[2] It is first mentioned, as Le Cent, in a written reference dating to 1535, in Gargantua and Pantagruel by Rabelais.

[3] Although legend attributes the game's creation to Stephen de Vignolles, also known as La Hire, a knight in the service of Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War, it may possibly have come into France from Spain because the words "pique" and "repique", the main features of the game, are of Spanish origin.

As with other games like Bête, the substantive form of the word "piquet" was turned into a verb and this is used substantially by Rist's 1640 Spiele, die man Picquetten heißet,[6] who gives the word his grudging assent.

Historical sources also distinguish between Rummel-Piquet, the normal game in which Rummel referred to the feature of point, and Offenherziges Piquet (lit.

[8] Until the early twentieth century, piquet was perhaps the most popular card game in France, occupying a similar position to cribbage in England.

Following the marriage of King Charles I of England to Henrietta Maria of France in 1625, the British adopted the French name for the game.

[2] It went in and out of fashion among the upper classes in Britain between the 17th and early 20th centuries, its demise from the end of the First World War being put down to the rise of Gin Rummy "and other lowbrow games that are easier to learn and faster to play.

A player with no court cards (J, Q, K) may declare "carte blanche," which is worth 10 points.

In the declaration phase, the players ascertain who has the better hand in each of three categories: point, sequence, and set.

In each part of the declaration, the younger hand may choose to contest the elder's claim.

Note that younger does not actually score for any declarations until elder has led to the first trick in the play (see below).

The next part of the declaration is the sequence, in which the longest consecutive run of cards is valued.

In keeping with the game's ancestry, one may utilize the historical names for sequences in this part of the declaration, instead of the prosaic "Run of three", for example.

A set is three or four of a kind, ten or greater (7s, 8s, and 9s don't count, and aces are highest).

Note that younger can never gain a pique because elder always scores one point for leading to the first trick (see below).

By the end of the declaration, each player will have a pretty good idea of the other's hand (to the degree that each chooses to claim their points).

Carte rouge is applied as soon as it occurs, and is not subject to the ordering, above; however, a common variation is that a "pique" or "repique" cannot be scored as the result of a "Carte Rouge" by the younger hand, once elder has played a first card.

Players must follow suits with the elder hand placing a card face up and scoring one point.

The younger than scores for their declarations and plays a card that follows suit, if possible.

Getting rid of these lower cards to get straights of five or more is very beneficial and will increase one's score greatly.

The game was played with thirty two cards, that is, discarding out of the pack all the deuces, treys, fours, fives, and sixes.

It became so great a favourite that, by the middle of the 18th century, the meanest people were well acquainted with it, and 'let into all the tricks and secrets of it, in order to render them complete sharpers.'

Such are the words of an old author, who adds that the game was liable to great imposition, and he explains the methods in use.

The aces, kings, queens, and knaves were marked with dots at the corners, and in the very old book from which I am quoting precise directions are given how this marking can be effected in such a manner 'as not to be discovered by your adversary, and at the same time appear plain to yourself.

With a fine pointed pen and some clear spring water, players made dots upon the glazed card at the corners according to the above method; or they coloured the water with India ink, to make the marks more conspicuous.

The work concludes as follows: There are but 32 cards made use of at piquet, so that just half of them will be known to you; and in dealing you may have an opportunity to give yourself those you like best; and if you cannot conveniently change the pack according to your desire, you will commonly know what you are to take in, which is a demonstrative advantage to win any one's money.

Steinmetz lists some signals and their meaning:[10] Should a cheater wish to announce the knave and ace of hearts, he would glance at the stake and then to the opposite side, whilst keeping his mouth slightly open.

In effect, nothing is easier at piquet than to indicate, by the aid of these signals, the colour in which the player should discard and that in which he should keep what cards he has.

These are the simplest signs; but some of the [cheaters] have a great number of them, to designate everything; and even sometimes to communicate and receive intelligence, when necessary.