Chapter V (20)

_=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.

This is a very popular game with the middle classes and the unoccupied clergy in Italy, and it is one of the very few good games of cards for three players. If the game were better known, the author is sure it would become a great favourite, especially with those who are fond of the whist family, because Calabrasella is an excellent training school for the use of cards of re-entry, long suits, and tenace positions in the end game. In the combination of two players against the third its tactics very closely resemble Skat, and many interesting and difficult positions occur in every game.

_=Cards.=_ Calabrasella is played with the Spanish pack, forty cards, the 10 9 and 8 of each suit being discarded. The cards rank: 3 2 A K Q J 7 6 5 4, the 3 being the highest, and the 4 the lowest, both in cutting and in play. There are no trumps.

_=Markers.=_ The game may be scored by paying and taking in counters, each player being provided with about fifty at the beginning of the game, which are purchased from a banker; but the better way is to keep account of the gains and losses of the single player in each deal, in the manner already described in connection with Skat, balancing the account at the end in the same way.

_=Players.=_ Calabrasella is played by three persons, two of whom are partners against the third in each hand. If four play, the dealer takes no cards, but shares the fortunes of those who are opposed to the single player, just as in Skat. The players on the right and left of the dealer are known as the pone and the eldest hand respectively.

_=Cutting.=_ The players cut for seats and deal, the lowest card having the first choice and dealing the first hand. A player exposing more than one card must cut again.

_=Stakes.=_ The game is played for so much a point. The largest winning or loss for the single player is 140, but such an amount is almost impossible, and the average payments are 10 or 20.

_=Dealing.=_ The cards are presented to the pone to be cut, and at least four must be left in each packet. The dealer then distributes them to the players four at a time, until each has twelve, four remaining in the stock or talon, which is left upon the table face down. No trump is turned. The deal passes to the left.

There are no misdeals. If the cards are not properly distributed, or four cards are not left in the talon, the same dealer must deal again, without penalty.

_=Objects of the Game.=_ The chief objects of the game are to win the last trick, and to secure counting cards in the other tricks in the course of play. There are 35 points to be played for in every deal. The six highest cards in each suit, 3 2 A K Q J, have a counting value, the Ace being worth 3, and the others 1 each. The last trick counts 3.

_=Declaring.=_ The eldest hand examines his cards and determines whether or not he will _=stand=_; that is, play single handed against the two others. If not, he says “_=pass=_,” and the next player decides. If all three pass, the deal is void, and passes to the next player on the left. If any player stands, he asks for the 3 of any suit he pleases, and if either adversary holds it, he must give it up. If it is in the stock, the player cannot ask for any other card. If he has all four 3’s in his hand he may ask for a 2, but for no lower card. The adversary giving the card asked for must receive a card in exchange from the hand of the single player, but this card must not be shown to the other adversary.

_=Discarding.=_ Having given a card in exchange for the 3 asked for, the single player must discard at least one more card, face downward on the table, and he may discard as many as four. The four cards remaining in the stock are then turned face up, and the single player may select from them as many cards as he has discarded; but he is not allowed to amend his discard in any way. The cards he does not take, if any, are turned down again, and are placed with his discards, forming a stock of four cards, which must not be seen or touched until the last card is played, when it becomes the property of the side that wins the last trick, and any counting cards it may contain are reckoned for that side.

_=Playing.=_ The discards settled, the eldest hand leads any card he pleases, and the others must follow suit if they can, but no one is obliged to win a trick if he has a smaller card of the suit led, and does not want the lead. The two adversaries of the single player do their best to get him between them, and combine their forces to prevent him from winning tricks that contain counting cards, especially Aces. Whatever tricks they win are placed together, and the counting cards contained in them reckon for their joint account. The tricks have no value as such, except the last.

_=Showing.=_ The winner of the last trick takes the stock, and each side then turns over its cards and counts the total value of the points won. The lower score is deducted from the higher, and the difference is the value of the game. If all 35 points are won by either side, they count double, 70.

