This is a game largely played in the United States and in Canada, but not
so well known in this country as it deserves to be, though one variety of
it has been played in London clubs. It is primarily and specifically a game
for three players; and this is one of its greatest merits, for good
three-handed games are rare.
"Five Hundred" has been characterised as a "patchwork" or "mosaic" game;
but such expressions do not do it justice, as tending to create the
impression that it is a thing of shreds picked up here and there, and
indifferently joined together. It does, indeed, borrow its elements from
sundry older games: Euchre, Loo, Nap, and Auction Bridge: but by combining
these elements into a new and harmonious whole, it achieves a sum total
that produces the effect of novelty without taxing our brains to assimilate
unfamiliar and bizarre ideas.
It appears to many people to contain all the merits of Auction Bridge
without the patent defects of the latter--the interminable length of the
rubber, the undefined limits of loss, and the supersession of skill by
"bluff."
In the following description, the typical form of the game is assumed, in
which three players take part, each being opposed to both the others. The
pack used is the piquet pack of thirty-two cards (cards below the seven
being omitted) _plus_ the Joker--thirty-three cards in all. {258}
Those who are not Euchre-players must begin by familiarising themselves
with the functions of the Joker, and with the peculiar rank and attributes
of the Right and Left Bower.
When there are trumps, the Joker is the master trump; then follows the
knave of trumps (the "Right Bower"); then the other knave of the same
colour (the "Left Bower"); after which come the ace, king, queen, ten,
nine, eight, seven of trumps, in descending order. The trump suit thus
consists of _ten_ cards; the plain suit of the same colour consists of
_seven_ only; the other two plain suits consist of eight each. The knaves
of the latter two suits take their ordinary Whist and Bridge rank, between
the queen and the 10.
When there are no trumps, all the cards, except the Joker, rank as in Whist
or Bridge. The Joker remains the master card of the pack; if it is led, the
leader names the suit which he elects it to represent, and the other
players must follow suit accordingly.
In cutting for deal, the Joker is the lowest card, and an ace the next
higher. After which come the 7, &c., upwards to the king.
After shuffling and cutting, the dealer distributes three rounds of three
cards each to the three players, followed by one round of one card each.
The remaining three cards are laid face downwards on the table, and
constitute the "widow."
The bidding then begins. The eldest hand has the first right to declare how
many tricks (not fewer than six) he will contract to win. At the same time,
he must either name a trump suit or declare No-trumps. The eldest hand is
not bound to bid, but may pass. Each successive player, in the usual Bridge
order, may {259} either overbid, or may also pass. A player who has once
"passed" cannot subsequently bid. With this exception, the bidding and
overbidding continue, until every one is content. If no player bids, the
cards are played No-trumps, and in this case the "widow" remains
unappropriated, the eldest hand has the first lead, and each player scores
10 points for each trick that he may make.
When the bidding, if any, is completed, the player who bid the
highest,--thenceforward known as "the bidder,"--has the first lead.
The bidder, before playing, takes the "widow" into his own hand, and then
discards any three cards out of the thirteen. These rejected cards are to
be laid face downwards on the table, and may not be inspected by any one.
There are penalties for discarding too many or too few cards, and for
illegally looking at the discard.
The value of any bid depends, as in Auction Bridge, partly on the number of
tricks contracted for, and partly on the declaration as to trumps. The best
and most modern schedule (known as the "Avondale") is as follows:--
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Bids | Tricks | Tricks | Tricks | Tricks | Tricks |
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| In Spades | 40 | 140 | 240 | 340 | 440 |
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| In Clubs | 60 | 160 | 260 | 360 | 460 |
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| In Diamonds | 80 | 180 | 280 | 380 | 480 |
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| In Hearts | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| In No-trumps | 120 | 220 | 320 | 420 | 520 |
+--------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
{260}
The scale is uniform, and easy to remember. The numbers increase downwards
by 20 at a time, and horizontally by 100 at a time. It will be noticed that
no two bids are numerically equal.
There are certain restrictions on the power of the Joker in the case of
No-trumps. The leader of it cannot nominate it to be of a suit in which he
has previously renounced; and if he plays it (not being the leader) to the
lead of a suit in which he has previously renounced, it has no winning
value.
When there are trumps, the Joker and both Bowers form part of the trump
suit in the order of precedence already explained.
If the bidder fulfils his contract, or makes any greater number of tricks
fewer than ten, he scores the number of points set out in the above table,
_but no more_. If he wins all the ten tricks, he scores a _minimum_ of 250;
but if his bid be worth more than 250, he scores nothing extra. Should he
fail in his contract, the value of his bid is set down in his _minus_
column, and has to be deducted from his past or future _plus_ score. In
every case, each opponent of the bidder scores 10 points for every trick
that he wins.
The winner of the game is he who first scores 500 points (hence the title
of the game). If two players score more than 500 each in the same deal, one
of them being the bidder, the latter is the winner. If neither is the
bidder, he who first makes the trick that brings his score over 500 is the
winner.
Each player keeps his score in three columns, one for _plus_ points (headed
"WON"), one for _minus_ points (headed "LOST"), and the third for the net
total. {261}