BOSTON. This game very mucn resembles Whist, and is somewhat like Quadrille. The players put 8 fish each into a pool, and the dealer 4 more. The cards are distributed as at Whist, except that the last is not to be turned up. During every deal, the player opposite the dealer, should shuffle a pack to be cut by his right hand neighbour, and turn up a card, for the first Preference; the suit of the same colour, whether red or black, is styled the second Preference, and the other two are common suits. The player who misses deal does not lose his turn; but as a punishment is to put 4 more fish into the pool. When the eldest hand thinks he can get 5 or more tricks, he is to say 'Boston;' if otherwise, he says 'Pass,' unless he plays Misère, that is, so as to lose every trick. Petite Misère is to put out a card, and lose every remaining trick; Grande Misère is to lose them without putting one out; Petite Misère Ouverte is to put out a card, and lay the others down, and then lose all; Grande Misère Ouverte is the same without laying one out. When the eldest hand has 'Passed' the second may proceed as the eldest; or if the eldest has said Boston,' the second, or after him the third, and the dealer, may also say • Boston,' if he will engage to win 5 tricks with either Preference for the trump; or the second and other hands may say 'Petite' or Grande Misère,' or undertake to get 6 or more tricks, the trump being any suit, for these declarations will supersede that of Boston simply, as appears by the table at page 299; where all are arranged according to the order in which they take place of each other; the highest, called Grand Slam, is, undertaking to get 13 tricks. By engaging to do more, the elder hand may, as at Quadrille, supersede the younger. If all pass, the cards must be thrown up, and dealt by the person to the left of the former dealer, the new dealer putting 4 fish into the pool; and the new eldest hand, unless he has previously passed, may also supersede the declaration of any other, or say Pass;' and so on, till at length every person, except one, has Passed,' and that person (if he has declared Boston') is to name the trump, always in the choice of the player; and also (unless he has undertaken more than 7 tricks) whether he chooses a partner. In the last case, any person who engages to get the required number of tricks may answer Whist: the right of answering begins with the next eldest hand to him who has declared. The partner must undertake to get 5 tricks if the player undertakes 7; 4, if the player undertakes 6; and 3 if he undertakes 5, as is in the table. When this is settled the playing begins, as at Whist, except that the partners may be differently placed, and each is to take up his own tricks. If the player obtains, or the player and partner jointly get the proposed number of tricks, or more, he or they are entitled to the fish in the pool, called the Bets, and besides, the number of tricks which they have won together, added to the number of honours they both held, is to be multiplied by the number in the table at page 299, over against the tricks they undertook, and under the name of the suit the trump was in; whether in the Preference or common suits; the product must then be divided by 10, and the quotient shows the number of fish to be paid to each of the successful players, by the other two; or in the event of a Solo to be paid him by each of the three others: should the product happen to be less than 10, one fish is to be paid nevertheless; if 15 or upwards, and under 20, it is to be considered as 20, and two fish to be paid; if 25 or upwards, and less than 30, as 30, and so on, viz: Suppose the player and partner have undertaken 5 and 3 tricks, the trump in a common suit; they get 8, their proposed number, this, if they have no honours, is to be multiplied by one, (because in a common suit) the product is only 8, which cannot be divided by 10, but one fish is, however, paid to both player and partner by the other two. If they undertake 5 and 3 tricks, and get 9, the trump in Second Preference, no honours, then 9 multiplied by 2 producing 18, is considered as 20, and divided by 10, making two fish to be paid to each of them. Should they undertake and win 6 and 4 tricks, the trump in a common suit, having two by honours; 2 and 10 are 12, which multiplied by 2, as stated in the table, make 24, that is, two fish to be paid; the remainder not being taken notice of. But if the player, or player and partner do not get their tricks, then the number they are deficient, added both to what they undertook, and the honours they held, is to be multiplied by the number found in the table, and divided by 10, to show the fish to be paid by them to their antagonists; for instance, when they undertake.5 and 3 tricks, having 2 by honours, the trump in a common suit, suppose they get only 6 tricks, then 6 subtracted from 8 leave 2, which, added to 8, the number they undertook, and 2, the honours they held, make 12; this multiplied by one, and divided by 10, gives one