=_ Y’s draw shows that he holds at least four trumps, so A must trust his partner to cinch the first trick and return the trump. [See our suggestions for good play.] At trick 3, Z cinches, to make A play a high trump. It is evident to A that neither B nor Z holds either Jack or Seven of trumps; so both those cards must be with Y. As B has no more trumps the adversaries must have both Pedroes, and Y must have one, as he holds four trumps. If they are divided, A can catch both by cinching this trick with the King and leading the Ace; but if Y has both Pedroes, such a course would lose Jack, Game, and one Pedro. If A cinches this trick with the Ten, allowing Y to win with the Jack, A must catch both Pedroes, no matter how they lie, provided Y leads the trump Seven, for A will refuse to win it. Y sees his danger, and by leading a Pedro to A, forces him either to pass it, or to get into the lead and free the other Pedro. A-B score nothing: Y-Z score 7 for Jack, Game, Pedro; and 8 in addition, for points bid but not made by A-B; 15 altogether. _=No.
Some players invariably make it next, regardless of their hands, unless they can play alone in the cross suit. Such a habit exposes them to the common artifice of the dealer’s turning it down for a euchre. A dealer holding a bower and three cards of the next suit, will often turn it down, and trust to the eldest hand making it next, which will give the dealer four trumps instead of two. The eldest hand should be on his guard against this when the dealer’s side has 3 scored. The dealer’s partner, on the other hand, should cross the suit almost as invariably as the eldest hand should make it next; for if his partner cannot take up the trump, and the eldest hand cannot make it next, their hands must be weak, and if it is passed to the pone, he will probably turn out to have a lone hand. The best chance is to cross the suit, unless the player has three certain tricks in his own hand by making it next, such as five trumps to the ace, or four trumps and a plain-suit ace. With such cards he should play alone. The pone should never make the trump unless he has three certain tricks, and is willing to play a lone hand. If the dealer turns it down, and both the eldest hand and the dealer’s partner pass a second time, there must be a nigger in the woodpile somewhere. _=LEADING.
=_ Skat is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, all below the Seven being deleted. The rank of the cards differs according to whether the players are attempting to win or to lose tricks. If the object is to win tricks, it is known as a “game;” if the object is to lose, it is called a “nullo.” In nullo the cards rank in their natural order; A K Q J 10 9 8 7, the Ace being the highest. In the various “games,” the four Jacks are always the best trumps, and are known as _=Wenzels=_. The other cards follow the usual German rank; A 10 K Q 9 8 7, the Ace being the highest in plain suits. The German names for the cards are as follows;--_=Jack=_: Wenzel, Bauern, Bube, Jungen, or Unter. _=Ace=_: As, or Daus. _=Ten=_, Zehn. _=King=_, König.
The dealer takes three cards, slightly bent lengthwise, so as to be more easily picked up by the ends. One of these is shown, and the players are told to watch it. After a few skilful passes, the three cards come to rest on the layout, and the players are asked to bet that they can pick out the card shown. If the dealer will lay two to one, it is a fair gamble; but if he lays even money only, the player is betting two to one against himself. There are endless ways of pretending to mark the shown card, so that it may be known by the back; but the dealer or his confederate always knows that this is done, and the mark is shifted during the passes. UNDER AND OVER SEVEN. This game is played with a layout, divided and marked as follows:-- [Illustration: +------+--------+------+ | _U_ | _7_ | _O_ | | EVEN | 3 TO 1 | EVEN | +------+--------+------+ ] The players can bet on any of the three spaces. Two dice are thrown by the banker, and if the number thrown is _=under=_ seven he pays all bets upon the U, even money, taking all those upon 7 and O. If the throw is _=over=_ seven, he pays all bets upon the O, taking all those upon U and 7. If seven is thrown, he pays all bets upon that number, three for one, and takes all upon U and O.
any any a 1 a d 2 d any any No notice is taken of the scores made by the N & S hands in the last set; as it is simply a match between the a and _d_ pairs. _=Scoring.=_ Each pair against each is considered a match, and the winner of the most matches wins, tricks deciding ties. _=Compass Whist.=_ When we come to handle large numbers, the changes of position become too complicated, and the simplest plan is to arrange them at as many tables as they will fill, and to place on each table an equal number of trays. At the Knickerbocker Whist Club, New York, which is still famous for its compass games, they play a minimum of 24 trays, or get as near that number as possible. If there are 14 tables, they play two deals at each. If there are only 10 tables, they play 30 trays. All the N & S players sit still, and at the end of each round, two or three deals as the case may be, all the E & W players move up one table, 2 going to 1, 3 to 2, etc. Each pair keeps its own score card, on which is put down the number of the tray, the number of the pair played against, which is always the number of the table at which they started; one of the pairs remaining there being No.