LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Chap..i.Sr Copji'ight Xo._.._.__. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ARGUMENTS AGAINST POPULAR ERRORS AT WHIST STRINGER O. HILTON ■%<^>' mgj. ^? ^"SSiOiitJ ^'^A ^afCengf^^ HIliTOn'S ERRORS AT WJilST. ''The /atest book on Whist" ''No Whist Player should be without one— TO SHOW HIS FRIENDS." "Entered accoring to Act of Congress IN THE YEAR 1898 BY StRINGER O. HiLTON IN THE Office of the Librarian of Congress AT Washington." ARGUMENTS AGAINST SOME POPULAR e:rrors AT WHIST With Some Notes on the Game AND A Glossary of Whist Terms BV / Stringer 0. Hilton M '^ TO WHICH ARE ADDED y' - The Laws of Whist AND The IvAws of Duplicate Whist As Revised at the Last American Whist Congress. Printed by H. E. IRISH. SANTA CRUZ, CAL. 1897. ,.^-\'^ 1250 Preface. The history of whist, the theory of whist, the laws of whist, the gist of whist, Amer- ican leads, all may be easily obtained from the various treatises already existing on the game; and hands suitable to illustrate the principles of the game, and fix them on the memory, are to be found in the text books; notably in "American Whist Illustrated" by G. W. P.; ''The Laws and Principles of Whist" by Cavendish, and ''The Theory of the Modern Scientific Game of Whist" by Pole. It is not, therefore, intended in this book to go fully through such theory, laws, and leads; neither does the author pretend to be producing anything very original (the two, books last above men- tioned have been freely borrowed from in compiling this book), but it is hoped that the clearing away of some of the wrongful reasoning, that causes a lot of errors in the game to be "popular," may be helpful to beginners and others and make less popular "Errors at Whist.'' With the sentiments and ahnost in the words of "Cavendish" I wonld ask the whist stndent reader not to expect absohtte :natheniatic proof that given plays are the right ones, bnt to be satisfied by general reasonings, which are con- firmed by the accnmnlated experience of practiced players; — that is, be satisfied if the reasons given, or occurring to yon, for the "play" (called "cor- rect'") appi.-ar weighty* in themselves, and none weightier can be given on the other side. And, be satisfied with the assnrance that the method of play recommended herein is for the most part that which, having stood the test of time, is generally adopted. And this 1 wonld the more strotigly nrge in face of the tact that some American "Eastern"' writers and players have recently been recommending the nse of "the high card game," "the ruffing game," "s/ior/ sin'f (?/>^v////j,o%" and the like; their theory as e.r- ploited by "Howell" being '"that the original leadet should consider only the possibility of his OiUn haudV' and their excuse, or reason, for hunting up. or inventing, new whist theories being, ''because the long suit game appeared no good at all for its ostensible purpose" — a state- ment so broad that it is easy to emphatically deny its truth. The italics are mine to emphasize the assurance of some of these "latter-day" writers. I candidly own it is beyond my mental power to conceive — to grasp the idea of — any leader of forces, with another leader of forces on his side, (of perhaps slightly less (?) rank or prowess), and with the use of this other leader's forces (which may be of greater or less strength than those of the original leader, but may be estimated by him), *'co}isiderhi^^ only the possibility of his oivn hand." It seems to me that such a person shonhl not be "a leader!''' The arrangement of this little book, which, by the way, does not pretend to deal with ever}^ point of whist play, may by some be considered as rather a hap- hazard introduction to careful whist. Much of it is not written as applying to finished (or even moderate) players; but rather for those who hope to attain nearer to that end, and may as yet, although un- derstanding the game fairly well, through ignorance of reasons and system, be care- less. It has therefore been thought best to follow the arrangement pursued. The "Glossary" will be found to contain much information under alphabetical headings; the "Notes," though not exhaustive, are such prominent ones as appeared to the writer likely to be useful, as likewise are the "Hints for Beginners," and "Whist Maxims and Hints," while the "Errors" have been arranged in such sort of a con- secutive form that the "Table of Contents" will easily direct anyone to the information they may want contained therein. With "the "above apology for its appear- ance and defense of its form, I beg to offer this book for the kindly reception of the Whist Playing Public. Stringer O. Hii^ton. Capitola, Santa Cruz County, California. 30th November, 1897. Contents Arguments Against Errors . I. Playing a lone hand i 2. Refusino; to play a high card, because it will be taken 3 3. Keeping back an Ace to catch advei- saries' King 4 4. Leading, or playmg out, "Master Cards" too soon 5 5. The over-fascination of trick making by trumping. . 7 6. Leading from a Singleton in plain suits, and from short suits 7 7. Leading from a Singleton in trumps 10 8. Leading from a short suit in trumps (without great strengtli in plain suits). . 11 9. Leading through an honour turned up, although weak in trumps 12 10. Leading a high trump, from weakness. . . 13 11. Leading trumps merely to save your long suit from being trumped 14 12. Not leading trumps when strong 14 13. Not returning your partner's lead in trumps 17 14. Not leading up to an honour turned up when strong in trumps. 19 15. Not continuing the trump lead because the highest trumps are against you ... 19 16. Not going on with trumps because one adversary renounces 20 17. Trumping when strong in trumps 22 18. Refusing to trump a doubtful trick, when weak in trumps 23 19. Forcing your partner's trump, when weak yourself. 24 20. Playing Ace of trumps second hand second time round — trumps being led by adverse hand 24 21. Finessing to partner in his trump lead, with Ace and one other trump 25 22. Not leading from a strong suit because headed by a tenace 26 23. Leading low, from Ace King and three smali ones, a high sequence as Queen Knave Ten; or from similar strength . . 26 24. Leading Ace first, instead of King, from Ace Kmg, etc 27 25. Not leading Ace first, with Ace and four others 28 26. Leading low in a short suit, headed by Knave or a lower card 29 27. Leading through the weak hand and up to the strong 30 28. Leading from a tenace in a short suit ... 31 29. Returning your partner's lead in a p' 'in suit immediately, before letting him know your own suit.. 31 30. Returning your partner's lead with a low card. ...' 33 31. Returning your partner's unnatural, or forced lead. . . 34 32. Not playing King second round, on partner's Ace Queen led 35 33. Playing Ace. second hand, first time round. " 36 34. Playing King, second hand, with King and one small one 36 35. Playing Queen, with Queen and another, second hand 39 36. Playing Knave. v\'ith Knave and another, second hand 41 37. Playing Queen, with Ace Queen and one small one. second hand 42 38. Finessing in partner's long suit 44 39. Refiising to put Ace on partner's Queen led 44 40. Not playing lowest of a high sequence second hand 45 False Objections to Correct Way Against giving information ... 47 Against the System of American Leads 48 Again.st the Long Snil Opening 50 'Against leading from five trumps 51 Against taking partner's trick sometimes.. . 51 Twenty Hints for Beginners 53 Fifty Whist Maxims and Hints 56 Players' Notes Inattentive PLiy 61 Inferences 62 Strengthening- Play 65 Discards 66 Finessing 67 Underplay 68 Conventional Plays Exception to rule: Lead lowest of a suit. . 71 Exception to rule: Lead highest of a se- quence . 73 Exception to rule: Second hand play low. . 73 Exception to rule: Third hand play highest 74 Study your partner 74 Trump notes 74 Playing to Score 77 Some correct plays 78 Coups . 79 Duplicate Whist .. 82 Rhyming Rules 85 Glossary of Whist Terms 87 The Laws of Whist 106 The Laws of Duplicate Whist. 113 Whist Etiquette 117 Conclusion 119 WHIST LEADS. Ace Leads : 1. From Ace, and four or more. 2. From Ace, Queen, Knave, and one or more King Lead : 1. From all suits of four or less which contain Ace King, or King Queen, or Ace King Queen. Queen Leads : "'i. From all suits of five or more, when the Queen is in sequence to Ace or King; i. e.j from all suits of fivtr or more which contain Ace King Queen, or King Queen 2. From four or more in suits when the Queen is at head of a sequence to Ten; i. e., from four or more in suits which contain Queen Knave Ten . Knave Lead : I. From suits of five or more, when the Knave is in sequence to Ace or King; /. e., from suits of five or more which contain Ace King Queen Knave, or King Queen Knave. Ten Lead : I. From suits of four or more which contain King Knave Ten Fourth Best Leads : From all suits of four or more other than such as are mentioned above. Highest : Is led from suits of two or three. Trump Lead : Holdmg seven or ten, with two picture cards or three honours, lead as in plain suits, other- wise lead fourth best. [See Trump Note]. The above are taken from Whist Leads Con- densed, published on a card by Payot, Upham & Co., San Francisco. Arguments Against Errors. 1. Playing a Lone Hand. Among general, and, alas, "all too com- mon" errors may well first be mentioned the case of a player ignoring the fact of a part- nership altogether in his play; or giving only some degree of consideration to his partner, but still making his own hand the chief object. This has been characterised by one of the best modern whist players as "the worst fault he knows in a whist player." The following kind of excuse is frequently heard given for some certain play: "I was afraid I wouldn't make my king of hearts, therefore I (led or) played that way." Now, first last and all the time, it should be borne in mind that the theory of modern scientific whist is for the management conjointly of the two hands (own and partner's) to the best advantage, and that the long suit system should be invariably used as the game best suited for that purpose. The argument ("fear" above expressed) should 7?o^be*'that my king wouldn't make;" but at most, "that we (partner and m^^self ) would not make one of our heart tricks with that king of mine." Now what matter it, if we do 770^, so as we, instead — even bj^ sacrificing the said king — make more tricks in, or even without, that suit than we should obtain by 'making _the king'? Indeed, if sacrificing my king will help establish the suit, or gives us a good chance of so doing, why, that of itself, is good! The reason frequently suggested that you . might play your own hand to more advan- tage by treating it in your own way, and that the combined principle may lead 3^ou to sacrifice it, is based on error; for the s^^stem of legalized correspondence (by conventional play and signals) resulting from the combined principle, is calculated fuU}^ to realize any advantages your own hand ma}^ possess; and the cases in which sacrifice is required are only those in which the joint interest is un- doubtedl3^ promoted thereby. Probably the worst instance that can be given of insisting on plajdng your own hand in YOur own way without regard to your partner, and cer- 3 tainly the most harmful, is when it causes you to neglect the imperative duty of return- ing trumps immediately if led, or signalled for, by your partner, [see error 13]. For more advanced players who would not think of being guilty of this first error, I may however quote Pole's seeming quali- fication to the above remarks as follows: "It is understood etiquette in whist for the strong hand in trumps always to take precedence, and a partner who refuses to conform to this rule should be 'sent to Coventry' by all good players." It will be seen, however, that this is not really an exception to the combined treat- ment of partners' hands, but only a declar- ation as who shall take command of the combined forces. Maxim. — Never selfishly consider your own cards but play the correct game, which is the very best for the combined hands. 2. Refusing to play a High Card because it will be taken. This is a bad error. It is stupid to feel hurt because the higher cards of one's suit are taken [see error i]; for it is the long cards we are trying to bring in and make, and the very fact of higher cards being taken is tending to that end, by strengthening [see glossary] one's suit. Not continuing the trump lead, because the highest trump cards are against you is an instance of this error, where the reason of the lead is totally ignored, and the results may be more disastrous, [see error 15]. 3. Keeping back an Ace to catch aduer- sary's King. There seems to be a fascination for begin- ners (especially prevalent, may I say, among women and children, and extending to many old fashioned players) in ''catching" an ad- versary's high cards; and to such, this seems especially delightful when the ace of trumps ''catches" the king. Indulging this feeling is too silly and tri- vial to need many words here. The advan- tage of "catching a king" may be paid for too dearly; the loss through playing im- properly is almost invariably greater than the supposed gain; and the object is not to take your opponents one particular card, but to make as many tricks, out of your own and partner's combined hands, as you possibly can. Suffice it further to add that keeping back any high card, that should be played for strengthening play, to "catch" the adversary's next best, is the worst of errors, and contrary to all the principles of the modern game: manely, playing the long suit system with combined hands, [See er- rors I, 2, 15, 21]. 4. Leading or playing out master cards {as Aee, King, etc.) too soon. The realization of master cards has al- ways a fascination for the beginner. It is however bad to lead out the master cards Df a short suit (suit of three or less) , for you do not thus get the most out of such cards. Although 'tis true they win tricks, they might do even more for you, that is also help you to win other tricks with other cards, and help you to thwart the enemy. It is very desirable to retain the complete 'command (of even a long suit) at a later per- iod, and not therefore generally good to part with your high cards at first. In the case of a short suit, you will pro- bably make these master cards anyway, vSooner or later, and they will then serve as ^ 'cards of reentry," procuring you additional leads at a future period of the hand — when leads are more valuable, owing to the in- creased information later obtained — and en- able you to make further tricks; besides, which is most important, lessening your adversaries' power to do so, by taking the lead from them. In the case of a long suit, master cards will help to establish and bring it in, when trumps are out. It is no good excuse to urge "Oh, I had nothing to lead from," when you have a suit of four (a long suit), and every one has a proper suit to lead from in opening. The leading out of your commanding cards at the beginning of the hand is frequently the cause of this exclamation later: "Oh! I don't know what to lead." simply because you have played a selfish game; played out all your winning cards, and know nothing of your partner's or adversaries' suits; so have nothing to guide you any further. I may mention here, that the opposite ex- treme to this fault, namely wrongly keep- ing back ("bottling up") trumps and high cards, to make tricks with at the end of the hand, is equally a fault, although, in human nature such over carefulness being not so common a failing, it less frequently occurs, unless it be under the more spiteful form, such as, holding up an ace to catch an opponent's king. Maxim. — Any master cards you possess will take care of themselves. 5. T'he over fascination of Trick-makiny by Trumping. This error is dealt with at length under the next heading, "lycading from a Single- ton," but of course it may be shown in other ways, as by leading from any short suit for the purpose of trumping or by trumping when you are strong in trumps and should pass (other special considerations being wanting), [see error 1 7] . It were well to always bear in mind that although a system of play for trumping might be more advantageous as regards the single hand, it has been and is conclus- ively held, that the long suit system (treated as a form of opening) is the only one which adapts itself favorably and con- veniently to the combination of the hands; and that by combination of the hands more tricks can be won than by playing a lone hand. 6. Leading from a Singleton in plain Suits. Never lead originally a single card. One objection to opening with a singleton is that there can be no uniformity in your opening suits, for your next lead must be on some other grounds, and your orignal lead fre- quently so too,- this gives "a complexity which would effectually prevent favoumble combined action." The long suit system of opening is the one which best adapts itself to combined action, and playing the combined hands- is acknowledged the best form of whist. Take some. instances of the ill effects of this error: 1. You lead a single card; your partner being strong in trumps leads trumps (rightly) and then returns your lead; you probably cannot ruff, and have established what may be your adversaries^ suit, thus- placing yourself and partner in a most dis- advantageous position. 2. Your partner is weak in trumps, and with no }>articular strength in other suits^ returns your lead and you trump it. What is the consequence? You have lost one of your trumps, and your combined trump hands are weaker than ever, both of you being weak in trumps— for of course you were weak in trumps originally, or you would have led trumps, or at any rate not have led so as to have to ruff— your adver- saries then are strong in trumps, and will soon disarm you, establish their long suits j. regain the lead with trumps,, aad bring im tkeir long cards.