Polignac (card game)

Polignac is a French trick-taking card game of eighteenth century origin that is considered an ancestor of the later card games Hearts and Black Maria. It is played with a thirty-two card deck stripped of the low cards, and is best suited to four players in a free-for-all contest, though anywhere from three to six players can take part. The eldest player leads the first trick, and every other player must follow the suit that was led if they are able to; if a player cannot follow suit they may play any card from their hand. The highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick, and there is no trump suit in the game. The object of the game is to avoid winning tricks that contain a Jack, since capturing a Jack costs the player penalty points at the end of the hand. The Jack of Spades is called Polignac and gives its name to the game, and capturing it is punished more severely than capturing any other Jack, typically costing two penalty points where each other Jack costs only one. The first player to accumulate a pre-agreed number of penalty points, commonly somewhere between ten and twenty, loses the game.