No one to play Tarot games with? Not a problem, you can play a few tarot card games online against real opponents. Well, actually you can play two games in English and a few other(poorly made in my opinion) in other languages. Since this site is in English I’ll focus on the two games that are actually well made and are in the English language.
Both of these games are played through the Skill7 website which is free to register, but in its essence still a real money site.
Online Tarock
Tarock played at Skill7 is a pretty simple game that is played a lot like any other tarot card game and the bidding is pretty simplifed in comparison to Slovenian Tarok for example.
You can have a look at the full set of rules here.
Online French Tarot
French Tarot is, well, French Tarot. It’s a pretty complex Tarot card game that originated in, you’ve guessed it, France.
For the full set of rules have a look here.
What you should know about playing online
This is a “how to” manual taken from the Skill7 website. I suggest you read it before you start playing… and also read the rules as well.
How to play
A new game can be opened by clicking on the “New Game” button. The player must then choose against whom he/she would like to play as well as the skill level of the opponents. Alternatively the player can join an already open table.
In the game, the players’ cards are laid out directly in front of them. A yellow arrow indicates whose turn it is. The player, whose turn it is, is made aware of this by a red exclamation mark. The forehand (the player to the right if the dealer) is identified by a green flag.
This player declares the game. The players are then, in turn, shown the bid field, allowing them to bid for the game they wish to play. The game begins once “Continue” has been clicked three times consecutively.
To play a card, the player need only drag and drop the desired card with the left mouse button from his/her hand into the middle of the table. Once the card has been played, the next player may make his/her move. If the opponents cannot beat the card laid, the player wins the trick and the cards are laid next to his/her hand faced down.
The player may check the cards in his/her own tricks at any time simply by clicking on them. In a “Rufer” game, members of the same team may see the cards in their partner’s trick as soon as it is clear who is playing with whom.
This is done by the declarer, who must ‘call’ the Tarock XX. The player with this card becomes the declarer’s partner. If the declarer has the Tarock XX, he/she may call the Tarock XIX or the XVIII (if he/she holds the XIX). Alternatively, the declarer, when in possession of the XX, can call this card to play alone against the other three players.
The current points are shown next to the players’ nicknames. The break down of the points won is shown at the end of each round in a separate window.
To the right of the playing field the following buttons are available to the players: “Ignore”, “Player Info.”, “Kick Out”, “Leave Game“, “Leave” and “Sound On/Off”. In addition to these buttons, a status field on the right of the screen shows the nicknames of the players currently in the room, any players watching the game, and those who wish to play against the player after the current game has ended.
Each player receives 2 minutes for the first move. This time allowance counts down as each the player takes his/her move. Providing a move takes no longer than 10 seconds, an additional 10 seconds is added to the player’s clock for the next move.
The maximum time can, however, not exceed 2 minutes. If a player takes 30 seconds for his/her first move, he/she will have just 1 minute and 30 seconds for the second move. If the player then completes the second move in just 5 seconds, he/she will have 1 minute and 35 seconds for the third move thanks to the 10 second bonus (1 minute 25 seconds remaining + a 10 second bonus).
I hope this helps and enjoy playing online Tarot card games!
