This game, sometimes known as "Bluff," differs from "Draw" Poker in several particulars--viz.:

1. There is no filling of hands, each player retaining the cards first dealt to him.

2. Each person puts up an agreed amount by way of ante. As a matter of convenience, it is frequently arranged that each player in turn puts in for all. To avoid dispute as to whose turn it may be a pocket-knife, known as the "buck," is pa.s.sed round, resting with the player whose turn it is to "chip" for the remainder. Having done his duty, he pa.s.ses the buck to his neighbour on the left, who chips for the next deal, and pa.s.ses the buck to _his_ next neighbour, and so on in rotation.

3. The elder hand, or "Age," has no privilege.

4. The deal pa.s.ses, not in rotation, but to the player who takes the pool.

5. Any player may "pa.s.s," and come in again, unless some other player has raised in the meantime, in which case he is excluded.

6. If all pa.s.s, or if there is a misdeal, there is a fresh contribution to the pool, and the elder hand deals. The pool is then known as a "double header."

In all other respects (as to raising, seeing, &c.), the game is played precisely as Draw Poker.

STUD POKER.

This is a special form of Straight Poker. Its essential difference is that one card only of each {135} hand is dealt face downwards, the remaining four being dealt _face upwards_. Of course, the value of the hand depends in great degree on the nature of the concealed card. The players, beginning with the elder hand, make their stakes, raise, &c., as at the ordinary game, till either all but one have pa.s.sed out, or some player decides to "see" his adversaries. The concealed cards are then turned up, and the strongest hand takes the pool.

WHISKEY POKER.

This is a family version of Poker. Each player puts in the pool an agreed amount by way of ante. Five cards are then dealt to each player, with an extra hand, known as "the widow." The elder hand may either play his own hand, pa.s.s, or take the widow. If he adopts either of the former alternatives, the next player has a similar option, and so on till some one elects to "take the widow." He takes the spare hand, and lays his own on the table face upwards. The next in order is ent.i.tled to take in either of the exposed cards, discarding in its place one of his own, which is added to the remaining four on the table. The next player has a like choice, and so on round and round, till some player is content with his hand, which he signifies by a knock on the table. Each of the other players may still make one more exchange, after which the cards are exposed, and the best hand takes the pool.

Should any player knock before the widow is taken, the five cards are turned up, and each player (other than the one who knocked) has one draw from them. Should the round of the table have {136} been made without any one taking the widow, the five cards are turned up, and the players draw from them in rotation until some one expresses himself content.

There is in this case no "raising" or betting on the hands, the stakes consisting solely of the amount originally placed in the pool.

MISTIGRIS.

This is a variation which may be introduced into any version of Poker.

Mistigris is the "blank" card usually sold with a pack to show its pattern.

This is shuffled with the rest, and the fortunate player to whom it falls is ent.i.tled to "make" it represent any suit and value he pleases. Thus if he has three sevens and mistigris, mistigris will represent the missing seven, and make him "fours." In conjunction with two pairs, it makes the hand a "full." If the player has four hearts and mistigris, he can claim a flush; and should his four hearts be in sequence, he is considered to hold a straight flush, the mystic mistigris representing the particular card required to complete it.

THE TIGER.

The Tiger consists of the lowest "straight" that can be made, and reckons as one degree better than an ordinary straight. It is a recent innovation, and is wisely ignored by the majority of players.

{137}

POPE JOAN.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Pope Joan Board.]

This was formerly a very favourite round game, but of late years is rarely met with. It is played with a pack of fifty-two cards, from which the eight of diamonds (for a reason which will presently appear) has been removed, and with a special board, consisting of a circular tray revolving round a centre pillar, and divided into eight compartments, as shown in the ill.u.s.tration, respectively marked {138} Pope (the nine of diamonds), Matrimony, Intrigue, Ace, King, Queen, Knave and Game. "Matrimony"

signifies the combination in the same hand of king and queen of the trump suit; "Intrigue" that of knave and queen. Each player is provided with three or four dozen counters bearing an agreed value. There is a preliminary deal round with faced cards, and the player to whom the first knave falls becomes first dealer, and has the privilege of "dressing" the board, _i.e._ of paying from his own store, and distributing between the various divisions fifteen counters, as under: Six to Pope, two to Matrimony, two to Intrigue, and one each to Ace, King, Queen, Knave and Game.[40]

The cards, having been shuffled and cut, are dealt round one by one, but with an extra hand, this last towards the centre of the table, facing the dealer. The last card of the pack is turned up to decide the trump suit.

Should the turn-up be Pope (nine of diamonds), or an ace, king, queen or knave, the dealer is ent.i.tled to all the counters in the corresponding compartment of the board.

The player to the left of the dealer leads any card he pleases, at the same time naming it. We will suppose that such card is the three of diamonds.

