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lead the highest, and put on the lowest to your partner's lead; but the highest on your adversary's. With a tierce to

the king and several others, begin with the knave.

With ace, king, knave, and three small trumps, play out the ace and king-with only two the king, and wait for the finesse of the knave. In other suits, without great strength in trumps, or with the hopes of a particular point, do not wait for the finesse.

Ace, king, and five others, lead the ace in all suits. With four or less, the lowest, if trumps. In other suits, always the ace, unless all the trumps remaining are with you and your partner; in this case a small one.

Ace, queen, knave, &c., in all suits the ace. Ace, queen, ten, with others, in trumps, a small one; but if with three, unless very strong in trumps, lead the ace in other suits.

Ace, knave, with small ones, lead the lowest in trumps; in other sus, if with more than two, lead the ace, unless very strong in trumps.

If

Ace, with four small ones, in trumps, lead the lowest. with four or more in other suits, and not very strong in trumps, the ace.

N.B. It is the general custom with ace and one other, to lead the ace -this is right if you have reason to think it your partner's suit, otherwise lead the small one.

King, queen, ten, &c., in all suits, lead the king; but if it passes, do not pursue the lead, as certain the ace is in your partner's hand as it is often kept up, but change your lead, and wait for the return from your partner when you have the finesse of the ten, if necessary.

King, queen, and five others, in all suits, the king. With four or less in trumps, lead the lowest. In other suits, always the king, unless you have the two only remaining trumps; if so, you may play a small one.

King, knave, ten, &c., in all suits, lead the ten. King, knave, and two or more small ones, the lowest.

NB. You should not lead from king, knave, and a small one, unless it is clearly your partner's suit, in which case, play off your king and knave.

Queen, knave, nine, and others, lead the queen. Queen, knave, with one other, the queen. Queen, knave, with two more. the lowest.-Queen, ten, and two others, the lowest.

Queen, and three small ones, the lowest. Queen, or knave, with only two, the queen, or knave.

N.B. The trump card sometimes occasions a deviation from these rules. A has the ace or king, with a sequence from the ten downwards, of the suit of which his left-hand adversary turns up knave or queen. A should lead the ten. If the knave or queen be put on, you have a finesse with the nine; if not, your partner, with an honor, will pass it, and is either way advantageous.

The following calculations are sufficient for a beginner; deeper ones frequently puzzle even the proficient:That either player has not one named card, not in your hand, is

5 to 4 in favour of his having.

5 to 2

4 to 1

2 to 1

1 of 2

1 in 3

1 in 4

N.B. The odds are so considerable, that no player has two or more named cards, that scarce any situation justifies playing on this supposition, except the impossibility of saving or winning the game otherwise; of course further calculations are more for curiosity than utility.

The odds of the game are calculated according to the points, and with the deal:

1 love

2 love

10 to 9

10 to 8

and so on, except that 2 is considered as something worse than 8. It is 3 to 1 in favour of the first game.

N.B. Notwithstanding that calculations are in general accurate, it is difficult to conceive that 10 in 20 is 3 to 1, while 5 in 10 is but 2 to 1, and even 6 in 10 is but 5 to 2. I am convinced whoever bets the 3 to 1, will lose on the long run; and on the contrary, he who bets the 2 to 1, and 5 to 2, will gain in the same proportion.

The odd trick has always been supposed in favour of the leader; but this is an error, as the dealer has the advantage in this, as in every other score.

*** It will be perceived that the Laws of the game are not given in the preceding pages; they will be found in Part II, according to Hoyle; in Part III, according to Deshapelles; and in Part IV, according to the Editor.

PART THE SECOND.

WHIST FROM THE TEXT OF HOYLE.

THOUGH not the first writer on the game of Whist, Hoyle was undoubtedly the first of any authority. Long before he wrote, there existed certain rules for ordering its economy, as well as for playing it upon system. Like most other samples of "the good old times," Whist, as practised in the days of our forefathers, was no such shining light of the prisca fides. We take it up at an epoch in which the game must have attained a certain amount of respectability, namely, in the year 1734, when Richard Seymour, Esquire, published the fifth edition of his "Compleat Gamester, for the use of the Young Princesses." If his record be true, which there is good reason to believe was the case, society in the reign of George the Second was by no means in a state of chivalry as to morals. He shall tell his own tale, and in his own fashion.