_=Scoring.=_ If the single player loses, he loses to both adversaries, and if he wins he wins from both. His score is the only one put down, and the amount is preceded with a minus or plus sign according to the result. If he secures 23 points, he wins 11; if he takes in 16 only, he loses 3. If the amount is less than 18 it must be a loss; if it is 18 or more it must be a gain. The method of balancing the scores at the end will be found fully explained in connection with Skat.

_=Irregularities.=_ The penalty for a revoke is the loss of 9 points, which are taken from the score of the side in error at the end of the hand, and added to the side not in fault. If the final score is 24 to 11, for instance, in favour of the single player, and one of the partners has revoked, the score is 33 to 2, and the player wins 31 points. If any player turns over the stock before he has announced to stand and has discarded at least one card, he loses 35 points to each adversary, and the deal is void. If an adversary of the single player turns over the stock before the player has discarded, there is no penalty, and the player may discard as he pleases. If an adversary of the single player leads or plays out of turn, the player may abandon the hand at that point, and claim the stock and last trick, the adversaries being entitled to count only the points they have won up to the time the error occurred.

_=Suggestions for Good Play.=_ The general tactics of the game are extremely like those employed in Whist and Skat. The player establishes his long suit as rapidly as possible, and preserves his tenaces and cards of re-entry. The adversaries of the player should lead short suits up to him, and long suits through him, and every opportunity should be taken advantage of to discard counting cards on partner’s tricks, Aces especially, which are not the best of the suit, but count the most. Both sides scheme to get their hands in shape for winning the last trick, which usually makes a difference of ten or twelve points in the score, owing to the high cards held back, and those found in the stock. Each side should keep mental count of its score, so as to know whether or not it must win the last trick to get to 18. The exposure of the stock, the number of cards discarded by the player, the suits which are led and avoided, will all prove useful guides in determining where the strength or weakness in each suit lies, and proper advantage should be taken of all such inferences.

Some judgment is required in selecting the suit in which the 3 is to be asked for, and the single player must plan in advance for all his discards, one for the exchange, and those for the stock. The player’s position at the table makes quite a difference. The leader has an advantage with a good long suit; but with tenaces it is better to be third player, and very bad to be second hand.

Some pretty positions arise in the end game through the refusal of players to win tricks which would put them in the lead, and so lose them the last trick and the stock. After the first few tricks, everything must be arranged with a view to securing that last trick, but the importance of getting home with Aces must never be overlooked. These count 12 points in every hand, and the side that can get in three out of the four has 6 points the best of it.

The only _=Text Book=_ on this game is the Pocket Guide, by “Cavendish”; there are some good articles in Vol. III. of the “_Westminster Papers_.”

VINT.

While this game is by some persons thought to be the forerunner of bridge, and might be classed as one of the whist family, it is at present so little known outside of Russia, where it is the national game, that the author has thought it best to group it with other games which are distinctly national in character.

Vint has been variously described as bridge without a Dummy and as auction whist. It resembles bridge in the making of the trump, and whist in the manner of the play.

_=Cards.=_ Vint is played with the full pack of fifty-two cards, which rank from the A K Q down to the deuce. Two packs are generally used.

_=Players.=_ A table is complete with four players, and if there are more than four candidates for play the selection must be made by cutting. All the rules for formation of tables, cutting, ties, etc., are the same as at bridge. The lowest cut takes the deal. Partners sit opposite each other.

_=Dealing.=_ The dealer presents the pack to be cut, and then gives thirteen cards to each player, one at a time. No trump is turned. The deal passes to the left. All irregularities are governed by the same laws as bridge.

_=Making the trump.=_ Each player in turn, beginning with the dealer, bids to make a certain number of tricks, from seven to thirteen, with a suit of his own choosing, which he names when he makes his bid. The suits outrank one another in the order of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, hearts being the best. No-trumps are higher than hearts. A bid of seven tricks is usually called “one” in hearts, or whatever the suit may be. A bid of “two” means to win eight tricks, or two over the book.