The player who chances to hold the four thereupon plays and names it; then the persons holding the five, six and seven play them in like manner. In any other suit it would be possible to continue with the eight, but the eight of diamonds, as we have stated, is removed from the pack. This makes the {139} seven what is called a "stop," _i.e._ the run of that particular lead can be continued no further, and the player of the seven is ent.i.tled to lead again. But besides the permanent removal of the eight of diamonds, it will be remembered that a certain number of cards were dealt as an extra hand. We will suppose that such cards were the two, five and nine of spades, the six and ten of hearts, the knave of diamonds, and the king of clubs. These being withdrawn from circulation make the cards immediately preceding them (viz., the ace, four and eight of spades, the five and nine of hearts, the ten of diamonds, and the queen of clubs) "stops" also.[41]

As play proceeds other cards also will become "stops," by reason of the cards next following them having been already played. Thus, in the case supposed, of the three of diamonds being led, the two of diamonds thenceforth becomes a stop, and the holder should note the fact for his subsequent guidance. All kings are necessarily stops, as being the highest cards of their respective suits.

Whenever, in course of play, the ace, king, queen or knave of the trump suit appears, the holder is ent.i.tled to the counters in the corresponding compartment of the board. Should knave and queen, or queen and king of trumps fall from _the same hand_, the holder is ent.i.tled to the proceeds of Intrigue or Matrimony, as the case may be. Any one playing "Pope" is ent.i.tled to all the counters in the {140} corresponding division. Unless actually played, the above cards have no value, save that the holding of Pope (unplayed) exempts the possessor from paying for any surplus cards as hereinafter mentioned.

The game proceeds as above described until some one of the players is "out," _i.e._ has got rid of all his cards. By so doing he becomes ent.i.tled to all the counters in the "Game" compartment of the board, and to receive in addition from each of the other players one counter for each card such player may have left in hand, save that the holder of Pope is exempt from payment. If Pope is played, the exemption ceases.

The skill of the player will be shown in his keenness to note, on the one hand, which of the cards are or become "stops," and on the other, what cards cannot be led to, and which, therefore, it is expedient to get rid of as soon as possible. At the outset, the only _known_ cards which cannot be led to are the four aces, Pope (the removal of the eight of diamonds being purposely designed to place the nine in that position), and the card next higher than the turn-up (the next lower being a "stop"). But the list increases as the game goes on. If the nine of hearts is declared to be a stop by reason of the ten being in the surplus hand, it is clear that the knave cannot be led to, and must itself be led in order to get rid of it.

Sequences are valuable, inasmuch as they enable the player to get rid of two, three or more cards simultaneously. Nearly, but not quite, as useful are alternate sequences, as seven, nine, knave. The lowest should, of course, be led. Whether the card proves to be a "stop" or not, the leader can still {141} continue the sequence, subject to the contingency of some other player going "out" with one of the intermediate cards. A sequence or alternate sequence terminating with king forms a very strong lead. Next to these, and to known stops, the lower of two pretty close cards of the same suit (as three and six, three and seven, or four and eight) should be led; especially if the higher is known or believed to be a "stop." After these the lowest card of the longest suit, especially if an ace.

"Pope," as we have seen, can only be played when the holder has the lead; and it is usually well, therefore, to play it at the first opportunity, first, however, playing out any known stops.

The unclaimed counters in each compartment are left to acc.u.mulate. In the case of Matrimony and Intrigue, a whole evening may occasionally pa.s.s without the necessary combinations of cards being played from the same hand, and these compartments therefore frequently become very rich. The counters in "Pope," or one or more of the Ace, King, Queen and Knave compartments may in like manner be unclaimed during several rounds. The best method of disposing of any such unclaimed counters at the close of the game is to deal a final round face upwards (without the surplus hand); the holders of Pope, and of the ace, king, queen and knave of the diamond suit (which in this case is regarded as the trump suit) being ent.i.tled to the counters in the corresponding compartments. The holder of the queen takes, in addition, half the amount in Matrimony and in Intrigue, the remaining halves going to the holders of the king and knave respectively.

{142}

SOLO WHIST.

Solo Whist has features in common with both Whist and Napoleon, and as both these games are described in the present volume, it will only be necessary to briefly state the points of resemblance. Like Whist, it is played with the full pack of fifty-two cards, which range in value from ace, highest, to deuce, lowest; the last or fifty-second card being turned up to fix the trump suit. Tricks are made as at Whist, and form the basis of the score.

The affinity to Napoleon is traceable in the various calls that the players make, and in the further fact that every hand is a separate game, upon which stakes are won and lost. Solo Whist, however, possesses special features of its own--viz., that the partnerships or combinations are always changing round after round, and that there is a special call named Misere,[42] which is a declaration to _lose_ the whole of the thirteen tricks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME.

The objects of Solo Whist are--to make eight tricks out of the thirteen in conjunction with a partner; {143} to make five or nine tricks out of your own hand against the other three players in combination; or to play your own hand so as to avoid taking a trick, however strenuously your three adversaries may endeavour to force you to do so.

