The Deal.
The two players cut for deal, and in this cutting the ace ranks the highest. The player who cuts the higher card has the choice of first deal. After this the players deal alternately.
It is customary to use two packs of cards, and the first dealer has the choice which pack he will use. Each player has a right to shuffle both his own and the adversary's pack, the dealer shuffling last. After this the pack is "cut to the dealer" by the adversary, as at Whist.
It is customary to call the non-dealer the "elder hand."
The dealer must deal the cards by two at a time or by three at a time, giving the top cards to his adversary, the next to himself, and so on, until each has twelve cards.
The eight cards that remain (called the "stock") are placed face downwards between the players.
There are no trumps in this game.
Discarding and Taking in.
Before anything else is done, each player has a right to reject some of his cards, and take others in their place.