turn plays a card from his hand, placing it face upward on the table.
Only one card can be played at a time, and each person must play in his
proper turn until all four of his cards are exhausted. After receiving
fresh cards, the eldest hand again plays first, and so on for every
round. Under certain conditions, each player in his proper turn may
take up certain cards from the table, together with the one played from
his hand, turning them face downward in front of him. He is entitled
to count all the points contained in the cards taken in or won in this
manner. These conditions are: that he can match or _=pair=_ a card or
cards on the table; that he can _=combine=_ two or more cards on the
table so as to make their total pip value equal to that of the card
he plays; or that he can _=build=_ a card in his hand upon one on the
table, so as to make their total pip value agree with that of a second
card, still in his hand.
_=Pairing.=_ If the person whose turn it is to play, holds in his hand
any card of a similar denomination to any of those on the table, he may
play the card from his hand, face upward, and then gather it in again,
together with all similar cards, turning them face downward in front of
him. For instance: He holds an Eight, and there are one or two Eights
on the table. He plays the Eight from his hand, and then gathers in all
of them.
_=Combining.=_ If a player holds any card, not a K Q or J, the pip
value of which is equal to that of two or more cards on the table, he
may play the card from his hand, and then gather it in again, together
with the two or three cards that collectively equal it in pip value.
For instance: He holds a 9, and a 4, 3 and 2 are upon the table. He may
combine these three cards, calling attention to the fact that their
collective value is 9, and then play the 9 from his own hand, gathering
in and turning down all four cards. An 8 and Ace, or 6 and 3 might be
gathered in the same way; or two such combinations might be gathered at
the same time, 3, 2, 6, 7, for instance, which would make two nines;
all of which might be gathered by a player holding a 9 his hand.
Pairs and combinations may be taken in together. For instance: Among
the cards on the table are a 4, 6, and 10, and the player holds a 10.
He can gather in not only the pair of Tens, but the combinations which
equal a 10.
_=Building.=_ A player may have in his hand two cards, the lower of
which, if added to a card on the table, would build up its value to
that of the higher card still in the player’s hand. For instance: A
player holds a 9 and 2, and there is a 7 on the table. He may place the
2 on the 7, announcing the total value; “Nine,” which will notify other
players that those two cards cannot be separated; but he cannot take
them in until it again comes round to his turn to play, because he is
allowed to play only one card at a time, and he has played his card in
making the build.
Should any other player following him hold a 9, he would be entitled to
take in this build, but he could not separate the two cards forming it.
A player holding either a 7 or a 2 could not touch either of the cards
in the build, because they are no longer a 7 and 2, but a 9, for all
practical purposes.
_=Increasing Builds.=_ If any player held an Ace and a 10 in his hand,
he could increase the 9 build to a 10 build, by putting his Ace on the
7 and 2, and announcing the total value, “Ten.” Any following player
would then be unable to win the build with anything but a 10, and the
player who originally built it a 9 would lose it unless he also held a
10 in his hand. Should the build remain a 9 until it came round again
to the player who originally built it, he could then take it in with
his 9, or he might himself increase it to 10, if he had an Ace and a 10
in his hand; but in order to do this the player must have in his hand
the cards to win both the original and the increased builds. A player
holding in his hand a 10, 3 and 2, but no 8, could not build a 5 on the
table to an 8, and afterward advance it to 10. He must have the 2 3 8
and 10 all in his own hand to do this.
Some players imagine that a player cannot increase his own build
in this manner, even if he has both the cards for the first and
last build; but there is no reason why a player should be denied a
privilege which is freely granted to his adversary. If any player can
legitimately make or increase a build, all may do so, provided they
have the proper cards.
_=Double Builds.=_ When two cards of the same denomination, or two
builds of the same value are put together as one, they cannot be
increased. For instance: A player holds 7 and 3, and there are upon
the table a 5 2 and 4. He places his 3 on the 4, and gathers the 5
and 2 together, announcing the build as “Two Sevens.” This cannot be
increased to 8, 9, or 10 under any circumstances, and nothing but a 7
will win it.
