6 Classic French Games
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Jun 6, 2024

6 Classic French Games

6 Classic French Games
Franck Point

Born in Lyon (capital of gastronomy), France, Franck moved to Vancouver with his family in 2006 and is currently the co-founder of Best of France. He started a business in the food industry over 10 years ago and has since been actively serving the local French community, and seating at the board of various French associations.

Certain games have marked the lives of senior French people, and continue to cross generations. In the future, they will still delight many. From belote to French roulette, including Tarot and palm games, France collects good classics! 

Some have been digitalized and more and more French games are being played online.This is the case for certain games available on this Canadian casino sites post by casinos.com. You can find great classics there, such as card games and slot machines, without forgetting modern games, which are particularly attractive.

Focus on the classic French games which are among the most popular.

1 - Belote

Belote is the favorite card game of the French. The part is played clockwise and lasts approximately 40 minutes. It's played 2 against 2, with 32 cards. The goal isto win tricks, more than the opposing team, at the end of the game.

The value of a card depends on whether it is trump or not:

  • Trump: Jack (20), Nine (14), Ace (11), Ten (10), King (4), Queen (3), Eight and Seven(0).
  • Except trump: Ace (11), Ten (10), King (4), Queen (3), Jack (2), Nine, Eight and Seven(0).

2 - Pétanque

Pétanque, proudly born in Provence at the beginning of the 20th century,is much more than a simple game of bowls. It embodies the southern art of living, between conviviality, sunshine and a good-natured competitive spirit.

This classic French game is played on a flat, open surface, ideally clay or gravel. Two teams compete, either in:

  • head to head (1 against 1),
  • doublet (2 against 2),
  • triplet (3 against 3).

The team with the boule closest to the jack scores points. The game ends when a team reaches 13 points.

A person measuring the distance of the boule to the jack.
A person measuring the distance of the boule to the jack.

3 - Goose game

The Goose Game, ancestor of modern French board games, is a real journey through time. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, where it was already very popular in European royal courts. In France, it experienced a real craze in the 17th century, becoming essential entertainment for all social classes.

The Goose Game is played on a spiral board, divided into numbered squares. Each player has a pawn that he moves according to the result of a dice roll. The goal is to be the first to reach the last square. Except that the route is strewn with pitfalls: geese, bridge, well, prison, etc. 

4 - Tarot game

The French Tarot, as some call it, is the most popular classic game in France after belote. It is carried out with 4 players and 78 Tarot cards, the round lasts around fifteen minutes. Luck intervenes but, in order to win, you will have to be quick to count the cards.

Tarot is played with 56 traditional cards, 21 Trump cards, and a Joker card which isnone other than the Excuse. The game only ends after several rounds. Whoevercomes out of the last round with the most points will be crowned the winner.

5 - Palm game

Often considered the ancestor of tennis, it is a sport steeped in history and nobility. Born in France in the 12th century, it reached its peak during the Renaissance, becoming the favorite game of kings and high society. Practiced inspecially designed rooms, called gambling dens, it was synonymous with elegance, refinement and intense competition.

Although less popular today, the game of palm retains a unique charm and testifies to arich sporting and cultural past. Players, equipped with a stringed wooden racket, hit a leather ball with the palm of the hand or the back hand. The rules are similar to those of tennis, with some particularities.

Certainly, palm game has been eclipsed by tennis. However, it has seen a resurgence of interest in recent years. Several historic gambling dens have been restored and competitions are organized regularly. 

6 - French Roulette

An indisputable holder in online casinos today, French roulette has awell-deserved place in this list. The game is played on a wheel numbered from 0 to 36, with red and black squares, and a special green square (zero). Each player will have to bet on the number or combination of numbers where the ball will stop after its run.

As soon as the dealer asks to “make the bets”, the bets will be launched: no more goingback. The sharing rule applies, players will then be able to recover half oftheir stake if they come out of zero. 

Play with your head and have fun!

The general rule for games is to know how to set limits. The games are made fore ntertainment, especially the French classics listed above. Having fun is the most important thing.