The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (48 page)

black Sevens if the number of players is other than four. Deal them

around evenly in ones. The aim is to avoid winning the first trick,

the last trick, and the Q. 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, and the winner of each trick leads to the

next. There are no trumps. Score 1 penalty for first, last and Queen,

or 4 for taking al three. Variant: Deduct 4 penalties for taking al

three.

Knaves

(3 players, easily adaptable for more). First described by Hubert

Phil ips, Knaves combines plus-points for tricks won with minus-

points for Jacks taken. Deal seventeen each from a 52-card pack

and turn the odd card – which plays no further part – for trumps.

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. Each player scores 1 point per trick taken,

less 1 for J, 2 for J, 3 for J, 4 for J. (The suit-order is that of

pre-1910 Bridge. More memorable, because easily visualized,

would be 1, 2, 3, 4.) The first to reach 20 points wins.

Barbu

4 players, 52 cards

Barbu is the most highly developed member of a series of

compendium games based on Hearts which first appeared in the

early twentieth century, apparently in eastern Europe. A

compendium game is one consisting of a fixed number of deals

with a dif erent game played at each, the sequence of games being

with a dif erent game played at each, the sequence of games being

predetermined and invariable. In the series of this type based on

Hearts, the first games are negative, each resulting in payment to a

pool from the loser or losers, and the last deal positive, the pool

being swept by the winner. Early examples are the Hungarian game

of Lorum, and a game cal ed King played in Russia, Turkey,

Portugal, Brazil, and no doubt elsewhere. (The Russians cal it ‘King’

in preference to their native word korol, which denotes a dif erent

game). At a higher level of development, the games are not played

in a fixed order; instead, each player in turn deals the requisite

number of times, and at each deal specifies which game is to be

played, subject to the restriction that each available game must be

played once. The French game of Barbu takes this further stil by

introducing a complicated system of doubling. Le Barbu means ‘the

bearded one’, and refers to the K, which is the only heart to sport

a beard (not, as is sometimes said, the only King to sport a beard –

al French playing-card Kings are bearded). A simple version of

Barbu, with fixed contracts and no doubling, appears in Gerver’s

1966 classic Le Guide Marabout. Its more elaborate extension,

described below, was developed by Bridge players in the 1970s and

was a favourite of the Italian ‘Blue Club’ Bridge team.

Preliminaries Four players use a 52-card pack, ranking AKQJT

98765432. A game is 28 deals and requires a scoresheet, as

il ustrated on p. 145. Each in turn deals seven times in succession,

dealing thirteen each in ones.

Declaring the contract In each of his seven deals the dealer is

automatical y the declarer. He examines his cards and declares one

of seven possible contracts which has not yet been played in his

cycle of deals. Of the seven possible contracts, five give negative

scores to the value of –130 points in al , and two give positive

scores to the value of +130 in al .

Play Al but Domino are trick-taking games, and the opening lead

is made by the declarer (or, variant, by declarer’s right-hand

neighbour). The five negative games are played at no trump.

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

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 trick leads to the next.

1. No tricks. Each trick taken scores –2 points.

2. No hearts. Each heart taken scores –2, the Ace of hearts –6.

Hearts may not be led unless no other suit is held. Captured

hearts are left face up so al can see which ones have gone.

3. No Queens. Each Queen taken scores –6. Captured Queens are

left face up, and play ends when al four are out.

4. No King. Taking K (le Barbu) scores –20. Hearts may not be

led unless no other suit is held. Play ends when the King is

taken.

5. No last. Taking the last trick scores –20, the penultimate trick

–10.

6. Trump. Each trick won scores +5 points. Declarer announces

a trump suit and leads any card. To a trump lead, players

must fol ow suit if possible and head the trick if possible. To

a non-trump lead, players must fol ow suit if possible. If

unable to fol ow, they must beat any trump that may have

been played to the trick if they can, but, if none has been

played, or if they cannot beat it, 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.

7. Domino. Declarer announces, ‘Domino from…’ and a rank,

e.g. ‘Domino from Eights’, and plays a card of that rank to

start the layout. It is permissible to cal a rank not held, in

which case the layout is started by the next player to the left

who is able to do so. This forms the basis of a layout to which

each player contributes in turn (if possible), and which wil

eventual y consist of four 13-card suit sequences with one row

per suit and one column per rank (see below). The

foundation card of each row must be put in place first, and

each subsequent card placed to the right or left of the suit row

to which it belongs. For example, if the first card played is

8, the next in turn must play either 7 or 9 to one side of it,

8, the next in turn must play either 7 or 9 to one side of it,

or another Eight above or below it to start another row. You

must play a card if you legal y can, otherwise you must pass.

First out of cards scores +40, second +20, third +5.

Barbu: the Domino layout. It doesn’t mat er in what vertical order

the suits are arranged.

Doubling Between the announcement of the contract and the play

of the hand, each in turn has one opportunity to double one or

more specific players, subject to the fol owing rules:

You must double the declarer at least twice in each seven-deal

cycle.

In a negative contract (but not in Trump or Domino) you may

double any other player or players if you think you wil

achieve a bet er result than they wil .

You may redouble any player who doubles you. The

announcement ‘Maximum’ means that you double everyone

who doesn’t double you and redouble everyone who does.

Declarermay notdouble independently, but may

redoubleanoppon-ent’s double.

A double amounts to a side-bet between two players as to which

of them wil do bet er than the other. A double must be noted on

the scoresheet, and a doubling of the declarer is encircled to help

ensure that everyone fulfils their quota of two such doubles per

cycle of seven.

Score At the end of a hand everyone notes their score in the plus