_=Bidding.=_ If a player wishes to go over the first offer made, he must either bid the same number of tricks in a better suit, or he must increase the number of tricks. No player can increase his own bid unless he is overbid in the interval, but there is no limit to the number of times that players may outbid one another. Observe that the dealer may bid or pass, and each player after him in turn may bid or pass. The highest bidder must abide by his announcement both as to the number of tricks and the suit.

_=The Play.=_ No matter who dealt the cards, the player to the left of the highest bidder always leads for the first trick. Each player in turn must follow suit if he can, and the highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the trick, trumps winning all other suits. The winner of one trick leads for the next, and so on. There is no Dummy hand as in bridge.

_=Scoring.=_ Although the bidding is for so many “odd” tricks, or tricks over the book, every trick taken is counted when it comes to the scoring; but it is the number of tricks bid, and not the rank of the suit, that determines the value. Every trick won by the same partners--

In a bid of “one” is worth 10
In a bid of “two” is worth 20
In a bid of “three” is worth 30
In a bid of “four” is worth 40
In a bid of “five” is worth 50
In a bid of “six” is worth 60
In a bid of “seven” is worth 70

Both sides score. If the highest bid was “two in diamonds,” and the bidder’s side won nine tricks, they would score 9 times 20, or 180; while their adversaries would score 4 times 20, or 80.

As soon as either side reaches 500, they win the game, even if it is in the middle of a hand; but the hand must be played out in order to see how many points are won by each side. It should be observed that although the bidder’s side may make nine or ten tricks the adversaries can win the game if they get enough to count out before the bidder, by reaching 500 first.

_=Tricks and Honours.=_ The score for tricks and for honours must be kept separate, usually above and below the line, as at bridge. All trick points, which are the only ones that count toward game, are placed below the line; the honour points above.

For winning a game, 1,000 points are added in the honour column. The side that first wins two games of 500 points each adds 2,000 rubber points in the honour column.

_=Slams.=_ If a little slam, 12 tricks, is made, but has not been bid, it is worth 1,000 points in honours. If a little slam, “six tricks,” has been bid and is made, it is worth 5,000 more for bidding it, or 6,000 altogether. If a grand slam, 13 tricks, is made but not bid, it is worth 2,000 honour points. If a little slam is bid and a grand slam made, it is worth 7,000 altogether. If a grand slam is bid and made, it is worth 12,000 altogether.

_=Lost Games.=_ If the bidder fails to make good, his adversaries score 100 times the value of the tricks as penalty, in the honour column; the scores for the tricks actually won standing at their regular value below the line. Suppose the bid to be three in diamonds, making the tricks worth 30 each, and that the bidder’s side get the odd trick only. Although the bidder has failed to make good, he scores below the line for the seven tricks he took, at 30 each, and the adversaries score for the six they took, also at 30 each. Then, as the bidder fell short by two tricks of making good, his adversaries score these two tricks at 3,000 points each, penalty, in the honour column.

_=Honours.=_ The honours are the A K Q J 10 of trumps and the four Aces, the Aces being always honours; but when there is a no-trump declaration they are the only honours. This makes the Ace of trumps count double, when there is a trump suit; once as one of the five honours in trumps, and once as an Ace.

Each honour is worth ten times as much as a trick. If the bid was three in clubs, the tricks would be worth 30 each and the honours 300 each. The side that has the majority of Aces and of honours scores for all they hold; not for the majority or difference. Suppose the bidder’s side has three honours in clubs and three Aces; the other side must have only two honours and one Ace; therefore the bidder scores for six honours, at 300 each.

If the Aces and honours in trumps are so divided that each side has a majority of one or the other, they offset. Suppose the bidder to hold four Aces and two honours. The adversaries must have the majority of trump honours. Then the number of their trump honours, which is three, is deducted from the number of the bidder’s Aces, four, leaving the bidder’s side only one honour to the good. Three honours on one side and three Aces on the other would be a tie, and no honours to score.

