The Butterfly

       

 

 

1. Number of players and deck of cards

The Butterfly is preferably played by three, with a deck of 52 cards. It can also be played by four.

Each face card – king, queen, jack – is worth 10, the other cards keep their numerical value, with the ace worth 1.

The suit of the cards is of no importance ; it is not taken into account in the game.

2. Game, duration, stake

The game is played over a number of rounds determined at the outset by the players. A round is complete once all three players have been dealer in turn. A hand being the period of play corresponding to a single dealer, three hands are played per round.

At the start of the game, each player receives twenty chips and a number of tokens  rectangular pieces worth 20 chips in this game  equal to six times the number of rounds to be played. For example, for a game of two rounds, each player will receive twelve tokens and twenty chips, the equivalent of 260 chips. A supply of chips will be kept in a bank held separately, to exchange for players' tokens should they run short.

At the start of each hand, players must put one of their tokens into a container of some kind – a plate or a basket. The sum of these stakes makes up the initial stake for the hand which will grow as the game progresses.

If after the last hand of the game, the stake  commonly called the pool  has not been won, the players may either play further hands until there is a winner of the stake, or share the pool equally. The choice is made at the start of the game, by agreement among the players.

3. The deal

To decide who will be the first dealer of the game, each player draws a card at random from the deck spread face down on the table, and whoever has drawn the lowest in the natural order  the king is the highest and the ace the lowest , shuffles the cards, has them cut by the player to their left, then deals 3 cards to each player, one at a time, starting to the right.

The deal having thus been made, the dealer spreads out in the middle of the table the next 7 cards, face up.

Finally, the dealer keeps the remaining 36 cards on their right ; these make up the stock which will be used in full during the hand.

4. Play, tricks

The first to play is the player seated to the right of the dealer.

As a general rule, a player plays only one card on their turn. It must allow them to take one or more of the cards spread face up on the table. A trick then consists of the card played and those taken from among the cards exposed. The player who makes a trick keeps it, face down, in front of them.

Tricks are made according to the following rules:

a) A card worth 10 can only be taken by a matching card. Thus, a king takes another king, a ten takes another ten, etc.

b) Any other card can be used to take either a matching card, or several cards if the total of their points equals the value of the card played. For example, with a seven one can take a five and a two, or a six and an ace, or a four and a three, or a four, a two and an ace, etc.

c) Although as a general rule only one card may be played, there is an exception : when a player holds in hand three cards matching another exposed on the table, they may lay down their three cards to take the matching card. For example, with three jacks, one can take the fourth.

d) Other rules :

If a player is unable to comply with the three preceding rules, they must lay down the cards they hold and add them, face up, to the cards already exposed.

When a player has no more cards in hand, they let the others play until none of them has any cards left in hand either.

When none of the players has any card left in hand, the dealer again deals three cards from the stock to each, one at a time, again starting to the right. And the hand continues in the same manner as before, the first to play still being the player seated to the right of the dealer.

When, after a new deal, the stock contains no more than 9 cards, the dealer must announce this to the other players, so they know that at the next deal the stock will be exhausted.

The winner of the hand is the player who frees themselves of their last card by making a trick. However, since play only stops once all the players have no cards left in hand, if several players thus get rid of all their cards in turn, priority among them goes first to the dealer, then the player to their left then the first to play. Laying down one's cards for being unable to play never gives the right to win the hand.

If, the stock being exhausted, all three players have had to lay down their cards for being unable to play, there is no winner for the hand.

When the hand ends with a winner, that player adds to their tricks the cards remaining exposed.

When the hand ends without a winner, the last player to have laid down their cards collects for themselves all the cards exposed.

It remains now to look at the vocabulary of the game, and the occasional payments to the pool and between players.

5. Vocabulary, payments

In addition to the initial stake of one token, players may be required to add chips to the pool during play.

In addition, players may be required to pay another player in chips. Even a player with no cards left in hand must make this payment.

The various cases of payments between players are detailed in the following sections, and mainly concern the aces and specific tricks that have been given the names of rustic insects.

6. Payment for aces

For each ace taken by a player with a card other than an ace, that player receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

If a player takes an ace with an ace from their hand, they receive 2 chips from the other two players.

If a player takes two aces with a two from their hand, they receive 4 chips from the other two players.

If a player takes three aces with a three from their hand, they receive 6 chips from the other two players.

If a player takes four aces with a four from their hand, they receive 8 chips from the other two players.

