The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (113 page)

Preliminaries Four players sit ing crosswise in partnerships use a

48-card pack lacking Tens. Play goes to the left. The aim in each

deal is to be the first side to win five of the nine tricks played, and

over the whole session to win the largest number of crosses (game-

points). Scores are usual y chalked on a slate, as described later.

Deal The cards are usual y shuf led between deals, but not cut. Deal

nine each in threes and stack the last twelve face down.

Rank of cards Before the actual play, which is very simple, it is

necessary to learn which cards beat which other cards in which

circumstances. This is very complicated, so pay at ention.

First, note that instead of a single trump suit, there are two so-

cal ed ‘chosen’ suits, which vary from deal to deal. (How they are

chosen is explained later.)

There are nine top cards cal ed stickers (stikkar), which beat al

lower cards except ‘lambs’ (Sevens). The highest stickers are five

specific cards, in descending order 2 4 8 9 9, which remain

invariant regardless of the chosen suits. The other four are the two

Aces, cal ed styrivolts, and the two Jacks, cal ed karnifls, of the two

chosen suits.

These are fol owed by eight cards cal ed beaters, four in each

chosen suit. They are cal ed ‘beaters’ because they beat certain

lower cards but not al . In descending order, they are the 6, 2, 3 and

4 of each chosen suit.

This leaves twelve cards in the two chosen suits (six each). Ten of

these may be cal ed ‘leaders’, because they win a trick only when

led to it, and even then only if not beaten by a sticker or a high

enough beater. (They are not actual y cal ed leaders, but the term

maybe found helpful.)

The nine stickers, eight beaters, and remaining twelve cards of

the chosen suits are listed below in descending order of trick-taking

power:

category ranks names

powers

9 stickers:

2 bird

beat all

4 fyrik

lower

8

attuni

cards

9 mare of hearts

except

9

mare of diamonds

led Sevens AA

styrivolts

JJ

karnifls

8 beaters: 6 6

postmen

beat Aces and lower

beat only

(but not styrivolts)

certain

2 2

tvists

beat Kings and lower

cards

(but not karnifls)

3 3

trists

beat Queens and lower

(but not karnifls)

4 4

unfortunates

beat Jacks and lower

(but not karnifls)

10 leaders: 7 7

lambs

unbeatable

win only 9988 free cards

beaten only by stickers

when led KKQQ kings and queens K beaten only by tvists and higher

Q beaten only by trists and higher

5 5

traders (chapmen) no value, but trade for turn-up

In the two unchosen suits, cards rank in descending order

AKQJ98765432 (omit ing the five individual cards that are

permanent stickers).

Four of a kind If anyone holds al four cards of the same rank, they

al assume the value and powers of the best of them. For example,

if you hold four Twos, they al count as ‘birds’, being as powerful as

the unbeatable 2.

Chosen suits The chosen suits are chosen as fol ows. Dealer takes

cards from the top of the stock one by one, holding them in such a

cards from the top of the stock one by one, holding them in such a

way that only he can see them. As soon as a third dif erent suit

appears, he stops. The first two suits are the chosen ones. He shows

what they are by placing the best card of each chosen suit face up

on the table, and half covering them with the remaining ten cards

of the stock, face down.

For this purpose only, the best card in a chosen suit is the Trader

(Five), fol owed by the Lamb (Seven), fol owed by the highest

sticker, fol owed by the Six, Eight or Nine (ad lib.), Two, Three,

King or Four (ad lib.), Queen (lowest). If the exposed card is a

Lamb, and one or more stickers have also been turned, then the

highest sticker is exposed as wel as the Lamb of that suit, so there

may be three or even four exposed cards.

A player who holds the Trader (Five) of an exposed suit may at any

point in the game exchange it for the exposed card of its suit (or

either card if one of them is the Lamb). If he doesn’t, but plays it to

a trick, it behaves exactly as if it were that exposed card.

Taking the stock If your hand contains not a single sticker, you may

exchange it for the stock. More than one player may do this, if so

entitled, but they must do it in order of play and before

individual y playing to the first trick. The exchange is made by

laying your hand face down and taking the stock up in its place.

This gives you ten cards instead of nine, but you may freely discard

one before play, or play two to the first trick, or have one left over

at the end.

If you then find that the stock also contains no sticker, you may

trade it in again for your original hand, provided that you have not,

with either hand, exchanged a Trader for an exposed sticker. If

with either hand, exchanged a Trader for an exposed sticker. If

neither hand contains a sticker or a Trader, you may keep both

hands and play with 19 cards.

Another player may also exchange in the same way at any time

during the game (unless the first one kept al 19 cards), provided

that (a) the stock was taken for the first time during the first trick,

and (b) the whole of the original hand of the exchanging player

was devoid of stickers.

Taking the stock without entitlement incurs a penalty when it

comes to the scoring.

Play Eldest leads to the first trick any card except a Lamb (Seven).

Each in turn may play any card he chooses, with no obligation to

fol ow suit. The trick is taken by the highest card played, or by the

first played of two equal y high cards, and the winner of each trick

leads to the next. A Lamb (Seven) may be led to a trick only by a

player who has already won a trick (individual y).

The winning card is determined by the Table above, or by the

fol owing notes:

A sticker can be beaten only by a higher sticker.

A beater can be beaten only by a higher beater or a sticker. If

the two highest cards played are equal in rank, the first

played beats the second.

If a leader is led, it wins the trick unless it is beaten by a

sticker or a high enough beater. The four Eights and Nines of

the chosen suits are equal in rank, and if two or more of these

are the highest cards played, the first one played beats the

others. The same applies to Kings and Queens.