Each player in turn to the left can doubt the statement that the cards are three jacks, or he can pass. If any player in his proper turn says, “I doubt it,” the three cards are at once turned face up. If the statement is not correct, the three cards are at once taken back into the player’s hand, together with all the cards lying face down in the centre of the table at the time. Should the statement turn out to be true, the player who doubted it must take the three jacks and all the cards on the table.
That settled, the next player to the left lays out three cards and announces that they are three of a kind of something or other, each player to the left passing or doubting it. If no one questions the correctness of a statement, no explanation is given by the player who laid out the cards. He simply pushes them to the centre of the table with the others, face down. If he shows them, or any one of them, as some may do in a spirit of bravado, he must take all three back into his hand and all on the table with them. The object of doubting is simply to prevent a player from getting rid of three cards, but toward the end of the game one must be careful, as triplets are gradually gathered for that stage.
If any player has less than three cards in his hand when it comes to his turn to lay down, he must draw from the table, face down, enough to make three. He may look at what he draws before announcing. If there are no cards on the table, he must pass his turn.
The first to get rid of all his cards gets a chip from each of the others for each card they hold.
JASS.
This is popularly supposed to be the progenitor of the American game of pinochle, and is still very popular in Switzerland.
CARDS. Jass is played with the thirty-six card pack, the 5 4 3 2 of each suit being thrown out. The cards rank from the A K Q down to the 6, both in cutting and in play. The cards have a pip value in scoring, aces 11, tens 10, kings 4, queens 3 and jacks 2. In the trump suit, the jack is the highest card, and is worth 20 points instead of 2. The nine of trumps comes next, being worth 14 points, and is called “Nell.” The remaining trumps rank as in plain suits.
The jack of trumps has the special privilege of being allowed to renege, even when the holder of the jack can follow suit.
MARKERS. The score is usually kept on a slate.
PLAYERS. Any number from two to four can take part, but each is always for himself. The rules for two-hand differ slightly from those for three or four. (See Two-hand Jass.)