The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (54 page)

either of the missing clubs. A club would give him a quint, which

would be good, as it is clear from his own holding that Elder cannot

possibly hold bet er than a quart in any suit. Faced with three

possibilities, Younger throws T and two low spades. In other

circumstances it would be wiser to keep the Ten as a guard on the

possible draw of the King, and to throw one or two low clubs in

order not to unguard the King of spades.

Elder draws the top five cards and is pleased to get the fourth

Queen and two of his point suit. Younger successful y draws 9

and is fortunate in also finding A to cover his previously bared

King. The hands are now:

Elder – Point of six.

Younger – Not good. (Having seven.)

Elder – Fourteen Queens. (The low three-card sequence is not worth

mentioning.)

Younger – Good.

Elder – And one for leading, fifteen. (Leads A)

Younger – Point of seven for 7, quint to the Jack 15, makes 22.

(Plays T)

Elder next leads A (‘sixteen’), Q (‘seventeen’), 27 (‘eighteen’),

to which Younger plays, respectively, J, 7, 8. Whatever Elder

leads next, Younger is bound to win (saying ‘twenty-four’), as wel

as al seven remaining tricks, bringing him to 31, plus ‘10 for more’,

as al seven remaining tricks, bringing him to 31, plus ‘10 for more’,

total 41 to Elder’s 18.

The outcome is untypical, as Younger rarely wins more than once

in three or four deals. Elder’s weakness lay in his lack of Kings and

in the fact that Younger’s Kings were covered. Elder had no

alternative play: anything other than his 1A and three diamonds

would have put Younger in sooner for at least ten tricks.

Notes on play Piquet is an asymmetrical game, and the assessment

of a given hand depends on whether you are playing it as Elder or

as Younger. For example:

As Elder, keep the hearts for point, the spades for sequence, and

discard clubs and diamonds. Three Queens are not worth keeping,

with a possible four Kings against. If you keep the clubs, hoping for

a quint, you’l lack a fifth discard. As the cards lie, Younger can’t get

a quint against you.

As Elder, don’t waste high cards for the sake of keeping a low

point in diamonds, but dump the Jack and four diamonds and go

for the fourteen Queens. As Younger, however, consider discarding

AK and J. You may conceivably get the fourteen Queens or a