the person drawing the lowest card deals the first hand. The ace is
low. Each player then deposits a counter in the pool, and the cards are
distributed one at a time until the pack is exhausted. If some players
have a card more than others it makes no difference.
The _=object=_ of the game is to secure tricks consisting of four cards
of the same denomination; such as four 6’s or four K’s, and the player
having the most tricks of this kind wins the pool. Ties divide it.
The player on the left of the dealer begins by _=asking=_ for a certain
card, which must be of the same denomination as one already in his
hand. For instance: He holds the spade Ten. He may ask any one at the
table for either of the three other Tens; but he must designate the
suit, and must ask a particular player for the card wanted. If the
player asked has the card, he must immediately surrender it, and the
player to whom it is given can then ask again--any player for any card,
always provided that the asker has one of the same denomination in his
own hand.
If the person asked has not the card demanded, the privilege of asking
is transferred to him, and he may ask any person at the table for any
card of the same denomination as one already in his own hand. If he has
just been asked for a Ten, for instance, and has a Ten, but not of the
suit asked for, he might turn upon his questioner and get a Ten from
him, if he could guess the right suit.
As soon as any player gets together four cards of the same
denomination, he lays them face down upon the table in front of him,
and they form a trick.
A good memory is necessary to play this game well, as it is very
important to recall who has asked for certain cards, and which players
were unable to supply them. It is a legitimate artifice in the game to
ask for a card you already have in your own hand, although you know it
will lose your guess, because it may be the only way to prevent another
player from drawing several valuable cards from you. For instance: You
hold the Fives of diamonds and spades, and have asked for and received
the Five of clubs. If you ask for the heart Five, and miss it, the
player with that card may draw all yours; but if you ask for the spade
Five, and he gets into the ask, he will at once betray the fact that
he holds the fourth Five by asking you for the club Five; but he will
never think of asking you for the spade Five, because you asked for it
yourself. If you can get into the ask again you can immediately make a
trick in Fives.
SPECULATION.
Any number of persons less than ten can play, each contributing an
agreed number of counters to the pool, the dealer paying double. The
full pack of fifty-two cards is used, and the cards rank from the A K Q
down to the 2.
In _=dealing=_, the cards are distributed from left to right, one at
a time, until each player has received three. The next card on the
top of the pack is turned up, and the suit to which it belongs is the
trump, and forms the basis of speculation for that deal. If the turn-up
card is an ace, the dealer takes the pool immediately, and the deal
passes to the left. If the turn-up is a K Q or J, the dealer offers it
for sale, before a card is looked at, and he may accept or refuse the
amount offered. Whether the card is sold or not, all the cards that
have been dealt out are turned face up, and the highest card of the
turn-up suit wins the pool. If the card is not an honour, the dealer
proceeds to sell it before any player is allowed to look at any of the
cards dealt. If any one buys the dealer’s turn-up card, the purchaser
places it on his own cards, leaving it face up. Whether it is sold or
not, the elder hand proceeds to turn up the top card of his three.
If this is not a trump, the next player on his left turns up his top
card, and so on until a trump is turned that is better than the one
already exposed. The player who possesses the original turn-up, does
not expose any more of his cards until a better trump is shown. As soon
as a better trump appears it is offered for sale, and after it is sold
or refused, the cards are turned up again until a better trump appears,
or all the cards have been exposed. The holder of the best trump at the
end takes the pool.
OLD MAID.
Strange to say, this oft-quoted and continually derided game is not
mentioned in any work on cards, a singular omission which we hasten to
supply.
Any number of young ladies may play, and a pack of fifty-one cards is
used, the Queen of hearts having been deleted. Any player can deal the
cards, which are distributed one at a time until the pack is exhausted;
if every player has not the same number it does not matter. Beginning
with the eldest hand, each player sorts her cards into pairs of the
same denomination; such as two Fives, two Jacks, etc., and all pairs so
formed are laid upon the table face down, without showing them to the
other players. All the cards laid out in this manner are left in front
of the player, in order to discover errors, if any. Three of a kind
cannot be discarded, but four of a kind may be considered as two pairs.
