Playing. The discards settled, the eldest hand leads any card he pleases, and the others must follow suit if they can, but no one is obliged to win a trick if he has a smaller card of the suit led, and does not want the lead. The two adversaries of the single player do their best to get him between them, and combine their forces to prevent him from winning tricks that contain counting cards, especially Aces. Whatever tricks they win are placed together, and the counting cards contained in them reckon for their joint account. The tricks have no value as such, except the last.
Showing. The winner of the last trick takes the stock, and each side then turns over its cards and counts the total value of the points won. The lower score is deducted from the higher, and the difference is the value of the game. If all 35 points are won by either side, they count double, 70.
Scoring. If the single player loses, he loses to both adversaries, and if he wins he wins from both. His score is the only one put down, and the amount is preceded with a minus or plus sign according to the result. If he secures 23 points, he wins 11; if he takes in 16 only, he loses 3. If the amount is less than 18 it must be a loss; if it is 18 or more it must be a gain. The method of balancing the scores at the end will be found fully explained in connection with Skat.
Irregularities. The penalty for a revoke is the loss of 9 points, which are taken from the score of the side in error at the end of the hand, and added to the side not in fault. If the final score is 24 to 11, for instance, in favour of the single player, and one of the partners has revoked, the score is 33 to 2, and the player wins 31 points. If any player turns over the stock before he has announced to stand and has discarded at least one card, he loses 35 points to each adversary, and the deal is void. If an adversary of the single player turns over the stock before the player has discarded, there is no penalty, and the player may discard as he pleases. If an adversary of the single player leads or plays out of turn, the player may abandon the hand at that point, and claim the stock and last trick, the adversaries being entitled to count only the points they have won up to the time the error occurred.
Suggestions for Good Play. The general tactics of the game are extremely like those employed in Whist and Skat. The player establishes his long suit as rapidly as possible, and preserves his tenaces and cards of re-entry. The adversaries of the player should lead short suits up to him, and long suits through him, and every opportunity should be taken advantage of to discard counting cards on partner’s tricks, Aces especially, which are not the best of the suit, but count the most. Both sides scheme to get their hands in shape for winning the last trick, which usually makes a difference of ten or twelve points in the score, owing to the high cards held back, and those found in the stock. Each side should keep mental count of its score, so as to know whether or not it must win the last trick to get to 18. The exposure of the stock, the number of cards discarded by the player, the suits which are led and avoided, will all prove useful guides in determining where the strength or weakness in each suit lies, and proper advantage should be taken of all such inferences.
Some judgment is required in selecting the suit in which the 3 is to be asked for, and the single player must plan in advance for all his discards, one for the exchange, and those for the stock. The player’s position at the table makes quite a difference. The leader has an advantage with a good long suit; but with tenaces it is better to be third player, and very bad to be second hand.
Some pretty positions arise in the end game through the refusal of players to win tricks which would put them in the lead, and so lose them the last trick and the stock. After the first few tricks, everything must be arranged with a view to securing that last trick, but the importance of getting home with Aces must never be overlooked. These count 12 points in every hand, and the side that can get in three out of the four has 6 points the best of it.
The only Text Book on this game is the Pocket Guide, by “Cavendish”; there are some good articles in Vol. III. of the “Westminster Papers.”