Pairs may be doubled in the same manner. If a player has two Nines in
his hand, and there is one on the table, he may build on the latter
with one of his own, announcing, “Two Nines,” which will prevent any
player from building either of them to 10, and will entitle the builder
to take in both cards with his third Nine when it comes round to his
turn. Should any other player at the table hold the fourth Nine, he
could of course take in the build.
It is necessary to distinguish between building and combining. In
combining cards, those already on the table are gathered together;
in building, or increasing a build, a card must be played from the
hand. If one player has made a build of any description, it cannot
be interfered with or increased except by other cards from a player’s
hand, those from the table not being available. For instance: One
player has built a 5 by combining two Aces on the table with a 3 from
his hand. On the table are also a 2 and 4 and a following player holds
a 9 and 7. He cannot use the deuce on the table to increase the build
from 5 to 7, nor the 4 to increase it to 9; because that would not be
building from his hand; but if he held the 4 and 9 in his hand, he
could build on the 5.
The simple rule to be remembered is that no combination of cards
once announced, and left on the table, can be changed, except by the
addition of a card from the hand of some player.
_=Taking In.=_ Any player who has made a build is obliged either to win
it, when it is next his turn to play, or to win something else, or to
make another build. For instance: He has built a 5 into a 9 with a 4,
and holds another 4; if another 5 appears on the table before it comes
to his turn to play, he may build that into a 9 also, with his other
4, announcing, “Two Nines.” Or if some player should lay out a 4 he
could pair it and take it in, leaving his 9 build until the next round.
In the same way a player may increase or win another player’s build
instead of taking in his own. An opponent’s build may be increased by
cards from the hand only.
In the four-handed game, partners may take in one another’s builds, or
may make builds which can be won by the card declared in the partner’s
hand. For instance; One player builds an 8, and his partner holds
Little Cassino. If there is a 6 on the table, the Cassino can be built
on it, and “two Eights,” called, although the player has no 8 in his
own hand; the 8 already built by his partner is sufficient. If a player
has built a 9 which has been taken in by an adversary, he still holding
the 9 he built for, his partner may build for the declared 9 in the
same way.
_=Sweeping.=_ If at any time a player is able to win everything on the
table with one card, it is a sweep, and counts a point. For instance:
He holds an 8, and there are upon the table four cards only:--5 3 6
and 2. By combining the 6 and 2, and the 5 and 3, two Eights will be
formed, and the sweep is made. Sweeps are usually marked by leaving the
cards with which they are made face upward at the bottom of the tricks
taken in by the player. Sweeps made by opposite sides are sometimes
turned down to cancel one another.
_=Trailing.=_ When a player cannot pair, combine, or build anything,
he must play a card. This is called trailing, because he is simply
following along waiting for opportunities. In trailing it is usually
the best policy to play the smaller cards, except Aces and Little
Cassino, because as other players will probably trail small cards
also, these may be combined and won with the larger cards kept in the
player’s hand.
_=Last Cards.=_ In the last round, all the cards remaining on the table
are won by the player who takes the last trick, but it does not count
as a sweep unless it would have been a sweep under any circumstances.
The last trick is usually made by the dealer, who always keeps back a
court card if he has one, to pair one already on the table.
_=Irregularities in Play.=_ If any person plays out of his proper turn,
the card so played is laid aside as exposed, until it comes to his
turn, when it is simply placed on the table with the others. The player
in error is not allowed to build or combine it, nor to win anything
with it.
If a player gathers in a card which does not belong to the combination
or build, he must not only return the card improperly taken up, but
all others taken in with it, together with his own card, the latter,
however, being laid out separately from the others. If the combination
was his own build, it must be broken up; if an adversary’s, it must be
restored, and left as it was.
If a player takes in a build with a wrong card, or takes in a wrong
combination, or gathers cards to which he is not entitled, the error
must be challenged and proved before the next trick is taken in by
another player, because only the last trick gathered can be seen.
If a player makes a build without the proper card in his hand to win
it, on discovery of the error, the combination must be broken up, and
the adversaries may take back the cards they have played in following
the erroneous build, and may amend their play. If, however, another
player has won the erroneous build, there is no penalty, nor any remedy.
_=Showing.=_ After the last card has been played, each player counts
his cards face downward, and announces the number. The player having
the majority scores the three points for cards. If it is a tie, neither
scores. The cards are then turned face up, and the spades counted and
claimed; and then all the points for Cassinos and Aces. It should be
remembered that the total number of points to be made in each hand,
exclusive of sweeps, is eleven, and the total of the claims made must
agree with that number.
