Traditional card games
Manille
- players
- 4
- minutes
- 40
- years
- 10+
In the box
1 32-card deck
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Team-BasedTrick-taking
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Four players in two teams of two, with 32 cards dealt out in full; the last card, turned up, sets trumps. You must follow the suit led and trump if you cannot, the manille, the 10, being the highest card; depending on the variant, partners may talk to each other or must stay silent. The team that goes over 34 points out of 68 wins the deal and scores whatever it has above 34, and the game is most often played as best of two rounds of 34 points.
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 teams of 2, 32 cards, 8 each, Last card: trumps
- Four players, in two teams of two, partners sitting opposite each other.
- A 32-card deck, dealt out entirely: eight cards each.
- The last card is turned face up: it sets the trump suit.
How to play
Follow suit, Otherwise trump, Talking or silent
- The player to the dealer's left leads.
- You must follow the suit led. If you cannot, you must trump.
- In talking manille (manille parlée), a player may, once per trick, question their partner about their hand; the partner answers honestly, with no code words or faces, and the opponents keep quiet.
- In silent manille (manille muette), all communication is forbidden.
Scoring
Manille (10) 5 points, Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, 68 points per deal
- Manille (the 10): 5 points. Ace: 4. King: 3. Queen: 2. Jack: 1. The other cards are worth nothing. That makes 15 points per suit, 60 points in all.
- Each trick won is also worth 1 point, making 8 more points: a deal therefore hands out 68.
- The team that scores more than 34 points wins the deal and scores whatever it has above 34: with 40 points, it scores 6. The other team scores nothing; at 34 each, the deal is void.
End of the game
Rounds of 34 points, 2 rounds to win, Decider to 44 points
- A round is won at 34 points scored; the classic game is best of two rounds, with a decider to 44 points if each team has won one.
- You can also agree on a single round, or another total.
House rules and pitfalls
Manille is deeply rooted in the North and South-West of France, with customs specific to each region.
- Manille is deeply rooted in the North and South-West of France, with customs specific to each region.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Variant
Spoken manille (manille parlée)
Partners inform each other through set announcements.
Silent manille (manille muette)
No communication allowed.
Manille with bidding (manille coinchée)
With bidding and the option to double (coincher).
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of the cards?
Unusual: the 10 (the manille) is the highest, then the Ace (the manillon), then King, Queen, Jack, and finally 9, 8, 7. The manille and the Ace hold almost all the points.
How much is each card worth?
Manille (10): 5 points; Ace: 4; King: 3; Queen: 2; Jack: 1; the 9, 8 and 7: nothing. That makes 15 points per suit, 60 in all per deal.
How is a deal played?
Like a partnership trick-taking game (2 against 2), with trumps. You follow suit, play higher if you can, and trump otherwise. In silent manille, communication goes only through the cards you play; in talking manille, you may also question your partner.
What is "talking" manille?
A variant where you may talk to your partner: once per trick, a player asks them a question about their hand, and they answer honestly — hence the name. Code words and faces are still forbidden, and the opponents keep quiet. In "silent" manille, all talking is forbidden.
How do you win?
The team that goes over 34 points out of 68 (60 card points, plus 1 point per trick) wins the deal and scores whatever it has above 34. Most often, the game is best of two rounds of 34 points.