Gilet
An even older ancestor than Primero, referenced by Rabelais in 1534 — a three-card vying game that evolved into Brelan under the reign of Charles IX.
Coming soon — not yet playable
Rules
Gilet is documented from the early 16th century (referenced in Rabelais's writing as early as 1534) and is considered by some card-game historians to be the most ancient identifiable European ancestor of poker, predating even Primero.
Surviving 18th-century French accounts describe a two-deal, three-card structure: players received cards in two stages and bet on combinations of pairs, triplets, or flush-point totals — the same category of hand types (pairs, three-of-a-kind, flush-like point combinations) that persisted through Brelan, Bouillotte, and eventually into poker's standard hand rankings.
Historical note: the game's name changed to "Brelan" during the reign of France's King Charles IX (mid-to-late 16th century), meaning Gilet and early Brelan are effectively the same lineage at different points in its naming history.
Strategy notes: As with Glic, Gilet's primary value in this library is historical depth — it demonstrates that the core building blocks of poker hand rankings (pairs, trips, flush-like combinations) were already recognizable card-game concepts nearly 500 years ago, long before "poker" existed as a word.
Common house rules
Treat as Brelan's earlier name
Since Gilet and early Brelan are historically continuous, most tables wanting to 'play' this branch of the family tree simply use the Brelan rules (also in this library) rather than reconstructing separate Gilet-specific mechanics.
Two-stage deal, if reconstructing directly
Surviving 18th-century accounts describe a two-deal structure rather than a single deal — worth preserving if attempting a more historically accurate version.
Educational round, not for real stakes
As with the other pre-1700s games in this library, treat this as a look at poker's deep history rather than a game to bet seriously on.
Related games
Based on shared category, origin, and rules that reference each other.
Bouillotte
A high-stakes French vying game that emerged during the Revolutionary era, played with a stripped 20-card deck and believed to have shaped the early French form of Poque.
Learn the rules →Brelan
A French vying game from the 15th–19th centuries, played with three cards and a card turned from the deck — a key link in the chain leading to Bouillotte and Poque.
Learn the rules →Glic
One of the oldest recorded European vying games, dating to at least 1454 — its French name is considered the most direct linguistic root of 'Poque,' and by extension 'poker.'
Learn the rules →Primero
A Renaissance-era Spanish card game — one of the oldest documented ancestors of poker, in which players compete to form the best of several fixed hand types from four cards.
Learn the rules →