The nine of hearts has long been regarded as the wish card; that is to
say, if a player wins this card, in any agreed manner, he or she will
have a wish fulfilled.
The most usual way to decide who is to be the lucky individual is for
the players to sit around the table and for each to write down a wish
on a slip of paper, and then to initial it. That done, the papers are
collected and set aside to await the decision of the cards.
The cards are dealt to the players in turn in the ordinary manner from
a full pack. Just how many each person is to receive depends on the
number of players, but all must have the same number, and each should
be given as many as the pack allows. Thus, there will often be a few
cards left over. These are set in the middle of the table and not used.
When play starts, somebody begins by turning over the first card on
his or her pack. If this is a numeral card, the next person follows
by turning over the first card on his or her pack, and so the play
continues round the table. But, if someone turns over a jack, the next
person must pay that person one card, i.e., the card coming first
on his pack. If a queen is turned over, the payment is the next two
cards; if it is a king, the next three cards, while an ace requires the
payment of the four next cards. The person playing the jack, queen,
king or ace takes not only the cards paid but any that may be lying
face upwards in front of the person paying. All paid cards are placed
at the bottom of the receiver's pack.
There is one point more to note; if, while in the act of paying, the
payer turns over a jack, queen, king or ace his debt is cancelled, the
previous player gets nothing and the next player has to enter upon the
business of paying.
As soon as one player has lost all his or her cards, the game stops and
everybody glances through his or her pack to see who possesses the wish
card, the nine of hearts. The lucky individual is then given the slip
of paper on which his wish is written and must read it out loud. Not
until it has been announced to all the company will the Fates take any
consideration of it.