If the Aces are a tie, the side that wins the most tricks scores them. Suppose the bidder has three honours and two Aces. He scores five honours if he wins the odd trick; otherwise he scores one only, the Aces being a tie and he having only one more honour than his adversaries.

In no-trump hands, the honours are worth 25 times the value of the tricks. If Aces are easy, neither side scores. If one has three Aces, they are all scored. Suppose the bid to have been “two at no-trumps,” then the Aces are worth 25 times 20, and three of them are worth 1,500 points.

_=Coronets.=_ A sequence of three or more cards in any suit, trumps or plain, held by an individual player, is a coronet. Three or four Aces in one hand is also a coronet. When there is a trump suit, three Aces, or three of a plain suit in sequence, are worth 500 in the honour column. Each additional card is worth 500 points more. A sequence of K Q J 10 9 would be worth 1,500. In the trump suit, and in all the suits when there are no trumps, these coronets are worth double, and each additional card is therefore worth 1,000 more.

_=Rubbers.=_ As soon as one side wins two games, that ends the first rubber. The partners then change, without cutting, in such a manner that at the end of three rubbers each player shall have had each of the others for a partner. At the end of the third rubber, the losses and gains are ascertained for each individual, and settled for.

_=Laws.=_ The laws that govern the game are almost identical with those for Bridge.

PREFERENCE.

This is a simplified form of Vint, for three players, with a thirty-two-card pack. The cards rank: A K Q J 10 9 8 7, and the suits rank: Hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Hearts are always _=preference=_. There are no hands played without a trump suit.

If four persons play, the dealer takes no cards. The three active players make up a pool, each putting in an equal amount at first, and the bidder putting into it as many as he bids for the privilege of naming the trump suit.

Any one may deal the first hand, after which the deal passes to the left. Three cards are given to each player the first round, then two are laid off for a widow, then four to each player, and then three to each. Beginning on the dealer’s left, each player in turn may name the trump if he thinks he can take at least six of the ten tricks to be played for. Bids outrank one another in the order of the suits, hearts being preference always. The number of tricks is not mentioned. In case there are no bids, each in turn has a second chance to bid for the widow. These bids are made in counters, to be put into the pool. The highest bidder takes the widow, lays out two cards, and then names the trump suit.

The players agree upon a value for the tricks won, and payments are made from the pool accordingly. These payments may vary according to the rank of the trump suit.

ODD GAMES.

There are quite a number of odd games of cards, which come and go as favourites from time to time, and pass round the world from one country to another under many different names. The origin of most of these games is lost in the weedy undergrowth of variations, but the chief family trait in some of them can be traced back to the alpha of cards.

Among the oldest of games was Ombre, immortalised by Pope, the only survivor of which is a variation played by the older Germans, under the name of Solo; a game which still faintly resists the exterminating influence of Skat. The ancient and honourable games of Comète, Hoc, and Nain Jaune survive to the present day in a large and prosperous family, ranging from Commit to Fan Tan, the latter being to-day quite a favourite among those who like simple and amusing games, free from mental effort. Fan Tan is unfortunately named, as many persons confuse it with the Chinese banking game, and it would be much better under its older name, Play or Pay.

Among the many games of which everyone has heard, and which many thousands have been advised to play, is one which, strange to say, is not to be found described in any work on card games, and that is Old Maid. There was a time when the result of this game was supposed to be final and conclusive, and parties of young men have been known to substitute a Jack or King for the discarded Queen, in order to learn what the future had in store for them. Under such circumstances the game became Old Bachelor, of course.

For those who believe in the verdict of the cards, there are other sources of information. Fortune telling, whether for the purpose of amusement or self-deception, has undoubtedly interested many persons in all stations of life ever since Eittella first explained the art, away back in the sixteenth century. The meanings attached to the cards individually, and the manner of their arrangement, is all that can be given in a work of this kind. The qualifications for success in foretelling the future do not depend so much on the cards as on good judgment of human nature, unlimited assurance, a glib tongue, and a certain amount of ingenuity in making a connected story out of the disjointed sentences formed by the chance arrangement of certain cards, to which an arbitrary or fanciful meaning is attached.