fish. If they undertake 5 and 3 tricks, having 2 by honours, the trump in Second Preference, should they get but 7, then 1 they are deficient, added to 8 they undertook, and 2 honours, make 11; this multiplied by 2, the number in the table, makes 22, which divided by 10, leaves 2, the fish to be paid. Should they undertake 6 and 4 tricks, having 4 honours, the trump in the First Preference; suppose they get but 8 tricks, 8 from 10, leave 2, which, added to the 10 they undertook, and 4 honours, form 16, that multiplied by 8, as in the table, make 128, then 130 divided by 10, gives 13 fish to be paid by them. When the player and partner each fail to get their proposed number of tricks, then the fish to be paid by them is to be defrayed in equal proportions between them; exactly the reverse of what would have been done, had they been successful. But if one gets his number of tricks, and the other fails, then the unsuccessful person bears the whole of the loss, and when the player is alone, he pays the allotted number of fish to each of his three opponents. In all failures, whether the player has a partner or not, he or they pay a Bast to the pool, equal to the number of fish they would have taken from it, had they proved successful; this is the invariable rule for assessing the Basts, which are not to be directly put into the pool, but laid aside, to be brought into the same at a future period, when some successful person has emptied it of the Bets, and all succeeding Basts are to be kept separately, to supply the pool at the end of different deals, and till all are exhausted the game cannot end, unless after any round is completed, the parties agree to share the Basts. In respect to playing Misère, when a person has any kind of hand that he thinks will enable him to lose all the tricks, the method is as follows: if he thinks it requisite to get rid of any particular card, then the declaration must be only 'Petite Misère;' if this is not superseded by the other players. he puts out a card without showing it, and the game commences, as at Whist, by the eldest hand, but in playing Misère of any kind there are no trumps. The parties (still endeavouring to lose their tricks) proceed as at Whist, except that the general rules with regard to playing are reversed at Misère. Whenever the Misère player is obliged to win a trick, the deal is at an end, and he is Basted, exactly as in playing Boston; and moreover, is to pay to each of the other persons 4 fish, as appears in the table: on the contrary, if the 12 tricks are played without winning one of them, he is entitled to the contents of the pool, and also to 4 fish from each of his antagonists. After a similar manner, Grande Misère is played, with the difference of not putting out a card, and having, of course, to lose 13 tricks; which, if effected, entitles him to the pool, and 8 fish from each of his adversaries; if otherwise, he must pay 8 fish to each of them, and a bast to the pool, equal to what he would have taken out, had he gained his point. Petite Misère Ouverte, and Grande Misère Ouverte differ from the foregoing, merely by laying down the cards to be played on the table, so as to be seen by all parties (except the card put out, in the case of Petite Misère Ouverte), and the playing is nearly the same; the only variation in the reckoning consists in paying or receiving 16 or 32 fish, explained in the Boston table, at the end. When the deal is concluded and settled according to the afore-given directions, one or two persons will have won and taken the contents of the pool, or some, on the contrary, have been basted. In the former case, all the parties must furnish the pool afresh, as at the beginning: but when either of the players is basted, the new dealer has only to add 4 fish to the old pool, and so on till some one wins, who is entitled to the bets, and then the bast of greatest value (if there are more than one) is brought into the pool. The basts may be of different value, because they are to be equal to the contents of the pool at the time of paying each of them, as already mentioned. If there are several basts, and the players wish to finish the game, it will be necessary to put two or more basts into the pool at once, or else the parties must share the fish on the table. AS PLAYED WITH TWO QUINOLAS. REVERSIS is played by four persons, with a box, containing* thirty-six fish, twenty-four counters, and six contracts; likewise with two pools, viz., the great and the little Quinola pools, (the great one to be under the little) they are always to be placed on the dealer's right hand. For reversis the tens must be taken out from a pack of cards; the deal is to the right, giving three cards to each player the first round, and four to the dealer, afterwards always four, so that each of the three players will have eleven cards, and the dealer twelve, with three cards remaining * Six fish make one counter, and eight counters one contract, or square. 36 fish 24 counters, each 6 fish. 6 contracts, each 48 fish 36 144 288 |