CAYENNE, OR CAYENNE WHIST.

CARDS. Cayenne is played with two full packs of fifty-two cards, which rank as at Whist, both for cutting and playing.

MARKERS are necessary, and must be suitable for counting to ten points. A sheet of paper is used for scoring the results of the games.

PLAYERS. Cayenne is played by four persons. When there are more than four candidates for play the selection of the table must be made as at Whist. Partners and deal are then cut for.

CUTTING. One of the packs having been spread on the table, face down, each of the four players draws a card; the two lowest pairing against the two highest. The lowest of the four is the dealer, and has the choice of seats and cards. Ties are decided in the same manner as at Whist.

POSITION OF THE PLAYERS. The partners sit opposite each other, and the players are distinguished, as at Whist, by the letters A-B and Y-Z. Z is the dealer, and A has the original lead.

DEALING. One pack of cards is shuffled and cut as at Whist. The dealer then gives four cards to each player, beginning on his left; then four more, and finally five, no trump being turned. In many places six cards are first dealt to each player, and then seven; but the 4-4-5 system is better, and is the rule in the very similar game of Boston.

The general rules with regard to irregularities in the deal are the same as at Whist; except that a misdeal does not lose the deal. The misdealer must deal again, and with the same pack.

CAYENNE. After the cards are all dealt, the player to the left of the dealer cuts the still pack, which is shuffled and presented to him by the dealer’s partner, and the top card of the portion left on the table is turned up for Cayenne. This card is not a trump, but is simply to determine the rank of the suits.

STAKES. In Cayenne the stake is a unit, so much a point. The largest number of points possible to win on a rubber is 24, and the smallest, 1. The result of the rubber may be a tie, which we consider a defect in any game. In settling at the end of the rubber it is usual for the losers to pay their right-hand adversaries.

MAKING THE TRUMP. The trump suit must be named by the dealer or his partner, after they have examined their cards. The dealer has the first say, and he may either select cayenne or any of the other suits; or he may announce grand, playing for the tricks without any trump suit; or he may call nullo, playing to take as few tricks as possible, without a trump suit. If the dealer makes the choice, his partner must abide by it; but if he has not a hand to justify him in deciding, he should leave the selection to his partner, who must decide one way or the other.

The considerations which should guide players in their choice are the scoring possibilities of their hands, in tricks and in honours. As in Whist, the first six tricks taken by one side do not count; but each trick above that number counts one, two, etc., by cards. There are five honours in the trump suit in Cayenne; A K Q J 10; and the partners holding the majority of them count 1 for each honour that they hold in excess of their opponents, and 1 in addition, for honours. For instance: If A-B have three honours dealt them, they must have one more than their adversaries, and 1 for honours; entitling them to score 2. If they have four, they have 3 in excess, and 1 for honours, a total of 4. If they have five, they count 6 by honours.

At the end of the hand the points made by cards and by honours are multiplied by the value of the trump suit. This value varies according to the suit which is cayenne, which is always first preference. If cayenne is also the trump suit the points made by cards and honours are multiplied by 4. If the trump suit is the same colour as cayenne, the multiplier is 3. If it is a different colour the multiplier is 2 or 1, according to the suit. The rank of the suits as multipliers will be readily understood from the following table:—

If Cayenne is♡♢♣♠If trumps, multiply by 4.
Second color is♢♡♠♣If trumps, multiply by 3.
Third color is ♣♣♡♡If trumps, multiply by 2.
Fourth color is♠♠♢♢If trumps, multiply by 1.

Better to understand the importance of considering this variation in value when making the trump, it should be noticed that although the game is 10 points, several games may be won in a single hand, as everything made is counted, and any points over 10 go to the credit of the second game. If more than 20 points are made, the excess goes on the third game, and so on. Another important point is the great value attached to honours, and the maker of the trump should never forget that he can better afford to risk his adversaries winning 2 by cards with a trump in which he has three honours, than he can to risk a trump in which they may have three honours, and he can probably win only the odd trick.

A further element may enter into his calculations, the state of the score. Tricks count before honours, and if he feels certain of making, by cards, the few points necessary to win the rubber, he may entirely disregard the honours.

With such a hand it would be better to play without a trump, and to announce a grand, in which there are neither trumps nor honours, and every trick over the book is multiplied by 8. Two by cards at grand is worth more than two by cards and two by honours with any trump but cayenne.

There is still another resource, to announce nullo, in which there is no trump, and the object of the players is to take as few tricks as possible. In nullo, every trick over the book counts for the adversaries, and is multiplied by 8. A peculiarity of nullo is that the Ace of each suit ranks below the deuce, unless the player holding it wishes to declare it higher than the King. In the latter case he must announce it when he plays it, and before his left-hand adversary plays to the trick.

If the dealer transfers the right of making the trump to his partner, he must use the phrase, “You make it, partner.” If a player makes the trump out of turn, his adversaries may consult as to the propriety of demanding a new deal.

