Vieux garçon facts for kids
Vieux garçon is a fun card game, also known by names like le Pouilleux (which means "Scruffy"), Mistigri, or Black Peter. It's played with a special deck of 51 cards. This is a regular 52-card deck, but without the Jack of Clubs. You can play this game with 2 to 8 players. It's very similar to other popular games like Old Maid and Black Peter.
Contents
Game Goal
The main goal of Vieux garçon is to get rid of all your cards. You want to avoid being the last player holding the special card called the pouilleux. This "scruffy" card is usually the Jack of Spades. If you are the last one with the pouilleux, you lose the game!
How to Play
Playing Vieux garçon involves dealing cards, finding pairs, and drawing cards from other players. It's a simple game to learn.
Dealing Cards
First, one player becomes the dealer. The dealer gives out all the cards one by one, moving clockwise around the table. Sometimes, cards are dealt in groups of three. The last player to get cards will receive the final two cards. Everyone should have cards in their hand.
Discarding Pairs
After the cards are dealt, each player looks at their hand. You need to find any pairs of cards that have the same number or face value. For example, two 7s or two Queens. The suit doesn't matter, as long as the numbers match. You can discard these pairs face up onto the table.
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Once you've discarded all your pairs, you're ready to play.
Taking Turns
The player who has one less card than everyone else starts the game. This player chooses one card from the hand of the person to their left. They must do this without looking at the card first! If the card they pick helps them make a new pair with a card they already have, they immediately discard that new pair.
Then, it's the next player's turn to draw a card from the person to their left. The game continues like this. Players keep drawing cards and discarding pairs. Eventually, all the pairs will be formed and discarded. Only one card will be left: the pouilleux. This card cannot form a pair because its matching card (the Jack of Clubs) was removed from the deck at the start. The player left holding the pouilleux at the end loses.
Bluffing in the Game
Vieux garçon is mostly a game of chance, meaning luck plays a big part. There aren't many special tricks to guarantee a win. However, players who have the pouilleux card often try to bluff or trick the person who needs to draw from them.
- Hiding the card: A player might hold out a card from their hand, making it seem like it's the pouilleux. They hope you won't pick it. But sometimes, that card really is the pouilleux, and they want you to take it!
- Holding cards tightly: Another trick is to hold the cards differently. If a player holds a card very loosely, they might want you to think it's the pouilleux and they're trying to get rid of it. But if they hold the pouilleux very firmly, they might be trying to trick you into thinking it's a safe card to pick.
Game Variations
There are different versions of this game, especially ones made for younger children. In these versions, the pouilleux card is often a picture of a grey cat named Mistigri. The other cards are usually paired up in funny ways. This game should not be confused with another card game also called Mistigri, which is a different game entirely.
Choosing the Pouilleux
For a bit more suspense, you can choose a random card to be the pouilleux at the start of the game. You would remove one card face down from the deck without anyone seeing it. That card then becomes the "unmatchable" card for that game.
Images for kids
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Seven of Hearts
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Seven of Diamonds
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Seven of Clubs