Whist, vulgarly called "Whisk."

"This is a very ancient game among us; and is said to be the foundation of all the English games upon the cards.

"Very few persons play correctly at it; though there are many pretenders, who are the easiest to be made, and generally are made, the greatest bubbles.

"Considerable sums of money are played away at this game; which has put sharpers upon inventions to deceive and cheat unwary players, as will be shewed in the sequel.

"Formerly it was usual to deal four cards together; but it is demonstrable there is no safety in that method; but now the cards are dealt round one and one at a time, as the securest and best way.

"In playing your cards, you must have recourse altogether to your own judgment; and though you have but mean cards

in your hand, yet you may (by observing the course of the cards) play them so suitable to those in your partner's hand, that he may either trump them or play the best of that suit on the board.

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You ought to have a strict eye on what cards are playe out, that you may know by that means either what to play, if you lead, or how to trump securely and advantageously. Renouncing, or not following suit when you have it in your hand, is very foul play; and he that doth it ought to forfeit one, or the game upon a game, and he that loseth dealing loseth one, or a trick, as you make it.

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At ruff and honours, by some called slam, you have in the pack all the deuces, and the reason is, because four persons playing having dealt twelve a-piece, there are four left for the stock, the uppermost whereof is turned up, and that is trumps, He who hath ace of trumps ruffs, that is, he takes in those four cards, and lays out four; the four honours are the ace, king, queen, and knave; he who hath three honours in his hand, his partner not having the fourth, sets up eight by cards, that is, two tricks; if he hath all four, then sixteen, that is, four tricks. It is all one if the two partners make them three or four between them, as if one had them. If the honours are equally divided among the gamesters of each side, then they say honours are split. If either side are at eight groats, he hath the benefit of calling, Can ye? If he hath two honours in his hand, and if the other answers one, the game is up, which is ten in all; but if he hath more than two he shows them, which is the same thing; but if he forgets to call, after playing a trick, he loseth the advantage of calling for that deal.

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'All cards are of value as they are superior one to another, as a ten wins a nine, if not trumps; so a queen a knave in like manner; but the least trump will win the highest card of any other card: where note, the ace is the highest.

"Some play at two-handed, or three-handed Whist. If three-handed, always two strive to suppress and keep down the rising man. They deal to each twelve a-piece, and the trump is the bottom card. The manner of crafty playing, the number of the game ten, honours and dignity of other cards are all alike; and he that wins most tricks is most forward to

"He that can by craft overlook his adversary's game, hath a great advantage; for by that means he may partly know what to play securely; or if he can have some petty glimpse of his partner's hand. There is a way by making some sign by the fingers, to discover to their partners what honours they have, or by the wink of one eye, it signifies one honour, shutting both eyes two; placing three fingers or four on the table, three or four honours. For which reasons all nice gamesters play behind curtains.

Dealing the cards out by one and one round to each person, is the best method of putting it out of the dealer's power to impose on you. But we shall demonstrate that, deal the cards which way you will, a confederacy of two sharpers will beat any two persons in the world, though ever so good players, that are not of the gang, or in the secret; and three poll one is as safe and secure as if the money was in their pockets, All which will appear presently. The first necessary instructions to be observed at Whisk, as principals of the secret, which may be likewise transferred to most other games at cards, are

Breef Cards.
Corner-bend.

Middle-bend (or Kingston-bridge).

"Of breef cards there are two sorts: one is a card longer than the rest; the other is a card broader than the rest.

"The long sort are such as three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine; the broad sort are such as aces, kings, queens, and knaves. The use and advantage of each are as follows.

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Example.

When you cut the cards to your adversary, cut them long or end-ways, and he will have a three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine at bottom. When your adversary cuts the cards to you, put them broadside to him, and he will naturally cut (without ever suspecting what you do) ace, king, queen, or knave, &c., which is sufficient advantage to secure any game. It is a fine manner, especially in the old bet that the dealer does not score two that deal, since shuffling is of no signification here. And in case you cannot get cards of the proper sizes ready made to mix with others, you may shave them with a razor or penknife from the threes to the nines each

D

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