Playing Coup d’état (#1392)

Topics/tags: Reviews, games

Last week, the boys [1] and I played a game of Coup d’état. I’d dug out a copy [2] a few months earlier after hearing one of them remark that they recalled it as one of Michelle’s favorite games. I’m not sure that they recalled that at the time I put it out on the table, but ce’st la vie.

For those not familiar with the Coup d’état [3], it’s a four-player trick-taking card game that uses a 32-card French deck [4] with an extra card and the Ace-Ten ordering [5] from games like Belote [6]. The version we play was published by Parker Brothers in the mid-1960s. I’m not sure if it existed before then; the rules claim it did, but I take such stories with a grain of salt. It also seems odd to make a 33-card deck. It also has a designer listed, G. W. Jerry D’Arcey [7], which suggests that it’s not exactly a historical game.

In any case, Coup d’état is played over four rounds, with each round consisting of six hands. Each hand has a different goal (or penalty). You might be asked to avoid taking queens, or the king of hearts, or spades, or the first and last hands. A designated Director generally chooses the goal of the current hand. The Director also receives the penalty payment from anyone who takes cards they shouldn’t. It’s good to be the Director.

Each player gets to start one round as Director. However, they don’t necessarily remain Director. That’s where the variant of the French deck comes into play. There’s one additional card, the Coup card. If you have the Coup card, you can choose to declare a coup. When you declare a coup, you get to choose the hand (from those not yet played that round). And the goals invert. For example, instead of trying to avoid the queens, you try to take all the queens. It’s a bit like shooting the moon in Hearts. If you succeed, you not only get to take over the Directorship, you also receive money from each of the other players. If you fail, you pay a penalty to the bank, not the Director. The Director gets all the money in the bank at the end of the round.

There’s much to like about Coup d’état. Choosing the best set of rules for the current hand, as Director or for a coup, can be a straightforward decision. But there’s often analysis involved: Which will likely garner you the most money? In the case of a coup, which of the remaining hands will succeed? And there’s also the question of whether or not to attempt the coup. In our game, we had a few situations in which it was better to declare a coup, even though you knew you’d fail, than to skip the coup.

Playing Coup d’état reminded me of how much I like playing card games. I may even like card games more than board games. In general, card games have three key characteristics that I appreciate: Some strategy and planning that involves careful analysis, some randomness that may give less-skilled players a chance, and moderately simple rules. Unfortunately, the strategy for most card games requires that you keep careful track of what’s been played. I’m not sure that I still have the brainpower for that. Did I ever?

Speaking of brainpower, I found myself embarrassed by how many mistakes I made while playing. I’ve never been a great card player, but I was certainly much better. I think. Michelle might dispute that. At times, I’m a bit too inclined to take risks, especially when playing Canasta. Nonetheless, I recall being better at deciding what cards to play when. My primary care provider suggests that it’s just that I was playing against my sons’ younger and more capable brains. But it’s more than that. I made some bad decisions. Surprisingly bad. Perhaps practice will help me rebuild my skills. Or escaping from depression. I don’t know.

In any case, it’s a game I recommend and that I hope to play again soon. BoardGameGeek says that it’s a thirty-minute game. However, with 24 hands of 32 cards each, along with some consideration of whether or not to attempt a coup, I’d peg it at closer to an hour or a bit more.

Postscript: I hope to convince Eldest to play Claviash [8] or Belote with me to help rebuild those brain cells.

Postscript: For those of you who don’t want to find your own copy, it’s pretty easy to play with a regular deck of cards and some Monopoly money (or just a score sheet).

To make the deck, keep only the Ace through Seven cards and one joker. The Joker will serve as the Coup Card.

Here are the hands.

• KH: Don’t take the king of hearts [9]. If you do, pay the Director $800. In a coup, take the king of hearts. A successful coup also earns you $600 from each other player.
• Q: Don’t take any queens. If you do, pay the Director $200 for each queen you take. To coup, take all the queens. A successful coup earns you $1000 from each player.
• S: Don’t take any spades. If you do, pay the Director $100 for each spade you take. To coup, take all the spades. A successful coup earns you $1000 from each player.
• FL: Don’t take the first trick or the last trick. If you do, pay the Director $400 for each of those tricks you take. To coup, take the first and the last trick. A successful coup earns you $600 from each player.
• All: All of the above. To coup, do all of the coups. A successful coup earns you $1500 from each player.

What about failed coups? Those cost you $800. So, it may be worth trying a coup on All if you would be likely to take multiple tricks. $800 is less than the up to $3200 is may cost you.

I only listed five hands, didn’t I? There’s one more hand, but it’s not a trick-taking hand. Rather, it’s a building tableau, akin to something like Uno. The Director picks a starting card and plays it. Other players may build up or down on the sequence by playing the next highest or lowest card. Both directions remain available. Other players may also play a matching starting card. For example, if the Director played a nine of spades, another may play the nine of diamonds. If you can play, you must. And if you play an ace, you may then play as many more cards as you wish. The last player out of cards pays the Director $800. In a coup, you must be the first out of cards.

What else should you know? The coup card is wild.

That’s about it.

There are some additional rules, such as for hidden coups, but you’ll need to find a copy of the game to learn those.

Have fun!

[1] Men.

[2] Well, I’d purchased an extra copy.

[3] Presumably, everybody.

[4] Ace through seven in each of four suits.

[5] Ten is the second-highest card, after Ace.

[6] Belote is a variant of Clobyosh, which I’ve written about previously.

[7] D’Arcey also designed the legendardy Blockhead block stacking game. He’s listed as a designer of Regatta, which makes me think that he’s also a designer of Yacht Race, one of my favorite games.

[8] My preferred spelling.

[9] King of Hearts was one of my mother’s favorite movies. I should watch again, even though it’s sad.

Version 1.0 released 2026-01-09.

Version 1.1 of 2026-01-09.