_=Scoring.=_ There are several methods of scoring. The old way was to
play 11 points up, deducting the lower score from the higher at the end
of each deal. If one side reached 11 before the adversary reached 6,
it was a lurch, and counted as a double game. The common method is to
count every hand a game, and settle for it in counters.
TWENTY-ONE POINT CASSINO.
This game is usually marked with counters, or pegged on a cribbage
board. Nothing is scored until the end of the hand, when each side
reckons and claims its points. In order to avoid disputes there should
be a previous understanding as to what points go out first in a close
game. In the absence of any agreement to the contrary, the points count
out in the following order:--Cards first, then Spades, Big Cassino,
Little Cassino, Aces, and Sweeps. If the Aces have to decide it, the
spade Ace goes out first, then clubs, hearts, and diamonds. If the
sweeps have to decide it, only the difference in the number of sweeps
counts, and if there is none, or not enough, the game is not ended, and
another deal must be played.
It is better to agree to _=count out=_ in twenty-one point Cassino;
each player keeping mental count of the number of cards and spades he
has taken in, together with any “natural” points. The moment he reaches
21 he should claim the game, and if his claim is correct he wins, even
if his adversary has 21 or more. If he is mistaken, and cannot show
out, he loses the game, no matter what his adversary’s score may be.
If neither claims out, and both are found to be, neither wins, and the
game must be continued to 32 points, and so on, eleven points more each
time until one player claims to have won the game.
_=Suggestions for Good Play.=_ The principal thing in Cassino is to
remember what has been played especially in the counting and high
cards, such as Aces, Eights, Nines, and Tens. In making pairs and
combinations, give preference to those containing spades, and if you
have to trail, do not play a spade if you can help it. If three Aces
have been taken in, play the fourth, if you hold it, at the first
opportunity, because it cannot be paired; but if there is another Ace
to come, keep yours until you can make a good build with it. As between
cards which were on the table and those trailed by an adversary, take
in those trailed if you have a choice. Take in the adversary’s build
in preference to your own, if you can, and build on his build at every
opportunity. If Big Cassino is still to come, avoid trailing cards that
will make a Ten with those on the table. Go for “cards” in preference
to everything else, and always make combinations that take in as many
cards as possible. If you have a Nine, and the cards on the table are
2 2 5 7, take in the 2 2 5, in preference to the 2 7. It is considered
bad policy to take in three court cards, as it stops all sweeps when
the fourth appears.
ROYAL CASSINO.
The only difference in this form of the game is that the three court
cards, K Q J, have a pip value, and may be used in combining and
building, whereas in the ordinary game they can be used only in pairs.
The Jack is worth 11, the Queen 12, and the King 13; so that a 9 and 2
can be taken in with a Jack, or a 6 4 and 3 with a King. In the same
manner a Queen will win a Jack and Ace, or a King will win a Jack and
deuce. The aces are sometimes valued at 14 each.
SPADE CASSINO.
In this interesting variation every spade counts one point toward game.
The spade Jack counts one in addition to its being a spade, and the
extra point so made takes the place of the count for “spades” in the
ordinary game, so that 24 points are made in every hand, exclusive of
sweeps: Cards 3; Big Cassino 2; Little Cassino 1; the four Aces 4; the
spade Jack 1, and 13 spades. It must be remembered that the spade Jack
and deuce count 2 points each, the extra point being for the spade.
The game is scored on a cribbage board, every point being pegged
immediately; that is, every spade, every Ace, the Cassinos and the
sweeps. There is nothing to count at the end of the hand but the cards.
Sixty-one points is game, once round the board and into the game hole.
DRAW CASSINO.
In this variation, no more cards are dealt after the first round, but
each player keeps his hand filled to four cards by drawing one from
the top of the stock as soon as he plays one from his hand. The stock
is left on the table, face down, slightly spread, for convenience in
slipping off the top card as it is drawn.
CONQUIAN.
