SIXTY-SIX.

Sixty-six is one of the simplest forms of Bézique, and is an extremely good game for two persons with one pack of cards.

Cards. Sixty-six is played with a pack of twenty-four cards, all below the Nine being deleted. The cards rank, A 10 K Q J 9; the Ace being the highest, both in cutting and in play.

Markers. The game may be kept with the small cards in the unused portion of the pack, or with a whist marker or counters. Anything that will score up to seven points will do.

Players. The regular game is played by two persons, one of whom is known as the dealer, and the other as the pone. They cut for seats and deal, the highest cut having the choice.

Stakes. Sixty-six is played for so much a game, or for so much a point, the loser’s score being deducted from the winner’s. If the loser has not scored at all, it is usually counted a double game.

Dealing. The cards having been shuffled and presented to the pone to be cut, the dealer gives six cards to each player, three at a time, dealing first to his adversary. There are several ways of making the trump, one of which should be agreed upon before play begins. One way is for the pone to draw a card from the top, the middle, or the bottom of the talon, after the dealer has given each player his six cards. Another way is for the dealer to turn up the seventh card, after dealing the first round of three to each player. Another, and the one generally adopted in America, is for the dealer to turn up the thirteenth card for the trump, after giving six cards to each player. The trump card is left face upward on the table, and is usually placed under the remainder of the pack, which is slightly spread, face down, for the players to draw from.

The general rules for irregularities in the deal are the same as in Binocle. A misdeal does not lose the deal.

Objects of the Game. The object of the game, as its name implies, is to count sixty-six. If a player can get sixty-six before his adversary, he counts one point toward game. If he gets sixty-six before his opponent gets thirty-three, which is called schneider, he counts two. If he gets sixty-six before his adversary wins a trick, which is called schwartz, he counts three. The player first making seven points in this manner wins the game.

A player may reach sixty-six by winning tricks containing certain counting cards; by holding and announcing marriages, which are the King and Queen of any suit; and by winning the last trick.

The various counts for these are as follows:—

For King and Queen of trumps, Royal Marriage,40
For King and Queen of any plain suit, Marriage,20
For the Ace of any suit,11
For the Ten of any suit,10
For the King of any suit,4
For the Queen of any suit,3
For the Jack of any suit,2
For the last or twelfth trick,10

The marriages count for the player holding and announcing them; all other points for the player actually winning them. The last trick does not count unless it is the twelfth; that is, not unless every card is played.

Method of Playing. The pone begins by leading any card he pleases. The second player in any trick is not obliged to follow suit, even in trumps; but may renounce or trump at pleasure until the players cease to draw from the stock. If the second player follows suit, the higher card wins the trick. Trumps win all other suits.

Drawing. The winner of the trick takes in the cards, turning them face down; but before he leads for the next trick he draws a card from the top of the stock, and places it in his hand without showing or naming it. His adversary then draws the next card, so that each restores the number of cards in his hand to six.

The Trump. If either player holds or draws the Nine of trumps, he may exchange it for the turn-up at any time, provided he has already won a trick. This need not be the trick immediately before exchanging, and he need not wait to get the lead before making the exchange. For instance: A player holding the Nine, and having to play to his adversary’s lead, may win the trick with the turn-up card, leaving the Nine in its place, provided he has won some previous trick. There is no count for dix, as in Bézique and Binocle, and the player is not obliged to exchange unless he wishes to do so. If the Nine is the last card in the stock, it is, of course, too late to exchange it, and the player drawing it must keep it.

Marriages. If a player holds both King and Queen of any suit, he may count 20 points towards 66 for the marriage, or 40 for royal marriage, by leading either of the marriage cards. It is not necessary for the King or Queen so led to win the trick; but the player declaring a marriage must have the lead, and must have won a trick, or he cannot count it. The pone may declare a marriage on his first lead; but it will not count unless he wins some subsequent trick, and if his adversary gets to 66 before the pone gets a trick, the marriage is lost, and the pone is schwartz.

If the 20 or 40 claimed for the marriage is enough to carry the player’s count to 66 or beyond, the marriage need only be shown and claimed, without leading it, and the remaining cards are then abandoned, provided the count is correct. Only one marriage can be shown but not led in this manner.

In the ordinary course of play it is not necessary to show both cards of the marriage unless the adversary asks to see them. The player simply leads the King or Queen, and says: “Twenty,” or “Forty,” as the case may be. If he leads a King or Queen without claiming any count, it is evident that he has not a marriage. If he has simply forgotten to claim it, he cannot amend the error after his adversary has played to the trick, and the score is lost. To avoid disputes, careful players leave one of the marriage cards face up among their cards, as a reminder that a marriage was claimed in that suit, either by the player with the card turned, or by his adversary.

Counting. A player is not allowed to make any record of his progress toward sixty-six, but must keep his count mentally. It is highly important to keep both your own and your adversary’s count, in order that you may always know how many each of you wants to reach 66. A player is not allowed to go back over his tricks to refresh his memory, and if he looks at any trick but the last one turned and quitted, he loses the privilege of “closing.”