The discarding of pairs complete, the dealer begins by spreading her
remaining cards like a fan, and presenting them, face downward, to
her left-hand neighbour, who must draw one card at random. The card
so drawn is examined, and if it completes a pair, the two cards are
discarded. Whether it forms a pair or not, the player’s cards are
spread and presented to the next player on the left, to be drawn from
in the same manner.
This process of drawing, forming pairs, and discarding is continued
until it is found that one player remains with one card. This card is
of course the odd Queen, and the unfortunate holder of it is the Old
Maid; but only for that deal.
LIFT SMOKE.
The number of players must be limited to six, each of whom deposits a
counter in the pool. A full pack of fifty-two cards is used. The cards
rank from the ace down to the deuce, as at Whist. If there are four
players, six cards are dealt to each, one at a time; if five play, five
cards to each, and if six play, four cards to each. The last card that
falls to the dealer is turned up for the trump, and the remainder of
the pack is placed in the centre of the table as a stock to draw from.
The eldest hand leads for the first trick, and the others must follow
suit if they can. The highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the
trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of each trick draws
the top card from the talon, and leads again. When any player’s cards
are exhausted he withdraws from the game, and the others continue. The
player who remains to the end, having a card when his adversary has
none, wins the pool. If two players remain with a card each, the winner
of the trick draws from the stock, and the card so drawn wins the game,
his adversary having none.
EARL OF COVENTRY.
This game is sometimes called Snip Snap Snorem, by those who are not
of a poetical turn of mind. Any number of persons may play, and a full
pack of cards is dealt out, one at a time. If some players have a card
more than others, it does not matter. The eldest hand lays upon the
table any card he pleases, and each player in turn pairs or matches
it, if he can, with another of the same denomination, accompanying
the action with a rhyme. Suppose the first card played is a King; the
person playing it would say: “There’s as good as King can be.” The
first player to lay down another King would say: “There is one as good
as he.” The player holding the third King would say: “There’s the best
of all the three,” and the holder of the fourth would then triumphantly
exclaim: “And there’s the Earl of Coventry.”
The fortunate holder of the Earl of Coventry in each round has the
privilege of leading a card for the next trick, and the first player
to get rid of all his cards wins one counter from the others for every
card they hold. The words, “Snip, Snap, Snorem,” may be substituted for
the foregoing rhymes if time is short.
_=Jig=_ is a variation of Earl of Coventry in which the next higher
in sequence and suit must be played, if the player has it, until four
cards are shown. The one who lays down the last of the sequence of four
cards starts a fresh sequence, and the winner is the one who can first
get rid of all the cards originally dealt him. All the others then pay
him a counter for each card they have left.
COMMIT.
The etymology of this word has been quite overlooked by those who have
described the game. The word is from the French, cométe, a comet; but
instead of being an equivalent in English, it is simply a phonetic
equivalent; Commit, instead of Comet. Tenac informs us that the game
was invented during the appearance of Halley’s comet; and the idea of
the game is that of a string of cards forming a tail to the one first
played, a feature which is common to quite a number of the older games
of cards.
Commit is played by any number of persons, with a pack of fifty-one
cards, the Eight of diamonds having been deleted. The players draw for
positions at the table and for the first deal, and make up a pool.
The cards have no value except the order of their sequence in the
various suits. The ace is not in sequence with the King, but below the
2. The dealer distributes the cards, one at a time to each player in
rotation, as far as they will go, leaving any odd cards on the table
face downward, to form what are known as _=stops=_. As it is desirable
to have a number of these stops, it is usual to give only nine cards to
each when there are five players.
The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases which he lays
face upward in the centre of the table. If he holds any other cards
in sequence above it, he must play them, and when he can no longer
continue the series, he says aloud: “Without the Jack,” or whatever the
card may be that he fails on. The player on his left must then continue
the sequence in the same suit, if he can; or he must say: “Without
the Jack.” When the sequence reaches the King, it is stopped, and the
player who held the King receives a counter from each player at the
table. The same player then begins another sequence with any card he
pleases. If a sequence is opened with an ace, a counter may be demanded
from each player at the table.
