When it is dummy’s turn to play, his partner selects the card.
The Revoke. For this dummy is not liable to any penalty, as his adversaries can see his cards. Even should the revoke be occasioned by dummy’s cards being disarranged, or one of them covered up, the adversaries should be as able to detect the error as the partner. Should dummy’s hand revoke, it cannot be remedied after the trick in which it occurs has been turned and quitted; and the game must proceed as if no revoke had occurred. All the penalties for a revoke may be enforced against dummy’s partner, should he renounce in error, and not correct it in time. There being no American laws for dummy, the English penalty of three tricks or three points may be enforced, and the revoking player cannot win the game that hand.
Cards Played in Error. Dummy’s partner is not liable to any penalty for cards dropped face upwards on the table, or two or more played at once, because it is obvious that Dummy cannot gain any advantage from such exposed cards.
Leading out of Turn. Should either dummy or his partner lead out of turn, the adversaries may call a suit from the one that should have led. It should be noticed that if it was not the turn of either to lead, there is no penalty; for neither can have gained any advantage from knowing what suit the other wished to lead, or from the exposed card. Should all have played to the erroneous lead, the error cannot be corrected, and no penalty remains.
The methods of Taking Tricks; Scoring; Claiming and Counting Honours; Marking Rubber Points, etc., are the same as in whist, and the counters are used in the same manner.
Cutting Out. As already observed, there is no change of partners, or of the rotation of the deal, until the completion of a rubber; but at the beginning of each rubber, dummy must deal the first hand. Should one side win the first two games in any rubber, the third is not played. At the end of the tournée, should any player wish to retire, and another offer to take his place, the cards must be shuffled and cut as at the beginning; a player’s position in one tournée giving him no rights in the next. There is nothing in the English game to recognize that there may be more than three candidates for dummy; as it is supposed that if four were present, they would prefer playing whist.
Suggestions for Good Play. As these are equally proper to any form of dummy, we shall postpone their consideration until we have described the other varieties of the game; French dummy, and Bridge; giving them all at the end of the chapter on “Bridge.”