SPOIL FIVE.
Spoil Five is one of the oldest of card games, and is generally conceded to be the national game of Ireland. It is derived from the still older game of Maw, which was the favourite recreation of James the First. The connecting link seems to have been a game called Five Fingers, which is described in the “Compleat Gamester,” first published in 1674. The Five Fingers was the five of trumps, and also the best, the ace of hearts coming next. In Spoil Five, the Jack of trumps comes between these two.
CARDS. Spoil Five is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards. The rank of the cards varies according to the colour of the suit, and the trump suit undergoes still further changes, the heart ace being always the third best trump. In the plain suits, the K Q J retain their usual order, the King being the best. The rank of the spot cards, including the aces of diamonds, clubs, and spades, is generally expressed by the phrase: Highest in red; lowest in black. That is to say, if several cards of a suit, not including a King, Queen or Jack, are played to a trick, the highest card will win if the suit is red; and the lowest if the suit is black. This will give us the following order for the plain suits, beginning with the highest card in each:—
| No change. | Highest in red. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♡ | K | Q | J | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||
| ♢ | K | Q | J | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | A | |
| Lowest in black. | ||||||||||||||
| ♣ | K | Q | J | A | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| ♠ | K | Q | J | A | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
In the trump suit the same order of cards is retained, except that four cards are always the best trumps. These are the Five, Jack, and ace of the suit itself, and the ace of hearts, the latter being always the third best. This gives us the rank of the cards as follows, when the suit is trump:—
| No change. | Highest in red. | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ♡ | 5 | J | ♡ | A | K | Q | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||
| ♢ | 5 | J | ♡ | A | ♢ | A | K | Q | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Lowest in black. | |||||||||||||||||
| ♣ | 5 | J | ♡ | A | ♣ | A | K | Q | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| ♠ | 5 | J | ♡ | A | ♠ | A | K | Q | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
COUNTERS. Spoil Five is played with a pool, for which counters are necessary. One player should act as banker, and the others should purchase from him, each beginning with 20 counters. Coins may take the place of counters, shillings being the usual points.
PLAYERS. Any number from 2 to 10 may play; but 5 or 6 is the usual game.
CUTTING. This is unknown at Spoil Five. The players take their seats at random, and one of them deals a card face up to each in succession. The first Jack takes the first deal. Some note should be made of the player who gets the first deal, as the rules require that when the game is brought to an end the last deal shall be made by the player on the right of the first dealer.
THE POOL. Before play begins each player deposits one counter in the pool, and to this amount each successive dealer adds a counter until the pool is won, when all contribute equally to form a new one. In some places it is the practice for each successive dealer to put up for all the players, whether the pool is won or not. This simply makes larger pools.
DEALING. Any player has the right to shuffle the pack, the dealer last. The cards are then presented to the pone to be cut, and as many cards as there are players must be left in each packet. Beginning on his left, the dealer gives five cards to each player; two on the first round and three on the next, or three and then two. After all are helped, the next card is turned up on the remainder of the pack, and the suit to which it belongs is the trump for that deal.
MISDEALING. If there is any irregularity in the deal which is not the dealer’s fault, such as any card except the trump found faced in the pack, or the pack found imperfect, the same person deals again. But if the dealer neglects to have the pack cut, or deals too many or too few cards to any player, or exposes a card in dealing, or does not give the same number of cards to each player on the same round, or counts the cards on the table or those remaining in the pack, it is a misdeal, and the deal passes to the next player on the misdealer’s left. In some places the misdealer is allowed to deal again if he forfeits two counters to the pool.
ROBBING THE TRUMP CARD. If the trump card is an ace, the dealer may discard any card he pleases in exchange for it. He may take up the ace when he plays to the first trick, or may leave it on the pack until got rid of in the course of play. When an ace is turned, the eldest hand, before leading, should call upon the dealer to discard if he has not already done so. If the dealer does not want the trump, he answers: “I play these.”
If the trump card is not an ace, any player at the table holding the ace of trumps is bound to announce the fact when it comes to his turn to play to the first trick. The usual plan is for him to pass a card to the dealer face downward, and in return the dealer will give him the turn-up trump. If the holder of the ace does not want the turn-up, he must tell the dealer to turn the trump down, which shows that he could rob, but does not wish to. If the holder of the ace of trumps plays without announcing it, he not only loses his right to rob, but his ace of trumps becomes of less value than any other trump for that deal, and even if it is the ace of hearts he loses the privileges attached to that card.
