_=PIC.=_ If either player can reach 30 in hand and play combined, before his adversary scores anything, 30 are added for the pic. Pic can never be made by the dealer unless the elder hand leads a card smaller than a Nine; he must make repic if anything. To make pic the elder hand must reach 30 in the regular order of scoring. Suppose holds these cards:-- ♡ A 9; ♣ A K Q J; ♢ K Q J 10 9; ♠ K. If the dealer acknowledges the point to be good, everything else in the hand must be good also. This will give the elder hand 27 before playing a card; 5 for the point, 15 and 4 for the sequences, and 3 for the Kings. By leading out the A K and Q, 3 more points are secured, the dealer having nothing to score, and so the elder hand reaches 30 and makes the pic, counting 60, and still having the lead. Equalities do not save pic. According to the strict rules of the game, a player who is playing for pic is not allowed to count 30 at all, but must jump from his last count, 29, to 60, or he loses the pic; but this is seldom or never insisted on.
In such cases, if there is no high-card combination in any of the short suits, it is usual to lead the highest card, unless it is an Ace or King. Many good players will not lead the Queen from a three-card suit, unless it is accompanied by the Jack. All such leads are called _=forced=_, and are intended to assist the partner, by playing cards which may strengthen him, although of no use to the leader. The best card should be led from any such combinations as the following:-- [Illustration: 🃝 🃛 🃖 | 🃊 🃉 🃄 🃋 🃊 🃅 | 🃙 🃘 🃔 🂫 🂥 🂣 | 🂷 🂶 🂴 ] _=Small-card Leads.=_ If the suit selected for the lead does not contain any combination of high cards from which it would be right to lead a high card, good players make it a rule to begin with the fourth-best, counting from the top of the suit. This is called the “card of uniformity,” because it indicates to the partner that there are remaining in the leader’s hand exactly three cards higher than the one led. Should the player be forced to lead any of the undesirable combinations shown on the last page, he would begin with the Ace if he held it; otherwise he would lead the fourth-best. In each of the hands shown this would be the four, and this card would be led, even if there were five or six cards in the suit. From this hand, for instance, the five is the proper lead:-- [Illustration: 🃎 🃈 🃆 🃅 🃄 🃃 🃂 ] _=Rules for Leading Second Round.=_ If the leader wins the first trick, having the best of the suit in his hand, he should follow with the winning card; but if he has several cards which are equally winning cards, he should lead the lowest of them.
Hickety-hackety. Hick, Step, and Jump. Hide and Seek (1). Hide and Seek (2). Hinch-Pinch. Hinmost o Three. Hirtschin Hairy. Hiry-hag. Hiss and Clap. Hitch, Jamie, Stride and Loup.
Partners sit opposite each other. The highest deals, and has the choice of seats and cards. The Ace is high, both in cutting and in play. A player exposing more than one card must cut again. _=Ties.=_ If the first cut does not decide, the players cutting equal cards cut again; but the new cut decides nothing but the tie. _=Cutting Out.=_ At the end of the game, the players cut to decide which shall give way to those awaiting their turn to play, the lowest cuts going out. After the second game, those who have played the greatest number of consecutive games give way, ties being decided by cutting. _=Dealing.