- 3- If strong in trumps yourself, you would not, as above stated, wish to ruff (your trumps would make anyway and you hold them back in case you wish to draw out the adversaries' trumps) hence, when you ruff on return of your singleton lead, your adversaries, as well as your partner, know you are weak in trumps — a weakness not desirable to be shown — and your right hand adversary can finesse against you on trumps being led. 4. Remember leading from a singleton like leading any othet suit is helping to establish a suit, and the chance is two to one in the case of a singleton lead that that suit is your adversaries' and not your partner's. It is false reasoning to say, if you hadn't led a singleton at first your trumps might have been extracted before you could have made them by ruffing. Even were it so, that you would lose one or two tricks thus; you would assuredly lose more by sacrificing the combined strength of your two hands (played together). But reall}^ there is just as much chance of trumps being led — even if you do start with your singleton — before this suit is returned you, as there would have been it you had started the lead before with any other suit. The above arguments apply to a lead from a suit of two, and in a lesser degree to a lead from a suit of three. Maxim.- — If you are short of a suit and wish to trump it, you should wait until it is led by some one else, and you obtain your object without misleading your part- ner. 7. Leading from a Singleton in trumps. However much you may desire trumps out, it is nearly always an error to do this — though some contend that with ace, king, or equivalent strength, in every other suit, it nia}^ be done. First, you mislead j^our partner as to your strength in trumps. Again your ad- versaries are twice as likely, as your part- ner, to have strength in trumps, and conse- quently twice as likely to be left with the command, and so to establish their long suit or suits, and bring in their long cards. The old fashioned "when-in-doubt-lead -a- trump" player may give as his reason: 'T thought I'd let my partner know how weak I was in trumps." It is not neces- sary, nor advisable, to expose this particu- lar weakness, even to your partner- — weak- ness in other suits it may be. This singleton lead is sometimes made with the idea of drawing two for one, on trumps being returned, which however would surely happen, whenever trumps are led, without putting your partner in doubt as to whether you hold five or more trumps or only one. Again if your singleton trump lead is taken b}^ the adversary, your partner though strong in trumps will, imagining you to be strong also, ruff on the earliest op- portunit^^ weakening trumps on your side, and thus probably sacrificing one round of those trumps which you desired out. As to when 3'ou should lead trumps see. error 12 and notes on trumps. Maxim.- Do not lead from a singleton in trumps, 8. Leading from a Short Suit in Trumps (without great Strength in Plain Suits). The old fashioned ^maxim of "when in doubt play a trump" is often wrong and misleading. With less than four it is very seldom right to lead trumps at the commence- ment of the hand; for if the adversary are strong in trumps you are playing their game — moreover it will mislead your part- ner as to your strength in trumps. vSuch 12 a lead may however be warranted by very strong cards in all other suits (as ace, king, or equivalent strength) by which you may, perhaps, be able effectively to force a strong adverse trump hand, [see error 12]. 9. Leading through an Honour turned up although weak in Trumps. Some players often lead trumps, although weak in them, because an honour is turned up by their left hand adversary; the only motive being to give their partner a sup- posed trifling advantage in making a trick in trumps. This is a delusion and relegates the lead to the lowest use of trumps (?'. e. playing them as ordinary or plain suits). In such a case the result is your part- ner is misled, and he will, playing the cor- rect game, and imagining you to be strong in trumps, by returning them probably des- troy your joint game. Sometimes too an irregular opening lead of this sort is made to catch an honour turned up; with the result most frequently of losing two tricks in trying to make one. Maxim. — Never lead through an honour turned up, unless you otherwise want trumps led. 13 1^. Leading a High Trump from Weakness. Trumps are sometimes led from a short suit in them by inferior players, in order as they say "to strengthen their partner." This play is founded on imperfect reason- ing, and may be an error; for the effect of leading high or strengthening cards is to benefit the hand that is longest in the suit; and in a case of uncertainty the chances are two to one that the longest hand is not with your partner, but with one of your opponents, in which case you favour the ad- versaries' game. Of course if you know j^our partner has the longest suit in trumps, such a lead will be right, if it has been shown that trumps is the right lead for you at all — as by your partner calling, or your adversaries cross ruffing — but remember if you lead trumps otherwise you will be leading from a short suit in trumps, and will mislead your 'partner as to your tru,mp hand. The reason you lead high in other weak suits is to inform your partner it is your weak suit, or if returning high his lead, to strengthen his hand. Always play a more backward game in trumps, as the high cards will always make. u Rule. — With as many as seven trumps, lead highest to get them out quickl}^ but with less than seven alwa3'S lead lowest. II. Leading Trumps merely to save your long suit from being trumped. Although to lead trumps merely because your long suit is trumped, or is likely to be so, would seem at first sight to be sensible play, it is reall}^ an error; for if your adver- saries are strongest in trumps, you are only pla^ang their game — Indeed in such a case the greatest mischief that can be done to their strong trump hand is to force it to ruff, so depriving it of its preponderating strength. However if you know your partner is strongest in trumps, it is a good lead, and in case of a cross ruif against 3'ou it is good to at once lead out trumps. 12. Not Leading Trumps when Strong. There are three uses for trumps: first, as a plain suit; secondly, for ruffing; and thirdl)^ (their most important function) to disarm your adversaries, and enable you to bring in your own and partner's long cards. According to the modern and scientific game of whist (the commanding cards are, 15 to a certain extent, left to themselves, and) the principal object is to establish 3^our long suits, so as to bring in 5^our long cards. Now long cards may be put to two uses: (i) forcing 3'our adversaries, and (2) mak- ing tricks. If 3^our adversaries a^e strong in trumps, 3^our long cards can be used for making tricks onl}^ on one condition, namel}^ that your adversaries must be dis- armed of their trumps before 3^our long cards are led. The questions arise, "With what number of trumps you ought to lead them?" and "Should 3^ou lead them apart from consid- erations as to the remainder of ^^our hand?" To answer the first question: With five trumps the chances are greatly in favour of three rounds clearing the suit; thus with five trumps very little risk will be run in leading them; and they should be led origin- ally. As regards the second question 3^ou may say, although strong in trumps, you see no reason to lead trumps, if you have no long suit or high cards, of your own, to bring in. This is a grave error; of course if your partner and 3^ourself are both devoid of good cards you cannot make tricks; hut your having no good suit makes f6 the chances of your partner having one, the greater. You are not to think of j^our own hand onl}^, but also of 3"Our partner's [see error i]. He almost certainly will have a long plain suit, and will make his long cards, when 3^ou have succeeded in getting out the trumps; while with your long trumps j^ou can ruff w^hen the adver- saries attempt to make their long cards. It is an error to argue against leading trumps from strength, that 3^our partner may be short in your adversaries long suit, and may wish to ruff. This may be, but since you have two adversaries and only one partner, the chances are two to one in favour of ^/iejr being short in a suit, and wanting to ruff, rather than that your part- ner should. Not onl)^ is it right to lead trumps origin- alh^ when you hold five, but it is generally right to lead them when you hold four, two of which are honours, as after the third round, in all probability, you will be left with the command with one of your hon- ours. It is however good to see consider- able strength (of self or partner) in other suits, when leading from four trumps — otherwise if one of the adversaries holds four or five trumps you are playing his game. f? In many cases when you have derived information with regard to the position of the cards, you are justified, and often called upon, to lead out trumps from much greater weakness: instance, late in the hand, yourself and partner having com- mand of the plain suits, trumps may be led from moderate strength, [see error 8\ It may be safely laid down as a rule, not to be departed from that when you are strong in trumps you are bound to lead them (except upon rare occasions when it is necessary to establish your long suit be- fore doing so), further than this, it is often good to lead trumps when your part- ner by refusing to trump a doubtful trick has shown he has no trumps or is strong in them. Maxim. — With five trumps, lead; with four, use more discretion, [see trump notes] . 13. Not Returning your Partner's Lead in Trumps. When your partner leads trumps, it is for one of two reasons; either because he is strong in them, or because he has com- mand in every other suit; and it is your first duty to help him get them out. 1 8 It is a bad error to refuse to do this, simpl}^ because you are weak in some plain suit and want to ruff. Remember 3^ou have two adversaries who may also want to do so — or, suppose one of your adversaries is strong in trumps, he can prevent your ruffing. The whole system of modern scientific whist, establishing and bringing in long suits— best achieved by the combined play of the two hands — demands above everything a concurrence in getting out trumps as soon as possible when either partner signifies that it is good. There are supposed to be only two good reasons for not returning your partner's lead in trumps: (i) Not having another. (2) Sudden death. There is, however, a third case in which you have an option, namely, where 3^our partner in desperation • leads trumps from weakness, in hopes you are strong; if, in such a case, you are also weak, you can return them, or not, as 5^ou think best for the game. This option requires careful using even bj^ skilled pla3^ers; the moderate pla3^er should be content with the Rule — Always return your partner's lead in trumps at the first opportunity. 19 14. Not leading up to an Honour turned up when strong in Trumps. Some hesitate to lead up to an honour, thinking they will be sacrificing a high trump of their partner's. True, he being obliged to play his best, may possibly lose a high card, but this is rather an advantage to 3^ou than otherwise, as it will strengthen your hand, and give you earlier the entire command, [see notes on glossary and strengthening play]. It is better for you to have entire com- mand in your own strong suit than for you to share it with your partner — this is so even in trumps. If you abstain from leading trumps your partner may imagine the strength is against him, and play accordingly (as for instance force you to ruff), and thus your side wall lose the great advantage of your strong trump hand. 15. Not Continuing the Trump Lead because the Highest Trumps are against you. This is so plainly an error that it need only be reitterated that the object of lead- ing is to get trumps out so as to make tricks in your long suits, and not to make tricks in trumps — which in this case must make against you, and which if not, you should gladly sacrifice because you will make more tricks by playing the long suit system, [see error 2]. 16. Not going on with Trumps because one adversary renounces. Players will frequently cease attempting to lead trumps out because one adversary fails, and they are drawing two from their own side for one from the adversary. Moreover the best writers on whist will tell you that in such a case you should not gen- erally continue the suit, and that your right play is to try and make your own and part- ner's trumps separately, and to force out your adversary's trumps by making him ruff. Now, you were strong enough to lead trumps, or your partner was strong enough in other suits to signal for them, and we will imagine your object — to clear the hand of trumps and so help establish and bring in your long suits — still remains. How can this be best accomplished? So long as you appear strong enough in trumps to probably draw out all that your one adversary has remaining, it is best (yourself or partner having cards or suits to bring in) to go on with the trump lead, and totally disarm the adversary (learning some- thing too from your other adversary's dis- card) — the lead should however be up to, rather than through, the renouncing hand — as soon as you see you are not strong enough to draw out the adversaries' trumps, stop, you are only playing his game, and your best way to accomplish your end is, to lead up for the adversary trump hand to ruff, and to make 3^ours and your partner's trumps separately. In the case where one of your adversaries holds the commanding card in trumps un- guarded, and the other adversary no trump at all, it is useless to continue the trump lead; better to get rid of the commanding trump by making the opponent ruff one of your long cards. If your partner renounces trumps it is of course good to go on and draw two for one; and this indeed does more good for you (the side that is strong in trumps, or wants trumps out) than would the above case, drawing two of yours for one of his, do the adversary (the weak trump side or side without your pronounced long cards or suits). 17 . Trumping when Strong in Trumps. Many young players are only too pleased to be able to trump an adversary's suit — make a trick by trumping [see error 5] — and are apt to forget that the best use of trumps is to aid in establishing long suits or high cards, ruffing being onl}^ a secondary use to which to put trumps when you are weak in them. The rule, against trumping a doubtful trick when strong in trumps, is imperative-, further it is often advisable, when strong in trumps, to refuse to trump a trick which is certainly against you, as your trumps will ultimately make, and you may perhaps dis- card advantageously. However you should not persist in refusing to be forced if you find your adversary has entire command of his suit, or your partner evidently intends to force you. If your partner should refuse to trump (a certain trick against you) he, strong in trumps, will probably want trumps led, and you should carefully avoid forcing him (un- less perhaps you are strong in trumps your- self). The greatest harm you can do to a strong trump hand is to force it to ruff. 23 If you are weak in trumps yourself con- sider your partner strong and do not force him. Maxim. — Strong in trumps, pass a doubt- ful trick. 18. Refusing to Trump a Doubtful Trick when Weak in Trumps. Often, as second hand, having none of the suit led, it would seem doubtful whether to trump the trick or leave it for one's part- ner; and some, who, like to "bottle up" their trumps are not lief to do the latter, even though they are weak in trumps (holding three or less). This is an error; the rule is: Weak in trumps, trump fearlessly; the reason for the rule: your trumps are of no use for their highest purpose (best use), namely, to aid in making your own or partner's long suits, or high cards. The advantages of following the rule: (i) It may save a commanding card of your partner's, which, in the adversaries' suit, will be very valuable. (2) It is a useful in- dication to your partner that you are weak in trumps — if you do not trump he infers you are strong, and such knowledge (which can only be reliable if you do always trump 24 a doubtful card when weak) and the infor- mation gained by your discard, may be of great value to you both. 19. Forcing your partner's Trumps when Weak in trumps yourself. Although your partner renounces a suit, if you know him to be strong in trumps, avoid forcing him; further than this always when weak in trumps yourself, allow for the then probability of your partner being strong, and do not force him. The result of the error of in this case weakening your partner's trump hand, is, you leave it in the power of your opponents to draw out all the tiumps and bring in their suit. Exceptions to the above are: (i) When your partner has already shown a desire to be forced, as by trumping a doubtful card, or weakness in trumps as by refraining from forcing you and (2) when you have a cross ruff on. Maxim. — The greatest harm you can do to a strong trump hand is to force it to ruff. 20. Playing Ace of trumps, Second hand. Second time round, trumps being led of adverse hand. This is generally an error; the play here should be different to (more backward than) 25 that in plain suits; for the ace of trumps will always make; and it is always an object to retain the command of your adversaries' suits as long as you convenienth^ can — this is especially so in trumps, as, if 5^ou get the last trump trick, it means bringing in your own and partner's lono^ suits, instead of the ad- versaries'. Hovrever the ace may sometimes be played as above correctly, as, when done to stop the lead of trumps (for the time) and bring in a cross ruif of yourself and partner. 