The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (60 page)

Sancho Pedro

Deal six each, or more if agreed, so long as al have the same

number. Bids range from 1 to 18 and the highest bidder pitches.

Score points immediately upon capturing any of the fol owing

trumps (†). Note that the point for Game is redefined as for

capturing the trump Ten.

1 for High

1 for Game (.10)

1 for Low

9 for Sancho (.9)

1 for the Jack 5 for Pedro (.5)

Game is 50 up.

Dom Pedro

As above, but with the addition of 3 for winning †3 (‘Dom’).

Highest bid is 21.

Snoozer

As either of the above, but with the addition of a Snoozer (Joker).

This ranks as a trump below the Two for trick-taking purposes. It

counts 15 to whoever wins it in a trick but does not count as ‘low’

for the winning of that point, which stil applies to the otherwise

lowest trump in play. Highest bid is 33 without Dom or 36 with.

Game is 100 up.

Blind Cinch

(4p, 52c) Deal nine each plus a packet of four each, which remains

face down until a high bidder has been established. Highest bidder

(maximum 14) adds the four extra cards to his hand before

announcing trumps, then he discards seven, reducing his hand to

six. Each opponent then does likewise. Play as at Cinch.

Widow Cinch

(6p, 52c) Deal eight each and a face-down widow of four. This is

taken by the highest bidder (maximum 14) before naming trumps,

who discards six to reduce his holding to six. Others discard two

each. Play as at Cinch.

Don

4 players (2 × 2), 52 cards

Evidently derived from the ‘Dom’ of Pedro, Don is widely played on

a league basis in England and Wales. An interesting but regret able

twentieth-century development has been the abandonment of the

traditional freedom to fol ow suit or trump as preferred, in favour

traditional freedom to fol ow suit or trump as preferred, in favour

of the method of trick-play more appropriate to Whist and Bridge.

Whether this has been done out of ignorance, or deliberately

because of the higher card-point values, requires further research.

First described is the Lancashire version as played by the Bolton

Don League, based on information from Simon Roberts and others

(via the Pagat Card-Game Website). It is almost identical to the

Blackburn version described by Arthur Taylor in Pub Games.

Preliminaries Four play in partnerships. The aim is to win counting

cards in tricks. Scores for cards won are pegged on a cribbage board

both during the play and at the end of each hand. Game is 91

points (up, down and then up the board again).

Cards Cards rank AKQJT98765432 in plain suits, but in trumps

59AKQJT876432.

Counters The fol owing cards are scored as and when captured in

tricks during the course of play:

trump Five 10 trump Queen

2

trump Nine 9 trump Jack

1

trump Ace 4 each non-trump Five 5

trump King 3

Deal Deal nine cards each in ones and stack the rest face down. The

player at dealer’s right may not touch his cards until his partner has

pitched – just to prevent any possibility of indicating which suit to

pitch.

Play Eldest hand pitches a card to the first trick, and its suit

establishes trumps. 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. (This dif ers from the rules of play

each trick leads to the next. (This dif ers from the rules of play

traditional in this family.)

Score At end of play each side counts the total value of card-points

contained in its won tricks, fol owing the traditional schedule of

each Ace 4, King 3, Queen 2, Jack 1 and Ten 10. (The theoretical

pack total is 80, but some of the counters may not be in play.) The

side taking a majority by this schedule pegs an additional 8 points,

but neither side does so if equal. Thus the total peggable for the

whole deal is 44 for card-points captured during play plus a

possible 8 after play.

Play out of turn A player who plays out of turn leaves the of ending

card face up on the table and must play it as soon as he legal y can.

In League play, the of ending side also deducts 19 points from their

score.

Revoke Failing to fol ow suit when able todosoresults

inabandonment of the game and a re-deal by the same dealer. In

League play, the of ending side also deducts 52 points.

Welsh Don

Almost the same game is widely played in South Wales. Play as

above, except that trumps rank in their natural order

(AKQJT98765432), though the Nine and Five stil count

respectively 9 and 10 when taken in tricks. Game is 121 up – twice

round the board. (Information from Ian Morgan, of the Abercarn

Crib and Don League.)

Phat

An even more complex extension of Don, played on a League basis

around Norwich, according to Arthur Taylor (1974). Al cards are

dealt out, thirteen to each player. Peg for the fol owing cards, as

dealt out, thirteen to each player. Peg for the fol owing cards, as

and when taken in tricks:

trump Ace

4 trump Nine

18

trump King 3 any other Nine 9

trump Queen 2 trump Five

10

trump Jack 1 any other Five 5

The side capturing a majority of the 80 counters pegs an

additional 8 towards game, which is 121 up – twice round a

normal Cribbage board or once round a special y made Phat board.

Don’t forget…

Play to the left (clockwise) unless otherwise stated.

Eldest or Forehand means the player to the left of the dealer

in left-handed games, to the right in right-handed games.

T = Ten, p = players, pp = in fixed partnerships, c = cards,

† = trump,

= Joker.

