97. Laws of Loo.

i. For a misdeal the dealer is looed.

ii. For playing out of turn or looking at the miss without taking it, the player is looed.

iii. If the first player possess two or three trumps, he must play the highest, or be looed.

iv. With ace of trumps only, the first player must lead it, or be looed.

v. The player who looks at his own cards, or the miss out of his turn, is looed.

vi. The player who looks at his neighbour's hand, either during the play or when they lie on the table, is looed.

vii. The player who informs another what cards he possesses, or gives any intimation that he knows such or such cards to be in the hand or the miss, is looed.

viii. The player who throws up his cards after the leading card is played, is looed.

ix. Each player who follows the elder hand must head the trick if he can, or be looed.

x. Each player must follow suit if he can, or be looed.

The player who is looed pays into the pool the sum agreed.

98. Mode of Play.

i. When it is seen how many players stand in the round, the elder hand plays a card--his highest trump if he has two or more; if not, any card he chooses. The next plays, and, if he can, follows suit or heads the trick with a trump. If he can do neither, he throws away any card.

ii. And so the round goes on; the highest card of the suit, or the highest trump, winning the trick. The winner of the trick then leads another card.

iii. The game consists of three tricks, and the pool is divided equally among the players possessing them. Thus, if there be three pence, shillings, or half-crowns, in the pool, the tricks are a penny, sixpence, or half-a-crown each. The three tricks may of course be won by a single player, or they may be divided between two or three. Each player who fails to win a trick is looed, and pays into the next pool the amount determined on as the loo.

iv. When played for a determinate stake, as a penny for the deal and three pence for the loo, the game is called _Limited Loo_. When each player is looed for the sum in the pool, it is _Unlimited Loo_.

v. Caution is necessary in playing this game _to win_. As a general rule, the first player should not take the miss, as the dealer's stake is necessarily to be added to the loo. Nor the miss be taken after two players have "struck in" (declared to play), for the chances are that they possess good leading cards.

99. Club Law.

_Another way_ of playing Loo is for all the parties to play whenever a club is turned up as trumps. It is merely another mode of increasing the pool.

100. Five-Card Loo.

i. In principle it is the same as the other game Loo, only instead of three, the dealer (having paid his own stake into the pool) gives five cards to each player, one by one, face downwards.

ii. After five cards have been dealt to each player, another is turned up for trump; the knave of clubs generally, or sometimes the knave of the trump suit, as agreed upon, is the highest card, and is styled Pam; the ace of trumps is next in value, and the rest on succession, as at Whist. Each player can change all or any of the five cards dealt, or throw up his hand, and escape being looed.

Those who play their cards, either with or without changing, and do not gain a trick, are looed. This is also the case with all who have stood the game, when a flush or flushes occur; and each, except a player holding pam, of an inferior flush, must pay a stake, to be given to him who sweeps the board, or divided among the winners at the ensuing deal, according to the tricks made. For instance, if every one at dealing stakes half-a-crown, the tricks are ent.i.tled to sixpence a-piece, and whoever is looed must put down half-a-crown, exclusive of the deal; sometimes it is settled that each person looed shall pay a sum equal to what happens to be on the table at the time. Five cards of a suit, or four with pam, make a flush which sweeps the board, and yields only to a superior flush, or the elder hand. When the ace of trumps is led, it is usual to say, "_Pam be civil_;" the holder of which last-mentioned card must then let the ace pa.s.s.

iii. Any player with five cards of a suit (a flush) looes all the players who stand in the game.

iv. The rules in this game are the same as in Three Card Loo.

101. Put.

The game of Put is played with an entire pack of cards, generally by two, but sometimes by four persons. At Put the cards have a value distinct from that in other games. The best card in the pack is a _trois_, or three; the next a _deuce_, or two; then the ace, king, queen, knave, ten in rotation. The dealer distributes three cards to each player, by one at a time; whoever cuts the lowest card has the deal, and five points make the game, except when both parties say, "_I put_"--for then the score is at an end, and the contest is determined in favour of the player who may win two tricks out of three. When it happens that each player has won a trick, and the third is a tie--that is, covered by a card of equal value--the whole goes for nothing, and the game must begin anew.

102. Two-Handed Put.

The eldest hand plays a card; and whether the adversary pa.s.s it, win it, or tie it, has a right to say, "_I put_," or place his cards on the pack. If you accept the first and your opponent decline the challenge, you score one; if you prefer the latter, your adversary gains a point; but if, before he play, your opponent says, "_I put_,"

and you do not choose to see him, he is ent.i.tled to add one to his score. It is sometimes good play to say, "_I put_," before you play a card: this depends on the nature of your hand.

103. Four-Handed Put.

Each party has a partner, and when three cards are dealt to each, one of the players gives his partner his best card, and throws the other two face downwards on the table: the dealer is at liberty to do the same to his partner, and _vice versa_. The two who have received their partners' cards play the game, previously discarding their worst card for the one received from their partners. The game then proceeds as at two-handed Put.

104. Laws of Put.

i. When the dealer accidentally discovers any of his adversary's cards, the adversary may demand a new deal.

ii. When the dealer discovers any of his own cards in dealing, he must abide by the deal.

iii. When a faced card is discovered during the deal, the cards must be reshuffled, and dealt again.

iv. If the dealer give his adversary more cards than are necessary, the adversary may call a fresh deal, or suffer the dealer to draw the extra cards from his hand.

v. If the dealer give himself more cards than are his due, the adversary may add a point to his game, and call a fresh deal, or draw the extra cards from the dealer's hand.

vi. No bystander must interfere, under penalty of paying the stakes.

vii. Either party saying, "_I put_"--that is, "I play"--cannot retract, but must abide the event of the game, or pay the stakes.

[KNOWLEDGE MAKES HUMBLE.]

105. Speculation

is a lively round game, at which several may play, with a complete pack of cards, bearing the same value as at whist. A pool is made with fish or counters, on which such a value is fixed as the company may agree. The highest trump in each deal wins the pool; and should it happen that not one trump be dealt, then the company pool again, and the event is decided by the succeeding deal. After determining the deal, &c., the dealer pools six fish, and every other player four; then three cards are given to each, by one at a time, and another turned up for trump. The cards are not to be looked at, except in this manner: The eldest hand shows the uppermost card, which, if a trump, the company may speculate on, or bid for--the highest bidder buying and paying for it, provided the price offered be approved of by the seller. After this is settled, if the first card does not prove a trump, then the next eldest is to show the uppermost card, and so on--the company speculating as they please, till all are discovered, when the possessor of the highest trump, whether by purchase or otherwise, gains the pool. To play at speculation well, recollection is requisite of what superior cards of that particular suit have appeared in the preceding deals, and calculation of the probability of the trump offered proving the highest in the deal then undetermined.

106. Connexions.