The etymology of this word is Spanish; _con quién_, “with whom,” but of
the game it stands for, little or nothing is known except that it is
a great favorite in Mexico, and in all the American States bordering
upon it, especially Texas. It is an excellent game for two players,
quite different from any other in its principles, and requiring very
close attention and a good memory to play it well. In its finer points,
especially in the judgment of what the adversary holds or is playing
for, it ranks with our best games, and will probably grow in popularity
as it becomes better known.
_=Cards.=_ Conquian is played with the Spanish pack, forty cards, the
8 9 10 of each suit being deleted. In America, it is much more common
to play with a pack of forty cards from which the three court cards, K
Q J, have been discarded, leaving each suit an unbroken sequence from
the Ace to the Ten. Some persons play with the full pack, but it spoils
the game; as it is then possible to win on a sequence of a single suit.
There are no trumps, and the cards have no value as to rank, a sequence
of 6 7 J being no better than one of 2 3 4. The Ace is not in sequence
with the King.
_=Counters.=_ Each player should be supplied with at least ten
counters, which may be used in settling at the end of each deal.
_=Players.=_ Conquian is played by two persons, one of whom is known as
the dealer, and the other as the pone. If there are three at the table,
the dealer takes no cards, and has no part in the game for that hand.
_=Cutting.=_ Seats and deal are cut for, the lowest cut having the
choice, and dealing the first hand. The Ace is low, the King high.
_=Stakes.=_ Each deal is a game in itself, and the loser pays one
counter for it. If the game is a tie, called a _=tableau=_, each puts
up a counter for a pool, and the winner of the next game takes the
pool, in addition to the counter paid by his adversary. If the next
game is also a tableau, each player adds another counter to the pool,
and so on until it is won.
_=Dealing.=_ Ten cards are dealt to each player in five rounds of two
at a time, and the twenty remaining in the stock are laid upon the
table face down, between the players, but a little to the left of the
dealer. The stock may be slightly spread, to facilitate the process of
drawing cards from it.
_=Objects of the Game.=_The object of each player is to form triplets,
fours, and sequences, by combining the cards dealt him with others
drawn from the stock. These combinations are laid upon the table, face
up, and the player wins the game who first succeeds in laying down
eleven cards in this manner.
_=Sequences=_ must be all of the same suit, and cannot be shorter than
three cards. The Ace is not in sequence with the King, but the 7 is
next below the Jack. A sequence once started can be added to from time
to time as the cards are drawn from the stock.
_=Triplets=_ are any three cards of the same denomination, and they may
be increased to _=Fours=_ at any time, by adding the other card.
_=Borrowing.=_ A player with four of a kind on the table may borrow
any one of the four to use in a sequence; but he cannot borrow one of
three, because no combination may consist of less than three cards.
In the same manner a player may borrow the card at either end of a
sequence of at least four cards, if he can use it to make a triplet.
He cannot borrow an intermediate card, nor one of a sequence of three
cards only, because three cards must be left to maintain the sequence,
but if he had a sequence of at least five cards on the table, he might
borrow the top of it to make one triplet, and then the next card to
make another triplet.
_=Method of Playing.=_ The cards dealt, each player sorts his hand into
sequences and triplets, and determines what cards he wants to complete
his runs, so that he may be on the lookout for them. The pone then
draws the top card from the stock and turns it face up on the pack. If
this card can be used in combination with any of those in his hand, he
draws it over to his side of the table, and takes from his hand the
cards completing the combination of three cards, leaving them all face
up. Even if he has cards enough in his hand to increase the combination
to four or more cards, he should not show them. The cards drawn from
the stock must never be taken into the hand.
Let us suppose the pone holds these cards:--♡ J 7 6 4; ♠ 5 3 2; ♢ K 7
5; and that the ♡ 5 is the first card he draws. He can use this card
in three ways: By making a run of three with the ♡ 4 and ♡ 6; or a run
with the ♡ 6 and ♡ 7; or a triplet with the two other 5’s. In this
case he would probably lay out the 6 and 7, and make the run of three.
If he should draw the ♡ Q later on, he could use it by continuing the
sequence with his Jack; or if the ♡ 3 appeared, he could use it with
his ♡ 4.