7 Point-trick games

These are a miscel aneous col ection of card-point games – that is,

games where winning and losing depend not on the number of

tricks taken but on the point-value of cards taken in tricks.

Otherwise, al they have in common is that the card-point values

are general y lower than the ‘Ace 11, Ten 10’ schedule of the great

Skat-Bezique-Jass family –typical y 5-4-3-2-1, as in Manil e.

Manil e

3-7 players (4 best), 32 cards

This classic French game originated in Spain, where it is known as

Malil a (Catalan Manil a), but spread throughout France in the early

twentieth century and for a while looked as if it might become the

major national card game. However, its popularity was soon

eclipsed by that of Belote, which now occupies that position

together with French Tarot, and Manil e is now (according to Le

Guide Marabout) vigorous only in the south-west of the country. It

forms a good introduction to point rick games for players

accustomed only to plain-trick games. There are several varieties for

several dif erent numbers of players. The most straightforward is

Manil e muet e (Manil e without talking), as fol ows:

Preliminaries Four players sit ing crosswise in partnerships play

Preliminaries Four players sit ing crosswise in partnerships play

with a 32-card pack consisting of AKQJT987 in each suit. A game is

won by the side that first wins two deals, or (if preferred) by the

first side to reach an agreed target score, such as 100 or 200 points.

Al play goes to the right.

Deal Deal eight cards each in fours. Dealer turns his last card face

up for trumps and leaves it on the table until the first card has been

led.

Card values and object Cards rank TAKQJ987 in each suit and

count as fol ows:

each Ten (manille) 5

each Ace (manillon) 4

each King

3

each Queen

2

each Jack

1

These total 60, and each trick counts 1 point, making 68 in al .

The aim is to win a majority of points – 35 or more.

Play Eldest leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads

to the next. The rules of trick-play vary, depending on who is

currently winning the trick to which you are playing.

If your partner is winning, you are required to fol ow suit

only if you can, otherwise you may play any card.

If an opponent is winning, you must not only fol ow suit but

also head the trick if possible and, if unable to fol ow a plain

suit lead, you must play a winning trump if possible. If unable

either to fol ow suit or to play a winning trump, you may

play as you please.

The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led or by the

highest trump if any are played.

Score The side with the higher score wins.

Manil e Parlée (Manil e with Talking)

(4pp, 32c). This more popular variety permits spoken

communication between partners, but only in accordance with strict

rules. When about to lead to a trick, you may give your partner a

single piece of information about your hand, or request such

information about your partner’s, or you may instead invite your

partner either to do the same or to give you some instruction as to

what card or suit to lead. Such information may relate to the

number of cards held of a specific suit or rank, or whether a

particular card is held. Question and answer must be succinct,

explicit, intel igible to the opponents, and not replaced or

accompanied by any non-verbal conventions. Questions must be

answered truthful y, and instructions fol owed if possible.

Auction Manil e, I

(3-7p, 32c) Deal al the cards out evenly. If two or four are left

over, leave them, face down, as a widow.

Each in turn, starting with eldest, may pass or declare, and the first

to declare becomes the declarer. The declarer’s object is to take at

least 21 points in tricks and cards, or at least 15 if more than four

are playing. Before play, declarer may draw any number of cards

from the widow and discard a like number before announcing

trumps.

The amount won by the declarer from each opponent if

successful, or paid to each if not, varies with the number of cards

exchanged – for example, 4-3-2-1, 8-4-2-1, 10-6-3-1, as agreed.

Auction Manil e, I

(3-7p, 32c) Remove as many Sevens as necessary to enable

everyone to receive the same number of cards. Each in turn, starting

with eldest, may pass or bid. A bid states the number of points the

bidder undertakes to make in exchange for choosing trumps. Each

bid must be higher than the last, and a player who has passed may

not come in again. The highest bidder announces a trump suit, or

declares no trump, and eldest leads to the first trick – unless the bid

was to win every trick, in which case the bidder leads. The bidder

scores the amount bid if successful, or loses it if not. Everyone deals

the same number of times, and the winner is the player with the

highest score after any agreed number of deals.

Auction Manil e, I I

(3-7p, 32c) A number of cards are dealt to each player in a

particular manner, and the rest are laid, some face up and some

face down, on the table, as fol ows:

players deal each remainder

3

9 (3-3-3) 3 down, 2 up

4

7 (3-2-3) 2 down, 2 up

5

6 (2-2-2) 1 down, 1 up

6

5 (3-2) 1 down, 1 up

7

4 (2-2) 2 down, 2 up

Play as in Version I , above, but the highest bidder may exchange

cards with the widow before naming trumps. In some circles the

score is doubled if the bidder undertakes to win every trick, or

plays without exchanging. If both apply, it is quadrupled.

Butifarra

(4pp, 32c). A popular Catalan game. My Spanish-English dictionary

defines butifarra as ‘Catalonian sausage; il -fit ing trousers; ham

sandwich’. Take your pick.