A player who is required to lay down the cards in their hand receives from the other two players as many chips as the number of aces they laid down.

7. Making a cockchafer

Making a cockchafer consists of a player taking three matching cards exposed, with the fourth one they hold in hand. For example, with a 5 in hand one takes the other three 5s exposed on the table.

Whoever makes a cockchafer receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

In the special case where, with an ace, a player takes the other three aces, they make a cockchafer and the other players must give them 4 additional chips, in accordance with the rule for aces, that is 1 chip for the ace played and 1 chip for each ace taken.

8. Making a grasshopper

Making a grasshopper consists of a player taking the last card (or cards) exposed, leaving none for the next player, who is then required to lay down the cards in their hand so that the hand can continue.

Whoever makes a grasshopper receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

The player who had to lay down their cards is, for their part, required to pay into the pool as many chips as the number of cards they laid down  which is a general rule whenever a player lays down their cards for being unable to make a trick.

Important : if the last player still holding cards makes a grasshopper while the hand is not yet over, it is still the player to their right who will have to lay down their cards after everyone has received three new cards from the stock. If the first to play is thus required to lay down the cards in their hand, the first to be able to make a trick will be the second to play.

9. Making a little butterfly

Making a little butterfly consists of a player getting rid of all their cards by making a trick, while there are still cards left in the stock.

Whoever makes a little butterfly receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

The player who makes a little butterfly no longer takes part in play until the next deal of cards from the stock, but they are not exempt from settling the various payments owed to the other players for aces and special tricks.

10. Making a butterfly, winner of the hand

Making a butterfly consists of a player getting rid of all their cards by making a trick, when there are no cards left in the stock.

Whoever makes a butterfly receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

Note : The special case allowing a player to take a card with the three matching cards from their hand, is an example of a little butterfly if there are still cards in the stock, or of a butterfly if there are none left. If in this case, the player, with three aces in hand, takes the fourth exposed ace, they are paid for the little butterfly or the butterfly, and the other players must give them 4 additional chips in accordance with the rule for aces.

The player who has made a butterfly is the winner of the hand if they are the only one to have done so. If several players have made a butterfly, priority for being declared the winner goes to the dealer, then the player to their left, and finally the first to play.

The winner of the hand receives the chips in the pool. If there is no winner, the pool carries over to the next hand.

11. Laying down one's hand

When a player is not able to make a trick  which includes the case where the previous player has made a grasshopper , they must lay down the cards in their hand, which become available to be taken by the players still holding cards.

The player who lays down their cards must pay 1 chip to the pool per card laid down.

On the other hand, a player who lays down one or more aces receives 1 chip from each of the other two players, for each ace laid down.

12. The cards

The winner of the hand or, if there is no winner, the last player to have laid down their cards, collects all the cards remaining exposed, and adds them to their tricks.

Whoever has obtained the most cards on a hand, receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

If several players have obtained the same largest number of cards, the chip is not paid, but at the next hand the payment for the cards will be 2 chips, and so on. If it were the last hand of the game, there would simply be no payment for the cards.

13. The consolation

If there is no winner on a hand, the last player to have laid down their cards receives 1 chip from each of the other two players.

This payment is called the consolation.

14. Winner of the game

Once the agreed number of rounds has been played, each player counts how many chips they have won  a token being worth 20 chips. Whoever has obtained the most chips is the winner of the game.

After the agreed number of rounds, if the pool has not been won, either the game continues until a player makes a butterfly, or the amount of the pool is shared among the players. The choice is made by agreement among the players at the start of the game.

15. Playing with four players

To play the Butterfly with four players, at the start of each hand, the dealer exposes only 4 cards instead of 7.

Otherwise, all the rules for three players apply.

16. Recommendations

In the interest of the game, the Butterfly should be played briskly, hands without anyone making a butterfly not being uncommon.

However, the speed of play must not come at the expense of clarity. The card played must be clearly announced and shown to the other players, before making the trick by announcing its type, or the addition that allows it  for example, "cockchafer!" or "10, 6 and 4", and only then may the card played be picked up to join it to the trick.

All payments should be made as spontaneously as possible, particularly for aces. But whoever makes a special trick must announce it by its name in order to be paid for it.

Whoever must lay down their cards must do so no less promptly.

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References

Académie universelle des jeux, Paris, Legras, 1725

Page information

Published online on 7 December 2003
Proofread on 26 November 2021

Author: Philippe LALANNE

Le Salon des jeux - Académie des jeux oubliés

 

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