LOO.
This is a splendid round game, in which almost any number of players may take part, though, perhaps, to play the game well with real comfort, the number should not exceed eight or nine.
No great skill is required by the players, indeed success depends so much upon chance, that perhaps the fact of this being so accounts for all the fun and excitement that are usually extracted from the game.
There are two kinds of Loo, viz., Limited and Unlimited. The former being the most popular, it shall receive our first attention.
LIMITED LOO.
This is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards, of which the ace is highest, then king, queen, knave, &c., as in Whist. The person to whom the deal falls must place three counters into the pool. The other players each put in a certain number of counters agreed upon, a number that should properly be divisible by three.
The cards having been shuffled and cut, the dealer proceeds to give three cards to each player, one at a time, beginning with the player on his left. In addition to this, he also deals an extra hand, which is called a dumby, or miss, and is placed in the middle of the table.
After this the card next turned up is the trump. Before looking at his own cards, the dealer asks each player, beginning at the elder hand, and going round to the left, what he intends to do in that round—play his own hand, take the dumby, or throw up his hand.
Should the elder hand decline dumby, the next player has the choice, and so on; but whoever takes it must play it; no one may retract after having declared his intention.
When all have declared their intentions (dealer included), the elder hand of the players left who have not thrown up their hands plays his highest trump, or, if he have no trumps, his highest card, each succeeding player heading the trick. The winner of the trick leads next by playing his highest trump, and in this way the game goes on until all the three tricks are taken.
The pool is then divided into three equal parts, and a part given to the winner of each trick; therefore, any player that should have taken three tricks would be entitled to the whole pool. Those who are unfortunate enough to take no trick at all are looed, and their share is deposited by the dealer towards the next pool.
When only two players stand, the last before the dealer is bound to play either his own hand or dumby, and the game is re-commenced.
Sometimes no trump is turned up; the elder hand then plays his highest card, the next follows suit, if he can, and so on. If all have not been able to follow suit, the dealer turns up the top card of what is left of the pack, and the highest card of that suit which has been played wins the trick. If all players have followed suit, the dealer waits for an opportunity, when all have not followed suit, to turn up the trump card. When no trumps have been played, the highest card of the suit led wins the trick.
UNLIMITED LOO.
The method adopted in playing Unlimited Loo is much the same as that already described above, excepting that the pool is not divided among the players. Still, a player must take all three tricks to win the pool. Therefore, when the tricks are won, should they have been taken by one person, the pool is his; but if the tricks are divided, the pool is left untouched, and is added on to the next pool. The players also who are looed have to pay double the price of the deal into the pool.
Thus the game goes on, until some one winning three tricks takes the pool. The next hand then becomes Bold Stand, and is dealt and played as first described.
The technical terms used in Loo which must be understood are as follows:—
Bold Stand.—To have a bold stand is a method of playing the game in which it is a rule that whenever there is only the deal to be played for every person is obliged to stand in order to make a loo for the next hand. As often as this happens it is a bold stand.
Dumby.—The spare hand, which must be dealt in the regular order of the other hands, either first or last but one, and not according to the dealer's whim.
Force.—The same as Bold Stand.
Heading the Trick.—Playing a better card of the suit led, or not having any of the suit, trumping it.
Loo.—The Loo is the sum put up by any one that is looed, and is either limited or unlimited; when unlimited, a person is looed for the whole amount of the pool; if limited, he is looed for no more than a certain sum, previously agreed upon, generally the price of the deal; but he is never looed for more than the pool.
Looed.—A person playing is looed when he does not take a trick or when he breaks any laws of the game.
Miss.—The same as Dumby.
Mis-deal is when the dealer gives any of the party more or less than three cards, or deals too many or too few hands, or deals out of regular order, or shows a card in dealing.
Paying for the deal.—At each new deal the dealer puts into the pool three counters, and this is called the price of the deal.
Pool.—The pool consists of the counters which are paid for the deals and of the sums forfeited by those who were looed the preceding hand.
Revoke.—When a person who can follow suit does not do so.