21. Finessing to Partner in kis Trump lead with Ace and one other trump. This is an error; for trumps are not being put to their meanest use, i. e. of making tiicks as a plain suit, but are being used for their highest purpose, to establish long suits. Your partner wanting trumps out, you should take what, he leads with the ace, even if you have onl}^ one more, and lead back the other card at once. It is not the commanding cards in trumps you want to retain in this case. [see notes on finessing]. 26 22. Not Leading from a Long Suit, because headed ly a Tenace. Many players will not lead from a strong suit if headed by a tenace; preferring for instance to lead from ten, nine, three to ace, queen, four, two. They argue, that by holding up the ace-queen, suit, the}^ stand a better chance of "catching the king." That ma}^ be so; but they purchase this advantage too dearly; for the probable loss from leading the weak suit may be taken as greater than the probable gain from holding up the tenace. Further the misleading of one's partner by not conform- ing to the recognized long suit lead, may re- sult in much greater loss throughout not only the hand, but the whole game, than is gen- erally thought of. It is however better not to lead from the ace-queen suit if j^ou hold another long suit from which you can lead, or if you have another lead that may bene- fit, and cannot deceive 3^our partner. 23. Leading low from Aee, King and three small ones, a high sequence, as Queen^ Knave, Ten; or from similar strength. An exception to the general rule of lead- ing lowest, or fourth best, should be made 27 with ace, king, and three others, or similar strength; /or if you begin with the smallest, reserving j^our two highest cards, for second and third rounds, you would probably have one of them trumped. The better play is to play the high card first, and delay establishing 3- our suit. Another exception from beginning with the lowest or fourth best is that the highest of a sequence (except ace, king) should be led; the endeavour being to force out the higher cards — this will probably be achieved in two rounds, leaving you then with the best card, and probably the entire command. The general rule of leading lowest, or fourth best, however applies more generally ior leading trumps, and also for leading such plain suits as above when trumps are out, as the motive for the exception no longer exists. 24. Leading Ace first, instead of King, from Aee, King, etc. To do this is a case of not observing the old recognized form of leads, which if adherred to, may convey much useful in- formation to one's partner. No good part- ner would trump your king led— for if you 28 have not the ace, you want the adversary to play it, that he may not hold the win- ning card of your suit — and if you take the trick, and change the lead, your partner knows the ace is with you or your left hand adversary, whereas if ace had been led, he would know nothing as to the position of the king. When you have trumped another suit, it is better (unless you have great confidence in your partner) to lead ace first, from ace, king, as if 5^our partner happen to have none of your suit, he might trump the king in order to lead again the suit you are trumping, i. e. to establish a cross ruff. Rules. — With ace king and others, lead king before ace; with ace king queen, lead king then queen; but with ace king queen, in a suit of five or more, lead ace first. 25. Not Leading Aee first, with Ace and four others. With ace and four small cards of a suit, some will lead a small card first. This is an error. If you have not also the king or queen and knave, the ace should be led first, then a small one — otherwise there is a chance— you holding so many of the suit— of 29 your ace being trumped in the second round. Moreover this is perhaps the chief advan- tage, the recognized lead tells your part- ner how many of the suit you have. With sequence, ace, king, queen, knave and another, the knave should be led. An exception to the usual lead may sometimes be made if you have a bad part- ner, who would not count your hand from your lead, and you ma}^ then begin with a small one, if you think it the best chance of making two tricks in the suit (as may be the case if you are strong in trumps). 26. Leading Low in a Short Suit headed by Knave or a lower card. In case of a forced lead (from a suit of three or less) it is best to lead the highest. If, having no indication as to your part- ner's strength in the suit, you lead the lowest, you run the risk of making your partner think you led from numerical strength; however, if you lead out the high card, you at once give up the command of the suit, and unless your partner has strength in it (the chances being against this) you leave yourself at the mercy of your opponents. 30 With a short suit, headed b}^ knave or a lower card, you should certainly lead the highest (as retaining such a card would not be likely to stop the adversaries from estab- lishing the suit). The best short suit to lead from, is one so headed. Ace, or king, or queen, and one other are bad suits to lead from, as by holding them up, you and your partner stand a better chance of making tricks in the suit; and if (as the chances are) it be the adversaries' suit, you keep the power of obstructing it, and obtaining the lead at an advanced period of the hand. Of course if you have any guide that your partner has strength in j^our weak suit, you should always lead your highest of it. Rule. — When compelled to lead from three cards, lead the highest unless it be the ace, king, or queen, with two low ones; also from any two cards lead the highest generally, if compelled to lead. 27 . Leading through the Weak Hand and up to the Strong Hand. This is contrary to principle, so much so that, if you win your partner's lead cheaply, you should not return it — which 31 would be leading through the weak hand--as the lead will come more properly again from your partner. It may be done sometimes by expert players later in the game to replace the lead, and in trumps, to get trumps out. 28. Leading from a lenace in a Short Suit. Many beginners will think ace, queen and another their strong suit, and therefore the right one to lead from. This is wrong [see long suit in glossary]; it is really a weak, or short suit; and for other reasons un- desirable as a lead. Formerly it was consid- ered an error to lead from a tenace (best and third best cards of suit) at all, because one loses all chance of the (possible) advan- tages of the combination — namely, that if you are fourth player, you will certainly (bar trumping) make two tricks in the suit This really holds good as regards a short suit (three or less); but if your tenace suit is your longest, the advantage of opening the game correctly will outweigh this chance. It is always best, if left with a tenace towards the end of the hand, to hold it back and try and get it led up to. 32 29. Returning your Partner's Lead in a plain suit immediately, before letting him know your own suit. You are not bound, except in trumps, to to return your partner's lead at once; in- deed it is generally more desirable that your first lead should be from your own long suit, to give your partner information as to 3^our hand, so that he may have a guide to another lead when his own suit is stopped, and joint action may be promoted^ Knowledge of your strength given 3^our partner will also help him to deduce some inferences as to your weak suit, and as to the adversaries' suits. However, if 3'ou hold the master card in your partner's suit, 3^ou should part with it as soon as possible, so as to get it out of your partner's way, and also to prevent him imagining it is against him. It is good if you win with the ace and can return an honour to do so directly, as it will greatly strengthen >^our partner's hand. If you win wdth king, queen, or knave, and have only small cards remaining, the return of a small card is apt to dis- tress more than strengthen your partner's hand; and if you win the first trick in your partner's lead cheaply you should be cau- 33 tious in returning it, as the strength must be between 3^our partner and your right hand adversar}^ 30. Returning your Partner's Lead with a Low card. This is a very common error with young players. Your partner holds more than the av- erage number of cards in the suit he leads, and the chances are you are short. It will therefore be more for the joint benefit that 3^ou play with reference to his hand and not your own — i. e. give him the more import- ant part of the play in reference to such suit — hence you should get rid of the com- mand of your partner's suit, and adopt strenghening play in it generally, [see glos- sary]. It has become a conventional rule to re- turn your partner the highest you have of a weak suit, and that always if you hold the best or master card in it; or second and third best. But when numerically strong in your partner's suit yourself, and you have not the best or master card after the first round, you may return your lowest card. In this case when you and your partner are both 34 strong, the return of the lowest tells him you are strong and prevents him from finessing in a suit which must be trumped third round. The object of the rule of returning the higher (you having only two left) is: to aid your i)artner in establishing his long suit; to get rid of the command; to give partner an opportunity of finessing; and to inform him how many cards of the suit you hold. Every one of these advantages are thrown away on an unsystematic player; so that with a very bad partner, 3^ou may (by playing the sound game) be only wasting good cards and affording information to the adversary, and may therefore be excused if you depart from the rule. Rule. — Return your highest of your part- ner's lead. 81. Returning your partner's Unnatural or Forced Lead. This is often done by a player, even though short in that suit himself also, on the general principle of returning one's partner's lead; but it is an error neverthe- less. A forced lead (from three or less cards) should generally be known to you by the 35 card your partner plays, and you ought not to return it unless strong in that suit your- self, when you make it a lead of your own. In the case of a trump lead even, which is forced — that is from weakness, and in desperation, without great strength in all other suits — you rightly have the option, if weak yourself, of returning the lead or not, [see error 13] though it would seem to the writer unadvisable for any but expert (fine) players to avail themselves of this choice of not returning a trump lead, for, from the greater certainty of play more good is likely to accrue among average players by stick- ing to the hard and fast rule in this case. 32. Not playing King Second Round, on partners 'Ace, Queen, Led. With ace, queen, knave, ace is led then queen, and yo\i, holding the king, should put it on your partner's queen (if you can trust to his leading correctly) so as not to ob- struct his establishment of the suit; he then obtains command with the knave and, trumps being out, can lead and make (bring in) his long cards in the suit; whereas if you had passed the queen and taken the third trick with j^our king, you would most 36 likely have been unable to lead the suit for him to make these. 33. Playing Ace, Second Hand, First Time round. This error is opposed to all principles of "keeping command of your adversaries' suit," and should hardly ever be done, if short in the suit one might almost say never. The ace however is rightly played on an honour led; and to cover a high card, if you hold the next above and the next below it. Even with the ace and four small ones it is better generally to pass the trick, unless the game is in a critical state, and 3^ou are weak in trumps; or if you sUvSpect a "single- ton" lead, when play your ace. 34. Playing King, Second Hand, with King and one Small one. Although the odds are in favour of your king making the trick, still this is erro- neous play. The lead is from your right hand adver- sarj^'s longest suit. If he held five or more the ace would have been led. So if the original lead is from five — the ace, if not led, must lie to your left. If your left hand adversary hold it, your king if plaj^ed. 37 would be at once covered; and, if your part- ner hold it, it would be unnecessary to play your king, as he could take the trick with his ace, or may be with a smaller card. Moreover if you play the king and secure the trick, your left hand adversary would throw away his lowest, and you deprive him of no strength; whereas if the trick be left to your partner, he w^ould either weaken the third player, or take the trick cheaply. Further in addition to your part- ner weakening the third player, 3^ou have the king held up over the original leader. Now suppose the original leader held only four of the suit; the acknowledged odds are still in favour of the ace being to your left. In such a case the same argu- ments apply as before. If not — /. e. if the original leader holds the ace — your partner has an equal chance of winning the trick •with the third player. If he does win it, he weakens the third player, and if he does not, he keeps back his strength. Suppose, the ace being to your right, the third player wins the trick with the queen; he returns the suit, and your king falls to the original leader's ace. Now if your partner hold the knave, he will have the command — the command to your partner 38 with the knave now is of more value than one trick made with your king would have been — and 3^ou wnll have an opportunity of discarding; if he does not hold the knave, by playing your king second hand in the first round, you would have left your adver- saries wdth the entire command for the original leader will be perfectl}' safe in fin- essing on the suit being returned, in addi- tion to the fact of his side holding the two highest cards. Remember it is good (for your side) to retain command of 3^our ad- versaries' suits as long as you convenienth' can. Again, with ace to j^our right, and j^our partner holding the queen w^hich secures the trick, when your left hand adversar^^ re- turns the suit, 3^our king again falls to the original leader's ace. But if 3^ou had played 3^our king in the first round (and won the trick) j^our partner's queen would be completely hemmed in, unless the knave is to 3^our left, and j^our partner holds the ten as well as queen; and in such case the trick might w^ell have been left to him, for the knave w^ould have fallen to his queen, and you and j^our partner w^ould be left with the second and third best cards (king and ten) in N^our adversaries' long suit. 39 One further great objection to this error of play is that you expose your hand to the original leader, who will finesse against you on the suit being returned. Some exceptions maybe mentioned where king may be played second hand from king and small one: (i) If a queen or knave be led you are justified in playing your king, for if the ace be against you the king will certainly fall if kept back — here is a case in which the rule of the old school, "on an honour put an honour," may generally be followed; but if you are strong in the suit, it is better even in this case to husband your strength and play a smaller card. (2) When absolutely necessar}' to ob- tain the lead, to get trumps out for instance, or to prevent a cross ruff, you are justified in playing your king. (3) With king and one low one, play king second hand if nine or eight are led. (4) In trumps play king from king and one low card. Rule. — Second hand play low. 35. Playing Queen with Queen and another Second Hand. The original leader does not hold both ace and king, so either the ace or the king lies 40 to your left. Suppose the original leader hold the ace. Then either your partner holds the king, or your left hand adversary does. If it be your left hand adversary, he would at once cover your queen, and if it be your partner, he could take the trick with it, and at the same time secure one of the head cards of the third player. Or suppose the original leader hold the king, then either your partner holds the ace or your left hand adversary does; if it be your left hand adversary, your queen w^ould be taken, and if it be your partner he could secure the trick with his ace, and would weaken the third player as before. It may be argued that it sometimes be to your advantage to play the queen, but this is very seldom, as by so doing the adver- saries' suit would be almost certainly es- tablished after two rounds- — ^unless your partner hold ace knave and ten, when of course it would be better to leave the trick to him. Anyway the general advantage of playing according to (the correct) vSystem is greater than this chance of advantage. Again the odds are against the cards be- ing placed as supposed, namely, your part- ner holding the ace, and the original leader the king; and under all other circumstances 41 j-ou would lose b}^ playing the queen. It is needless to discuss the case when both ace and king are to your left. As an exception, you might be justified in playing your queen, if it were necessary for you to try and obtain the lead. You might also be justified in covering a ten or knave. 