The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (57 page)

tricks from the other side, when they are said to be grugé (‘duped’).

Rumstick (only once so mentioned in English) enjoyed brief

popularity as a fad game, but was soon condemned as being more

complicated than it was worth, which may explain why

contemporary descriptions are barely intel igible.

Guimbarde (Jew’s Harp) or La Mariée (The Bride)

(France, eighteenth century.) A two-part gambling game played by

three to five with 32 cards; from six to eight with al 52, ranking

KQJAT987(65432).

Staking Everyone places 1p (point, penny, pound, whatever) in

each of five staking compartments marked guimbarde ( Q), roi (

K), fou ( J), mariage ( KQ), point (3+ cards of the same suit).

Deal five each and turn the next for trump. Anyone dealta scoring

card or combination wins the contents of the appropriate

compartment. Thus a player lucky enough to be dealt KQxx J,

or KQ Jxx, would sweep the lot. Any content remaining untaken

is carried forward to the next deal.

Play Everyone adds 1p to the point, and eldest leads to the first

trick. Players must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play any

card. The top trumps are always guimbarde ( Q), roi ( K), fou (

J) fol owed by KQJAT… etc. of the trump suit, omit ing any that

are top trumps by definition. The trick is taken by the highest card

of the suit led, or by the highest trump if any are played, and the

winner of each trick leads to the next. The contents of point are

won by the first player (if any) to win two tricks. During play, the

fol owing side-payments may be made:

For playing a King fol owed immediately by the Queen of the

same suit (mariage), 1p from al but the Queen-player.

For winning with one of the three top trumps a trick

containing a marriage, 1p from the King- and Queen-players.

For playing K and winning Q (grand mariage), 2p from

For playing K and winning Q (grand mariage), 2p from

everyone.

Guinguet e

(France, eighteenth century.) A three-part gambling game, played

by from three to eight with a 52-card pack ranking

KQJT98765432A. A guinget e is a public dancing-place, whether a

hal or a garden, and al the features of this game have names

related to dancing and dance steps.

Staking Everyone stakes 1p to each of three compartments label ed

guinget e ( Q), cabaret (sequence of three), and cotil on (two

tricks). Deal four each in twos and stack the rest face down, forming

the talon or cotil on. Whoever has Q shows it and wins the stake

for guinget e. If no one does, each draws another card from the

stock and tries again. If stil unclaimed, the stake goes forward to

the next deal.

Vying Next, players vie as to who has the best cabaret. A cabaret is

three cards in sequence, not necessarily of the same suit. KQJ and

QJT don’t count, so the highest possible is JT9. Each in turn either

raises the stake, equalizes the last stake, or drops out. When al bets

are equal, whoever has the highest cabaret wins these bets plus the

contents of that compartment. If two or more tie for highest, that of

the eldest player prevails. If nobody has one, the stakes are carried

forward.

Exchanging Each in turn has one opportunity to make a discard and

draw a replacement from the top of the stock, adding for this

privilege 2p to the cotil on. Eldest then chooses and announces a

trump suit. Each in turn announces whether he wil pass or play.

Each active player may make one discard and draw a replacement

from the stock upon payment of 2p to the cotil on, and may keep

doing so until satisfied. Before the next in turn does so, the previous

doing so until satisfied. Before the next in turn does so, the previous

player’s discards are shuf led in with the stock.

Play When al are ready, Eldest leads to the first trick. Players must

fol ow suit and head the trick if possible; must trump and

overtrump if unable to fol ow; and may renounce only if unable to

do either. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by

the highest trump if any are played, and the winner of each trick

leads to the next. The contents of the cotil on are won by the player

who wins most tricks. For winning only one trick, add 2p to the

cotil on. For winning none, start another pot containing as much as

was in the cotil on when tricks began, and carry it forward. Taking

every trick wins not only the current pot and an additional 1p from

each opponent, but also the contents of al these previous pots.

Don’t forget…

Play to the left (clockwise) unless otherwise stated.

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

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

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

† = trump,

= Joker.

6 High-low-Jack family

A number of games current throughout the English-speaking world

derive from the Restoration game of Al Fours, whose title refers to

its four principal scoring points: High, Low, Jack, and the Game.

High is scored by the player dealt the highest trump in play,

Low by the player dealt the lowest trump in play, or (in later

versions) winning it in a trick,

Jack by the player capturing the Knave of trumps in a trick,

and

Game by the player capturing the greatest value of counting-

cards in tricks (or, in later versions, winning the trump Ten).

As not al cards are dealt out, it is possible for Jack to be the only

trump in play, in which case it scores three points, one each for

High, Low, and Jack.

Al Fours may be of Dutch origin, as it was from Hol and that the

retinue of Charles I arrived when the monarchy was restored. It

was subsequently regarded as a low-class game, played mainly in