If a sequence is stopped, which it will be if the card necessary to
continue it is in the stock, or if the diamonds are run up to the
Seven, the person who plays the last card before the stop is entitled
to begin another sequence. Should any player who is unable to continue
a sequence in his proper turn, hold the Nine of diamonds, he may play
that card, and the player following him is then at liberty to continue
the original sequence or to play the Ten of diamonds, following up that
sequence. When the Nine of diamonds is played, the holder receives two
counters from each player at the table; but if it is not got rid of
in play, the holder of it must pay two counters to each of the other
players.
The first player to get rid of all his cards wins the pool, and the
cards remaining in the other hands are then exposed. Any player holding
a King must pay a counter for it to each of the other players.
MATRIMONY.
Any number of persons may play, and a full pack of fifty-two cards is
used. Each player should be provided with an equal number of counters,
to which a trifling value may be attached. A strip of paper is placed
in the centre of the table, marked as follows:--
+------------+-----------+--------------+-------+-------+
| Matrimony. | Intrigue. | Confederacy. | Pair. | Best. |
+------------+-----------+--------------+-------+-------+
Any King and Queen is _=Matrimony=_; any Queen and Jack is
_=Intrigue=_; any King and Jack is _=Confederacy=_; any two cards of
the same denomination form a _=Pair=_, and the diamond ace is always
_=Best=_.
The players draw, and the lowest card deals: ace is low. The dealer
then takes any number of counters he chooses, and distributes them as
he pleases on the various divisions of the layout. Each player then
takes a number of counters one less than the dealer’s, and distributes
them according to his fancy.
The cards are then cut, and the dealer gives one to each player, face
down; and then another, face up. If any of the latter should be the
diamond ace, the player to whom it is dealt takes everything on the
layout, and the cards are gathered and shuffled again, the deal passing
to the left, the new dealer beginning a fresh pool. If the diamond
ace is not turned up, each player in turn, beginning with the eldest
hand, exposes his down card. The first player to discover Matrimony in
his two cards, takes all that has been staked on that division of the
layout. The first to discover Intrigue or Confederacy, takes all on
that, and the first player to expose a Pair takes that pool. The ace of
diamonds is of no value except as one of a pair, if it is one of the
cards that were dealt to the players face down. The pool for it remains
until the card is dealt to some player face up. Any of the pools which
are not won must remain until the following deal, and may be added to.
POPE JOAN.
This game is a combination of the layout in Matrimony, and the manner
of playing in Commit. There are a great many ways of dividing the
layout, but the following is the simplest. Five cards are taken from an
old pack, and are laid out in the centre of the table, or their names
are written on a sheet of paper.
[Illustration:
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🃇
🃊 🃛
]
The cards are thrown round for the deal, and the first Jack deals. The
cards are distributed one at a time, the full pack of fifty-two cards
being used. The following table will show the number of cards to be
given to each player, and that left in the stock to form stops.
3 Players, 15 cards each 7 in the stock.
4 ” 12 ” 4 ”
5 ” 9 ” 7 ”
6 ” 8 ” 4 ”
7 ” 7 ” 3 ”
8 ” 6 ” 4 ”
Before the deal, the dealer must dress the layout, by putting one
counter upon the Ten, two upon the Jack, three upon the Queen, four
upon the King, and five on the Pope, which is the Seven (or the Nine)
of diamonds.
The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases, and if he has
those in sequence and suit with it and above it, he continues to play
until he fails. He then says “No six,” or whatever the card may be that
he stops on. The next player on his left then continues the sequence
if he can, or if he cannot, he says, “No six,” also, and it passes to
the next player. If no one can continue, the card must be in the stock,
which remains on the table face down and unseen. When one sequence _is_
stopped in this manner, the last player has the right to begin another
with any card he pleases.
The object of the game is twofold; to get rid of all the cards before
any other player does so, and to get rid of the cards which appear on
the layout. If the duplicate of any of those cards can be played, the
holder of the card at once takes all the money staked upon it; but if
he fails to get rid of it before some player wins the game by getting
rid of all his cards, the player who is found with one of the layout
cards in his hand at the end must double the amount staked on that
card, to which the next dealer will add the usual contribution.
