BOSTON DE FONTAINEBLEAU.
This game is sometimes, but incorrectly, called French Boston. The latter will be described in its proper place.
CARDS. Boston de Fontainebleau is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards. Two packs are generally used. The cards rank as at Whist, both for cutting and playing.
MARKERS are not used, counters taking their place. These are usually of the colours and values, and are distributed among the players as already described in Boston.
STAKES. As a guide in settling upon the unit value, it may be noted that the largest amount possible to win or lose on a single hand is 2,400 white counters; the smallest amount being 30. The average is about 300.
THE POOL. In addition to the counters won or lost on each hand, a pool is formed by each dealer in his turn placing five counters in a small tray provided for the purpose. This pool may be increased by penalties, etc., and the whole amount may be won under certain conditions, as at Boston. There is no limit to the amount of a single pool.
PLAYERS. The number of players, methods of Cutting, Dealing, etc., are the same as those already described in connection with Boston, except that no trump is turned for first preference, the suits always having a determined rank; diamonds being first, hearts next, then clubs, and last spades. No-trump, or “grand,” outranks diamonds.
Twelve deals is a game; after which the players cut out if there are more than four belonging to the table, or if other candidates are waiting to play.
PENALTIES, for playing with more or less than the proper number of cards, etc., are the same as at Boston.
OBJECTS OF THE GAME. These are identical with Boston, but instead of doubling the pool, the player who is unsuccessful in his undertaking pays into the pool the same amount that he loses to each of the other players.
ANNOUNCEMENTS. The bids rank in the order following; beginning with the lowest. The full-faced type show the words used by the players in calling their bids. It will be noticed that the order is not the same as in Boston, and that an additional bid is introduced, called Piccolissimo.
To win 5 tricks, Boston.
To win Six Tricks.
To lose 12 tricks, after having discarded a card which is not to be shown; Little Misère.
To win Seven Tricks.
To win one trick, neither more nor less, after having discarded a card which is not to be shown, there being no trump suit; Piccolissimo.
To win Eight Tricks.
To lose every trick, no trump suit, Grand Misère.
To win Nine Tricks.
To lose 12 tricks, after having discarded a card which is not to be shown; the single player’s remaining twelve cards being exposed face up on the table, but not liable to be called; Little Spread.
To win Ten Tricks.
To lose every trick, no trump suit, the single player’s cards being exposed on the table, but not liable to be called; Grand Spread.
To win Eleven Tricks.
To win Twelve Tricks.
To win 13 tricks; Slam.
To win 13 tricks, the single player’s cards exposed face up on the table, but not liable to be called; Spread Slam.
The object of the bidder, if successful in securing the privilege of playing, is to win or lose the proposed number of tricks, against the combined efforts of his adversaries. Having once made a bid, he must play it unless he is over-called.
METHOD OF BIDDING. The eldest hand has the first say, and after examining his hand, and deciding on the bid most appropriate to it, if any, he makes his announcement. If his proposal is to win a certain number of tricks with a certain suit for trumps, he must name the suit, saying, “Eight Spades,” or “Seven Diamonds,” as the case may be. If he proposes to play without any trump suit, he announces, “Seven Grand,” or whatever the number may be. Such a bid over-calls one of the same number in diamonds. If the eldest hand has no proposal to make, he says, “I pass,” and the others in turn have an opportunity to bid. The bids outrank one another according to their order in the foregoing table, and the rank of the suits in which they are made. The players bid against one another, until all but one declare to pass, he then becomes the single player against the three others.
A player having once passed cannot come into the bidding again, even to call a misère. In this respect the game differs from Boston. A player is not compelled to bid the full value of his hand, but it is to his interest to do so, and he should make the full announcement the first time he bids, because if he has had a good hand for ten tricks, and begins with a bid of seven, he cannot increase his proposal unless some player bids over him.
PARTNERS. Before playing, the successful bidder may call for a partner if he chooses to do so. The player accepting him undertakes that the two together shall win three tricks more than the number bid. For instance: A has successfully bid seven in diamonds, and asks for a partner. If Y accepts him they make no change in their positions at the table, but play into each other’s hands, just as at Solo Whist, B and Z being partners against them. A and Y together must win ten tricks, with diamonds for trumps.
If no one makes a proposal of any sort, Misère Partout is played; there being no trump suit. The player or players taking the least number of tricks win or divide the pool. There are no other losses or gains in Misère Partout.