All irregularities in playing and drawing are governed by the same rules as in Binocle.

The Last Six Tricks. After the stock is exhausted, marriages may still be led or shown, and scored; but the second player in each trick must follow suit if he can, although he is not obliged to win the trick unless he chooses to do so. If all the cards are played, the winner of the last or twelfth trick, counts 10 for it toward his 66.

Announcing Sixty-six. If neither of the players has claimed to have reached 66 until after the last trick is played, both turn over their cards and count their points. If only one has reached 66, he counts one or two points, according to his adversary’s count. If neither has reached 66, which is possible if no marriages have been declared; or if both have 66 or more, and neither has claimed it, neither side scores, but the winner on the next deal adds one to whatever he may make. For instance: A and B are adversaries, and the last trick is played without either announcing that he is sixty-six. On counting, it is found that A has 48 points and a marriage, 68 altogether, while B has 72 points and the last trick, 82 altogether. Neither counts anything. On the next deal let us suppose that A makes 66 before B gets out of schneider, which will give A two points. To these he adds one for the tie on the last deal, and scores three altogether.

Closing. Closing is turning the trump card face down on the remainder of the pack, which signifies that there shall be no more drawing from the stock, and that the second player in each trick must follow suit if he can, although he is not obliged to win the trick.

A player can close only when he has the lead, but having the lead, he may close at any time. The pone may close before leading for the first trick; or after winning the first trick, and before drawing from the stock. The leader may close after one or more tricks have been played, and he may close without drawing from the stock; or he may draw, and then close. If the leader closes without drawing, his adversary must play without drawing.

When the stock is closed, the player holding the Nine of trumps may still exchange it for the trump card, whether he is the closer or not, provided he has previously won a trick. It is usual for the closer, if he does not hold the Nine himself, to take up the trump card and offer it to his adversary. This is an intimation that he is about to turn it down if his adversary does not want it. It is sometimes better not to exchange when the game is closed, as it may give the adversary a good counting card if he can catch all your trumps.

There is no score for the last trick when the game is closed, because the number of tricks played will then be less than twelve.

As closing gives peculiar advantages to the closer, there are certain forfeits if a person closes and fails to reach 66. There are three varieties of closing, which are as follows:—

If, during the play of the hand, either player thinks he has reached 66, he closes, and turns over the tricks he has already won. If he is correct, he scores one, two, or three points, according to the condition of his adversary’s count. But if he is not correct, and has not quite reached 66, his adversary scores two points in any case, and if the non-closer had not won a trick up to the time the stock was closed, he scores three; because that is the number the closer would have won if he had been correct in his count.

If a player thinks he would have a better chance to reach 66 first if his adversary was compelled to follow suit, he may close the stock. For instance: A’s mental count is 35, and he holds in his hand a marriage, and the Ace of another plain suit; but no trumps. If he closes at once, and leads the Ace, his adversary will have to follow suit, and the 11 points will put the closing player to 46. He can then show his marriage, without leading it, and claim 66. But if the adversary should turn out to have none of the suit led, and should trump the Ace, A might never reach 66, and B would count two points.

A player may close, hoping to make schneider or schwartz. For instance: A knows his score is 13, while B has 32. A has royal marriage and Ace of trumps in his hand, and the Nine is turned up. If A closes, and so compels B to follow suit, he must catch the Jack or Ten of trumps by leading the Ace. If he catches the Jack, that will put him to 26, and showing the royal marriage will put him 66, and make B schneider. If B has no trump, one of the marriage cards can be led without any fear of losing it, and that will put A to 66, even if B plays a Nine to both leads. But if A leads the ace of trumps without closing, B is not compelled to follow suit, and might play the Nine of a plain suit to the Ace of trumps. If A then closed or played on without closing, B might win one of the marriage cards with the Ten, and not only get out of schneider, but reach 66 in plain suits before A could win another trick.

On the same principle, a player may think he can reach 66 before his adversary can win a trick, provided he can compel him to follow suit. With two plain-suit Aces and the royal marriage, the pone would close before playing to the first trick, trusting to catch at least 4 points with his two aces, and then to show the marriage, making his adversary schwartz.

Some judgment is necessary in deciding whether or not to draw before closing. If a player is allowed to draw, he may get a trump, or a guard to one that you suspect he has. Suppose he has exchanged the Nine for the Ten, and you have Ace and royal marriage; it is very likely that the Ten is unguarded, and if you close without drawing you may catch it, which will make your three trumps alone good for 68. This also shows that the player should not have taken up the Ten until he wanted to use it.

Nothing is gained by closing, except compelling the adversary to follow suit; because if you close to make him schwartz, and he gets a trick, you count two only; if you close to make him schneider, and he gets out, you count one only. If you fail in the first case, he counts three, and any failure will give him two points.