The laws are the same as those of Whist, with the following exceptions:
I. Dummy deals at the commencement of each rubber.
II. Dummy is not liable to the penalty for a revoke, as his adversaries see his cards; should he revoke, and the error not be discovered until the trick is turned and quitted, it stands good.
III. Dummy being blind and deaf, his partner is not liable to any penalty for an error whence he can gain no advantage. Thus, he may expose some or all of his cards—or may declare that he has the game, or trick, etc., without incurring any penalty; if, however, he lead from Dummy’s hand when he should lead from his own, or vice versa, a suit may be called from the hand which ought to have led.
DOUBLE DUMMY.
Is played by two players, each having a Dummy or exposed hand for his partner. The laws of the game do not differ from Dummy Whist, except in the following special Law: There is no misdeal, as the deal is a disadvantage.
THE POKER FAMILY.
Properly speaking, Poker is not the founder, but simply the most famous representative of a very ancient and always very popular family of games, all of which can be traced to one source, the old French game of Gilet, which was undoubtedly of Italian origin, perhaps a variety of Primero. Gilet we find changed to Brelan in the time of Charles IX., and although Brelan is no longer played, the word is still used in all French games to signify triplets, and “brelan-carré” is the common French term for four of a kind in le poker Américain. From Brelan we trace the French games of Bouillotte, and Ambigu, and the English game of Brag; but the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of as nas.