The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (15 page)

either the playing pack or, preferably, a second pack and noting the

suit of the top card of the bot om half. This establishes an order of

suit preference as fol ows:

if the cayenne suit is

×4 if trumps

then second colour is

×3 if trumps

third colour is

×2 if trumps

fourth colour is

×1 if trumps

Deal thirteen each in batches of 4-4-5. Dealer either announces

trumps or passes this responsibility to his partner, who may not

refuse. Whoever decides announces one of the fol owing six

contracts: cayenne, second colour, third colour, fourth colour, grand,

nul o. Naming cayenne or a colour contracts to win a majority of

tricks (7+) with that suit as trump. Grand is a bid to win a majority

of tricks at no trump, nul o to lose a majority at no trump. At nul o,

an Ace counts as the lowest card of its suit unless its holder specifies

otherwise upon playing it. Eldest leads to the first trick.

The side taking most tricks in a suit contract counts a basic 1

point per odd trick taken, and whichever side held the majority of

honours (AKQJT of trumps) scores a basic 2 if they held three, 4 if

they held four, or 6 if they held five, whether in one hand or

between them. In either case the basic score for tricks and honours

is then multiplied by the value of the trump suit, as shown in the

table above. For example, if the cayenne suit was clubs and the

trump suit spades (second colour), the basic score is multiplied by

3.In a no-trump contract the multiplier is 8 and there are no

honours.

(At nul o the winning side scores 8 times the number of odd

tricks taken by their opponents.)

Game is 10 points and rubber is the best of seven games, earning

a bonus of 8.

Norwegian Whist

There are no trumps (a typical Scandinavian feature), and each deal

is played either grand, in which case each side’s object is to take a

majority of tricks, or nul o, in which case it is to lose the majority.

Eldest hand has first option to proclaim grand or nul o, and, if he

declines, the privilege passes to the left until someone makes a

decision. If al pass, the game is played nul o. If the bid is grand,

the player at bidder’s left makes the opening lead; if nul o, the

player at his right (or at dealer’s right if al pass) leads first. At

grand, bidder’s side scores 4 per odd trick, or, if they fail,

opponents score 8 per odd trick. At nul o, either side scores 2 for

each odd trick taken by the opponents. Game is 50 points.

Minnesota Whist

Currently popular in northern Minnesota, this game is an obvious

development of Norwegian Whist.

Each hand is played either high, in which case each side’s aim is

to win at least seven tricks, or low, in which case it is to win not

more than six. In either case the play is always at no trump. Each

player bids high by selecting a black bid-card from their hand, or

low by selecting a red, and laying it face down on the table. When

al are ready, each in turn, starting with eldest, turns up their bid-

card. Since the hand is only played low if al four bid red, as soon

as a black card appears the hand is fixed as high and no more cards

are turned. The partnership of the player who first showed black is

said to have ‘granded’. I suggest cal ing this player the grandee.

The player at grandee’s right leads to the first trick. Players must

fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play any card. The trick is

taken by the highest card of the suit led, and the winner of each

taken by the highest card of the suit led, and the winner of each

trick leads to the next.

The winning side scores 1 point for each trick taken in excess of

six if playing high, or short of seven if playing low. Game is 13

points.

Chinese Whist

A non-partnership variant, also playable by three or two players.

Deal six cards each, face down, which each player lines up (without

looking at them) on the table before him. On top of these deal six

more cards, face up in one-to-one correspondence. Final y, deal the

last single cards, which each player takes into hand. Dealer

nominates trumps and the first lead is made by the player at his

left. Normal rules of trick-taking apply. A player may play any of

his face-up cards or the one in his hand, but not a face-down card.

When a faced card is played, the card it covers is immediately

exposed and becomes available for play.

Hokm (Troop Chal )

This Iranian game, communicated to me by an e-mail

correspondent in Iran (see also Roque), is inexplicably identical

with one first reported by Andrew Pennycook as a West Indian

game cal ed Troop Chal (phonetic rendering), described to him by

a Guyanese player living in London.

