The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (193 page)

possible, otherwise may play any card. The trick is taken by the

‘goose’, or odd card out, as fol ows:

If al three cards are of the same suit, it is the middling card,

i.e. second highest. (Example: J 9 Q is taken by J.)

If two are of the same suit, it is the card of the odd suit.

(Example: Q A 7 is taken by A.)

If al three are of dif erent suits, it is the card of the odd

colour. (Example: J 9 K is taken by K.)

The Joker Holding the Joker, you must play it the first time you

can’t fol ow suit to the card led. (You may not lead it unless it is the

only card left in your hand.) Although it wins the trick, you needn’t

keep it yourself but may freely give it to either opponent, who then

leads to the next.

Score At end of play, score 1 point for each trick you have won,

and 2 for each trick won by the player on your right. (The players’

three scores wil total 33 and cannot produce a tie.) Whoever scores

the middling number of points adds 10 as a bonus.

Game Cease play when one or two players reach 100 points. The

winner is the only player to reach 100 points if the other two don’t,

or the only player not to reach it if the others do. Either way, the

winner is the gooseberry and the other two are fools.

Bugami (Bleeding Hearts)

3-6 players (4 best), 52 cards

Bugami (accent on the first syl able) is a more cut-throat version of

Bugami (accent on the first syl able) is a more cut-throat version of

Hearts, in that each player declares which suit they wil at empt to

take none of. It’s especial y heart-rending in its so-cal ed ‘shotgun

wedding’ variation, which brings together unintentional partners

Preliminaries Each player nominates a personal ‘bug’ suit which

wil count against them if won in tricks. Their aim is then to win

‘clean’ tricks that don’t contain bugs, while trying to avoid tricks

that do contain them. Needless to say, everyone wil be trying to

drop bug cards on everyone else’s tricks.

Cards Three players use a 52-card pack from which the Tens, Nines

and Eights are removed for use as bid-cards, leaving 40 in play.

Four or more use a 52-card pack for play, and an old or incomplete

pack for bidding. Each player requires four bid-cards, one of each

suit.

Deal Deal al the cards out in ones until everyone has the same

number. Any surplus cards remain face down to one side. Cards

rank AKQJT98765432.

Bid bugs Everyone looks at their cards, decides on a bug suit, and

selects a card ofthat suit from their bid-cards. When ready, they turn

their bid-cards face up so everyone knows everyone else’s bug suit.

You can bid to take no tricks at al (misere) by leaving al your bid-

cards face down.

Play The player at dealer’s left leads to the first trick. Tricks are

played at no trump. Fol ow suit if possible, otherwise play any

card. A trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, and the

winner of each trick leads to the next. If any cards were left undealt,

they are added to the last trick, and go to the player who won it.

Score Each player’s score is calculated as fol ows: count 10 per trick

won, and divide this total by the number of bugs taken, ignoring

won, and divide this total by the number of bugs taken, ignoring

fractions. For example, four tricks containing one bug scores 40,

two bugs 20, three 13, and so on. For taking only clean tricks, you

don’t dividebynought(whichismathematical y meaningless)

butbyone-half, which is the same as doubling the value to 20 each.

Winning four clean tricks, therefore, scores 80.

A player who wins every trick scores 100, regardless of bugs.

The others then score nothing unless they bid misére.

A player who bids misére scores 100 for winning no trick,

otherwise zero.

A player who wins no trick without having bid misére scores

30. Play up to any agreed target, such as 250 points.

Joker variation One or more Jokers may be added to the pack, and

these count as bugs when taken in tricks. Any cards left undealt are

set face down and go to the winner of the last trick. You can discard

a Joker only when unable to fol ow suit. If you lead one, it wins

the trick, and opponents may discard as they please.

Shotgun wedding In this variation, two or more players who bid the

same suit automatical y become partners. Their tricks are kept

together, and each member individual y scores the score made by

the whole partnership. This does not apply to misére bidders, who

continue to play and score as individuals.

Col usion (Take Your Partners)

4 players, 52 cards

This simple, fast, and chat y trick-taking game enables you to wait

and see how things develop before deciding who to have as a

partner. And if you don’t like your final choice, you can always

double-cross them and go of with somebody else.

Preliminaries Deal four players thirteen each in ones from a 52-card

pack ranking AKQJT98765432 in each suit.

Object Principal y, to win the same number of tricks as exactly one

other player.

Play Eldest leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads

to the next. Players must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play

any card. A trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led. There

are no trumps.

Score Each player scores 1 point per trick won. In addition:

If exactly two players win the same number of tricks, they

each get a bonus of 10.

If no two players win the same number of tricks, whoever

won fewest gets a bonus of 20.

If three players win the same number of tricks, the fourth gets

a bonus of 30.

The target score of 100 may be reached only with the aid of a

The target score of 100 may be reached only with the aid of a

bonus, not on tricks alone. If you score only for tricks, and that

number would bring you to 100 or more, you must deduct it from

your total instead of adding it.

If the winner scored a bonus of 10 on the last deal, then the other

player who scored 10 automatical y comes second, adding as many

more points as necessary to bring their score to 100 exactly.

Comment The point of the game is that any two players may

col ude by arranging to win the same number of tricks as each

other. For example, they may say, ‘I’m going for four,’ or, ‘I

probably won’t take any more,’ or may ask another player what

suit to lead or avoid leading. Al such agreements are informal, and

al iances may be broken and re-formed in the light of subsequent

events.

Mismatch

4 players, 52 cards

A trick-taking game in which you can always play any card you

like. Preliminaries Deal thirteen eachin batches of3-3-3-3-1 from a

52-card pack ranking AKQJT98765432 in each suit.

Object To avoid winning tricks, and especial y tricks containing

matches. A match is two or more cards of the same rank or suit, or

three or more cards in numerical sequence. Penalties are scored for

winning tricks and matches, so at end of play the winner is the

player with the lowest score.

Play Eldest leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads

Play Eldest leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads

to the next. Each in turn may play any card he likes, but wil seek

to avoid matching the rank or suit of any card so far played to the

trick, or (in the case of the third and fourth players) completing a

sequence of three or four.

If the trick contains NO match, it is taken by the highest card,

and its penalty score is that of its lowest card, which wil be

anything from 2 to 10. The winner places the lowest card face

up on the table before him to show his current score, and

discards the rest of the trick face down to a common waste-

pile.

If the trick DOES contain a match, it is won by the last player

to duplicate a rank or suit, or to make a run of three or four.

(Ace counts high or low in a run.) Its penalty value wil be a

multiple of 10 as fol ows:

for each pair of the same rank or suit

10

for each triplet (rank or suit) or run of three 30

for each quartet (rank or suit) or run of four 40

Every match counts, even those to which the player of the last

matching card did not contribute. For each 10 involved, the winner

places any card from the trick face down on the table before him

and discards the remainder to a common waste-pile. If the penalty

is 50 or more, use as counters dead cards taken from the waste-pile.

Game At end of play each player’s penalties are recorded at the rate

of 10 per face-down card plus the face value of face-up cards. The

overal winner is the player with the lowest penalty score at the

end of a previously agreed number of deals, or when one player

has reached 200 in penalties.