36. Playing Knave, with Knave and Another, Second Hand. If a small card be led, the original leader, without doubt, does not hold either ace and king, or king and queen. So the lead is evidently not from the court cards, un- less it be from ace and queen, which the original leader would hold back, if he could do so without injuring the general play of the hand [see tenace in glossary]. So then it is more than probable that tw^o cards to your left are higher than the knave. If your left hand adversary holds one of them, it would be useless to play your knave second hand, and if your partner holds them both, he can take the trick with one of them, or even with a lower card. An advantage might be gained by play- ing the knave, if the original leader hold 42 the queen, and ^^^our partner the ace and king; but even then in many cases no dif- ference would be made by playing a small card; for your partner, if at a loss for a lead, might lead through the strong and up to the weak hand, keeping back the com- mand in your adversaries' suit, in which case your knave would mnke; for the origi- nal leader w'ould not play his queen. Hence, it is seldom that anything could be gained by playing the knave in the first round, and there are two great disad- vantages — first, the original leader would (if able) finesse against you on the suit being returned; and, secondly, your partner w^oiild be in a state of doubt as to whether you were signaling for trumps or not. With ten and anotlier, the same argu- ments will apply, and the case will be even stronger against your playing the ten second hand first time round. S7. Playing Queen, with Ace and Queen and one Small one, Second Hand. The chances are, as a rule, in favour of the king being to 5^our left. If your left hand adversary hold it, your queen w^ould be taken; and if your partner does, he can 43 take the trick, and at the same time secure one of the third player's leading cards. But suppose the original leader led from the king. It is then an even chance whether your partner holds the higher card, or the third player, and your partner has the advantage of Ij'ing over the third player. However if you hold five of the suit, as the lead is in all probability from at least four, the chances are then in favour of the king being to your right, and somewhat in favour of the suit being trumped in the second round — it almost certainly will be in the third round — thus with ace, queen and three others, second hand, you are perfectly justified in playing the queen. Further with ace, queen, ten, put on the queen, as you thus make certain of two tricks, unless you are led through twice, and both king and knave be over you. But, if the trumps are out, or you have the power to get them out, i. e. are strong in trumps, it is generally right to play a small one however many you hold, as it is then necessary to keep a strong hand over the original leader. If the knave be led by a good player, play the ace second hand — on an honour 4.4 put an honour — for he evidently does not hold the king, as ne wjliI 1 have played it from weakness, and a small one from strength; and if he hold king, knave, ten, the ten would have been led. General Rule.- — With ace, queen and one or two small ones, you should pla}^ a small one; but with three or more small ones, play the queen if weak, and a small one if strong, in trumps. With the double tenace (ace, queen, ten) in trumps, play ten second hand, for the larger tenace is the better to hold. 88. Finessing in Partner's Long Suit. This is an error, as you lose all advan- tages of strengthening play, where it is most required. However with ace and queen, first time round, it is by some con- sidered allowable, provided you get rid of the ace shortly afterwards. The alternative play is to take the first trick with the ace and return the queen, which is good strengthening play. 39. Refusing to put Ace on Partner's Queen led. To refuse to put on the ace is really a finesse in your partner's (long) suit [see 45 notes on finesse], and is against the princi- ples of strengthening play, and therefore not recommended by the writer, though some of the authorities consider it the best play; the rule being given to "play low on an honour led by partner;" the argument being, that the lead is from a head sequence, and if the king is on your partner's left — your right — it is, by keeping your ace, hemmed in. Of course if you refuse to put the ace on, and the king lies with the fourth player, it makes this first trick, and leaves your side with entire command of the suit; but I con- tend it (the king) could be equally well, or better, got rid of in this case, by the return of a high card led in the second round; and, that playing the ace has all the advantages of keeping to a uniform system of play. The better play seems to me to be to take the trick with the ace, and return a high card. 40. Not Playing Lowest of a High Sequence Second Hand. An exception to the general rule, "second hand play low," is (as stated under con- ventional play) that where a high sequence is held the lowest of such sequence should 46 be played, and not the lowest card held of the suit. It is an error not to play the lowest of such sequence second hand, for if you do not, a lower card than one of that sequence may be played third hand, and your partner's best card of the suit — and remember you want your side to keep com- manding cards of the adversaries' suit as long as possible- perhaps the ace, will be required to take the trick. Example. — Suppose the two of hearts is led, and you hold queen, knave, five; and say that you, second hand, play the five, hoping the king will fall third hand and your partner take it with the ace, but in- stead the third hand plays the ten and forces your partner's ace. Now^ had you played; the knave, you would not only have taken the trick, but with the help of your partner's underplay lead, you might have made three tricks in the suit. False Objections to Correct Play. Allegations against Giving Information {as, conventional leads, plays, signals, etc.') It is sometimes objected that all indica- tions given to 3^our partner are also given your opponents, and that, by thus enlight- ening tvv^o enemies and one friend, you es- tablish a balance to your disadvantage. Acting on this principle a bad player will sometimes hold back cards that should be played, or play palpably incorrectly, so to say, "play sly," to mislead the adver- sary. This is erroneous; for, if the opponents are also good players, they will be using the same system, and the positions (as regards information given and received) must be equal; if they are not good players they will not profit by the indications you give, and the whole advantage will rest with you. Besides even good players often direct their 48 attention more particularly to their part- ner's play, paying less heed to their opponents, which gives a slight shade of advantage (in your legalized cor- respondence). The more logical form of reasoning is given by Pole thus: "If you play obscurely you are in constant dan- ger of getting obstructions, instead of help, from your partner, which would give you three op- ponents to fight single handed " Remember the golden maxim for whist that, ''It is of more importance to inform your partner, than to deceive your ad- versary." Allegations against the System of American Leads. It is alleged by sdme that the game is complicated. This cannot be truly said for all that the American System requires is three things (as stated in American Whist by G. W. P.): (i) That the leader holds exactly three cards higher than the low card led; (2) that, if he leads a high card and then a low one, he has exactly two cards higher than his second lead; and (3) that, having led a high card, when following with an- other high one he plays the highest of two equally good if he has but four cards of the suit, and the lowest of the two if he has five. 49 In the words of Cavendish, all an Amer- ican asks his partner to observe is: (i) That when he originally leads a low card, he holds exacth' three of the suit higher than the card led. Example. — Holding queen, ten, eight, six, three, two, lead the six. (2) That when he originally leads a high card and then a low one, he still holds exactly two cards higher than the second card led. Example. — Holding ace, knave, nine, seven, four, lead ace then seven. (3) That when he originally leads a high card and follows it with a high card, he indicates in many cases to any who knows the analysis of leads, as every whist player ought, whether his strong suit consisted of four or more than four cards. Example. — Holding knave, ten, nine, seven, six, lead knave then nine; or, holding knave, ten, nine, seven, lead knave then ten. [see glossary, American leads]. Mr. Trist promulgated his system of American I^eads in 1884; his plan simply comprised lead of original fourth best — the card of minimum numerical strength — or lead of ace and then fourth best, and he then explained how the original leader, when he became second, third or fourth player, vShould play his equal trick-making cards, giving the American rule, as fol- lows: 50 "On the second round of your suit, which you originally led, if you remain with two high indif- ferent cards, both of which your partner can infer to be in your hand, play the higher if you opened a suit of four cards, the lower if a suit of hve or more.'' The advantage of the American leads is that they "consolidate the received practice, and extend a law of uniformity to cases not previously provided for," thus at once communicating to his partner pre- cise information as to the hand of the leader. Allegations against the "Long-Suit" Opening. That in many cases it cannot be followed to its conclusion, the strength of trumps be- ing against you, or from some untoward fall of the cards. In this case it is still the safest, as, though it may not succeed for yourself, it is the way least likely to help your adversary (as the alternative of leading up to their long suit probably), and further, gives you the best means of obstructing him by forcing his hand. Nor does the adoption of this play as an opening bind you to alwa3^s implicitly follow it up. [see preface]. 51 Allegations against Leading from Five Trumps. That you have no long suit, or that your hand is otherwise weak. This is no sound argument, for, on the combined principle, 3^ou work for your partner as well as yourself; and the proba- bility is, if you are weak, he is strong, and will have long suits and good cards to bring in. Moreover, if unfortunately you both hap- pen to be weak, any other play would be still worse for you — as helping your adver- saries to their long suit and object, [see error 12, and notes on trumps]. Allegations against Taking your Partner's Trick, sometimes. To win a trick already your partner's with a higher card is by beginners often thought very queer, if not very bad, play — they consider it a waste of a high card. There are however some cavSes where this is advisable, and very good play — instances, ( I ) to get high obstructing cards out of 3'our partner's way; (2) to get the lead, so as to enable you to lead up to the weak hand, or to alter the position of the lead, because with your partner it is not placed for the best advantage of your combined hands. [see notes on coups]. To trump your partner's trick (certain or doubtful) would by those not fully informed seem an even worse waste of a good card, and so very bad play indeed! This is not always so; the second instance above given applies here too. and it is fre- quently an error to refuse to trump even your partner's trick. If a doubtful trick, and you are "weak in trumps, trump fear- lessly," for, if instead of trumping you dis- card, you are misleading your partner by telling him you are strong in trumps. However it is somewhat doubtful whether (even if weak in trumps) you should trump an original lead of your partner's, as you are postponing the establishment of his lonsf suit. Twenty Hints for Beginners. 1 . Sort your cards carefully according to suit and rank, but avoid all artificial system, as placing trumps in a particular place (which is childish), but always name the trump mentall^^ at every deal. 2. Count the number you have of each suit before beginning to play. 3. Observe carefully; look constantly at the board (table). 4. Watch the cards as they fall, and draw your inferences at the time. 5. It is not desirable to attempt to rec- ollect too much at once. First, count the honours in each suit as they fall and re- member the trump card; and, when prac- ticed in this, count similarly the tens and nines, first directing your attention to your own most important suit, then to your part- ner's suit also, and so on. 6. Next attend to the suit led originally by each player, and watch in the second round whether the lead was from strength or weakness. 54 7- Try and remember how many of each suit are out, and the best remaining cards in each suit; where that is, and what is the best card of the suit in your hand. 8. Then especially try and calculate as far -as possible the number of cards your partner holds in each suit, as it is played ( — with this help you can often tell the num- ber he holds in other suits — ); and apply the same course to your opponents. 9. It is important to note the cards played by 3^our left hand adversary, for if he proves weak in a suit, you may avoid wasting high cards when small ones would win the trick over him. This is especially necessary, as your partner is likely to lead up to a weak hand. 10. Manage 3^our small cards as carefully as your big ones, so as not to mislead your partner as to your hand, and note carefully the fall of small cards. 1 1 . Always bear in mind the reason why (in the ordinary game) you ought to do a certain thing; and never do anything with- out having a reason for it. 12. Remember to keep giving your partner information, and to watch for in- formation as to his hand, so as to play the hands conjointly. 13- Consider the hand of 3^our partner fully as much as your own. 14. Play and lead deliberately: there is no hurry. This does not mean 3^ou are to try and obtain the character of a good player by pausing sl long time before play- ing, when your right play is obvious. 15. Play your cards quietly, do not bang them on the table. 16. Do not "jaw" 3^our partner; even if he plays badh^ do not quarrel with him, but keep him on fair terms with himself. 17. Three remarks only are allowable at whist during the play of the hand: (i) The question, "What are trumps?" (2) The interrogatory, "Having no trumps, partner!'' (3) The demand, "Draw (or place) your cards." (the last must be made before playing to a trick) . 18. Do not be discouraged if sound play sometimes fail of success. 19. Whist presents great scope for the exercise of skill, patience, tact, and good temper. 20. Your observation, memory, and in- ferences must be supplemented by good judgment in your play before you are 3. fine player. Fifty Whist riaxims and Hints From Cavendish, Ames, Pole, and others. Know the leads and when to make them; Know the tricks and when to take them; Know the rules and when to break them; Know the laws and ne'er forsake them. 1. Always attend to the game. Inatten- tion is a crime at whist. 2. It is of more importance to inform your partner, than to deceive the adversary. 3. Be careful not to deceive your part- ner in your lead, or play. To deceive your partner is a crime at whist. 4. Study 3^our partner's hand; and his play. 5. The best whist player is he who plays the game in the simplest and most intelli- gent way. 6. The first lead is by far the most im- portant one in the w^hole hand. 7. Do not fancy you can play whist un- til vou know the leads. 57 8. Any master cards you possess will take care of themselves. Do not lead them out at once. 9. lyead first from your strongest suit, that is the longest, or best of two equally long suits. 10. When a low card should be led, lead the fourth best. 11. When you do not follow a high card led with another high card, lead your fourth best. 12. Trumps best use is to aid in making your own or your partner's long suit, or high cards. 13. With five always, with four often, lead trumps. 14. The proper use of trumps, when weak in them, is for ruffing. 15. If weak in trumps, trump fearlessly. 16. If strong in trumps, do not trump a doubtful trick second hand. 17. The greatest harm you can do to a strong trump hand is to force it to ruff. 18. Do not force your partner if weak in trumps yourself; consider him strong then. 19. It is good to force the adversaries' strong trump hand to ruff. 20. It is important to retain a (long) trump in an otherwise weak hand. 5« 21. It is very desirable to retain the complete command of a suit at a late period of the hand. 22. Get rid of the command of your partner's suit. 23. Keep the command of 3^our adver- saries' suit as long as you conveniently can. 24. Lead the ace, lowest card, or fourth best, of 3^our long suit. 25. Lead from a long suit headed with king or queen rather than from an equal one headed with ace. 26. Lead up to the weak suit and through the strong one. 27. Lead highest, play lowest, of a se- quence. 28. In the second round of j^our suit, lead the winning card if you have it. 29. Secondhand, play low; third hand, play high. 30. Discard should be from your weak- est or shortest suit; but, if trumps are de- clared against you, from your best protected suit. 31. Keep a card with which to return your partner's lead. 32. Do not unguard an honour. 33. Third hand only finesses to part- ner's original lead when holding ace, queen. 59 34- Fourtli hand, win trick as cheaply as 3"ou can. 35. Indications of strength should be looked for in the leads. 36. Indications of weakness are given by the plaj^ of the third hand, and by the discard. 37. If 5^our king make, it does not fol- low that your partner has the ace. 38. Do not force your adversary with 3'our best card of a suit, unless you have the second best also. 39. Keep the command of your partner's suit in his hand rather than in your own. 40. By courtes}^ a player may look at the last trick turned. 41. In duplicate whist do not forget to place the cards toward the center of the table, not on the edge of it. 42. Cards should be shuffled above the the table, not below or on it. 43. A misdeal passes the deal to the next hand. 44. Do not expose j^our cards. A card played out of turn is an exposed card and can be called. 45. Do not detach a card in your hand ready to play before your turn. 46. Consider {i. e. do not pla^^^'quick) ; 62 when the trick has been turned and quitted, should you innocently remark to ^^our part- ner, "Let me see, what did I play that time?" (a remark ot course not really allowable), he probably can't tell you, and you'll know how little to trust to his general observation of the fall of the cards. Again the fault may occur when, the ad- versary having taken the trick, your partner thinks it not worth w^hile to notice the fall of your card, especially if it's the first time round of the suit, and it is probably all will follow; that appears enough for him, or if he knows better, namely, that he ought to wateh, he still does not attach sufficient im- portance to the absolute necessity for so do- ing. Maxim.