Under-calling. If a player holds an inferior sequence, quatorze or trio, which he knows is better than any his adversary can possibly hold, he may call it, and afterward score the better combination, provided he is correct in estimating the inferior one that he called as good against the cards. But if the adversary can demonstrate that the inferior announcement was not actually good against the cards, and that it was possible for him to hold a better, the score for the higher combination is lost. For instance: A player holds four Kings and three Aces, and on glancing over his hand and discards, sees that his adversary cannot hold any quatorze, so he declares the three Kings, instead of the four Aces. Suppose he mistook a Nine for a Ten, and overlooked the fact that his adversary might have had four Tens, the score for the four Kings would be lost, but the three Aces would be good if his adversary had discarded a Ten, and did not actually hold four. In the ordinary game, the higher combination is lost if it is not called.
In play, every card led, whatever its value, counts one, and winning the trick counts one also. The last trick counts two, and the capot forty. Pic and repic are reckoned as in the ordinary game.
Scoring. Instead of playing 100 points up, six deals is a game, each player dealing three times. The lower score is then deducted from the higher, and 100 points added to the difference to determine the value of the game, which is usually played for so much a point.
If the result of the six deals is a tie, two more deals must be played. If they also result in a tie, the game is void.
Rubicons. If either or both players fail to reach 100 points in the six deals, the one having the most is the winner, and adds to his own score all the points made by the loser, with 100 in addition for game. For instance: A has 113 scored, and B 80. A wins 113 + 80 + 100 = 293 altogether. Again; A has 88, B has 84. A wins 88 + 84 + 100 = 272 altogether. Again; A has 180, B has 142. A wins the difference in the scores, 38 + 100 = 138 altogether.
TEXT BOOKS.
- Jeux de Cartes, by Jean Boussac.
- Académie des Jeux, by Van Tenac.
- Académie des Jeux, by Richard.
- Règles de tous les Jeux, by Dreyfous.
- Bohn’s Handbook of Games.
- Piquet, and Rubicon Piquet, by Berkeley.
- Laws of Piquet, by “Cavendish.”
Westminster Papers, Vols. II. to IX. inclusive. There are excellent articles on the Laws in Vols. III. and VI., and on discards in Vol. VII.
IMPERIAL, OR PIQUET WITH A TRUMP.
Impérial differs from Piquet in some minor details, although the leading principle is the same. There are no discards; sequences of court cards are the only ones that count; tierces are worthless; and a trump suit is added.