The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (100 page)

card for trump.

Contracts Coinche al ows contracts to be played with a suit as

trump, or at no trump (sans atout), or at al trump (tout atout).

In a suit contract, the total of trick-points is 62 in trumps, plus

90 in plain suits, plus 10 for last, total 162.

At no trump, al Jacks and Nines rank in their plain-suit

position, Jacks counting 2 each and Nines zero. The total of

trick-points is therefore 120 for cards, plus 10 for last, total

130. There being no trump suit, there can be no belote.

At al trump, al Jacks and Nines rank in their trump-suit

position – that is, above Aces and Tens – and count

respectively 20 and 14 each. The total of trick-points is

therefore 248 for cards, plus 10 for last, total 258. Since every

suit is a quasi-trump, the King and Queen of every suit counts

as a belote.

Foursomes score as usual in a suit or al trump contract, but

dif erently at no trump:

suit or all trump no trump

Jacks

200

Aces 200

Nines

150

Tens 150

A,T,K,Q

100

K,Q,J 100

8,7

n/a

9,8,7 n/a

Bidding A bid is an of er to win (a) more than half the trick-points

available and (b) more points than the opposing side in tricks and

melds. It consists of a number and a contract, e.g. ‘80 hearts’, ‘90 al

trump’ etc.

A Anominal bidof 80 is actually a bid of atleast 82, as 80isless than halfofthe

162 available. In some circles, the principle is extended, so that 90 requires at least 92, and soon. The number quotedis that ofthe actual score made after

rounding the minimum requisite numberofpoints downto the nearest ten.

Eldest speaks first, and each in turnmay pass, bid, double, or

redouble. Bidding may start at any level, but the lowest is 80, and

each subsequent bid must quote a higher multiple of ten. Jump-

bidding is al owed, and a player who has passed is not thereby

debarred from bidding again. A contract is established when a bid is

fol owed by three passes, or by an opponent’s ‘Double’, which may

then be redoubled by the bidder or his partner.

If al pass on the first round, the deal is annul ed and passes to

the next in turn.

Melds Each in turn, upon playing to the first trick, announces his

highest meld, provided that it is not lower than any already

announced. If equal, he asks ‘How high?’, and the previous

announcer details the rank of a foursome or the top card of a

sequence, as the case may be. Whichever player has the highest

meld notes the total value of al melds declared by himself and his

partner. A meld declared at the first trick must be shown (on

demand) at the second.

Play Eldest leads first. Rules of trick-play vary, the laxest being

those of eastern France.

To a trump lead you must fol ow suit if possible and head the

trick if possible. (Variant: If your partner is winning, you need

not overtrump.)

To a plain-suit lead you must fol ow suit if possible, but need

not head the trick.

If you can’t fol ow suit, and an opponent is currently winning

the trick with a trump, you must trump and overtrump if

possible. (Variant: If you cannot overtrump, you need not

undertrump but may discard at wil .)

If you can’t fol ow suit, and your partner is currently winning

the trick, you may play anything. (Variant: But may not

undertrump if able to overtrump.)

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.

Belote A player holding the King and Queenoftrumps, and

announcing ‘belote’ upon playing one of them and ‘rebelote’ upon

playing the other, scores 20 for his side. Belote is declarable in any

suit in an al trump contract, but not at al in no trumps.

Score At end of play each side calculates its total for trick-points

(including 10 for last) and melds. To win, the declaring side must

have scored more than their opponents and at least as many as they

bid. If successful, both sides score (rounded to the nearest 10) the

amount they took for tricks and melds, and the declarers add the

value of the contract. If not, the declarers score nothing, and the

opponents 160 for trick-points plus the value of their melds plus

the value of the lost contract. These scores are al af ected by any

doubling that may have taken place.

Notes on play Belote players have been quick to exploit the

possibilities of the bidding system for conveying information about

their hands. No codeisunversal yaccepted, but he fol owing opening

their hands. No codeisunversal yaccepted, but he fol owing opening

bids and responses are fairly typical.

Opening bids

80

four sure tricks and: trump Jack or Nine, or four good tierces, or a 34 (=

trump Jack and Nine) plus two Aces, or a sequence of five

90

four sure tricks, with a 34 in three suits

100 five sure tricks and a promising game

110 four Aces, Kings, or Queens

120 sequence of four, including belote but lacking the Nine

130 sequence of four including Jack, Nine

150 four Aces, no Jack

160 four Nines

180 sequence of five, or four Aces and a Jack

220 four Jacks

Response to partner’s opening 80 (add another 10 if necessary to overcall

intervening bid)

+10 Nine and at least one other of partner’s suit

+20 Jack of partner’s suit, or two side Aces

+30 Jack and Nine, or three side Aces

+50 four Tens, Kings, or Queens

+70 meld worth 100

+100 four Aces

+120 meld worth 150

+130 four Nines

+170 meld worth 200

+200 four Jacks

Response (to 80) in another suit if unable to support opener’s suit

+10 three including 34, plus one side Ace

+20 five including 34, or five sure tricks

+40 sequence of four including belote

+50 as above, and the Nine

If your partner opens 90, ignore the above and instead add 10 for

each Ace you can of er.