— yj2itQh the board always, [see hints for beginners, and whist maxims]. Inferences. Every industrious and careful pla3^er may do much in the way of inference, and when he has mastered the principles of the game, he ought to give the subject his best^study. The following, taken from Pole's "The- ory of Whist," are some examples of the way in which inferences ma}^ be drawn from cards played:— 63 Play Inference. Lead. {In the player' s own . first lead. ) Any plain suit Kin,^. Ace followed by king. Ace followed by queen . Ace followed by a small one. Queen (plain suits). Leading a high card then dropping a lower one. Leads second best trump. Leads second best of plain suit Urumps being out) . {Ifi returning his Part- ner' s lead.) Does not lead out the master card. Any card, afterwards dropping a lower one. N. B. 14^ hen there is an alternative, your oivn hand, or the Jail of the other cards, ivill often determine it. No account is here taken of the sig- nal for trumps, which will some times inodify the ifiference to be drawn. Suit is the best in his hand ; he holds four or more of it; and has not five trumps. Holds also either queen or ace. Holds no others; has no commanding suit; has not five trumps, nor four of strength. Holds knave also. Had originally five or more. Holds also knave and ten; but not ace or king Is weak in the suit. H,olds best also. Holds best also. Does not hold it. Has no more. 62 when the trick has been turned and quitted, should you innocently remark to your part- ner, "lyet me see, what did I play that time?" (a remark of course not really allowable), he probably can't tell you, and you'll know how little to trust to his general observation of the fall of the cards. Again the fault may occur when, the ad- versary having taken the trick, your partner thinks it not worth while to notice the fall of your card, especially if it's the first time round of the suit, and it is probably all will follow; that appears enough for him, or if he knows better, namely, that he ought to wateh, he still does not attach sufficient im- portance to the absolute necessity for so do- ing. Maxim. -^Watch the board always, [see hints for beginners, and whist maxims]. Inferences. Every industrious and careful pla5^er may do much in the way of inference, and when he has mastered the principles of the game, he ought to give the subject his best study. The following, taken from Pole's "The- ory of Whist," are some examples of the way in which inferences may be drawn from cards played: — 6^, Play. Inference, Lead. {lu the player's ozun . first lead. ) Any plain suit Kino:. Ace followed by king. Ace followed by queen . Ace followed by a small one. Queen (plain suits). Leading a high card then dropping a lower one. Leads second best trump. Leads second best of plain suit (.trumps being out) . {In returning his Part- ner' s lead) Does not lead out the master card. Any card, afterwards dropping a lower one. N. B. When there is an alternative, your oivn ha7td, or the Jail of the other cards, zvill often determine it. A^o account is here taken of the sig- nal for trumps, which will sometimes modify the inference to be drawn. Suit is the best in his hand ; he holds four or more of it; and has not five trumps. Holds also either queen or ace. Holds no others; has no commanding suit; has not five trumps, nor four of strength. Holds knave also. Had originally five or more. Holds also knave and ten; but not ace or king Is weak in the suit. Holds best also. Holds best also. Does not hold it. Has no more. 64 Play. Inference. Any card, afterwards Has more dropping a higher one. ( Generally . ) Forces his partner Refrains from doing so. Second Ace (in first round of suit). King (to small one led). Is strong in trumps. Is weak in them. Queen (ditto) . Knave (ditto). Any smaller card. Trumps a doubtful trick. Does not trump it. Third Ace. Fourth Cannot win the trick. Wins it with any card. Second, Third, Any card. Refuses to trump a trick certainly against him. Any discard, generally. Discards the best of any suit. Discards the second best. Player, Holds ace only, or a great number of suit. Holds ace also, or no more. Holds king also, or ace and ten, or no more. Holds also queen and king, or queen and ace, or queen and one other only, or no more. Has none lower. Has not more than three trumps. Has more than three. Player. Holds neither king nor queen . Player. Has no card higher than the one against him. Has no card between this and the one against him. or Fourth Player. Has not the one next below it. Probably is strong in trumps, and wants them led. Is weak in that suit. Has the next best and the full command. Has no more. 65 Play. Inference. Plays unnecessarily a Signal for trumps. higher card before a lower. The player wanting a good list of inferences should consult "American Whist," by G. W. P. Strengthening Play. Strengthening play is the playing out high cards of your partner's long suit— even though you may not make tricks b}- them — so that their withdrawal shall strengthen your partner's hand; thereby benefitting him, and thus your combined forces. When a high card is played its with- drawal raises in value all the lower cards of that suit remaining unplayed; what was therefore third best becomes second, and so on. This is the chief reason for the rule, "third hand play high;" for as third hand, playing the highest you hold (of your part- ner's long suit led), you not only do your best to get the trick; but, if you lose it, you strengthen your partner's hand by getting high cards out of his way. Strengthening play then is the use of high cards regularly, or irregularl3^ to assist in exhausting your opponent's strength; and so aid your partner in establishing his suit; 66 or to generally strengthen your partner's hand. Some instances of strengthening play are: Strong in trumps, but leading up to an honour. Not finessing your partner's long suit (except with ace, queen, fiirst time round, when, if you get rid of the ace shortly after, it may sometimes be done), and if short in it, returning your highest. Note. — Strengthening Play is most bene- ficial to the hand that is the longest in the suit. Discards. A discard is the card 3^ou throw away, when you have none of the suit led, and do not trump it. A proper discard is often the hardest thing in whist play. Your original discard furnishes an important means of conveying information to 3^our partner as to 3^0 ur hand. For example: suppose hearts are trumps, and that one of the adversaries has shown strength in some suit, say spades; you lead a winning club, to which your partner discards a diamond; now^ spades are against 3^ou, and 3^our partner is weak in diamonds, and it is therefore almost certain (if ever3^body plays properly) that 67 5^our partner's long suit is trumps, and 3^ou may play accordingly. General Rule. — Your first discard should be from a short or weak suit; but, if trumps are declared against you {i. e. if the adver- sary first lead, or first call for, trumps) you should discard from your best protected suit. Discarding the highest of a suit of which 5"0U have complete command is correct con- ventional pla}^ to inform your partner. In discarding do not unnecessaril3^ un- guard good cards, particularly in your ad- versaries' suit; however many good players consider the general rule so essential that they will even unguard a king, or queen, or blank an ace, for the sake of adhering to it. It is w^ell to keep a card of your partner's first lead, if possible, so as to be able to re- turn it when trumps are out. Remember this in discarding. Discarding generally is an indication of weakness in the suit discarded. Discarding the highest of a suit indicates you have full command of that suit. Finessing. A finesse is the chancing of an inferior card — by playing it, or passing it already played by your partner — to win or force a 68 trick, when 3^ou hold the best card or better in your hand, [see glossary]. To know how to finesse properl^^ requires great judgment and experience. The iinesse is perhaps the hardest play at whist, and like the discard, often gives scope for some fine or skilled play. General Rules for Finessing. I. The finesse proper. — Third hand only finesses to partner's original lead — z'. e. in holding ace, queen, if successful a trick is gained, but [see errors 38. 39] — otherwise it is wrong in principle to finesse in your part- ner's long suit, as he v\^ants the high cards out of his way; but if you see he leads from weakness, or if he leads 3'ou strengthening cards in your own long suit, you may finesse more freely. Exceptions. — {a) With a partner who you are sure does not lead from his long suit, this rule does not apply, and you may finesse to more advantage — thus with king, knave, and a small one, the knave will be a good card to plaj^ third hand. {!)) When trumps are all against 3^ou, finesse deeph^ and lead 3^our cards of weakest suits for your partner to finesse, {c) When 3^our partner leads a knave, and 3^ou hold the king, you msLy finesse or pass the knave— 69 i. e. play a small card to it — under the hope that it, the knave, may force the ace. Man}^ authorities do not allow this excep- tion to be good pla}^; but if strong in trumps, as mentioned in rule five, it is surely a proper play. 2. Be careful how you finesse the second time round of a suit. The chances are, unless the suits seem evenl^^ divided, that the suit will be trumped the third time round. If however you are strong in trumps, you may finesse more freely, as 5"0ur trumps ma^^ enable you to bring your high cards in. Exception. — With minor tenace (holding second and fourth best of suit) it is generally proper to finesse the second round, as the best card must probably be to your left; and if the third best is there also, both your cards must be lost in any case. Note. — One object of returning highest of your partner's suit, if weak, is, it gives him a good opportunity of finessing. Of course the primary reason is to get rid of the com- mand of your partner's suit, and so strengthen his hand. 3. Do not finesse if you know that the intermediate card, against which you finesse, does not lie to your right. This 70 may often have been shown by the previous play; in such case the intermediate card must be either with your partner, or your left hand adversary; in either case finessing is useless. 4. Late in the hand finessing is to be determined by the fall of the cards, or state of the score. Thus when you particularly want only one trick (as to make or save the game) do not finCvSse in order to have the chance of gaining two. In this case play to the score. 5. You can finesse much more freely in plain suits when strong in trumps than when weak in them. However, when weak in trumps, 3^ou may finesse deeply in the suit in which you believe your partner to be weak, in order as long as you can to protect him from a force; for his is the strong trump hand on your side, and the greatest harm a strong trump hand can suffer is to be forced to ruff. 6. You may finesse in trumps much more deeply than in plain suits; for your master cards in trumps must absolutely make. Thus, when trumps are either re- turned by your partner, or led by your ad- versary, it is good to finesse deeply in them, especially in the latter case as you are keep- 71 ing the command of your adversaries' suit as long as you can in your own hand, in- stance, holding ace, knave of trumps, with honour turned up on your right, finesse knave. But do not finesse in your partner's original trump lead, [see error 21]. Underplay. Underplay usually signifies keeping back best cards, and playing subordinate ones instead, as by keeping up the winning card in the second round of a suit by leading a low card through holding the best. Underplay is sometimes advantageous in trumps; or in plain suits v/hen strong in trumps, or when trumps are out; but it re- quires care and judgment to avoid evil con- sequences from deceiving your partner, and from having your b^st cards subsequently ruffed. Refusing to play the winning card in the first and second round of a suit, commonly called "holding up," is really a species of underplay. Conventional Plays — Exceptions to General Rules. I. Rule. — Lead lowest of a suit. Exceptions. — {a) I^eading from ace and four or more small ones, lead ace, lest it be trumped second round, (b) With a strong- (high) sequence, lead one of the sequence to prevent the adversaries from winning the first trick with a very small card. Of se- quences, lead the highest, except (i) with king, knave, ten, nine and a small one, when lead nine, to draw out ace and queen and leave 3^ou with the entire com- mand; and (2) with king, knave, ten and another, lead ten with the same object, {c) l^eading from weakness (short suit), lead high to inform^your partner. This applies if by means of a discard (as may be the case when, trumps having been declared against you, and you discard from your best pro- tected suit) you have reduced a suit which originally had four cards to one of three; it must then be regarded as a weak suit; and if you lead it, act accordingly — i. e. lead your highest to inform your partner it is now a weak suit with you. (d) Returning part- ner's lead, lead highest (if you are short in the suit) to strengthen your partner's hand. (e) From any suit of more than four cards, lead the penultimate card, or fourth best. Note. — If trumps are out before you open your suit, lead so as to keep back 3^our high cards. 73 2. Rule. — Lead highest of a sequence. Adhering systematically to the rule has the advantage of conveying information to your partner. The main object is to pre- vent your partner putting on the next highest if he has it; but you may know he cannot — hence exception {a), a conventional pla}^ to give information; or you may desire him to put it on — hence exception {b). Exceptions. — (a) With ace, king, lead king — except with ace, king, and no others, when lead ace then king [see inferences]. (b) With king, queen, knave, ten, lead lowest of sequence to induce your partner to put on ace if he has it, and leave you the command. This applies in the case of any subordinate or under sequence, [see notes on trumps]. Note. — The system of American leads has altered this to a lead of king from a suit of four only, of knave from a suit of five or more. 3. Rule. — Second hand play low. Exceptions. — (a) Holding a high se- quence, as ace king, or king queen, or ace queen knave, or ace queen ten, or holding other high cards in sequence — i. e. a moder- ate sequence — or holding a short suit; put' on the lowest of the cards named, or of se- 74 quence, or of short suit, to help your partner in case the third hand is weak, {b) In second round of a suit, win the trick second hand if you hold the best card — this to in- sure making it without risk of its being trumped. 4. Rule. — Third hand play highest. Exceptions. — {a) Play lowest of a head sequence; the object of this conventional pla}^ is to inform your partner. (6) You may finesse to j^our partner's original lead only, if you have ace, queen, [see finesse]. Study Your Partner. You may sometimes deflect from strict systematic play to advantage, when 3^our partner does not understand, or play, the scientific game What would he very bad play, if 3^ou had a good partner, may be perfectly good when yovi have a bad one. Maxim. — Study your partner's style of play; of course you also study your part- ner's hand, as divulged by the cards he plays. Trump Notes. Much information as to the management of trumps will have been gained by studying the errors relating to their lead and play. 75 The following additional notes should be found useful: — Trumps — when to lead, [see error 12]. — In general play: strong in trumps, play your own game; weaV in trumps, pla^^ your part- ner's game. 1. Always lead trumps from six or more; or from five, with one good plain suit. 2. Lead trumps from four when your own or your partner's suit is established, and you have a sure card of re-entry. 3. Lead trumps to stop a cross ruff. 4. With three inferior three-card plain suits and four trumps, lead a trump, [see playing to score.] With commanding (head) sequence in trumps, lead lowest first, then next low- est, to inform your partner — this is an ex- ception to lead highest of a sequence. If your partner call for trumps and you are weak (three or less), lead your highest, otherwise play a more backward game in trumps than in plain suits — i. e. generally lead lowest to give your partner a chance of making the first trick— head, or leading, cards will always make. Finesse more freely than in plain suits when trumps are returned by your partner, 76 or led by your adversary; you should finesse deeply, but do not finesse in your partner's original lead in trumps. From a long suit of trumps, unless you have three honours, you should lead the lowest or fourth best. This fourth best lead (indicating your strength) is most im- portant in the case of trumps. As to signaling (calling) for trumps, you should not do so unless you hold four with two honours; or five with one honour, to- gether with good plain cards in your own or partner's hand. The simple rule — * 'Al- ways lead or ask for trumps when you hold five" — is however safe enough for learners. With four trumps, echo your partner's trump signal. Do not guess at a trump signal; it is better to let a signal go by, than to make the errroneous play, if one were not given, or intended. Weak in trumps, trump a doubtful trick; strong in trumps, do not. On a thirteenth card of a plain suit being led by your partner, or one of a suit in which he knows both you and the fourth player renounce, always put on your best trump, unless you know your partner is weak in trumps, and does not wish to force you, but wants to force the adversary, or wants you to pass in order that the fourth player ma}^ obtain the lead, and lead up to your hand. Overtrumping. — This is generally safe if the left hand adversary is strong in trumps, and it should be always done if 3^our part- ner wishes that trumps should be played. If after the successful overtrump, a trump can be led, the result is usually advantageous; however the natural disposition to over- trump, if not curbed, would frequently re- sult in loss. If your partner refuses to trump a win- ning card, lead him, if you can, a strength- ening {i. e. high) trump, as he is probably strong in trumps, and would require such a lead from you. Playing to Score, Always pay attention to the score, for it should often influence your play: for in- stance — if you particularly require one trick (as in a forward game), you should not risk it (by finessing, for instance) in order to have the chance of making two. In a backward game it may sometimes be wise to risk one trick in order to try and secure two. 78 The following is an exceptional trump lead: Your adversaries only want one point to make the game, and you. with the lead, have a bad hand; the best play is for you to lead out your best trump; for if your part- ner has not a very good hand, the game is lost; and, if he has, that is the very best thing to do. Attention to the score refers not only to the progress, but to the prospects, of the game; so notice should be taken of the tricks made, and to be made, (and honours held) in the current hand. Some Correct Plays. 