards. This pairing system is why totals often include half-points.
The three oudlers
- The Petit: trump 1, the weakest trump and vulnerable to capture. If it is played in the final trick, it triggers the Petit-at-the-End bonus.
- The 21: the highest trump and usually very hard to capture.
- The Excuse: a special card that can generally be played instead of following suit. It normally returns to its owner’s side and is worth 4.5 points. It also counts as an oudler.
Why does the whole deck total 91 points?
There are 78 cards: 56 suited cards, 21 trumps and the Excuse. Adding all the card values yields 91 points. If one side captures 48 points, the other side must have 43.
The four suits
Each suit—spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs—contains Ace through 10, then Jack, Knight, Queen and King. The Knight is a distinctive feature of Tarot and does not appear in a standard 52-card deck.
Translation based on the public French page: open original ↗