_=Passing.=_ If he cannot use the card drawn, or does not wish to,
he draws it from its position on the top of the stock and places it
between himself and the dealer, still face up. The dealer then decides
whether or not he wants it, and if he does not he “passes” it by
turning it face down, and pushing it to his right. Cards once passed
in this manner cannot again be seen by either player. The player who
passes the card turns up the next one on the stock. If he does not want
it, he places it on the table between himself and his adversary, and if
his adversary does not want it either, he turns it down and passes it
to the pile of deadwood, turning up the top card of the stock again.
In this manner it will be seen that each player has to decide on two
cards in succession; the one drawn but not used by his adversary,
and the one he draws himself. This is continued until the stock is
exhausted, which ends the game.
_=Discarding.=_ If a player uses any card drawn from the stock in this
manner, it is obvious that he has too many cards, and in order to
reduce his hand and show-downs to ten cards, he must discard something,
unless he can show down everything remaining in his hand, in which case
he would have eleven cards down, and win the game. In discarding, the
card thrown out is placed at the disposal of the adversary, as if it
were the card drawn from the stock, and if the adversary does not want
it, he passes it and draws another. It should be observed that the
player drawing the card from the stock always has the first refusal of
it. This is sometimes very important, as both players often need the
same card.
In the foregoing example, the player’s best discard would be his ♢ K,
which is too far removed from the others in the suit to make a run
possible, and there is no mate to it with which to start a triplet.
If the adversary could use this King, he would have to discard in his
turn, and the card so thrown out would be at the disposal of the other
player, just as if it had been drawn from the stock.
_=Forcing.=_ A player need not use any card drawn, but if he has upon
the table any combination in which it can be used, his adversary may
force him with it, even after it has been declined. For instance: A
player has eight cards down, two sequences of four small cards each,
and in his hand a pair of Kings. Another King will make him game; but
if he has to depend on his sequences to put him out, he will have to
get three more cards. Suppose he draws a card that will fit one of his
sequences; it is to his advantage to pass it; but upon laying it on the
table his adversary may take it up and force him with it, by placing
it at the end of his sequence, at the same time saying: “Discard.” In
the same manner a player holding one of the cards of his adversary’s
show-down sequence or triplet may force after using a card, by placing
his discard on his adversary’s sequence, instead of laying it on the
table. If it is laid on the table, the adversary may pass it at once,
by turning it down, and it is then too late to compel him to use
it. Suppose you think your adversary holds two cards of an unplayed
sequence, and has a triplet on the table. If you can use one of those
sequence cards in his hand to advantage, and can force him by giving
him the fourth card of his triplet, which is of no use to you, you
should do so; but you must remember that you cannot force except after
using a card yourself, because you are not allowed to discard under
any other circumstances.
If a player looks at any of the cards that have been passed and turned
down, his adversary may take up and examine the remainder of the stock,
but without disturbing the position of the cards therein, and without
showing them. If a player looks at any of the cards in the stock except
the one he draws, his adversary may look at all of them. If a player
draws out of turn, his adversary simply claims the card.
_=Showing.=_ After the last card is drawn from the stock and passed,
each player shows the remainder of his hand, and as neither can combine
his cards so as to get eleven down, it is a tableau, and each puts a
counter in the pool for the next hand. The deal passes from one player
to the other in rotation as long as they continue to play.
_=Suggestions for Good Play.=_ Observation of the cards passed will
usually show what the adversary is keeping, and what he has no chance
for. Toward the end of the stock each player should know what the other
holds in his hand by the cards which have not appeared in the drawing.
If a player has not a good chance to get eleven down himself, he should
play for a tableau, by using nothing that will compel him to discard
cards which may put his adversary out. It should be remembered that a
player cannot get eleven down in one suit, and careful observation of
the cards passed will often show that his runs are blocked, the cards
necessary to continue them having been turned down.
One peculiar feature of the game is that a player cannot block his
adversary and at the same time win the game, because so long as he
holds up the card that his adversary wants he cannot get eleven down
himself. His only chance is that he may be able to use the card that
his adversary needs. For instance: He holds two 8’s, one of which will
make his adversary eleven down by completing a sequence. If there is
another 8 to come, the player with the pair may use both his 8’s, and
win; but if there is no other 8 to come, it is impossible for the
player with the two 8’s to win without first putting his adversary out.
There are no _=Text Books=_ on Conquian, and this is the first complete
description of it ever published.
CALABRASELLA.