Speculation is considered by some persons an excellent training school for the commercial instincts of the younger members of a family, teaching them to form correct estimates as to the value of certain articles offered for sale in a fluctuating market. Authors is a very good game for the family circle, and does not require special cards, the ordinary pack being easily adapted to the distinctions of the game.

Patience, or Solitaire, has probably claimed the attention of every card-player at some time or other, and one cannot fail to be impressed by the number and ingenuity of the patience games which have been invented. One of the most expensive works on cards ever published is devoted exclusively to Solitaire.

Among all these odd games one should be able to find something to amuse all sorts and conditions of card-players. The only apparatus required in any of them is a pack of cards and a few counters, and for the latter corn or coffee-beans will form an excellent substitute.

SOLO.

Under the name of Solo, the Germans play a great many variations of card games, of which the following is the best known.

_=Cards.=_ Solo is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, which rank A K Q J 10 9 8 7. One suit is always first preference, or _=colour=_, and the suit usually selected is clubs. Any suit may be made the trump, but whatever the suit, the club Queen, _=Spadilla=_, is always the best trump; the Seven of the trump suit, _=Manilla=_, is always the second-best trump; and the spade Queen, _=Basta=_, is always the third-best trump.

_=Players.=_ Solo is played by four persons, who throw round the cards for the first club turned up to deal eight cards to each player; 3-2-3 at a time.

_=Objects.=_ The object of the game is to secure the privilege of naming the trump suit, and of playing, either alone or with a partner, to make five tricks, _=solo=_, or eight tricks, _=tout=_. If a partner is required, he is selected by the player asking for a certain ace, but the holder of the ace remains unknown until the ace falls, although from the first he must assist the player who has asked for it. If a player asks for an ace while holding it himself, he of course plays without a partner, unknown to the others however, until he plays the ace asked for.

_=Bidding.=_ The players bid against one another for the privilege of naming the trump suit, eldest hand having the first say. When no one will bid any higher, the player who has made the best offer names the game he wishes to play, with or without a partner.

_=Games.=_ The rank of the various games, the amounts bid on them, and the payments made for them, are as follows:--

Simple in suit, 2; in colour, 4.
Forcée or Solo in suit, 4; in colour, 8.
Tout in Suit, 16; in colour, 32.

_=Simple Game=_ is to play for five tricks with a partner holding a designated ace. If the trump is clubs, (in colour,) it is worth double, 4 counters.

_=Solo=_ is five tricks without a partner. With clubs trumps it pays double, 8 counters.

_=Tout=_ is eight tricks, with or without a partner. If alone, the single player wins or loses all; if with a partner he must share his gains or losses.

_=Forcée=_ is when no bid is made, and any player holds both Spadilla and Basta. He must play a Solo, or call for an ace. If he calls, the player holding the ace names the trump suit; but the suit so named must not be the suit of the called ace. Forcée in clubs is worth double, 8 counters.

_=Playing.=_ The trump named, the eldest hand leads any card he pleases, 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 hands are abandoned as soon as the bidder takes five tricks, if he is playing anything but a tout. If he goes on he must win all eight tricks, or lose the value of a tout.

_=Payments.=_ A solo player wins from or loses to each of his adversaries individually the amount of the game in counters. Two partners pay or receive each from one adversary.

_=HEART SOLO=_ is a game for three players, in which the pack is reduced to twenty-four cards by deleting the Eight of hearts, and all the diamonds but the Seven. Diamonds are always colour, and there are only three trumps in that suit; Spadilla, Manilla, and Basta. The only play is for the Solo, and if no one will make a bid, the hands are played in colour, and the winner of the last trick loses the value of a Solo.

AUTHORS.

This game was originally played with cards bearing the names of various authors, and other famous personages, arranged in groups, but the game is much simpler when played with an ordinary pack of fifty-two cards.

Any number of persons can play. The cards are shuffled and spread, and 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.

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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.