The Tontine

 

1. Number of players and deck of cards

The tontine is played by five to twelve players, with a complete deck of 52 cards. Only the rank of the cards matters; the suit is irrelevant.

2. The stake, the pool

At the start of the game, each player receives a quantity of chips determined by how long the game is meant to last, called the stake. The larger the stake, the longer the game will last. One will for example take 12 chips per player.

A basket is placed in the middle of the table, into which each player puts 3 of their chips right at the start of the game. The contents of the basket make up the pool, which will grow, or shrink, according to the events of the game.

The game is played until only one single player still has at least one chip.

3. The deal

Each player takes a card from the deck spread out, face down, on the table, and whoever draws the highest – in case of a tie, the players concerned draw another card, and this continues until there is only one highest card left – is the dealer. This player gathers the cards, shuffles them, has them cut by the player on their left, then deals a single card to each of the players, starting with the player on their right and finishing with themselves – the deal, like the play itself, proceeds counter-clockwise. The cards are dealt face down, but in this game accidentally turning over a card does not matter and does not oblige the dealer to redeal.

The dealer keeps the undealt cards in a face-down pile called the stock, on their right. The stock will not be used during this hand.

4. Course of play, payments

The first to play, who is the player seated to the right of the dealer, turns their card face up, and depending on its rank, either puts or takes chips from the pool, receives chips from a player, or neither pays nor receives any chips. These movements follow the table below. Then the next player does the same, followed by all the other players in turn up to the dealer.

Table of chip movements according to the card received:

		Neighbour to the left
Card	Pool	1st	2nd	3rd
king	-3
queen	-2
jack	-1
10
ace		+1
2			+2
3				+3
4	+2
5	+1
6	+2
7	+1
8	+2
9	+1

A " - " sign means that the pool loses the number of chips mentioned: the player takes these chips from the pool. For example if a player has a king, they take 3 chips from the pool.

A " + " sign means:
– that the pool increases by the number of chips mentioned: the player puts these chips into the pool;
– that the first, second, or third neighbour to the left of the player receives from them the number of chips mentioned. For example, if the player has a 2, they give two chips to their second neighbour to the left, even if that neighbour is seated before the dealer.

The red colour corresponds to a loss of chips on the part of the player holding the corresponding card, while green corresponds to a gain.

It can thus be seen that only the three face cards earn chips for their holder, while a 10 neither earns nor costs anything, and the ace, the 2, and the 3 require the player to pay another player. For cards from 4 to 9, if the value of the card is even, it costs the player two chips, but if it is odd, it costs them only one.

After one hand, another is begun, with the first player of the previous hand becoming the dealer of the new hand. Players who have been stripped of all their chips remain in the game without receiving a card. It will be possible for them to receive chips again from a player who has drawn an ace, a 2, or a 3.

A player with no chips cannot be dealer for the next hand; their turn is skipped.

If a player has fewer chips than they owe, they give what they have and they are never liable for the difference.

As soon as only one player remains in possession of at least one chip, the current hand is stopped, and the game is over. This player is the winner: they take the contents of the basket, in other words the pool.

 

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Reference

Académie universelle des jeux, Théodore Legras, Paris, 1725

Page information

Published online on 3 October 2010
Revised on 16 October 2021

Author: Philippe LALANNE

Le Salon des jeux - Académie des jeux oubliés

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