=_ After the trump is turned up, each player in turn examines his cards, and if he does not care whether the trump suit remains unchanged or not, he says: “_=I pass=_.” If all pass, the dealer must decide. The dealer has the advantage of being allowed to take the trump card into his own hand, discarding one of his worthless cards in its place. If he thinks he can make three tricks with the turn-up suit for trumps, and his partner’s probable assistance, or can win five tricks by playing alone, he discards any card he pleases, placing it under the remainder of the pack, face down, and without showing or naming it. If the dealer decides to play alone, it is usual for him to pass his discard across the table to his partner, face down, so that there may be no misunderstanding his intention. The dealer may take up the trump card at any time during the play of the hand; but it is usual to leave it on the pack until it is played to a trick. No one but the dealer can take the trump into his hand. _=TURNING DOWN THE TRUMP.=_ If the dealer fears that he and his partner cannot make three tricks with the turn-up suit for trumps, or would prefer to have the suit changed, he can pass. If he passes, he takes the trump card from the top of the pack, and places it face upward, and partly under the pack, in such a manner that it can be distinctly seen.
How many miles to Burslem? Three score and ten. Can we get there by candle-light? Yes, and back again. Open the gates so wide, so wide, And let King George aside, aside; The night is so dark we cannot see, Thread the needle and go through. --Isle of Man (A. W. Moore). XII. How many miles to Banbury Cross? Three score and ten. Shall we get there by midnight? Yes, if you run well. Then open your gates as wide as the sky, And let King George and his men pass by.
If all three players pass, the trump card is turned down, and each player in turn has the option of calling a six-trick abundance, naming his own trump suit. In some places it is the custom to allow the players to over-call each other, after the trump is turned down, each increasing the number of tricks he proposes to take. A misère over-calls eight tricks. _=Kimberly Solo=_ is for four players, without any proposal and acceptance, solo being the lowest call. If all pass, a six-trick solo with a different trump is allowed. TEXT BOOKS. Solo Whist, by R.F. Green. How to Play Solo Whist, by Wilks & Pardon.
=_ It is seldom right to trump partner’s winning cards, unless he has ordered up the trump, and you think you can lead through the dealer to advantage. In playing against a lone hand, it is sometimes good play to trump your partner’s ace with an unguarded left bower or ace of trumps, as it may prevent the dealer from getting into the lead with a small trump, and may save a King or Queen of trumps in your partner’s hand. If you don’t trump, the dealer will probably get in and swing the right bower, and your trump will be lost. If your partner has ordered, made, or taken up the trump, and you have only one trump, even a bower, trump with it at the first opportunity. Trump everything second hand, unless it takes the right bower for a doubtful trick, or breaks into the major tenace in trumps. _=Discarding.=_ It is best to throw away singletons, unless they are aces. If you have two cards of equal value, but of different colours, one of which must be discarded, it is usual to keep the one of the same colour as the turn-up when playing against the dealer. Discard suits that the adversaries are trumping. If your partner discards a suit in which you have a high card, keep that suit, and discard another.
_=Irregularities in Playing.=_ If, during the play of a hand, any person is found to have too many cards, his hand is foul, and neither he nor his partner can score any points for that deal, but they may play the hand out to prevent the adversaries from scoring everything. If he has too few cards there is no penalty. If a player leads out of turn, and the three others follow him, the trick stands good. If all have not followed the false lead, their cards must be taken back, but only the leader’s card is liable to be called. If it was the turn of the partner of the player in error to lead, the adversary on his right may call upon him to lead or not to lead a trump; but he cannot specify the plain suit. If it was the turn of either adversary of the player in error to lead, the card led in error is simply exposed. If the third hand plays before the second, the fourth may play before the second also. If the fourth hand plays before his partner, third hand not having played, the trick may be claimed by the adversaries, regardless of who wins it; but the player who actually wins it leads for the next trick. If a player has a card of the suit led, and neither follows suit nor plays a trump, it is a _=revoke=_; and, if detected and claimed by the adversaries, neither the player in error nor his partner can score any points that hand; but the hand may be played out to prevent the adversaries from scoring everything.
When one sequence _is_ stopped in this manner, the last player has the right to begin another with any card he pleases. The object of the game is twofold; to get rid of all the cards before any other player does so, and to get rid of the cards which appear on the layout. If the duplicate of any of those cards can be played, the holder of the card at once takes all the money staked upon it; but if he fails to get rid of it before some player wins the game by getting rid of all his cards, the player who is found with one of the layout cards in his hand at the end must double the amount staked on that card, to which the next dealer will add the usual contribution. The player who first gets rid of all his cards collects from the other players a counter for every card they hold. These cards must be exposed face up on the table, so that all may see who has to double the various pools. If any of the layout cards are in the stock, the pool simply remains, without doubling. There are a great many variations of Pope Joan. Sometimes a layout very similar to that in Matrimony is used, Pope taking the place of Pair, and Game that of Best. A trump is turned by the dealer, and Matrimony is King and Queen of trumps, Intrigue Queen and Jack of trumps, Confederacy, King and Jack of trumps. The player holding these cards will of course be able to play both of them if he can play one in a sequence, and will take the pool for the combination.
Pairs and triplets are the only combinations of any value, and of course three aces is the best hand; two aces and the club Jack being the next best. If none of the hands shown contains either a natural pair or a bragger, the highest card wins, the ace ranking above the King. In case of equal natural pairs, the highest card outside the pair wins. Should the pairs tied both be made with a bragger, the highest bragger wins. Two odd cards, seven high, with the club Jack, would beat two cards seven high with the diamond nine. _=Three Stake Brag.=_ In this variation each player puts up three equal amounts to form three equal pools. These amounts must be invariable, and should be agreed upon before play begins. The dealer then gives two cards to each player, one at a time, face down; and then a third card to each, face up. The highest card turned up in this manner wins one of the pools, the ace being the highest and the deuce the lowest.
These four cards are the widow. The successful bidder can take the widow before he names the trump, and then all the players discard down to six cards. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ There is a great diversity of opinion on bidding. Some persons always bid six on an ace, if they hold neither of the Pedroes. This is based on the sound principle that the odds are five to four in favour of your partner having one of the Pedroes, which he will immediately give up if you lead the ace. The odds are five to two that your partner will hold one or more of any three named counting cards which you do not hold. If you have no Pedro, count on him for one, and if you have King and Queen, you can risk his having a guard to it, and bid as if you were sure of getting his Pedro home. If you have none of the points for High, Low, Jack, or Game, or only one of them, count on him for one at least, and bid accordingly. It is very difficult to give exact rules for bidding, the state of the score having much to do with it; but as a general rule it is much better to bid on _=catching cards=_ than on the points themselves.
If a player has five cards face up, covering five cards face down, he cannot shift one of the exposed cards to the empty sixth place, and uncover another card. All covering cards must be got rid of in the course of play. _=PENALTIES=_ for revokes, cards led out of turn, etc., are the same as at Whist. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ As in Whist, the object is to win tricks, all above six counting one point toward game. Five, seven, or ten points may be made the game, at the option of the players, but ten is the usual number. Honours are not counted except by agreement. _=STAKES.=_ It is usual to play for so much a point or a game.