The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (16 page)

above six. The game ends when one side wins by reaching the

target score, or loses by reaching minus the target score.

Winning al 13 books is a ‘Boston’, and scores quadruple.

Variants With two Jokers, the lowest bid is sometimes ‘Four’. Some

play with only one Joker and a five-card kit y. Some play without

Jokers and either a four-card kit y or none at al . In the lat er case,

13 books are played and the lowest bid is ‘One’.

Original Bid Whist

Deal thirteen each from a 52-card pack. Each bids a number of odd

tricks from onetoseven, without mentioning trumps. Bidding

continues until three pass in succession, when the last bidder

announces trumps and his left opponent leads. A successful contract

scores 1 point per odd trick taken, otherwise the opponents score 1

point per odd trick they took and the declarers deduct the amount

of their bid.

Contract Whist

(4pp,52c)DevisedbyHubertPhil ipsinthe1930s,thisunjustlyneglected

game combines the trick-play of Whist with the bidding of Bridge.

game combines the trick-play of Whist with the bidding of Bridge.

In ef ect, it is Bridge without a dummy: al players are active and

their hands remain concealed.

The preliminaries, deal and auction proceed as at Contract

Bridge.

Bidding systems and conventions employed in Bridge are

applicable, except in so far as there is no scoring distinction

between major and minor suits, and no bonus for slams. Scores are

made above and below the line as at Bridge, and only tricks

contracted and won count towards game. The opening lead is made

by the left-hand opponent of the declarer who first named the suit

of the final contract. Play proceeds as at Bridge, except that

declarer’s partner plays from his own hand concealed instead of

laying it face up as a dummy.

For a successful contract, declarers score (below the line) 3 points

per contracted odd trick in a trump suit, 4 at no trump, doubled or

redoubled as the case may be. Al overtricks score (above the line)

2 each, or 5 or 10 if doubled or redoubled. There is also a flat

bonus of 5 for fulfil ing a doubled contract, or 10 if redoubled.

For a defeated contract, defenders score (above the line) 10

points for each undertrick, or 20 if doubled, 40 if redoubled.

Game is 10 below the line, a rubber is the best of three games,

and the rubber bonus is 50.

Spades

4 players (2 × 2), 52 cards

This game is remarkably popular in America, where it is the subject

of numerous clubs, tournaments and websites. Named from the fact

that spades are always trumps, it strikes me as having been derived

from the pat ern of Hearts by changing a suit of penalty cards into a

suit of trumps. Itis usual y played by four in partnerships, but is

easily adaptable for other numbers. As befits a genuine folk game

easily adaptable for other numbers. As befits a genuine folk game

of recent origin, it is ful of variations and not subject to universal y

accepted of icial rules. Preliminaries Four play crosswise infixed

partnerships, usinga 52-card pack ranking AKQJT98765432 in each

suit. Deal thirteen each in ones. Trumps Spades, always.

Bidding There is no competitive auction. Instead, each partnership

contractstowinacertain minimum numberoftricks. First, the

members of the non-dealer partnership discuss how many tricks

they think they can win between them. They may say how many

certain, probable or possible tricks they think they can win

individual y, but may not give direct information about specific suit

holdings. When their contract number is agreed, it is noted down,

and the dealer’s side embark on the same process.

A player who thinks he can lose every trick individual y may

declare ‘Nil’. In this case his partner announces how many he

proposes to win. This establishes his side’s contract, which is lost if

the nil bidder wins any tricks. Only one player per side may bid nil,

unless otherwise agreed in advance (see Variants).

‘Blind nil’ is a nil bid made before a player looks at his cards. It

is permit ed only to a player whose side is losing by 100 or more

points. In this case the nil bidder then looks at his cards, and passes

two face down to his partner, who adds them to his hand and

passes two cards face down in return.

Play To the first trick everyone must play their lowest club. Anyone

void in clubs must play any heart or diamond, but not a spade.

Whoever plays the highest club wins the trick and leads to the next.

Play as at Whist or Bridge, but with the restriction that trumps

(spades) may not be led until the suit is broken – that is, until a

player has used a spade to trump a trick when unable to fol ow

suit. This does not, of course, apply to a player who has only

spades in hand to lead. Score A side that takes at least as many

tricks as its bid scores 10 times its bid, plus 1 per overtrick. There is

a penalty, however, for consistent underbidding. When, over a

series of deals, a side’s overtricks total 10 or more (as witnessed by

series of deals, a side’s overtricks total 10 or more (as witnessed by

the final digit of their cumulative score), their score is reduced by

100, and any overtricks above 10 are carried forward to the next

cycle of ten. This is cal ed sandbagging. (Variant: Each overtrick

counts minus 1 point and there is no sandbagging.)

A Example: A side has a score of 488, and on the next deal bid five and win

nine tricks. This brings them to 538 plus 4 for overtricks, making 542. For the

excess of 12 overtricks they deduct 100, bringing them to 442 and leaving them

with an excess of 2 towards the next cycle.

For a failed contract, a side loses 10 points per trick bid.

For a successful nil bid, the nil bidder’s side scores 50 points, in

addition to the score won (or lost) by his partner for tricks made. If

it fails, the nil bidder’s side loses 50 points, but any tricks taken by

the nil bidder may be counted towards the fulfilment of his

partner’s contract. Blind nil scores on the same principle, but

doubled to 100.

Game is 500 points.

Variants Some players include two dif erentiated Jokers. Big Joker

counts as the highest and Lit le Joker as the second highest spade,

fol owed by Ace (etc.) down to Two. The last two cards go to the

dealer (variant: to the holder of 2), who discards any two face

down before (variant: after) bidding.

In a variant popular with African Americans the 2 and 2 are

stripped and replaced by dif erentiated Jokers. Trumps run: Big

Joker, Lit le Joker, 2, then AKQJT9876543, but Ace remains

highest in the other three suits. Any card may be led to any trick. A

lost bid scores minus 10 times the bid value (e.g. a lost bid of 8

scores –80), with no extras for undertricks. There is no nil bid, and

instead of a blind nil a partnership can cal a ‘Blind Seven’,

undertaking to win at least seven tricks before either partner has

looked at his cards. This doubles the score to plus or minus 140,

overtricks counting 1 each as usual.

overtricks counting 1 each as usual.

Many special cal s are recognized in dif erent circles, in dif erent

combinations, and with dif erent procedures and scoring. Here’s a

smal selection to choose from, or to suggest new ideas.

Misdeal may be cal ed by a player with an of icial y recognized

‘bad’ hand’, such as one lacking spades or face cards, or containing

seven or more of a plain suit. The cards are thrown in and a new

hand dealt by the same dealer.

10-for-200: A bid to win exactly 10 tricks for a score of 200, or