Solo 66 At the start of the game, the dealer shuffles the cards and offers them to be cut, he then deals six cards to each player. The remaining two cards are placed face-down in the middle of the table as the talon. The soloist is determined through a bidding process or auction. The player who bids the highest suit as trumps wins the auction. The suits rank, from highest to lowest, in the order: Clubs , Spades , Hearts and Diamonds . In the auction the player to the left of the dealer (forehand) is the first to bid or pass.
French tarot rules also allow a player to declare a "maldonne" if their hand has no trumps, or fewer than a given number of combined trumps and face cards. The players look at the cards they have been dealt, and an auction begins, starting from the player to the right of the dealer, as all action proceeds counter-clockwise. By bidding, a player states his confidence that he will be able to meet a set contract (see below) and sets the terms by which they will try to do so. If a player does not wish to bid, they may "pass" but may