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Comme la manche commence, tu pioches une carte.

Comme la manche commence, tu pioches une carte.
Since the round is beginning, you draw a card.
From Lesson 199:Introducing a cause (comme)·French

Questions & Answers about Comme la manche commence, tu pioches une carte.

Why do we use comme here to mean "since", instead of puisque or parce que?
When expressing a cause at the very beginning of a sentence, comme is the standard word to use (meaning "as" or "since"). You generally avoid starting a sentence with parce que unless you are answering a direct question. While puisque also means "since", it implies that the reason is already known or obvious to the listener. Comme neutrally states the cause.
Can I move comme to the middle of the sentence?
Not when it means "because" or "since." As a cause connector, comme must go at the beginning of the sentence. If you want to state the action first and the cause second, you need to use a different connector like parce que: Tu pioches une carte parce que la manche commence.
I learned that une manche means "a sleeve". Why does it mean "round" here?
Une manche has a few different meanings depending on the context. It means "a sleeve" (on clothing), but in games and sports, it means "a round", "a heat", or "an inning". As a fun fact, if you capitalize it (La Manche), it refers to the English Channel!
Why use piocher for drawing a card instead of tirer?
You can absolutely say tirer une carte. However, piocher is a very common verb used specifically in board and card games for drawing from a draw pile (which is called la pioche). Outside of games, piocher literally means to dig with a pickaxe!

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