Trente et Quarante also called Rouge et Noir

Rouge et Noir

Rouge et Noir is a solitaire card game which is played using two decks of playing cards. Invented by Charles Jewell, it is a unique game where two types of building are done in the same game. It should not be confused with the similarly named Red and Black, although the latter can also be known...

(Red and Black), is a 17th century gambling

Gambling

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 card game

Card game

A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...

 of French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 origin played with cards and a special table. It is rarely found in US casinos, but still very popular in Continental Europe

Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....

 casino

Casino

In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

s, and one of the two games played in the gambling rooms at Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....

, roulette

Roulette

Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....

 being the other. It is a simple game that usually gives the players a very good expected return of more than 98%.

Gameplay

Two croupier

Croupier

A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.-Origin of the word:...

s sit on each side of the table, one of them being the dealer

Poker dealer

A poker dealer distributes cards to players and manages the action at a poker table.-Professional dealers:Any casino with a poker room must hire a staff of dealers. Casinos generally pay dealers minimum wage. However, a dealer's primary source of income is not salary, but tips from players*...

; behind the two on the side opposite to the dealer a supervisor of the game has his seat. Six packs of fifty-two cards each are used; these are well shuffled, and the croupier asks any of the players to cut, handing him a blank card with which to divide the mixed packs. There are only four chances at trente et quarante: rouge or noir, known as the grand tableau', couleur or inverse, known as the petit tableau.

Aces are worth 1 point, court cards 10 and pip cards their face value. A tie is a stand-off, and on a 31-point tie, players may double or quit on the next coup or immediately lose half their stake. The winning total will range between 30 and 40 card points, which is from where the name of the game derives.

Winning row

If this should be also the color of the winning row, the player wins. Assuming, for example, that the first card dealt is red, and that the lower row of the cards dealt is nearest to thirty, the dealer will announce "Rouge gagne et le couleur." If the first card dealt is red, but the black or top row of cards is nearest to thirty, the dealer announces "Rouge perd et le couleur."

It frequently happens that both rows of cards when added together give the same number. Should they both, for instance, add up to thirty-three, the dealer will announce "Trois apres," and the deal goes for nothing except in the event of their adding up to thirty-one.

Refait

Un apres (i.e. thirty-one) is known as a refait; the stakes are put in prison to be left for the decision of the next deal, or if the player prefers it he can withdraw half his stake, leaving the other half for the bank. Assurance against a refait can be made by paying 1% on the value of the stake with a minimum of five francs. When thus insured against a refait the player is at liberty to withdraw his whole stake. It has been calculated that on an average a refait occurs once in thirty-eight coups. Refaits are the source of the sole house advantage in the game.

After each deal the cards are pushed into a metal bowl

Bowl (vessel)

A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...

let into the table in front of the dealer. When he has not enough left to complete the two rows, he remarks "Les cartes passent" (The cards pass); they are taken from the bowl, reshuffled, and another deal begins.