Faro (card Game) - French Terms Used in Faro

French Terms Used in Faro

By 1870, the words used in the game were a mixture of French and English words and spellings.

• Banker - The person who keeps the table.
• Tailleur (Dealer) - Generally the banker.
• Couche or Enjeu - The stake.
• Coup (a Stroke or Pull) - Any two cards dealt alternately to the right and left.
• Croupier (Croup) - An assistant to the dealer
• Doublet - When the punter's card is turned up twice in the same coup, then the bank wins half the stake. A single paroli must be taken down, but if there are several, only one retires.
• Fasse - The first card turned up by the Banker, by which he gained half the value of the money laid upon every card of that sort by the punters or players.
• Hocly - The last card but one, the chance of which the banker claims, and may refuse to let any punter withdraw a card when eight or less remain to be dealt.
• Livret - A suit of 13 cards, with 4 others called Figures. One named the little figure, has a blue cross on each side and represents ace, deuce, tray; another yellow on both sides, styled the yellow figure, signifies, 4, 5, 6; a third with a black lozenge in the centre, named the black figure, stands for 7, 8, 9. 10; and a red card, called the great or red figure, for Jack, Queen, King: those figures are useful for those who punt on several cards at once.
• L'une pour l'autre (One for the other) - Means a drawn game, and is said when two of the punter's cards are dealt in the same coup.
• Masque - Means turning a card, or placing another face downwards, during any number of coups, on that whereon the punter has staked, and which he may afterward play at pleasure.
• Oppose - Reversing the game, and having the cards on the right for the punter, and those on the left for the dealer.
• Pli (Bending) - Used when a punter, having lost half his stake by a doublet, bends a card in the middle, and setting it up with the points and foot towards the dealer, signifies thereby a desire either of recovering the moiety, or of losing all.
• Ponte or Punt (Point) - The punter or player.
• Pont (Bridge) - The same as paix.
• Paix (Peace) - Equivalent to double or quits; that is, when the punter having won, does not choose to paroli and risk his stake, but bends or makes a bridge of his card, signifying that he ventures his gains only. A double paix is, when the punter having won twice, bends two cards one over the other. Treble paix, thrice, etc. A paix may follow a seven, fifteen, or thirty, etc.
• Paroli or Parolet-Double - Sometimes called cocking, is when a punter, being fortunate, chooses to venture both his stake and wins, which he intimates by bending a corner of his card upwards.
• Cocking - See Paroli.
• Paix-Paroli - When a punter has won a paroli, wishes then to play double or quits, and save his original stake, which he shows by doubling a card after making his first paroli; double-paix-paroli succeeds to winning a paix-paroli; treble-paix-paroli follows double, etc.
• Sept et le Va (Seven and it goes) - Succeed the winning of a paroli, by which the punter being entitled to triple his stake, risks the whole again, and, bending his card a second time, tries to win seven-fold.
• Quinze et le Va (Fifteen and it goes) - When the punter having won a sept, &c., bends the third corner of the card, and ventures for 15 times his stake.
• Trente et le Va (Thirty and it goes) - Follows a fifteen, etc., when the punter again tries his luck, and makes a fourth paroli.
• Soitraitte et le Va (Sixty and it goes) - When the player having obtained a thirty, ventures all once more, which is signified by making a fifth paroli, either on another card, if he has parolied on one only before, or by breaking the side of that one which contains four, to pursue his luck in the next deal.