1. If your partner refuses to trump a suit of which he knows you have not the best, lead him your best trump as soon as you can. 2. If your partner has trumped a suit, and refuses to play trumps, lead him that suit again. 3. It is sometimes proper to lead a thirteenth card, in order to force the adver- sary, and give your partner a chance of making a trick as last player. 4. With the lead, and three small trumps and the ace, it is sometimes judicious to allow your adversaries to make two 79 tricks in trumps with king and queen, and on the third round play your ace. 5- Towards the end of the hand it may often win you an extra trick to avoid lead- ing from a tenace or "guarded second," and to try and induce your left hand adversary to lead that suit to you. Sometimes when fourth hand, it is not advisable to win the trick, as — when you can thus force your left hand adversary to lead up to your tenace or guarded second. Coups. Coup — A French w^ord anglicised, which means '*a stroke that gains advantage; a brilliant play." The following are some of the coups which are often played to advantage by skilled players: — Leading from weakest suit; as — when the game is desperate, and your partner may be strong in your weak suit, he will finesse deeply in it, not returning the suit, but leading his weakest suit, which you will treat in like manner. Treating long suits like short ones, and vice versa, as — when toward the end of the hand, your long suit can only go round twice, then lead highest. 8o Desehapelle Coup. — This is the playing of king at the head of many to force the ace, in order that your partner may afterward make his queen ^that is, the lead of a high card at the head of many, to be lost to the adversary that the play may be forced up to the leader's partner. Refusing to win the second round of a suit: this is done when the suit led is a long one declared in favour of the adversary, and the player, numerically strong in it, has no card of re-entry in any other suit; then, the suit, second round, should not be trumped, for the adversary can never bring in this long suit, he having no card of re-entry, and his partner's hand being exhausted, he cannot lead it again. Declining to draw the losing trumps — i. e. the smaller of the last two trumps left in. This is played if one adversary has a long suit established, and his partner has a card of that suit to lead. Refusing to Overtrump. — It is never right to overtrump when three trumps remain in each hand, and one player holds the second and third best trumps, with one of which he trumps the card led. Coup de Sacrifice — throwing high cards to place the lead — i. e. the giving of a master card vSure to make a trick to the adversary. Grand Coup. — The throwing away of a superfluous trump, as to gain a trick upon the forced play of right hand adversary; or, the overtrumping of a trick whether trumped by partner or adversary for the purpose of throwing the lead. Duplicate Whist. . Duplicate Whist [see glossary] is played with a number of packs dealt out into hands of thirteen cards, a trump being generally chosen for the evening. By the use of boards, or trays, for holding the different hands as originally dealt, after playing a number of these packs, they are all played through again. In single table or "mne- monic duplicate," the hands are overplayed at the same table, the one side holding the cards held by their opponents in the former play, so that by keeping a score of each, it can be seen which side makes the most tricks of each hand or pack played. The chief interest and supposed advan- tages of this game are: (i) to compare the success and skill of the rival players; and (2) to insure each side having equally good luck(?) in cards held during the evening. The disadvantages of the game are: (i) It is more tiring to the mind, as the absence of any rest during a deal, or the gathering of tricks, makes the game much quickly than S3 straight whist. (2) When duplicated at the same sitting (as is of necessity generally done) players are apt to remember the hands as pla^^ed before, and sometimes base their pla}^ on such memory, instead of play- ing the hand anew, simply according to the rules of good pla}^; and (3) it precludes all discussion at the end of each hand — as played — as to the play of the cards; which is often of advantage even for the best players, especially when a hand has given scope tor any skilled play, or when one wishes to get an insight into the style of play of a a stranger partner. The writer does not advocate such dupli- cate whist for young players, nor favour it himself. The more common practice, however, is for each deal to be overplayed at one or more other tables, so that the original oppo- nents (who move as in drive whist) play the adverse hands against fresh adversaries; the advantage gained is that each set of players hold during the play exactly the same set of hands, as one another, conse- quently have equal luck in holding cards, and a score can be kept of points each make of the several hands. The disadvantages above mentioned seem to apply. 84 The count of the tricks at duplicate whist is sometimes kept by means of poker chips, sometimes by placing the cards of winning tricks on the table in a different position to those of the losing tricks. The cards as played should be placed toward the center of the table that they ma}^ be easily seen, not on the edge of it. The score is kept on paper; several kinds of score sheets being given in whist books- some of a single, some of a double entry form. Rhyming Rules, Mnemonic Maxims, and Pocket Precepts.^ If 3'ou the modern game of Whist would know, From this great principle its precepts flow: That your own hand as to your partner's joined, And play, not one alone, but doik comdined. Your first lead makes your partner understand What is the chief component of your hand; And hence there is necessity the strongest T\\'A.\.your first lead be from your suit that's longest. In this, with ace and king, lead king, then ace; With king and queen, king also has hrst place; With ace, queen, knave, lead ace and then the qtieen; With ace, four small ones, ace should first be seen; With queen, knave, ten, you let the queen precede; In other cases, you the lowest lead. Ere you return your friend's, your own suit play; But trumps you must return zvithout delay. When you return your partner's lead, take pains To lead him back the best your hand contains, If you received not more than three at first; If you had more, you may return the worst. ^ The rules embodied in these versicles were first published in prose (printed on a card, en- titled "Pocket Precepts") by Wm. Pole, F. R. S., in March, 1894. The idea of the rhyming form (also by Pole) was taken from an old French composition of the same kind. 86 Hill if you. liold the master card, you're hound III most c.-iscs lo play it secotid round. Whene'er you want a lead, 'tis seldom wron^- To lead up to the ivcak, i)V throui^h the str(y?i.(>-: l( sccniul liniid, your A-Tcv.v/ should he phtycd, Unless you mean 'trumj) sij^iial' to be madi'; Or if you've Anni^ and queen, or ace and /cint^, Then one of these will Ix^ tlu^ proper lhin<:;. Mind well the rnles lor triDups, you'll often need tlifin: WllICN YOU llol.l) I'lVl':, 'lis ALWAYS KKilir TO LKAO riiioivi; Or if the lead won't come in time to you, Then sij^nalto your partner so to do. Watch also for your i)Mrtn('r's trump itcincst, To whieh, 7aith less than four, play out yowx best. To leatl throui;li honours turned up is bad play, Unless you want tlu; trump suit cleared away. When, second hand, a doubtful trick you see, Don't trump it if you hold more trumps than three\ Rut havinj;- three or K-ss, trump feark^ssly. When weak in trumps yourself, don't forcH- your friend; Hut always force the adverse strong trump liand. For sequeiices, stetu custom has decreed The lo2vest you nuist play if you don't lead. When you discard, weak suits you ought to choose, For stront>- ones are too valuable to lose. Glossary of Whist Terms. Ace. — Highest card in play, lowest in cutting. Adverse Lead. — The lead of a suit of which your opponents hold the command. American Lkads. — The conventional lead of one of the five high cards, or the fourth best. The following are the three maxims laid down by American Leads: (i) When you open your suit with a low card, lead your fourth best. (2) On quiting the head of your suit, lead your original /6'?^r/^ best. (3) With two high indif- ferent cards, lead the higher if you opened with a. suit of y<9/^r,- the lower if you opened with a. suit,()f j^z^^. American Whist. The term is used to com- prise American Leads and the New Play — seven points to the game— honours are not counted in this game; rubbers infrequently played, only games. Asking for Trumps. — [See Signal for Trumps]. Backward Game.— Not playing so as to get tricks yourself at once, but giving your part- ner a chance of winning the first trick of a suit; as, being strong in trumps, leading a small card instead of a high one. Always play a more backward game in trumps [see Forward Game], and in plain suits when trumps are out. Blank an Ace. — i. e. to leave it unprotected by any other card of the same suit in your hand Blocking. — Obstructing or stopping your part- ner's (or adversaries') long suits. Blue Pp:ter. — A name sometimes given to the signal for trumps [which see]. Book. — The six first tricks made by either side when put together are called a "book". 88 Bringing in (the long- cards of a suit). — When your suit is once established [which see], if your adversaries' trumps are out, and you can get the lead, it is obvious you can make a trick with every card of it you hold; this is called bring it in. The establishment and bringing in of long suits form the great dis- tinguishing features of the modern scientihc game. BuMBLEPUPPY. — A manner of playing whist, either in ignorance of all known rules, or in defiance of them, or both. Bumper. — A rubber of full points: two games won in succession, before adversaries' have won one, or scored any points. Call (or Called Card). — [See Exposed Card], Call for Trumps. — The play of a card not so low as could have been properly played fol- lowed by the play of one lower [See Signal for Trumps, and Echo to the Call]. Card of Re-entry. — [See Re-entry]. Card of Uniformity. — A name sometimes given to the fourth best card in American Whist. Cards Lying Over a Player. — Higher cards in the hand of one's left hand adversary. Command. — You are said to have the command of a suit when you hold the best cards in it. Commanding Cards. — Same as master cards: cards that will make tricks. Commanding Sequence. — A sequence headed with the best card of the suit, sometimes wrongly used for head sequence [which see]. Complete Command. — Is when you have suffi- cient, of the best cards in a suit to be able to draw all those in the other hands — instance, with ace, king, queen, and two others (gener- ally), otherwise the command may be only partial or temporary. Conventional Signals. — Certain modes of play designed purposely, by common consent, for 89 the object of coiiveyiiit:^ information to your partner. The principle was sanctioned by Hoyle, and several of these signals are established and legalised by usage in the modern scientific game. Examples: Signal for trumps; return of highest from a short suit; playing lowest of a sequence; discarding highest of a suit of which you have the complete command. Coup. — A French word anglicised, which means, "a stroke that gains advantage, a brilliant play." [See notes on Coups.] Court Cards. — The ace, king, queen, and knave of each suit. Cover. — To play a card higher than the one led or played. Cross Ruff.— Is where each of two partners trump a different suit, so that they may lead alternately into each others hands [See See- saw]. Cutting. — Dividing the pack, not leaving fewer than t'our cards in either packet. This is done by the player on the dealer's right, the dealer then places the opponent's portion beneath the rest. The cut is not voluntary, "as of right," but is made on invitation of the dealer. Cutting In.— Deciding player, partners, and the deal, by each player taking up not fewer than four cards, the bottom card in each case being the card cut. The four who cut the lowest cards play first, (the players to form a table are decided in the same way), and again cut for partners; the two lowest play against the two highest; the lowest is the dealer and has the choice of cards and seats. Two packs should be played with, one pack belonging to either side. Ace is the lowest card in cutting. Players cutting equal intermediate cards, cut again. Cutting Out. — Deciding by cut, as in ciittiftg in, the outgoers from the play, or table, at the end 90 of a rubber or more generally of the "double rub")— the highest stand out. Deal. — The equal distribution of the cards (al- ready cut and shuffled^ singly, face downward, from left to right, among the four players, — commencing with player on dealer's left, — at the end of the deal, the trump card is placed, face upward on the table, on right hand side of the dealer. [See Misdeal]. Deck. — Same as Pack. Discard. — The card you throw away when you have none of the suit led, and do not trump it. The discard as a rule is an indication of weakness in the suit discarded from, for you should generally discard from your shortest suit; but if trumps are declared against you, discard from your best protected suit. [See notes on Discard]. Double Dummy. — Played by two players, each having a dummy, or exposed hand, for his part- ner. Double Echo. — An extension of the echo, to show more than four trumps. It is made by echoing twice after partner's signal or lead of trumps. Double Game — Is made (at short whist) when one side obtains five points, the adversary hav- ing scored less than three {i. e. one or two points only). The score for it is two points. Double Rub. — Two rubbers played in succes- sion. Drive Whist. — A "society" game of whist, in which the winners at each table drive the losers to another table at the end of each game. Dummy Whist. — Played by three players. One hand, called "Dummy's," lies exposed on the table opposite his partner. Duplicate Whist — A game of whist, in which each hand (whole pack played) is overplayed 91 at one or more tables, each side of opponents exchano;iiig the cords for the dupHcate play of them, whether against the same, or some fre?h adversaries. [See notes on Dnplicate Whist]. Echo (to the call). — Same as Call or Signal for Trumps, by which a partner notices the call or signal. It sio:nifies that he is also stron.^ in trumps. Advantages of the echo aie: to save leading an unnecessary round of trumps, and that you or your partner need not hold bark from trumping a doubtful trick The echo should be given when you hold four or more trumps. Eleventh Card. — The master card of three m in play, ten of the suit having been played . Elder Hand. — The player to the left of the dealer. Equivocal Card. — The nine, as it comes from both strong and weak suits. Establish — A suit is said to be established when you hold the complete command of it. This may sometimes happen to be the case originally (by the deal), but it is more common to obtain it in the course of play by "clearing" away the cards that obstructed you, so as to remain with the best in your hand. It is highly desirable to establish your long suit as soon as you can, for which purpose not only your adversaries' hands, but also your partner's hand, must be cleared from obstructing cards. [See also Brmging in]. Exposed Card. — A card improperly shown in process of dealing (which calls for a fresh deal ), or of play — as two cards played at once. An exposed card must be left on the table, face upward, and is liable to be called by the ad- versary. It is sometimes called "faced card." Face Cards. — The three picture cards— king, queen and knave. Faced Card.— [See Exposed Card]. 92 r^ALL. — The play of the cards. Cards that have been played, are "out." False Card. — Is a card played contrary to estab- lished rnles or conventions of the j^ame, and which therefore is calculated to deceive your partner as to the stale of your hand— instances; following suit with the highest or middle card of a sequence; throwing away other than your lowest card. Never wittingly, witlwut ^cod reason, play a false card. Always "play the game." Fancv Whist.