Four players in partnerships play to the right. From a 52-card

pack deal a batch of five cards to each player. On the basis of these

five, eldest nominates trumps and becomes the declarer. Then deal

two batches of four to each player. Eldest leads. Players must fol ow

suit if possible, otherwise may play any card. The trick is taken by

the highest card of the suit led, or by the highest trump if any are

played, and the winner of each trick leads to the next. Play ceases

when one side wins by taking its seventh trick, thereby scoring 1

game point, or 2 if the opponents took none. The declaring side

game point, or 2 if the opponents took none. The declaring side

continues to declare until it loses, when the other side takes over.

Play up to 7 game points.

Comment This game would be strategical y more interesting if the

winners scored 1 point for each trick taken by the losers!

Dutch Whist

Whist with trumps dif erently determined in each of four deals: (1)

turn the last card, (2) no trump, (3) announced by eldest upon

leading to the first trick, (4) cut before dealing. Repeat until bored

to death.

Russian Whist

denotes either Vint (below), or Biritch, the earliest form of Bridge.

Bid Whist

4 players (2 × 2), 54 cards

Once recorded as a minor forerunner of Bridge, Bid Whist has since

developed into a fast and exciting game pursued avidly by black

communities in America. Manuals (by R. Wesley Agee, Butch

Thomas, and others) and websites confirm that it is now ‘played by

mil ions of people across the country at family or social gatherings.

A number of big companies sponsor Bid Whist tournaments each

year… [It] has immense popularity on col ege campuses… [and] is

widely played by military service personnel and their families

stationed around the world’ (Agee).

Preliminaries Four play crosswise in fixed partnerships using 54

cards – a standard pack, plus two Jokers marked (or equivalently

cards – a standard pack, plus two Jokers marked (or equivalently

dif erentiated) ‘Big’ and ‘Lit le’.

Terminology Book = trick, to cut = to ruf , of -suit = a non-trump

suit.

Rank of cards In high bids (‘uptown’), cards rank AKQJT98765432;

in low bids (‘downtown’) they rank A23456789TJQK. In trump

bids, the top trumps are Big Joker, Lit le Joker, Ace, and so

downwards to Two (uptown) or King (downtown). In no trump

bids, Jokers are powerless and are normal y discarded before play

begins. Deal Twelve each in ones and six face down as a kit y.

Object A contract is established by auction. If successful, the

declarers score 1 per odd book, or 2 at no trump. Game is 5 or 7

points, by prior agreement.

Auction Each in turn, starting at Dealer’s left, may pass or bid once

only. Each bid must be higher than the last. If the first three pass,

Dealer must bid. The lowest bid is ‘Three’, i.e. to win nine books

with a trump suit not yet specified. A bare number is understood to

represent a ‘high’ or ‘uptown’ bid. This is beaten by ‘Three low’,

which is the same but with reverse or ‘downtown’ ranking (Big Jo,

Lit le Jo, Ace, Two etc.). This is beaten by ‘Three no trump’ –

whether high or low not yet specified. Thus the bids from lowest to

highest begin Three high, Three low, Three no trump, Four high,

Four low, and so on.

Taking the kit y If playing in trumps, the highest bidder announces

the trump suit, ‘sports’ the kit y by turning it face up for al to see,

and adds it to his hand. If playing at no trump, he announces ‘high’

or ‘low’,and takes the kit y into hand without showing it. He then

makes any six discards, face down, and these count as the first of his

side’s won books. At no trump, anyone holding a Joker should then

add it to the kit y and draw a replacement at random from it (face

down, of course). Play Declarer leads to the first of 12 books.

down, of course). Play Declarer leads to the first of 12 books.

Players must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play any card.

The book is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the

highest trump if any are played, and the winner of each book leads

to the next. If anyone holds a Joker at no trump, it can never win a

book, and may only be discarded when its holder cannot fol ow

suit. If a Joker is led, the next card played establishes the suit to

fol ow.

Score The fol owing scores are al doubled in the case of a no

trump bid. If successful, Declarer’s side scores 1 point per book

contracted. If not, they lose 1 point per book contracted; and if the

opponents win seven or more, they score 1 point per book won