HONOURS. In any call in which there is a trump suit, the A K Q and J of trumps are honours, and may be counted by the successful bidder if he carries out his proposal. If the single player, or a caller and his partner have all four honours dealt them, they score as for four over-tricks; if three, as for two over-tricks. Honours do not count for the adversaries under any circumstances.
In bidding on a hand, it must be remembered that although honours will count as over-tricks in payments, they cannot be bid on. If a player has nine tricks and two by honours in his hand, he cannot bid eleven. If he bids nine and fails to make so many, he cannot count the honours at all. It is growing less and less the custom to count honours in America.
A player making a bid can be compelled to play it; but it is usual to allow him to pay instead of playing, if he proposes to do so, either because he has overbid his hand or for any other reason.
METHOD OF PLAYING. No matter who is the successful bidder, the eldest hand always leads for the first trick, and the others must follow suit if they can, the play proceeding exactly as in Whist. Tricks should be carefully stacked, there being the same penalties as in Boston for calling attention to the score. The methods of playing misères and spreads have already been described in connection with Boston. When piccolissimo is played, the moment the single player takes more than one trick the hands are thrown up, and the stakes paid.
REVOKES. The rules governing these and cards played in error, are the same as at Boston. In piccolissimo, the penalties are the same as in misère.
PAYMENTS. If the caller succeeds in winning the proposed number of tricks, he is paid by each of his adversaries according to the value of his bid, as shown in Table No. 1. Over-tricks if any, and honours, if played, are always paid at the uniform rate of five white counters each. If the caller fails, he must pay each adversary the amount he would have won if successful, with the addition of five white counters for every trick that he falls short of his proposal. For instance: He bids nine hearts, and wins six tricks only. He must pay each adversary 115 white counters.
TABLE No. 1.
| No trump. | The trump being | Extra tricks. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♣♠ | ♡ | ♢ | |||
| Boston, five tricks | 10 | 20 | 30 | 5 | |
| Six tricks | 30 | 40 | 50 | 5 | |
| Little misère | 75 | ||||
| Seven tricks | 50 | 60 | 70 | 5 | |
| Piccolissimo | 100 | ||||
| Eight tricks | 70 | 80 | 90 | 5 | |
| Grand misère | 150 | ||||
| Nine tricks | 90 | 100 | 110 | 5 | |
| Little spread | 200 | ||||
| Ten tricks | 110 | 120 | 130 | 5 | |
| Grand spread | 250 | ||||
| Eleven tricks | 130 | 140 | 150 | 5 | |
| Twelve tricks | 150 | 160 | 170 | 5 | |
| Slam, thirteen tricks | 400 | 450 | 500 | ||
| Spread slam | 600 | 700 | 800 | ||
TABLE No. 2.
In America, the last two items are usually reduced, and are given as follows:—
| ♣♠ | ♡ | ♢ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slam, thirteen tricks | 250 | 300 | 350 | ||
| Spread slam | 350 | 400 | 450 |
Why a player should be paid more for spreads than for eleven or twelve tricks while the trick bid outranks the spreads, is difficult to understand; but we have no authority to change the tables.
Misère Partout wins nothing but the pool.
If partners play, it is usual for the losers to pay the adversaries on their right; or, if partners sit together, to pay the adversary sitting next.
THE POOL. Besides the white counters won and lost by the players individually, the successful player takes the pool. Successful partners divide it equally, regardless of the number of tricks bid or taken by each. If the partners fail, they must contribute to the pool an amount equal to that which they pay to one adversary. For instance: A calls seven diamonds, and asks for a partner. Y accepts him, and the pair win only nine tricks. Each pays 135 counters to the adversary sitting next him, and then they make up 135 more between them for the pool.
Asking for a partner is not a popular variation of the game, and is seldom resorted to unless the successful bid is very low, or has been made on a black suit.
If the adversaries of the caller declare to pay, before playing to the second trick, they can save nothing but possible over-tricks. The pool goes with every successful play.
If the single player is unsuccessful, he does not double the pool, as in Boston, but pays into it the same amount that he loses to each adversary, over-tricks and all; so that he really loses four times the amount shown in the table.
At the end of the game, or on the twelfth hand, if the caller does not succeed, he pays the pool as usual, and his adversaries then divide it amongst themselves.
The Suggestions for Good Play, etc., are given in connection with Solo Whist and need no further amplification for Boston de Fontainbleau.
The Laws vary so little from those used in the regular game of Boston that it is not necessary to give an additional code, either for Fontainbleau or for French Boston, which follows.