METHOD OF PLAYING. The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases. It is not necessary to follow suit except in trumps; but if a player does not follow suit when he is able to do so, he must trump the trick, or it is a revoke. If he cannot follow suit, he may trump or discard at his pleasure. The highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of the first trick leads any card he pleases for the next, and so on, until all five tricks have been played. Each player gathers his own tricks, as there are no partnerships.
RENEGING. The three highest trumps have special privileges in the matter of not following suit. Any player holding the Five or Jack of the trump suit; or the ace of hearts, but having no smaller trump with them, may refuse to follow suit if any inferior trump is led; but if he has also a smaller trump, he must play one or the other. If a superior trump is led, the player must follow suit in any case. For instance: If the Five of trumps is led, no one can refuse to follow suit, no matter what trumps he holds; but if the Jack is led, and any player holds the Five alone, he need not play it to the inferior trump lead. If the heart ace is led, and one player holds the Jack alone, and another the Five alone, neither of these cards need be played, because the trump led is inferior to both of them. If a superior trump is played in following suit, such as the Five played on an Eight led, the holder of the lone Jack of trumps or ace of hearts, need not play it, because the lead was inferior. This privilege of reneging is confined to the three highest trumps.
OBJECTS OF THE GAME. In Spoil Five there are three things to play for. If any one person can win three tricks he takes the pool. If he can win all five tricks he not only gets the pool, but receives an extra counter from each of the other players. If he has no chance to win three tricks, he must bend all his energies to scattering the tricks among the other players, so that no one of them shall be able to get the three tricks necessary to win the pool. When this is done, the game is said to be spoiled, and as that is the object of the majority in every deal it gives the game its name. In the older forms of the game the winner of three tricks counted five points, and if he could be prevented from getting three tricks his five points were spoiled.
JINK GAME. When a player has won three tricks, he should immediately abandon his hand and claim the pool, for if he continues playing he must jink it, and get all five tricks or lose what he has already won, the game being spoiled just as if no one had won three tricks. It is sometimes a matter for nice judgment whether or not to go on, and, for the sake of an extra counter from each player, to risk a pool already won. The best trump is often held up for three rounds to coax a player to go on in this manner.
IRREGULARITIES IN THE HANDS. If, during the play of a hand, it is discovered that any one holds too many or too few cards, that hand is foul, and must be abandoned, the holder forfeiting all right to the pool for that deal. Those who have their right number of cards finish the play without the foul hand, but any tricks already won by the holder of the foul hand remain his property.
IRREGULARITIES IN PLAY. If any player robs when he does not hold the ace; leads or plays out of turn; reneges to the lead of a higher trump; renounces in the trump suit; revokes in a plain suit; or exposes a card after any player has won two tricks, he loses all his right and interest in the current pool, which he cannot win, either on that or any subsequent deal, but to which he must continue to contribute when it comes to his turn to deal. After the pool has been won, and a fresh one formed, the penalty is removed.
SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY. Observation, quickness, and good judgment of character are the essentials for success at Spoil Five, the last being probably the most important. The peculiar order of the cards; the privilege of renouncing when holding a card of the suit led; and the right of passing inferior trump leads, are very confusing to the beginner; but with practice the routine and strategy of the game soon become familiar.
The player should first make up his mind whether he is going to try to win the pool or to spoil it. Particular attention should be paid to the player who robs, because he must have at least the ace and the turn-up in trumps, and is more likely to need spoiling than any other player. When a player wins a trick, some judgment will be necessary to decide whether he is trying for the pool himself, or simply spoiling it for some one else. When he wins two tricks, every other player at the table must combine against him.
With only one small or medium trump, it is better to use it at the first opportunity. Unless the player has some hopes of winning the pool himself, he should trump all doubtful cards; that is, cards that may win the trick if not trumped. With two good trumps, it is better to wait for developments; even if you cannot win the last three tricks yourself, you may effectually spoil any other player. Do anything you can to prevent the possibility of a third trick being won by a player who has already won two.