METHOD OF PLAYING. The trump suit, grand, or nullo having been announced, the player on the dealer’s left begins by leading any card he pleases, and the others must all follow suit if they can. The penalty for a revoke is the loss of three tricks; or the value of three tricks in points; or the addition of a like amount to the adversaries’ score. The side making a revoke cannot win the game that hand, no matter what they score; but they may play the hand out, and count all they make to within one point of game, or 9. Revoking players cannot count points for slams.

The rules for cards played in error, leading out of turn, and all such irregularities, are the same as in Whist. The last trick turned and quitted may be seen.

The methods of gathering and stacking the tricks is the same as at Whist.

OBJECTS OF THE GAME. The chief object in Cayenne, either with a trump or in a grand, is to take tricks; in a nullo it is not to take them. In any case the highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps, if any, win against all other suits. At the end of each hand the side that wins any tricks in excess of the book scores them, after multiplying their number by the unit of value settled upon by the announcement. If a nullo is played the adversaries score them. Honours are then claimed; but the game cannot be won by honours alone, as at Whist; those holding honours must stop at the score of 9, unless they also win the odd trick. As soon as either side reaches or passes 10 points, they win a game; but the hand must be played out, and all tricks taken must be counted. If one side goes out by cards, the other cannot score honours. Thirteen tricks taken by one side is called a slam, and it counts 6 points. Twelve tricks is a little slam, and it counts 4. Either of these must be made exclusive of revoke penalties.

RUBBERS. The rubber is won by the side that first wins four games of ten points each; and the winning side adds 8 points to its score.

SCORING. The game score should be kept on a whist marker, using the four large keys on one side for single points, and the single large key on the opposite side for five points. The three small keys are used to show how many games of the rubber have been won by that side.

Two Games Won, and 2 Points Scored on the Third.

The method of using counters for scoring 10-point games has already been described in connection with Whist.

In addition to either markers or counters, there must be a sheet of paper to keep the final results of the games.

In scoring, the revoke penalty counts first, tricks next, and honours last.

The side first reaching 10 points wins a quadruple, or game of 4, if their adversaries have not scored; a triple, or game of 3, if their adversaries have not reached 4; a double, or game of 2, if the adversaries have not reached 7; and a single, or game of 1, if their adversaries are 8 or 9 up. These game points are put down on the score-sheet, and all the points on the adversaries’ marker are then turned down. If the winners make any points in excess of 10, such points are left to their credit on the marker, and count toward the next game. For instance: The score is A-B, 6; and Y-Z, 8; shown on the markers thus:—

A-B 6 Points. Y-Z 8 Points.

Let us suppose that Z announces cayenne, and makes 2 by cards; A-B claiming two by honours. Y-Z multiply by 4, making them 8, and bringing their total score on the marker to 16; that is, a game, and 6 points to their credit on the second game. This must now be put down on the score-sheet. A-B’s honours not counting, as Y-Z went out by cards, the game is a double; A-B not having reached 7 points. The score and markers now stand:—

A-B0
Score:
Y-Z2

A-B’s, Nothing. Y-Z’s, 1 Game, 6 Points.

Let us suppose A-B to announce grand on their deal, and to make four by cards, which, multiplied by 8, gives them 32 points; that is, three games, and 2 points to their credit on the marker. The first of these games is a double, Y-Z having 6 points up. The two others are quadruples, put down on the score-sheet thus:—

A-B0244
Score:
Y-Z2000

A-B’s, 3 Games, 2 Points. Y-Z’s, 1 Game, 0 Points.

In the next hand let us suppose clubs to be cayenne. Y deals, and plays in colour, spades. Y-Z win 6 by cards, and 4 by honours; 10 points multiplied by 3, = 30. For this they score three games, the first being a triple, and the others quadruples. These three games win the rubber, for which they add 8 points, and 4 points for the little slam. This is all put down on the score-sheet:—

A-B0244000= 10
Score:
Y-Z20003448 4 = 25

Both scores being added up, the value of the rubber won by Y-Z is found to be 15, after deducting the 10 points made by A-B.

CUTTING IN. If there are more than four persons belonging to the table, those waiting cut in, as at Whist.

METHODS OF CHEATING. In all games in which the cards are dealt in bulk, four or six at a time, there is more or less temptation for the greek to gather desirable cards in the pack, leaving them undisturbed in the shuffle. If he can pick up two tricks of the previous deal with eight good cards of the same suit in them, by placing any two tricks of other cards between them, and dealing six at a time, he can tell exactly how many of the eight located cards are in his partner’s hand. For this reason a player who does not thoroughly shuffle the cards should be carefully watched; and an immediate protest should be made against any disarrangement of the tricks as they are taken in during the play, such as placing the last trick taken under the first. If the player doing this is to be the next dealer, any one observing the movement should insist upon his right to shuffle the cards thoroughly; if not to leave the game.

We are strongly opposed to dealing the cards in bulk at Cayenne, and see no reason why the methods that prevail in the very similar game of Bridge should not be adopted.

SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY. There is little to add to the rules already given for Whist. The principles that should guide in the making of the trump have been given in connection with the more important game of Bridge; and the suggestions for playing nullo will be fully discussed in the games in which it is a prominent characteristic: Solo Whist, and Boston. Grand is practically Whist after the trumps are exhausted.

For the Laws of Cayenne see Whist Family Laws.