Guard Against is the most ambitious contract in French Tarot. It is not simply for a player with a good hand: it requires an exceptional hand, capable of fulfilling the contract without any help from the dog.
Unlike Guard Without, the taker does not receive the dog. The six cards remain face down and are given to the defense, which keeps them on its side for the final count. The taker must therefore rely solely on the cards in their hand and on the tricks they manage to win.
So, when should you bid a Guard Against rather than a Guard Without? It is a question of strength, control, and above all, safety margin.
Why is Guard Against so demanding?
With a Guard Against, the taker does not look at the dog and cannot take its cards. The six cards are given face down to the defender sitting opposite the taker, and their points will be counted with the defense's tricks.
The taker is therefore truly playing with their hand alone against the three defenders. They cannot rely on an additional King, an interesting trump, or an oudler that might be in the dog.
This complete absence of help is what distinguishes Guard Against from Guard Without. With Guard Without, the points in the dog are instead awarded to the taker during the final count.
With Guard Against, the dog is not merely useless: its points go to the defense.
Guard Against requires an exceptional hand
Guard Against is a contract reserved for an exceptional hand. The taker commits to fulfilling the contract without help from the dog.
It is therefore not simply a "stronger" Guard Without. The strategic difference is significant: with Guard Without, the taker knows that the points in the dog will ultimately be awarded to them; with Guard Against, they must accept that these six cards may strengthen the defense.
Before bidding, you should therefore be able to answer a simple question:
"If the six cards in the dog were particularly favorable to my opponents, would my hand still be strong enough to win?"
If the answer is no, Guard Against is probably too ambitious.
Start by counting your oudlers
As with every contract, the number of oudlers captured in the taker's tricks determines the number of points needed to win the contract.
The number of oudlers directly determines the number of points you need to score:
| Oudlers | Points needed |
|---|---|
| 0 oudlers | 56 points |
| 1 oudler | 51 points |
| 2 oudlers | 41 points |
| 3 oudlers | 36 points |
But be careful: there is an essential difference from Guard Without: an oudler that is in the dog cannot help the taker in Guard Against. The dog belongs to the defense for scoring purposes. The taker must therefore assess only the oudlers they are likely to keep in their own tricks.
Having two or three oudlers in your hand is therefore a considerable advantage, because it significantly reduces the number of points you need to score.
However, you must remain cautious with the Petit. Even when it is in your hand, there is no guarantee that it will end up in your tricks. Its protection and your ability to control the trumps must be taken into account.
Trump strength is essential
A Guard Against generally requires very strong control of the trumps. It is not enough to have a lot of them: above all, you need trumps strong enough to take and retain the lead.
A hand containing the 21, 20, 19 and several other high trumps offers much greater control than a hand made up mainly of low trumps.
Before bidding, consider in particular:
- The number of trumps you have.
- The quality of your high trumps.
- Your ability to regain the lead after losing a trick.
- Your ability to draw out your opponents' high trumps.
- How well your Petit is protected.
A long sequence of weak trumps can give a misleading impression of strength. For a Guard Against, control is generally more important than sheer length.
Kings and other high cards can make the difference
The points do not come only from trumps. Kings, Queens, Knights and Jacks can make an important contribution to the contract, provided you have a good chance of winning the corresponding tricks.
A singleton King, for example, can be particularly valuable: if you are master of that suit, it can represent a relatively safe trick.
Conversely, a King accompanied by many low cards in a suit can be much more vulnerable. Your opponents may retain that suit, put you under pressure, or force you to lose the lead before your King can be played.
You must therefore distinguish between the points present in your hand and the points you are actually capable of controlling.
Do not count on the dog: it belongs to the defense
This is probably the most important point to remember when considering a Guard Against.
With Guard Without, the points in the dog are awarded to the taker during the final count. With Guard Against, this reasoning must be completely abandoned.
The six cards in the dog are awarded to the defense and their points are counted with its tricks.
The taker must therefore make their assessment on the assumption that the dog could contain cards that are particularly favorable to the defense.
A good Guard Against should be winnable without needing the dog to give you a single point.
A much greater safety margin
Just reaching the required number of points is already risky with a Guard. With Guard Against, this situation becomes particularly dangerous.
You receive no reserve from the dog and may potentially give the defense six additional cards rich in points.
It is therefore preferable to bid a Guard Against when your hand allows you to expect significantly more than the required minimum.
For example, a hand with three oudlers only needs to score 36 points. But if those three oudlers are accompanied by several high trumps and several safe tricks in the suits, the situation becomes much more promising than if reaching 36 points already looks difficult.
The coefficient of 6 completely changes the risk
Guard Against is also the contract with the highest coefficient in four-player French Tarot:
| Contract | Coefficient |
|---|---|
| Prise | 1 |
| Guard | 2 |
| Guard Without | 4 |
| Guard Against | 6 |
Guard Against therefore applies a coefficient of 6 to the contract calculation, compared with 4 for Guard Without.
The consequence is simple: a Guard Against should be bid with a substantial safety margin. A hand that would be acceptable for a Guard Without can be far too marginal for a Guard Against.
Mistakes to avoid before bidding Guard Against
Being impressed by the number of trumps
Having a lot of trumps does not guarantee control of the tricks. A long but weak trump holding can quickly be dominated by your opponents' high trumps.
Counting the points in the dog
This is the fundamental mistake. With Guard Against, the dog gives you no points. It is awarded to the defense for scoring purposes.
Counting an oudler as definitely secured
The 21 and the Excuse are particularly valuable, but the Petit remains vulnerable. Having it in your hand therefore does not necessarily mean that you will keep it until the final count.
Overestimating your Kings
A King is not automatically a winning trick. Before counting it as a sure point, ask yourself how your opponents could prevent you from winning it.
Playing Guard Against with too small a margin
If your assessment leads you to think, "I practically have to win everything to make my contract," the level of risk is probably too high for a Guard Against.
Three questions to ask before bidding
- How many oudlers can I realistically keep? They directly determine my points target.
- Which cards are my true masters? Assess your high trumps and your safe tricks in the suits.
- Can my hand win without any points from the dog? If you need the dog to reach your target, Guard Against is probably not the right contract.
So, when should you bid Guard Against?
There is no magic number of trumps that automatically turns a hand into a Guard Against. The official rules reserve it for an exceptional hand, and this requirement perfectly captures the spirit of the contract.
A strong candidate will generally combine several elements: oudlers, high trumps, a strong ability to control the tricks, and several reliable sources of points in the suits.
But above all, it must be able to withstand the fact that the six cards in the dog strengthen the defense.
Keep this simple rule in mind:
With Guard Against, do not ask yourself whether your hand is strong enough to win. Ask yourself whether it is strong enough to win with the dog entirely on the defense's side.
Analyze your Guard Against bids with TarotMate
Theory helps identify the right situations, but experience is still essential for learning how to assess a hand accurately.
TarotMate keeps the history of your contracts and your success statistics. You can therefore track your results over the course of your games and see whether your Guard Against bids are actually profitable.
Over time, these statistics can help you better identify the hands with which you take too many risks and those that offer a genuine safety margin.
Because in French Tarot, bidding a Guard Against is not simply about having a very strong hand: it is about recognizing when your hand is exceptional enough to face the defense without any help from the dog.