IRREGULARITIES IN PLAY. The most serious error in Seven-up is the revoke. If a player does not follow suit when able, it is a revoke unless he trumps the trick. A player holding two small trumps and the Ten of a plain suit, may trump both the ace and King of that suit instead of giving up his Ten. But if on the third round the Queen is led, and he cannot trump it, he must play his Ten if he has no other card of the suit.
The only points affected by the revoke are Jack and Game. If the Jack is not in play, there is only one point that can be affected by the revoke, the score for Game; and the revoke penalty is one point, which the adversary may add to his own score, or deduct from the score of the revoking player. The adversary may also score the point for Game if he makes it; but it cannot be scored by the revoking player; who may mark only High or Low if he holds either or both of those points.
If the Jack is in play, two points may be affected by a revoke. The player in fault cannot score either Jack or Game, and the penalty for the revoke is two points; in addition to which the adversary of the revoking player may score either or both Jack and Game if he makes them.
The revoking player cannot win the game that hand, no matter what he scores, but must stop at six. A revoke is established as soon as the trick in which it occurs has been turned and quitted, or a card has been led or played to the next trick.
Exposed Cards. When four play, all exposed cards must be left on the table, and are liable to be called by the adversaries if they cannot be previously got rid of in the course of play. All cards led or played out of turn are exposed, and liable to be called. If two or more cards are played to a trick, the adversaries may select which shall remain; the other is exposed.
METHODS OF CHEATING. Few games lend themselves more readily to the operations of the greek than Seven-up. Turning Jacks from the bottom of the pack; setting up the half-stock for the beg; dealing oneself more than six cards, and dropping on the tricks already won those counting for Game; getting the A J 10 and 2 of a suit together during the play of a hand, and then shifting the cut to get them on the next deal, turning up the Jack; marked cards; strippers; wedges; reflectors; these and many other tricks are in common use. Those who are not expert enough to deal seconds or shift cuts will sometimes resort to such trifling advantages as abstracting one of the Tens from the pack, so that they may know a suit from which a small card can always be led without any danger of the adversary’s making the Ten. One very common swindle in Seven-up is known as the high hand, which consists in giving the intended victim the A K J 10 9 2 of trumps, and then inducing him to bet that he will make four points. No matter how skilful the player may be, he will find it impossible to save both Jack and Game.
CALIFORNIA JACK.
This is a variety of Seven-up for two players, in which the number of cards in the hand is constantly restored to six by drawing from the remainder of the pack.
The trump suit is cut for before the cards are shuffled and dealt. The usual method is to cut for seats and deal, and the highest cut determines the trump suit at the same time. After each player has been given six cards, three at a time, the remainder of the pack is turned face up on the table, and the winner of each trick takes the top card, his adversary taking the next one. When the stock is exhausted, the last six cards are played as in the ordinary game of Seven-up.
Seven points is game, the points being the same as in Seven-up; but everything, including Low, counts to the player winning it.