The player who first gets rid of all his cards collects from the other
players a counter for every card they hold. These cards must be exposed
face up on the table, so that all may see who has to double the various
pools. If any of the layout cards are in the stock, the pool simply
remains, without doubling.
There are a great many variations of Pope Joan. Sometimes a layout very
similar to that in Matrimony is used, Pope taking the place of Pair,
and Game that of Best. A trump is turned by the dealer, and Matrimony
is King and Queen of trumps, Intrigue Queen and Jack of trumps,
Confederacy, King and Jack of trumps. The player holding these cards
will of course be able to play both of them if he can play one in a
sequence, and will take the pool for the combination. If he holds one
card and another player holds the other, they divide the pool. If one
of the cards is in the stock, the pool remains. In some places it is
the custom to remove the Eight of diamonds, as at Commit, to form an
extra and known stop. The player first getting rid of his cards takes
the pool on Game, and the holder of Pope takes that pool if he can get
rid of the card in the course of play, if not, he must double the pool,
just as with the honours in trumps.
NEWMARKET, OR STOPS.
This game, which is sometimes called Boodle, is Pope Joan without
the pope. The four cards forming the layout are the ♡A, ♣K, ♢Q, ♠J;
but there is no ♢7. The dealer names any number of counters that he
is willing to stake, which must be at least four, and each player at
the table must stake a similar amount. The counters are placed on the
layout to suit the players, either all upon one card, or distributed
among the four. The cards are dealt as at Pope Joan, and the same
number must be left in the talon.
Instead of the player being at liberty to begin a sequence with any
card he pleases, he must begin with the lowest card in his hand of the
suit which he selects. He is not restricted as to suit, but must play
all he has in sequence, and then name the card that he fails on. If a
new sequence is opened by any player, he must play the lowest card of
the suit in his hand.
If, in the course of play, any of the four cards on the layout can be
got rid of, the player holding them takes the pool on that card. If
he is left with the card in his hand at the end he is not obliged to
double the pool, as at Pope Joan, but simply loses his chance to win
it, and it remains until the next deal. The first player to get rid of
all his cards receives one counter from the other players for each card
they hold.
_=SPIN=_ is Newmarket, with one variation. The player holding the
diamond ace is allowed to play it in order to get the privilege of
stopping one suit and opening another. For instance: The sequence in
spades has run to the Nine, and one player holds both spade Ten and
diamond ace. If this player saw that another was very likely to win the
game at any moment, and he had a pool card to play, he might stop the
spade sequence by playing both the Ten and the diamond ace together,
announcing _=Spin=_. He can then play a pool card, or begin a new
sequence with the lowest of the suit in his hand. He cannot play the
diamond ace unless he can play to the sequence first.
_=SARATOGA.=_ This varies from Newmarket only in the method of making
up the pool. Instead of leaving the players to distribute their stakes
at pleasure, each is compelled to place an agreed amount on each of the
pool cards, as at Pope Joan.
POCHEN.
This is a round game for any number of players from three to six, with
a thirty-two-card pack. The layout has a centre division for pools and
seven other divisions round it, marked, respectively, A, K, Q, J, 10,
Marriage, Sequence. Each player dresses the layout by placing a counter
in each of the eight divisions. The dealer then gives cards three and
then two at a time, as far as they will go equally, turning up the next
for the trump.
The holders of the five highest trumps show them and take the
corresponding pools, Ace of trumps the A pool, etc. If any player holds
both K and Q of trumps, he takes the pool for marriage. The player
holding the highest and longest sequence in any suit takes the pool for
sequence; but the sequence must be at least three cards. Pools not won
remain until the next deal.
After the pools round the edge are all decided, the players bet for the
centre pool, or pochen. Any player with a pair, or three of a kind,
wishing to bet on them, puts as many counters as he pleases into the
centre pool, and any player willing to bet against him must put in a
like amount. There is no raising these bets, and the players in order
to the left of the dealer have the first say as to betting, or passing.
