Comparative table of hoc games

1. List of hoc games

Manille, or old Comète
Comète
Hoc Mazarin
Poque
Nain jaune (1760 rules)
Lindor, or Nain jaune (1792 rules, still in use today)

2. Definition of a sequence

A sequence is a succession of cards arranged in a hierarchical order that depends solely on the rules of the game in question. A sequence is said to be complete when it begins with the lowest possible card and ends with the highest possible one. For example, with a full deck of 52 cards, the lowest card is most often an ace and the highest a king; with a 32-card deck, these are the seven and the ace, respectively. Depending on the rules, a sequence may have to be of the same suit (spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs) – as in Poque –, or it may disregard the suit of the cards – as in Hoc Mazarin.

3. Different types of hocs

Hocs fall into four types :
– end-of-sequence hoc ;
– accidental hoc ;
– permanent hoc ;
– principal hoc.

While accidental hocs are present in all hoc games, the three other types are not always used.

The definition of a sequence – hierarchy, by suit or suit-independent – and the choice of hoc types used are the two most important parameters that account for the diversity of hoc games. Players' winnings and payments make up the third parameter.

3.1 End-of-sequence hoc

The highest card of a complete sequence is always a hoc. The player who plays it, after announcing « hoc ! » may start a new sequence beginning with the card of their choice, which is not necessarily the lowest of a complete sequence.

3.2 Accidental hoc

When a player is no longer able to continue the sequence they started, and no other player can take over, the last card played is a hoc. The player who played it announces « hoc ! » and starts a new sequence as in the case of an end-of-sequence hoc.

3.3 Permanent hoc

Certain cards may be defined in the rules of the game as permanent hocs. For example, in the game of Nain jaune – according to the oldest rules dating from 1760 – the queen of spades, the jack of clubs and the ten of diamonds are always hocs. When a player plays one of these hocs in its rightful place in a sequence, they announce « hoc ! » and start a new sequence as in the case of end-of-sequence hocs or accidental ones.

3.4 Principal hoc

Some permanent hocs, and sometimes end-of-sequence hocs, may have an additional power that allows them to be played in place of any other card. In modern terms, this would be called a joker. A player may play a principal hoc whenever they wish by announcing « hoc ! » and starting a new sequence as with the other types of hocs. Principal hocs have the additional feature of being able to be kept in hand even if they are the only cards able to be played. In short, a player is never forced to play a principal hoc.

For example, in the game of Nain jaune – 1760 rules – the seven of diamonds is a principal hoc ; in the game of Hoc Mazarin, there are six principal hocs : the four kings, the queen of spades and the jack of diamonds. Hoc Mazarin thus has the distinctive feature of no longer having, strictly speaking, any end-of-sequence hocs, since the kings, being principal hocs, are only played at the discretion of whoever holds them.

4. Comparative table of the main hoc games

Game	Cards	Sequence		Hocs
Name	No.	Order	Suit	principal	permanent	end of sequence
Hoc Mazarin	52	Ace, 2, 3,..., king.	no	all the kings queen of spades jack of diamonds	none	none
Poque	32	7,8,9,...,king, ace.	yes	none	none	the aces
Manille	52	Ace, 2, 3,..., king.	no	9 of diamonds	none	the kings
Comète	48	2, 3,..., king.	no	red 9 in a black-suited deck or black 9 in a red-suited deck	none	the kings
Nain jaune (1760)	52	Ace, 2, 3,..., king.	yes	7 of diamonds	queen of spades jack of clubs ten of diamonds	the kings
Lindor	52	Ace, 2, 3,..., king.	no	none	none	the kings

---

           

Information about this page

Published online on August 4, 2008
Proofread and formatted on December 8, 2021

Author : Philippe LALANNE

Le Salon des jeux - Académie des jeux oubliés

---