Jo-Jot e

2 players, 32 cards

Not tonight, Josephine…

Ely Culbertson devised Jo-Jot e in response (he claimed) to urgent

requests from players throughout America to apply his mind to the

development of a hitherto unrealized game for two that would be

as intel ectual and jazzy as Bridge was for four. The result, first

published in 1937, melds the scoring of Bridge to the mechanics of

Belote, which Culbertson had played in France but thought ‘too

tame and too monotonous to satisfy the quick-wit ed impatience of

American psychology’. He gal antlynameditJo-Jot e after his wife

Josephine. The gameflopped, and Jo ungal antly divorced him the

year after.

Preliminaries Scores are kept in columns ruledin half with a

horizontal line as at Bridge. Below the line go scores made for trick-

play, above it scores for melds and various bonuses. A game is won

by the first to reach 80 points below the line, and a rubber by the

first to win two games.

Cards As for Klaberjass, but with simplified card-points:

trump suit J 9 A T K Q

8 7

card-points 20 15 10 10 5 5 0 0 0 0

plain suits

A K Q J T 9 8 7

The total of trick-points available is 160 (60 in trumps, 90 in plain

suits, 10 for last).

Deal Deal six each in ones and turn the next for trump. Non-dealer

may accept the turned suit as trump, or pass, leaving dealer with

the same choices. If both pass, the turn-up is turned down and non-

dealer may name another suit or cal no trump. If he passes, dealer

has the same choices. If either names a suit, the other may overcal

by bidding no trump. If both stil pass, the deal is annul ed and the

present non-dealer deals to the next. Any contract may be doubled

by the opponent, and redoubled by the declarer. Doubling af ects

only the scores for tricks, not for melds.

A contract established, deal three more cards each, and turn the

bot om card of the stock ‘for information’. Declarer’s opponent may

now claim his melds, or bid nul o, which is an undertaking to lose

every trick playing at no trump, and disregarding melds. If he bids

nul o, declarer may overcal by bidding a slam (win every trick),

which cannot be overcal ed. If he claims melds, he does so by

announcing the scoring value of the highest meld he holds in each

of two classes: quartets and sequences.

Melds The player with the best four of a kind scores above the line

100 for the quartet and 100 for any other quartet he may declare. In

a trump contract the highest quartet is of Jacks, fol owed by Nines,

Aces, Tens, etc.; at no trump, it is Aces, then Tens, etc.

The player with the longest sequence of three or more cards – or

the highest if equal, or the one in trumps if stil equal – scores for it

and any other sequences he may declare. Sequential order is

invariably AKQJT987. A sequence of three scores above the line 20,

of four 40, of five or more 50.

Play The opponent leads first. To a non-trump lead the fol ower

must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise must trump if possible,

otherwise may play anything. To a trump lead he must not only

fol ow suit but must also head the trick if possible. The trick is

taken by the higher card of the suit led, or by the higher trump if

any are played, and the winner of each trick leads to the next.

Jo-Jot e is the King and Queen of trumps. A player holding both

cards scores 20 above the line provided that he (a) plays the King to

an earlier trick than the Queen, and (b) announces ‘Jo’ upon

playing the King and ‘Jot e’ upon playing the Queen.

Score At end of play each player calculates his total for melds and

tricks. If the declarer’s total is greater, he scores his trick-total (only)

below the line. If not, his opponent scores below the line the total

of their combined trick-scores.

The winner of a doubled or redoubled contract scores below the

line the total of both players’ trick-scores, doubled or quadrupled

respectively.

In the eventof a tie for totals, and inany nul o contract, the

combined trick-score is held in abeyance and subsequently goes

above the line to whichever player has the higher total score (for

tricks and melds) on the next untied hand other than nul o.

A successful nul o scores 200 above the line. Failure gives the

opponent 200 above the line for the first and 100 for any

subsequent trick taken by declarer.

Winning every trick gains 500 above the line if bid, otherwise

100. If bid and lost, the opponent scores above the line the

combined trick-scores of both players.

Add 300 for winning the rubber.

Klaverjas (Klaverjassen)

4 players(2×2), 32 cards

Klaverjas has been the Dutch national card game since about the

end of the nineteenth century. A delightful and relatively simple

end of the nineteenth century. A delightful and relatively simple

member of the Jass family, it is distinguished by its predilection for

scoring melds as made in tricks rather than as resulting from the

luck of the deal. It makes a good introduction to point-trick games

for players accustomed only to plain-trick games like Whist and

Bridge.

Preliminaries Four players sit ing crosswise in partnerships receive

eight cards each dealt in batches of four from a 32-card pack

ranking and counting thus:

in trumps †J † 9 A T K Q

8 7

20 14 11 10 4 3 0 0 0 0

plain suits 11 10 4 3 2 0 0 0

A K Q J T 9 8 7

The †J is cal ed Jas and the †9 Nel. The trick-points total 162 (62

in trumps, 30x3 in plain suits, 10 for winning the last trick).

Object Both sides seek to win a majority of points for counters and

melds taken in tricks, but the side that makes trumps is penalized if

it fails.

The melds are:

four of the same rank 100

four in suit-sequence 50

three in suit-sequence 20

stuk (marriage of †K-Q) 20

Sequence order is AKQJT987 in every suit including trumps. Four

of a kind occurs so rarely as to be hardly worth remembering.

Bidding Each in turn, starting with eldest, passes or becomes the