— Any form of play that intro- duces unauthorized methods. FiNEssK. — "The chancing an inferior card to win or force a trick when you hold the best card, or better one, in your hand." Finessing is an attempt, generally by a third player, to make a lower card answer the purpose of a higher (which it is usually his duty to play) under the hope that no intermediate card may lie to his left hand. Thus having ace and queen of your partner's lead, you finesse the queen, playing it (hopnig the fourth player may n(jt hold tile king;) or, if your partner leads a knave, and you hold the king, you may finesse, or pass, the knave {i. e. play a small card to it under the hope that it, the knave, may force the ace). From these examples it is evident that sometimes hnessing is playing an inferior card, and sometimes the finessing is /!>a^.s7V/^'- an inferior card j)layed by your partner. The word is sometimes applied to cases where it is certaifi the inferior card will answer the purpose in- tended, as when the left hand has already shown weakness; but this is a misuse of the term, for unless there is a risk of the card being beaten, it is only ordinay play and can involve no finessing — properly so called. You are said to finesse against tbe mtermediate card, and some- times also against the person who holds it; but as by the nature of ihe case, it should be un- known where the card lies; the latter meaning 93 is apt to create confusion. The person against whom you really act (finesse) is more correctly your left hand adversary. A trick is gained if a finesse is successful A finesse may sometimes conceal your strength. [See notes on Finesse]. Follow, — (i) The play of second, third or fourth player; also (2) a player's second lead from the same suit. Forced (or Unnatural) Lead, — A lead from a short suit (three or less cards). This may be "an original lead," but it is seldom so, and it is better not to apply the term forced lead to an original lead. The rule in case you have to make a forced lead is to lead out your highest to inform your partner you are weak in the suit. Exceptioti — With an honour and two small ones, you may lead smallest to try and save honour in case of strength lying against you. Forced Play. — Unnatural play, — the lead or fall of the cards, compelling you to play in an unusual manner. Forcing. — Obliging your partner or your adver- sary to trump a trick, by leading a suit of which they have none. Forward Game- — Opposite of backward game [which see]. Playing to make tricks at once, neither finessing, nor relying on your partner. F'ouRCHETTE. — A fork, i. e. the card higher and the card lower. Fourth Best. — The fourth card held of any suit, counting from the highest. Fourth Hand. — The last player upon a trick. Fresh Deal (or New Deal). — This is rendered necessary in the case of a misdeal, either by violation of the laws, (when, as a penalty, the deal passes on to the adversary/ or by acci- dent, to the card or players, 'in which case the penalty should not be exacted). Came. — In short whist, the game consists of five points; in long whist, often points; in American 94 whist, — lonj( whist bcinj^- first altered, in 1.^57, to a ^ame, — of Seven points, honours not scoring. Each trick above six counts one point. GATHKRiCn — Every trick must be i^athcred and turned before tlie ])lay of the f<)lb)wing round is completed. CrirrriNc; Rid of thk Command— Playinjj^ out the best, or leadinj:? cards, of a suit. This sliould be done in vour partner's suit so as to strenj^then his hand. [vSee notes on Strength- euinjj^ Play]. (fDAKDiui Si'X'ond or Sccoiid llrst Cuardcd — Is the combination of the second best card for the tinie-l)ein^, with a snudl one to guard it against being taken l)y the best . /i\i7/7///> /<'■.?, — King and a small one originally; or, knave and a small one when ace and cjueen have been played. The cond)ination is an important one, having an advantage analogous to that of the tcnace: namclv, that if the suit is led by your left hand adversary, you are certain (bar trumping) to make your second best card. Hand — The thirteen cards dealt to each player; also sometimes used to mean "the whole pack played." ITiCAD Srquicncr. — Is a secpience of three or more standing at the head ol a suit in your hand, even though it may not contain the best card; sometimes wrongly called "commanding sequence, " High CarDvS.— The ace to ten, or nine, inclusive, IIoN(^iTRS —The four court cards of the trump suit; ace, king, queen and knave. The term is often applied to the same cards in plain .suits. The ten and nine are .sonietimes called "semi- honours " When "■honours^'' are counted, the side holding four, scores four; the holders of three, scores two, toward the game after the tricks in the hand have been scored. Honours must be called (claimed) at the end of the hand. 95 before the trump card of the following deal is turned up — they may then be sc'.red at any time during the game. [See Long Whist, and Short Whist 1. Half Honours. --The game of short whist is fre- quently played with half honours, i. e. half the above score only is counted for them, namely, two instead of four points for four honours, and one instead of two points for three honours. Holding Up. — Refusing to play the winning card in the first and second round of a suit: keeping back, not playing, a certain suit, or card, or cambination of cards, as a tenace. [See Error 21, and Underplay]. Honours Dividkd, or Easy or Even. — Each side holding two honours, no points are added to the game on either side for them. In, — The cards that have not "fallen" or "been played" are said to be "in," or "in play;" — op- posite to "out." Indifferent Cards. — A misnomer for cards in sequence; also for cards not in sequence if the cards intermediate in value have been played. Of course, really no card is indifferent in its re- lation to another, or to the hand rather, on ac- count of the information each may give on its being played or discarded . In Hand. — Any card, or cards, not played are said to be "in hand." Intermediate Sequence. — A sequence of three or more cards, neither at the head or foot of a suit in your hand. Jack. — The knave of any suit. Keep Up. — Same as Holding Up. King Card. — Same as master card, or best card; a term sometimes used for the highest unplayed card in any suit — the leading or winning card. IvEad. — The lead is the card, or suit, led by the first player (the original lead); or, by the win- ner of the last trick, i. e. led by the first player 96 in any round; also the play of such card. The term is also used to mean "the right or privi- lege" of leading, as in the question, "Whose lead is it?" Leader. — The first one to play in any round; the "first hand," or "eldest hand." A Leading Through, and Up To.— The person who leads is said to lead through his left hand adversary, and up to his right hand one, such being the direction in which the play runs. Leading through generally means leading the card of a Suit in which the left hand adversary is strong. Leading Up To. — Leading a card of a suit in which a high card is held by the right hand adversary . LEGawzed Correspondence. — [See Conven- tional Signals]. Long Whist. — Ten points make the game. Hon- ours do not score if the side holding them stood at nine points. With eight points at the commencement of the hand, honours must be shown before the first trick is turned, or they cannot be claimed — this is accomplished thus: the player holding two honours in his hand, when it is first his turn to play, has the privilege of the call, asking his partner, "Can you one?" or "Have you an honour?" when honours may be shown, and the points at onee scored. So in long whist; at six or seven points, tricks count before honours; at eight points honours count before tricks. The game of long whist has generally given way to .short whist and to the American game of seven points. Long Cards. — The last cards held of any suit. The cards remaining in one hand when all the rest of that suit have been played . Long Suit. — A suit of four or more cards in a hand. A long suit naturally has a greater chance of containing high cards than a short 97 one, hence strong suit [which see]; is sometimes used for long suit to mean a suit of which you possess a large number of cards — some- times it is used only to mean a suit in which you hold a very few high ones. [See also \]/eak Suit^. Long Trumps.— The last trump cards in hand, one or more, when the rest are all played. Loose Card. — Means a card in hand of no value, and consequently the httest to throw away. A discard should not be so called. Losing Card.— One unlikely to make a trick. Love. — No points to the score; nothing — "to play for love" is to play without stakes. Low Cards. — Deuce to eight inclusive. Make. — To make a card means simply to win a trick with it. To make the cards is a term used for shuffling. [Which see]. Marking the Game. — Making the score apparent with scoring cards, or coins. Master Card, or Best Card. — Means the highest card of a suit in at the time: thus if ace and king were out, the master card would be the queen; called also "king card," or "best card." Misdeal. — Is when the cards being a complete pack are incorrectly dealt, as when the trump does not come in its regular order to the dealer. [See Fresh Deal]. New Play. —An extension of system to designate numerical force by the original lead and to specify of what that force consist. It deals with sequences only, and regulates their play. Opening.— A term borrowed from chess to denote the system on which you commence or open your game, when you get your first lead — also the first lead in each hand of each player — fre- quently used rather indefinitely in either of the above meanings Original Lead. — (,i) The first lead in the hand made by the person on left of the dealer; or (2) -98 the first lead of any one player; or (3) the first lead from any suit. The first meaning is the correct use of the term. Pack. — A complete set of fifty-two cards, same as Deck. Pass. — Refusing to take (or head) a trick, having the power (and right) to do so. Penultimate. — The lowest card but one of a suit, superseded by "fourth best" as a lead. Plain Suits. — The three suits not trumps. Play. — The act of taking a card from your hand and placing it on the table. Playing to Score. — See Score, and see note on Playing to Score. Points. — The score obtained by tricks, or tricks and honours; the number of tricks over six — points are kept independently of games or rub- bers. All points that are made by each side are counted. Progressive Whist, — A form of duplicate (or straight) whist in which half the players progress to the next table after each deal. Quart. — Four cards in sequence. Quart Major. — A sequence of ace, king, queen, knave. Quint.— Five successive cards in a suit; a se- quence of five, as king, queen, knave, ten, nine. Quitted. — A trick is said to be ^'turned and quitted,^'' ?LS soon as the hand is removed from the trick after it has been turned face downward on the table. This should not be hurriedly done. Re-entry. — A card of re-entry is one that will, by winning a trick (not led by the holder), bring you the lead at an advanced period of the hand. Register. — The account kept of the number of rubbers played and points made. Renounce. — "When a player has none of the suit led, he is said to renotince that suit", though used mostly in a restricted sense to mean when 99 a player plays a card of another p/ain suit not led; however, the person who trumps a suit may be correctly said to have renounced the suit led. You can also renounce trumps. Revoke. — A player who fails to follow suit play- ing- a card of a different suit) when he has anv of the suit led, revokes. The penalty for a revoke is at the option of the adversaries, who, at the end of the hand, may either (i) take three tricks from revoking side and add them to their own, or '2) deduct three points from score of revoking side, or 3) add three points to their own score, The penalty takes precedence of every other score. Round — Every four cards played in succession after the trump card is turned, Rub. — Two extra points added to the points won by the winners of two games out of three. Rubber. — The best of three games. Two games won out of three. The points of a rubber are reckoned thus: For the single game [see], one pomt; for the double [see], two points; for the treble, three points, and for "the rub," twopoints/ RuFF". — To trump. A ruff is where you have none of a suit and trump it. Ruffing. — Another word for trumping a suit of which you have none, [See cross ruff]. Score. — The points gained in a game or rubber. Each trick, above six, counts- one point (the rubber two). The counting or marking of the progress of the game— attention to the score, which is very necessary in playing, refers not only to the progress, but also to the prospects of the game, so notes should be taken ot the tricks made (and honours held) in the current hand. Second Hand. — The elder hand. He who plays immediately after the leader. See-Saw, or Saw. — Is when each of two partners ruffs (trumps) a different suit, so that they may lead alternately into each other's hands. They are then said to have a cross ruff on. Semi-Honours. — The tens and nines are some- limes so called. The ten is also sometimes called the fifth honour. SeqUknCk. — Any number of cards in consecutive order, as king;, queen, knave. The ace, queen and ten would form a sequence if the king and knave were out, A tierce is a secjuence of three; a quart oi four, and a quint o{ ^\q. [See Head Sequence, Subordinate Sequence, and In- termediate Sequence'] . Short Sitit.-- -One of which you hold originally not more than three cards. [See Lo7ig Suit and Strength'] . vSiioRT Whist. — Five pt)inls make the game. Two out of three g.imes won by either side, gives that side the rubber. Half honours are now more frequently counted at this game, though full count for honours is still insisted on by old players. Often honours are not counted at all in short whist. In short whist honoius do not count if the side holding them stood at four points at the conmiencement of the hand. Shuffle.— To change the relative position of the cards. Of the many ways of doing this the best (c-alled the whist shuffle) is to hold the pack in left hand liiihtly, and keep taking out and throw- ing about half the cards loosely from the right hand among the rest of the pack on the left. It is bad to stand or lie a part of the pack upon the table, and force the rest down or sideway into it; this is apt to cut or turn the edges of the cards. Cards should not be exposed (faced outwards) during the shuflle, and the shuflie should be done atxn'C, not under nor on, the table. After shuffling (which is done by the dealer's partner during the deal) the cards should be placed on your right, within reach of the next dealer, who has the right to shuffle last, and should then offer them to be cut by your partner. 7^o make is used for shuffling the cards, and when shuffled they are said to be made. Signals. — Certain recognized forms of play by which information is given to your partner, as to the state of your hand, your trumps, etc. Examples: Play (discard) of ace, or of highest card in play, of any plain suit upon a lead of any other suit signals no more of that suit, or entire command of it. Discard of second best card of a suit in play, signals no more of that suit, and: Signal for Trumps. — Throwing away, unneces- sarily and contrary to ordinary play,^ a high card before a low one, is called the signal /or trumps, or asking for trumps; it is a command to your partner to lead trumps the first oppor- tunity — a command which, in the modern scien- tific game, he is bound to obey, whatever his own hand may be. It is sometimes referred to as the call for trumps. [See Co7iventional Sig- ?ials.] There is also an echo to the call. [See Echo]. Single. — A single game in short whist is that won by the side which first obtains five points, the other side having scored three or four the score for it is one point. Singleton. — A French name for one card only of a suit; leading such is bad play. [See Errors 6 and 7 . Slam. — Is when the whole thirteen tricks are taken by one side in a single hand. Small Cards. — Deuce to eight inclusive. Same as Low Cards. Spread. — Distribution of the pack, backs upper- most, that cards from any part of it may be drawn. Straight Whist. — The regular game in which each deal is played only once. Strength.— Good cards of a suit. Strong Hand. — One likely to make tricks. Strong Suit. — A suit containing cards of a hij^her than average rank; sometimes er-' roiieoiisly used for Long Suit. [Which see]. Strkngthkning Card. — A hit^h card Strengthening Play. — Getting rid of high cards in any suit, the eftect of which is to give an improved value to the lower cards of that suit remaining in, and so to strengthen the hand that holds ihem. Sirengthening Play is most beneficial to the liand that is longest in the suit . and of course is used in your partner's aid. [See note on Strengthening Play] . Sub-Echo. — An extension of the ec/io to show your partner, after his sigital for, or lead of, trumps that you hold exactly three. It is made in two ways: (i) By an echo in the ordinary way after you have shown by your lead or re- turn that you did not hold four: (2) by echoing on the second and third rounds of a plain suit (instead of on the first and second rounds), or by refraining from echoing in the first suit led, and then echoing in the second. Subordinate Sequence. — Sequence of three or more smaller cards than those which c(Mnpose the /lead sequence. Suit.