_DRAWING_.

The whole of the hands having been dealt--that is, two cards given to each player, and also to cases of divided pairs, the drawing of further cards commences. The dealer begins with the player on his left-hand side, and he, if he does not require any more cards, says "content." If he does require more, he says "yes," or, "a card," when the dealer delivers one from the top of the undealt portion of the pack, placing it face upwards on the table in front of the player. If another card or cards is needed, it must be given in like manner, until the player is content or has over-drawn. The dealer must settle with one player before he attends to the next, and similarly, when a player is standing on divided pairs, he must settle with one hand before attending to the other.

If the dealer gives a player two cards while the process of drawing is going on, the player may keep either or both of them; but if he rejects one, he must be regarded as content, and cannot draw another card.

The one rejected is added to the stock in the hands of the pone.

If the dealer in drawing gives himself two cards, he must keep them both, and suffer the consequences of an over-draw if then his points exceed 21.

If the dealer distributes the draw cards out of order, the player or players missed may either be supplied at any time from the top of the pack, or they may throw up their cards.

If a player draws separately on his two cards, when they do not pair, he has to pay the dealer on each hand, and forfeits any amount he may have won.

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In any of these cases of irregularity, the offender pays a penalty to the pool, if there be one.

_POOL_.

A pool may be formed for any purpose that may be decided upon, and may be made up according to arrangement. For this purpose, it may be agreed (a) that each player contribute a coin or counter to the pool at the commencement of each deal; (b) that whenever the dealer over-draws, he pay a penalty to the pool; (c) that whenever the dealer receives on ties, he pay a proportion to the pool, say one-fourth or one-third of his receipts.

Other methods of increasing the pool will present themselves in actual play, those here inserted being intended as specimens of what may be done, or to form a basis on which to work.

_LIMITING THE DEAL_.

In the game we have described we have adopted the principle that the declaration of a natural Vingt-un throws the dealer out; but another method is to limit the deal to a certain number of hands, or to allow the dealer to go through the pack twice, or to have two packs of cards shuffled together, and go through them once. In these cases the dealer is allowed to draw from the used pack as many cards as may be necessary to complete a round started upon with his limited supply, and the cards are prepared by the pone for the purpose, being all collected, shuffled, and cut before they are used by the dealer.

_SELLING THE DEAL_.

Should a player object to take his turn at dealing, or desire to part with it for other reason, he is at liberty to sell the right to any other player; and in view of the fact that [69] the deal is an advantage, a purchaser will generally be found. The buyer has to deal the cards, but does not change his seat. He has to commence each time with the player on the left-hand side of the proper dealer, and when the buyer loses his turn, the deal reverts to the player who would have had the next turn had there been no sale. The buyer takes his turn with the others in the ordinary course.

_ADDITIONAL PRIVILEGES FOR A NATURAL_.

It is sometimes agreed that the holder of a natural Vingt-un, providing the dealer has not also received a natural, shall be ent.i.tled to an amount equal to, or double that of his own stake from each of the other players, unless there be other Vingt-uns, the holders of which are exempted from payment. This is the old fashioned method of playing the game, and in many quarters the rule had been abolished, because, as the deal formerly pa.s.sed to the holder of the natural Vingt-un, who threw the dealer out, that was considered sufficient reward for holding the two cards. Now, however, that the deal merely pa.s.ses to the next in order, it is desirable that some further reward should follow from the best possible hand, and the payment of a stake or a double from each player appears to be the fairest method, especially as the declaration of a natural brings the deal nearer to all. The same result may be achieved by agreeing that the contents of a pool, for which provision has already been made, shall go to the player declaring the natural.

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COMMERCE.

_DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME_.

Ninety years ago the game of Commerce was recognised as being played in two distinct ways, the new and the old mode, so that it may justly be termed one of the oldest round games now practised. Although it is not so popular as some of the others treated of in this volume, it will be found to be a good game; exciting, entertaining, and well deserving of more extended popularity than it has lately enjoyed.

