'' (right) of the
Industrie und Glück. In tarot card reading, the Fool is usually considered part of the Major Arcana. This is not true in
tarot card games; the Fool's role in most games is independent of both the plain suit cards and the trump cards, and the card does not belong to either category. As such, most tarot decks originally made for game playing do not assign a number to the Fool indicating its rank in the suit of trumps; it has none. Waite gives the Fool the number 0, but in his book discusses the Fool between
Judgment, no. 20, and
The World, no. 21. The only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0 is the
Tarocco Piemontese. Since the 1930s,
Tarot Nouveau decks often use a black inverted
mullet as the corner index for the Fool. In almost all tarot games, the Fool is one of the most valuable cards.
As excuse , The Fool opens the sequence of trumps as the 0, but it is played as an excuse (so not a trump) In most tarot games originating from Italy and France, the Fool has a unique role. In these games, the Fool is sometimes called "the Excuse". Tarot games are typically
trick taking games; playing the Fool card excuses the player from either
following suit or playing a
trump. At the end of the trick, the player then takes back the Fool and adds it to their own trick pile and (in most games) gives the trick's winner the least valuable card from that same pile. If there are no cards to give in exchange, the Fool is worth one point less and an extra point is given to the trick-taker. Or, at the end of the hand, it can be awarded to a player or team that has won all the tricks. Usually the Fool can't be captured but in some games it can be won in the last trick which may yield a scoring bonus. In a minor variant option of
French tarot, a player dealt trump 1 but with no other trumps or the Fool can make trump 1 behave the same as the Fool (
petit imprenable). However, in official tournament rules, a player in this situation must declare their hand and force a redeal (
petit sec).
As lowest trump The 18th-century
Piedmontese game of Sedici and its variants treated the Fool as the lowest trump. Unlike most games, the Fool is worth only one point. This is similar to the role of the
Miseria trump in
Sicilian tarocchi.
As highest trump , in Austria the valuable combination of the Sküs with the lowest and the highest-numbered trump. Notwithstanding its name, distinctive design and lack of a number, the Sküs simply serves as the highest trump here, the
de facto XXII In most Central European Tarock games, the Fool, or
Sküs, is simply played as the 22nd trump, making it the highest trump in such games. In
Königrufen, the Fool can be captured but only if it is played in the same trick with trumps 21 and 1 in which case trump 1 wins; this is called the Emperor's trick or Fairytale trick. In
Hungarian Tarock, the player that loses trump 21 to the Fool traditionally has to wear a silly hat.
As excuse and highest trump In
French tarot and
Droggn, the Fool is an excuse but in a rare circumstance it will be the highest trump. If the player who holds the Fool has won all the previous tricks, in the last trick the Fool becomes the highest trump. In
Troggu, the Fool is the highest trump but if it is the last trump in the player's possession, the player can elect to throw in another card instead of following suit. Once this occurs, the Fool is no longer a trump but an excuse that must be reserved for the last trick.
As excuse and wild card Before and after trick-play of
Tarocchini, the
Matto (Fool) and the
Bégato are called
contatori (counters), a limited form of
wild cards. They can be used separately or together to fill missing gaps in combinations or extend them but they can't fill in two consecutive gaps in sequential combinations. They can't replace the highest trump or kings. Both cards can be used in every sequence but as the Fool can't be captured while the Magician is vulnerable, the player holding the Magician would want to use it only judiciously. In
Grosstarock games, of which Danish
tarok is the last survivor, the Fool can take the place of a missing card during declarations before play. However, a
meld completed using the Fool is worth only half the points compared to a natural meld. Also, when leading a trick the Fool can turn into the weakest card of any suit the player chooses but it will be sent to the player's trick pile just like an excuse. If, however, the opponents lack the suit named, then they may get the right to set the trick's suit. == Interpretations ==