The basic vocabulary of coinche
Coinche has its own little jargon, like every card game. Here are the essential words to follow a game without getting lost on the first deal, and to talk like a regular. No need to memorise it all: the rest comes naturally as you play.
The words of play
- Trick: one round of 4 cards, one per player. There are 8 per deal.
- Trump: the strongest suit, chosen during the bidding.
- Ruff: to play a trump when you can't follow the led suit.
- Discard: to play a useless card when you can neither follow nor ruff.
The words of bidding
- Contract: the number of points you commit to making (from 80 to capot).
- Capot: winning all 8 tricks.
- Coinche (double): to challenge the opponents, doubling the points.
- Surcoinche (redouble): to re-challenge, quadrupling the stake.
The words of scoring
- Der (last-trick bonus): 10 points for the final trick.
- Belote: trump King + Queen = 20 bonus points.
- Fail (chuter): to miss your contract, and so lose everything.
A few table phrases
Beyond the official vocabulary, coinche has its own colourful phrases: "making the contract" (succeeding), "getting capoted" (losing every trick), "passing" (not bidding), or calling a card "master" when it can no longer be beaten. You don't need to know them all up front: these words sink in naturally as you play. The best dictionary is practice. Run a few deals against the AI on Coincheur and you'll soon see each term come alive in a real game situation.
Want to practise? Play coinche for free against tunable AIs on Coincheur.See also
FAQ
What does "to ruff" mean in coinche?
To ruff is to play a trump when you can't follow the led suit. The trump then wins the trick against the other suits.
What is a trick?
A trick is one round of play where each player lays a card. The strongest card wins it. There are 8 tricks in a deal.