Commerce is usually played with the full pack of fifty-two cards, but if the number of players does not exceed seven the smaller pack of thirty-two may be used, the game being available for any number of players within the range of the pack, say seven with the thirty-two cards, and twelve with the fifty-two.

The cards count in the usual way, except that in reckoning the number of pips upon them, which is sometimes necessary in the course of play, the ace counts for eleven, and the court cards for ten each. There is no particular suit or trumps recognised in the game, the object of the players being to secure special combinations of the cards, technically termed (_a_) Tricon, (_b_) Sequence, (_c_) Flush, (_d_) Pair, (_e_) Point, which range in value in the order given. The holder of the best combination in each [71] round is the winner, and he takes the pool or whatever other stake may have been decided upon.

The five combinations just mentioned consist of the following:--

(_a_) _Tricon_.--Three cards of the same denominations as, for example, three aces, three fives, three knaves, etc.

(_b_) _Sequence_.--Three following cards of the same suit, as, for instance, ace, two, three; ten, knave, queen; queen, king, ace, etc.

Although the ace may be used at either end to form a sequence, it must not be so used between a king and a two. King, ace, two, is not, therefore, permissible as a sequence.

(_c_) _Flush_.--Three cards of the same suit, irrespective of value.

(_d_) _Pair_.--Two cards of the same denomination, the third one being different.

(_e_) _Point_.--The total number of pips on the three cards, ace reckoning for eleven, and either of the court cards for ten.

In case of a tie between two or more of the players in any round, the following rules are observed:--

(_a_) With Tricons, the highest wins, aces being first in this respect; then kings, queens, etc., down to twos.

(_b_) With Sequences, the highest wins; the ace, king, queen sequence reckoning as the best, and the three, two, ace sequence as the lowest.

(_c_) With Flushes, the one making the best "point"--as already described --wins.

(_d_) With Pairs, the highest wins. If two players are alike, then the holder of the highest third card has the preference.

(_e_) With Point a tie is very rare; but if equality does [72] occur, then the holder of the first highest card different from the opponent's wins.

The deal is an advantage, and on that account it is best, when a finish is desired, to conclude the game just before the first dealer's turn comes round again, as then all the players will have had an equal number of deals. Should it be found necessary, however, to conclude before the original dealer's turn, play may be discontinued after the completion of any deal, although such a course is somewhat unfair to the intervening players.

There is only one stake recognised in the game, so that it is simply necessary to decide what shall be regarded as the value of a counter, or what coin shall const.i.tute the limit.

The amount of the stake having been settled, the dealer is decided upon in the same manner as described in connection with the game of "Nap"

(see page 9). Each of the players then pays the amount of the stake into the pool, the dealer also contributing on account of his deal, so that he has to pay double.

The pack having been shuffled by the dealer, and cut by the player on his right-hand side, three cards are distributed to each player, face downwards and unexposed. The cards may be dealt either singly or all three at a time, at the option of the dealer. The players having looked at their cards, the dealer first addresses the one on his left-hand side, and asks if he will trade; and he must either do so or stand on the cards dealt him.

If he decides to stand on the cards he has received, he turns his hand face upwards on the table, and all the other players do the same, when the holder of the best hand takes the amount in the pool, and also receives the amount of a stake from the dealer, who is thus penalised for the [73]

advantage that accrues to him from selling cards to those who wish to trade for ready money, the amount he receives on that account becoming his own property, subject to the payment mentioned. Should the player who declares to stand be beaten by any of the others, he has to pay an additional stake to the holders of the better hands.

If the player decides to trade, he may either do so for "ready money" or by "barter." If for ready money, he continues operations with the dealer; if by barter, with the next player in order round the table, who, in turn, must exchange a card, unless he has a hand sufficiently strong to stand upon, in which case he at once declares it.