Three honours between partners count as three: four as four. Being all in one hand does not increase their value. ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ The Bid. | ♠ | ♣ | ♢ | ♡ | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Five tricks alone, or partners’ 8 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | Three honours | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | Four honours | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | Each extra trick | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Six tricks, or petite independence | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Three honours | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | Four honours | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Each extra trick | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Eight tricks, or grand independence | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | Three honours | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Four honours | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | Each extra trick | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Petite misère | 16 | 32 | 48 | 64 | Grand misère | 32 | 64 | 96 | 128 | Misère de quatre as | 32 | 64 | 96 | 128 | Misère sur table | 64 | 128 | 192 | 256 | Slam à deux (partners) | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | Slam seul (alone) | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | Slam sur table | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ RUSSIAN BOSTON. This is a variation of Boston de Fontainbleau. A player holding carte blanche declares it before playing, and receives ten counters from each of the other players. Carte blanche is the same thing as chicane in Bridge, no trump in the hand. But in Bridge the player is penalized for announcing it until after the hand is played. The order of the suits is the same as in American Boston de Fontainbleau: diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades. When a player bids six, seven, or eight tricks, he is supposed to be still willing to take a partner, unless he specifies solo.
In the following examples the weakest hands are given, and the trumps are always the smallest possible. If the player has more strength in plain suits than is shown in these examples, or higher trumps, there is so much more reason for him to stand. But if he has not the strength indicated in plain suits, he should propose, even if his trumps are higher, because it must be remembered that strong trumps do not compensate for weakness in plain suits. The reason for this is that from stand hands trumps should never be led unless there are three of them; they are to be kept for ruffing, and when you have to ruff it does not matter whether you use a seven or a Queen. The King of trumps is of course led; but a player does not stand on a hand containing the King. The first suit given is always the trump, and the next suit is always the one that should be led, beginning with the best card of it if there is more than one. The figures on the right show the number of hands in which the player or the dealer will win out of the 65,780 possible distributions of the twenty-six unknown cards. These calculations are taken, by permission of Mr. Charles Mossop, from the eighth volume of the “_Westminster Papers_,” in which all the variations and their results are given in full. PLAYER WINS.
The last trick does not count unless it is the twelfth; that is, not unless every card is played. _=Method of Playing.=_ The pone begins by leading any card he pleases. The second player in any trick is not obliged to follow suit, even in trumps; but may renounce or trump at pleasure until the players cease to draw from the stock. If the second player follows suit, the higher card wins the trick. Trumps win all other suits. _=Drawing.=_ The winner of the trick takes in the cards, turning them face down; but before he leads for the next trick he draws a card from the top of the stock, and places it in his hand without showing or naming it. His adversary then draws the next card, so that each restores the number of cards in his hand to six. _=The Trump.
Libbety-lat. Limpy Coley. Little Dog, I call you. Lobber. Loggats. London. London Bridge. Long-duck. Long Tag. Long Tawl.
=_ If the men are wrongly set up, the mistake may be remedied if the player in error has not moved a man, otherwise they must stand as set up. _=2.=_ If a player begins with less than the proper number of men, the error cannot be rectified after the player has made a throw for his move. _=3.=_ The players must each cast a single die for the privilege of first move, the higher winning. Ties throw again. _=4.=_ By mutual consent it may be agreed to let the higher throw play the points on his own and his adversary’s die for the first move; otherwise he must throw again with two dice. _=5.=_ Each player must throw the dice into the table on his right hand, and if either die jumps into the other table, or off the board, both dice must be taken up and thrown again.
216, and baloome in Randolph s _Poems_, 1643, p. 105. It is also mentioned in Middleton s _Works_, iv. 342, and by Donne. Tis ten a clock and past; all whom the mues, _Baloun_, tennis, diet, or the stews Had all the morning held. --Donne s _Poems_, p. 133. Toone (_Etymological Dict._) says it is a game rather for exercise than contention; it was well known and practised in England in the fourteenth century, and is mentioned as one of the sports of Prince Henry, son of James I., in 1610.
If a player has four scored, and turns the King, that wins the game, provided the King was the eleventh card. Rubbers are seldom played. _=CHEATING.=_ The methods of cheating at Écarté would fill a volume. There are many tricks which, while not exactly fraudulent, are certainly questionable. For instance: A player asks the gallery whether or not he should stand, and finally concludes to propose, fully intending all the time to draw five cards. Another will handle his counters as if about to mark the King; will then affect to hesitate, and finally re-adjust them, and ask for cards, probably taking four or five, having absolutely nothing in his hand. The pone will ask the dealer how many points he has marked, knowing perfectly well that the number is three. On being so informed, he concludes to ask for cards, as if he were not quite strong enough to risk the game by standing; when as a matter of fact he wants five cards, and is afraid of the vole being made against him. There are many simple little tricks practiced by the would-be sharper, such as watching how many cards a player habitually cuts, and then getting the four Kings close together in such a position in the pack that one of them is almost certain to be turned.
1. _=2.=_ Each player has _three_ lives at starting. No. 1 places his ball on the “winning and losing” spot, No. 2 plays at No. 1, No. 3 at No. 2, and so on--each person playing at the last ball, unless the striker’s ball be in hand, when he plays at the nearest ball. _=3.