— A series of thirteen cards of the same name; the names of the four suits being spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds. A trump suit is composed of^ the cards in each hand that are of the series, one of which is. turned by the dealer (or which is declared trumps for the • evening). The other three are plain suits. [See '■- Long Suit, Short Suit, Strong Suit, U^eak Suit]. Suit Signal. — The trump signal is a request to :■. partner to change his lead to trumps. After trumps are out, or at any time when it is evi- dent to your partner that you do not want trumps led, the same signal indicates that you •AXQweak {not short) in the suit he is leading, and want him to change his lead to some other plain suit. I "3 Table — A table consists of six players, two cut- ting out alternate, games, or on the single or doub'e rub. Tenace — The combination in the same hand, of the best and third best card for tiie time being of any suit; instance: ace and queen originally, or king and ten when ace and knave have been played. It is also called Tenace Major. The advantage of this combination is that, if you are fourth player in the suit, you will certainly (bar trumping) make two tricks in it; and it is therefore much to jour interest that the suit should be led by your left-hand adversary. The derivatioh of the word is probably from Latin tenace, the policy being to "iiold back" the suit containing the tenace rather than to lead it. ^ Tenace Minor. — A minor tenace is the combina- tion of die second and fourth best cards. Third Hand. — The partner of the leader. Thirteenth Card.— The card of any suit in hand after twelve of that suit have been played. Throwing the Lead. — Leading or playing a card that impo.ses an obligation on the part of another player to takt.- the trick. Tierce — A sequence of three cards in any suit in one hand. Tierce Major. — x\ce, king, queen, of any suit held in one hand. Ties. — Cards of like denomination in cutting, as two kings, or two queens, etc.; cards of the same number of pips, as two eights, two fives, etc. Treble. — A treble is scoring five points at short whist before your adversaries have marked one. It is the game won by obtaining five points to nothing on the other side. Sometimes called a lurch or triplet. The score for it is three points. Trey. — A card with three spots. T04 Tricks. — The four cards played (one by each player) in one round, including the card led, constitute a trick. Trump, or Trump Card. — The card cut, which in dealing is at the bottom of the pack, and is placed faced upwards on the right hand of the dealer and taken up into his hand as soon as it his turn to play to the first trick. Sometimes the trump is decided by cutting from another pack, and in duplicate whist the trump suit is decided for the whole evening at the com- mencement of the play. Tjuinp is also used to mean "the suit which is turned up." Also to miean "any card of that suit." Trumping — To trump is to play such a card when a plain suit is led. Trumps, or Trump Suit. — Cards of the same suit as the tiirn-up or trniiip card. The trump suit for the deal is superior to the three plain suits, and the smallest trump will take the highest card in any other suit. Trump Out. — Is an old-fashioned expression for leading or forcing trumps out. Turn Up. — The last card in the deal. Same as the tfunip, or the trump card. Turned and Quitted. — [See Quitted'] In strict American whist a trick turned cannot again be seen until the hand is played. TwEiyFTH Card. — One of the two cards (not necessarily the best) of a suit, remaining in play, after eleven have been played. UnbIvOCKing. — Getting rid of the commanding cards of your partner's long suit, when you hold a less number of the same suit . UndERPIvAY. — Keeping back best cards. Playing subordinate ones instead. It differs from finess- ing in this, that the object is not to take the trick with the smaller card, but to throw the lead, or conceal the possession of the higher 105 ones, so as to use them more effectively later in the hand. Weakness. — Having a hand or suit with which you are unlikely to make tricks. Sometimes used to mean shortness in a suit Weak Suit, — One containing cards only of a lower than average rank. Sometimes erro- neously used to mean short suit (of three cards or less), or a suit of which you hold but few remaining cards. Winning Cards — The highest cards of any suit in play. Yarborough, — A hand in which the best card is an eight is called a yarborough. There is no record of a hand in which seven was the lowest. Younger Hand. — The player to the right of the dealer. The Laws of Whist, As Revised and adopted at the Third American Whist Congress, Chicago, 1894. The Game. 1. A game consists of seven points, each trick above vSix counting one The value of the game is determined by deducting the losers' score from seven. Forming the Table. 2. Those first in the room have the preference. If, by reason of two or more arriving at the same time, more than four asssemble, the preference among the last comers is determined by cutting, a lower cut giving the preference over all cutting higher. A complete table consists of six; the four having the preference play. Partners are deter- mined by cutting; the highest two play against the lowest two; the lowest deals and has the choice of seats and cards. 3. It two players cut intermediate cards of equal value, they cut again; the lower of the new cut plays with the original lowest. 4. If three players cut cards of equal value, they cut again. If the fourth has cut the highest card, the lowest two of the new cut are partners and the lowest deals. If the fourth has cut the lowest card, he deals and the highest two of the new cut are partners. 5. At the end of a game, if there are more than four belonging to the table, a sufficient number of the players retire to admit those awaiting their turn to play. In determining which players remain in, those who have played a less number of consecutive games have the preference over all 107 who have played a greater number; between two or more who have played an equal number, the preference is determined by cutting, a lower cut giving the preference over all cutting higher. 6. To entitle one to enter a table, he must declare his intention to do so before any one of the players has cut for the purpose of commenc- ing a new game or of cutting out. Cutting. 7. In cutting, the ace is the lowest card. All must cut from the same pack. If a player exposes more than one card, he must cut again. Drawing cards from the outspread pack may be resorted to in place of cutting. Shuffling. 8. Before every deal, the cards must be shuffled. When two packs are used, the dealer's partner must collect and shufH.e the cards for the ensuing deal and place them at his right hand. In all cases the dealer may shuffle last. 9. A pack must not be shuffled during the play of a hand, nor so as to expose the face of any card. Cidting to the Dealer. 10. The dealer must present the pack to his right hand adversary to be cut; the adversary must take a portion from the top of the pack and place it towards the dealer; at least four cards must be left in each packet; the dealer must reunite the packets by placing the one not removed in cutting upon the other. ir. If, in cutting ox in reuniting the separate packets, a card is exposed, the pack must be reshuffled by the dealer and cut again; if there is an}' confusion of the cards or doubt as to the place where the pack was separated, there must be a new cut. 12. If the dealer reshuffles the pack after it has been properly cut, he loses his deal. Dealing, 13. When the pack has been properly cut and ■loS reunited, the dealer must distribute the cards, one at a time, to each player in regular rotation, be- ginning at his left. The last, which is the trump card, must be turned up before the dealer. At the end of the hand or when the deal is lost, the deal passes to the player next to the dealer on his left, and so on to each in turn. 14. There must be a new deal by the same dealer: — I. If any card except the last is faced in the pack . II. If, during the deal or during the play of the hand, the pack is proved incorrect or imperfect; but any prior score made with that pack shall stand . 15. If, during the deal, a card is exposed, the side not in fault may demand a new deal, provided neither of that side has touched a card. If a new deal does not take place, the exposed card is not liable to be called . 16. Any one dealing out of turn or with his adversaries' pack may be stopped before the trump card is turned, after which, the deal is valid and the packs, if changed, so remain. Misdeali7ig. 17. It is a misdeal: — I. If the dealer omits to have the pack cut and his adversaries discover the error before the trump card is turned and before looking at any of their cards. II. If he deals a card incorrectly and fails to correct the error before dealing another. III. If he counts the cards on the table or in the remainder of the pack. IV. If, having a perfect pack, he does not deal to each player the proper number of cards and the error is discovered before all have played to the first trick. V. If he looks at the trump card before the deal is completed. VI. If he places the trump card face downwards upon his own or any other player's cards. A misdeal loses the deal, unless, during the deal, log either of the adversaries touches a card or in any other manner interrupts the dealer. The Tru7np Card. i8. The dealer must leave the trump card face upwards on the table until it is his turn to play to the first trick; if it is left on the table until after the second trick has been turned and quitted, it is liable to be called. After it has been lawfully taken up, it must not be named and any player naming it is liable to have his highest or his lowest trump called by either adversary. A player may, however, ask what the trump suit is. Irregularities in the Hands. 19. If, at any time after all have played to the first trick, the pack being perfect, a player is found to have either more or less than his correct number of cards and his adversaries have their right number, the latter, upon the discovery of such surplus or deficiency, may consult and shall have the choice: — I. To have a new deal; or II. To have the hand played out, in which case the surplus or missing card or cards are not taken into account. If either of the adversaries also has more or less than his correct number, there must be a new deal. If any player has a surplus card by reason of an omission to play to a trick, his adversaries can exercise the foregoing privilege only after he has played to the trick following the one in which such omission occurred. Cards Liable to be Called. 20. The following cards are liable to be called by either adversary: — I. Every card faced upon the table otherwise than in the regular course of play, but not including a card led out of turn. II. Every card thrown with the one led or played to the current trick. The player must indicate the one led or played. III. Every card so held by a player that his partner sees any portion of its face. IV. All the cards in a han 1 lowered or shown by a player so that his partner sees more than one card of it. V. Every card named by the player holdini;' it. 2 1. All cards liable to be called must be played and left face np wards on the table. A player mnst lead or play them when they are called, pro- vided he can do so without revokino^. The call may be repeated at each trick until the card is played. A player cannot be prevented from leading or playino a card liable to be called; if he can get rid of it in the course of play, no penalty remains 22. If a player leads a card better than any his adversaries hold of the suit, and then leads one or more other cards without waiting for his partner to play, the latter may be trailed upon by either adversary to take the rtrst trick, and the other cards thus improperly played are liable to be called; it makes no difference whether he plays them one after the other, or throws them all ou the table together, after the first card is played, the others are liable to be called. 23. A player having a card liable to be called must not play another until the adversaries have stated whether or not they wish to call the card liable to the penalty. If he plays another card without awaiting the decision of the adversaries, such other card also is liable to be called. Leading Out of Turn. 24. If any player leads out of t(un, a suit may be called from him or his partner the first time it is the turn of either of them to lead. The penalty can be enforced only by the adversary on the right of the player from whom a suit can law- fully be called. If a phiyer, so called on to lead a suit, has none of it, or if all have played to the false lead, no penalty can be enforced. If all have not played to the trick, the cards erroneously played to such false lead are not liable to be called and must be taken back. Playing Out of Turn. 25. If the third hand plays before the second, the fourth hand also may play before the second. 26. If the third hand has nc^t played, and the fourth hand plays before the second, the latter may be called upon by the third hand to play his hij^hest or lowest card of the suit led or, if he has none, to trump or not to trum[) the trick. Abandoned Hands. 27. If all four players throw their cards on the table, lace upwards, no further play of that hand is permitted. '1 he result of the hand, as then claimed or admitted, is established, provided that, if a re\oke is discovered, the revoke penalty attaches . Revoking . 28. A revoke is a renounce in error not cor- rected in lime. A player renounces in error, when, holdinj^ one or more cards of the suit led, he plays a card of a different suit. A renounce in error may be corrected by the playei making it, before the trick in which it occurs has been turned and quitted, unless either he or his partner, whether in his right turn or otherwise, has led or played to the following trick, or unless his partner has asked whether or not he has any of the suit renounced. 29. If a player corrects his mistake in time to save a revoke, the card imprcjperly played by him is liable to be called; any player or players, who have played after him, may withdraw their cards and substitute others; the cards so withdrawn are not liable to be called. ■ . 30. The penalty for revoking is the transfer of two tricks from the revoking side to their adver- saries; it can be enforced for as many revokes as occur during the hand. The revoking side camiot win the game in that hand; if both sides revoke, neither can win the game in that hand . 31. The revoking player and his partner may require the hand, in which the revoke has been made, to be played out, and score all points made by them up to the .score of six. 32. At the end of a hand, the claimants of a revoke may search all the tricks. If the cards have been mixed, the claim may be urged and proved, if possible: but no proof is necessary and the revoke is established, if, after it has been claimed, the accused player or his partner mixes the cards before they have been examined to the satisfaction of the adversaries. 33. The revoke can be claimed at any time before the cards have been presented and cut for the following deal, bnt not thereafter . Miscellaneous. 34. Any one, during the play of a trick and before the cards have been touched for the purpose of gathering them together, may demand that the players draw their cards. 35. If any one, prior to his partner playing, calls attention in any manner to the trick or to the score, the adversary last to play to the trick may require the offender's partner to play his highest or lowest of the suit led or, if he has none, to trump or not to trump the trick. 36. If any player says "I can win the rest," "The rest are ours," "We have the game," or words to that effect, his partner's cards must be laid upon the table and are hable to be called. 37. When a trick has been turned and quitted, it must not again be seen until after the hand has been played. A violation of this law subjects the offender's side to the same penalty as in case of a lead out of turn. 38. If a player is lawfully called upon to play the highest or lowest of a suit, or to trump or not to trump a trick, or to lead a suit, and unneces- sarily fails to comply, he is liable to the same penalty as if he had revoked . 39. In all cases where a penalty has been incurred, the offender must await the decision of the adversaries. If either of them, with or with- out his partner's consent, demands a penalty, to which they are entitled, such decision is hnal . If the wrong adversary demands a penalty or a wrong penalty is demanded, none can be enforced. The Laws of Duplicate Whist. Duplicate Whist is governed by the "Laws of Whist" as adopted by the Third American Whist Congress, 1893, except in so far as they are modified by the follovv^ing special laws, as adopted by the Fourth and amended by the Seventh American Whist Congress, 1897 : The Game and the Score. {a") A game or match consists of any agreed number of deals, each of which is played once only by each player. The contesting teams must be of the same number, but may each consist of any agreed number of pairs, a half of which, or as near thereto as possible, sit north and south, the other half east and west. Every trick taken is scored, and the match is determined b}'- a comparison of the aggregate scores won by the competing teams. In case the teams consist of an odd number of pairs, each team, in making up such aggregate, adds, as though won by it, the average score of all the pairs seated in the positions opposite to its odd pair. Each side shall keep its own score, and it is the duty of the players at each table to compare the scores there made and see that they correspond. In a match between two teams the team which wins a majority of all the tricks scores the match as won by that number of tricks which it has taken in excess of one-half the total . In a match between more than two teams each team wins or loses, as the case may be, by the number of tricks which its aggregate score ex- ceeds or falls short of the average score of all the competing teams. In taking averages fractions are disregarded and the nearest whole number taken, one-half counting as a whole, unless it is necessary to take the fraction into account to avoid a tie, in vvhic^h case the niat(Mi is scored as won by 'ilie fraction of a tri(k " /u)riniu