The higher pair wins. Threes beat pairs, and four of a kind is the best
hand possible.
This pool settled, the play of the cards follows. Eldest hand leads any
card he pleases and each in turn to the left must follow in sequence
and suit, playing the 10 on the 9, the J on the 10, etc., until the K
is reached. The player who has the King, or the highest card, if the
King is in the stock, starts again with any card he pleases. Any player
who cannot continue the sequence in his turn must pass that round.
As soon as one player gets rid of his last card the game is at an end
and every player at the table must pay him a counter for each card
held. The deal then passes to the left and the layout is dressed for
the next hand.
RANTER GO ROUND.
This is a round game for any number of players who make up a pool or
stake to be played for. A full pack of fifty-two cards is used and each
player has three markers. The dealer gives one card to each, face down.
This card is examined and if it is not satisfactory it is passed to the
player on the left, the object being to avoid holding the lowest card
at the table.
If the player on the left holds any card but a king, he is obliged
to exchange. If the one who is forced to exchange gives an ace or a
deuce, he announces it; but the player who demands the exchange is not
allowed to say what he gives, as the card may be passed on. Each player
in turn to the left may exchange, or he may pass, which means that he
is satisfied with his card.
When it comes round to the dealer, he cannot exchange; but he may cut
the pack and take the top card. All the cards are then turned face up,
and the lowest shown loses a counter. The deal passes to the left. When
all the players but one have lost all their markers, the survivor takes
the pool.
FIVE OR NINE.
This game, which is sometimes called Domino Whist, is simply Pope Joan
or Matrimony without the layout. Any number of persons may play, and
the full pack of fifty-two cards is used, the cards being dealt in
proportion to the number of players, as at Pope Joan.
The eldest hand must begin by laying out the Five or Nine of some suit
to start the first sequence. If he has neither of those cards he must
pass, and the first player on his left who has a Five or a Nine must
begin. The next player on the left must then continue the sequence in
the same suit if he can, but he may play either up or down, laying the
card on the right or left of the starter. If a Five is led, he may
play a Four or a Six. Only one card is played at a time by each person
in turn. Any person not being able to continue the sequence may start
another if he has another Five, but he cannot start one with a Nine
unless the first starter in the game was a Nine. He is also at liberty
to start a new sequence with a Five or Nine instead of continuing the
old, but he must play if he can, one or the other. If he is unable to
play, he must pay one counter into the pool, which is won by the first
player who gets rid of all his cards. The winner is also paid a counter
for every card held by the other players.
FAN TAN.
This is the simplest form of Stops, and requires no layout. Any number
of players can take part, and a full pack of fifty-two cards is used.
The players cut for deal and seats, low having the choice. Ace is low.
The players are provided with an equal number of counters, and before
the cards are dealt, each places an agreed number in the pool. All the
cards are dealt out. If some have more than others it does not matter.
The eldest hand begins by playing any card he pleases, and the next
player on his left must either play the card next above it, or put one
counter in the pool. Only one card is played at a time, and after the
sequence has arrived at the King it must be continued with the ace, and
go on until the suit is exhausted. The person who plays the thirteenth
card of any suit must start another sequence, in any suit and with any
card he pleases. The player who first gets rid of all his cards takes
the pool.
The great trick in this game is to provide for the last suit to be
played, and in order to have the selection of the second suit it is
usual for the eldest hand to begin with the higher of two cards next in
value to each other, which will make him the last player in that suit.
Each suit is turned face down as it is exhausted.
SOLITAIRE.
All games of Solitaire are played with the full pack of fifty-two
cards. The games may be roughly divided into two classes; those in
which the result is entirely dependent on chance, and cannot be changed
by the player after the cards have been shuffled and cut; and those
which present opportunities for judgment and skill, the choice of
several ways to the same end being offered to the player at various
stages of the game. The first class is of course the simplest, but the
least satisfactory, as it is nothing more than a game of chance.
Of the many hundreds of patience games, it is possible to give only a
few of the best known.