The cards are dealt round to the four players, _three cards at a time_, until there are only four remaining. Then these are dealt singly, the last card being turned up as the trump, and being the property of the dealer.

The eldest hand, _i.e._ the player on the dealer's left, has the first call. He can _propose_, _i.e._ ask for a partner with the object of making with that partner eight of the thirteen tricks; he can call a _solo_, which is a declaration to make five of the thirteen tricks without having a partner; he can declare _misere_, _i.e._ to lose all the thirteen tricks--in this phase of the game all the four suits are equal, the trump suit being annulled; or he can call _abondance_, when, making whatever suit he likes trumps, and declaring the suit before the first card is led, he endeavours to make nine tricks out of the thirteen. The call of _abondance_ is, however, superseded by any other player declaring to make _abondance_ in trumps, _i.e._ with the trump suit as it stands.

Further than this, he may call an _open misere_, or _misere ouverte_, thereby undertaking not only to lose all the thirteen tricks, but to expose his own cards on the table as soon as the first trick is played to and turned. Or--the supreme call of all--he may announce his intention of taking the whole thirteen tricks by saying, "_Abondance declaree_." In this case as in the simple _abondance_, he names his own trump suit, and in the case of this declaration, and this only, he leads, wherever he may chance to sit, the {144} original lead to the first trick in all other cases coming from the eldest hand.

There are thus six things the eldest hand may do after he has examined his cards, and in showing what the eldest hand can do we have explained what the various calls are. Recapitulating them in due order of value, they are--proposition and acceptance when two players (wherever they sit), undertake to make eight of the thirteen tricks against the other two in partnership; a solo, where the caller to win must take five tricks at least, the suit originally turned up being trumps; the misere, the abondance, and the two exceptional calls, which have already been sufficiently described. The eldest hand may not, however, have cards that would justify his attempting either of the things specified. In that case he says, "I pa.s.s;" and here it may be observed that, in the case of the eldest hand, and to the eldest hand _only_ who has pa.s.sed, there is extended the privilege of accepting a proposition made by the second, third, or fourth players, such proposition, of course, not having been previously accepted or superseded by a higher call.

The second hand, whose turn it now is to declare, may accept a proposal if one has been made, may propose if the eldest hand has pa.s.sed, or may make any better call than the eldest hand has made. Of course, an _inferior_ call is nugatory, _i.e._ a player cannot call a solo if a previous hand has called a misere. The higher call always supersedes the lower one, but a player, having once called, can, if he is over-called, increase his call up to the highest limit--the abondance declaree.

The third hand can accept a proposition if one {145} has been made and has not been accepted or superseded, can propose if no proposition or higher call has been made, or can make any call superior to those previously declared.

The fourth player--the dealer--may accept a proposition coming from any quarter under the previously announced stipulations; or he may propose, in which case only the eldest hand can accept; or he may make an independent call, provided it is better than any preceding call.

The matter may be thus ill.u.s.trated: suppose the eldest hand pa.s.ses, the second proposes, the third and fourth pa.s.s, and the eldest hand accepts, then--calling them A, B, C, D, according to their order at table--A, B would be partners against C, D, and would be obliged to make eight of the thirteen tricks. They would occupy their original seats and play in their proper order, B following A to the first trick, and the regular progression from left to right being observed all through the hand. Again we will suppose that A proposed, B pa.s.sed, C called misere, and the fourth player (D) called an abondance. The calls of A and C would be superseded, unless, indeed, A should call an abondance in trumps, which would supersede the abondance of D in a plain suit; or C should call a misere ouverte, which would supersede the other calls; though D would still have the option, if his hand were strong enough to justify it, of making the supreme call of abondance declaree. We will a.s.sume that D's call of abondance was left unchallenged, and in that case he would then, but not before, announce the suit that he made trumps, and A, the player on his left, would lead out for the first trick. A, B, and C playing together {146} in concert, but not, of course, being allowed to see each other's cards, or in any way to acquaint each other with the cards held, except by the legitimate and proper means afforded by the play of the hand. D's object is now to make nine tricks unaided, and the aim of his opponents is to score more than four tricks between them. Sometimes, indeed, an abondance, like a solo or a proposition, succeeds with two or three tricks to spare. These are called "over tricks," and are paid for according to an agreed-upon scale. On the other hand, any tricks short of the number required by the caller are known as under tricks, and are paid for by the caller in the manner we will shortly describe.

Before pa.s.sing to other matters, it is necessary to draw attention to some important facts to be impressed upon the memory: (1) that no player, after having "pa.s.sed," can make an independent call or a proposition; (2) that only the eldest hand can accept a proposition after having once pa.s.sed; (3) that a superior call always annuls and supersedes a call of inferior value; and (4) that a player having once made a call, may increase it to anything up to the supreme call. It should be understood that a caller, in increasing his declaration, can make any higher call he chooses. Thus, should he propose, or even accept, and be overcalled by a solo, he would be at liberty to at once call an abondance declaree, and "skip" all the declarations of intermediate value.