The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (37 page)

choice of trumps. The bids are one, two, three, four, five, Lit le

Pepper (six), and Big Pepper, which is also six but for a doubled

score. Each bid must be higher than the last. The player whose bid

precedes three consecutive passes becomes the maker. The maker

announces the trump suit, or declares no trump, and leads to the

first trick.

Play Players must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play any

card. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the

highest trump if any are played, and the winner of each trick leads

to the next.

Score If successful, the makers score 1 point per trick won; if not,

they score minus 6. Big Pepper scores plus or minus 12. The other

side always scores 1 point per trick won. Game is 30 points.

Double Hasenpfeffer

Original Hasenpfef er was often played without Bowers, cards

ranking normal y in al four suits. This obtains in Double

Hasenpfef er, which is for four or six players in two partnerships,

and employs the 48-card Pinochle pack (AKQJT9, doubled) without

a Joker. Deal al the cards around. Each player has one chance to

bid or overbid, the minimum being for three tricks, with no trump

bid or overbid, the minimum being for three tricks, with no trump

as yet mentioned. Dealer must bid at least three if the others pass.

The high bidder may play alone, in which case he discards any two

cards face down and receives from his partner any two cards the

lat er wishes to give him. If the making side takes at least as many

as it bid, it scores 1 point per trick taken; if not, it loses the amount

of the bid, except that the dealer, if forced to bid, loses only half

that amount. A lone player wins or loses double for his side.

Five Hundred

2-6 players, 33-6 3cards

This hybrid of Euchre and Bid Whist was copyrighted by the United

States Playing-Card Company in 1904. Though stil played in parts

of the USA, it has since become the national game of Australia and

New Zealand. Southern Cross, the Australian playing-card

manufacturer, stil produces a special ‘500’ pack containing the 63

cards necessary for the six-handed game, though I have never heard

of anyone playing it. This pack includes Elevens, Twelves, two red

Thirteens, and a Joker depicting a kookaburra, or laughing jackass,

commonly known as ‘the Bird’. The Australian gameis most widely

played by four in partnerships, usual y without the Bird. It is also

an excel ent game for three or five players. The fol owing rules are

based on those included in the Southern Cross pack, but there are

many local variations, especial y regarding the way the Joker is

used, the relative ranking of miséres, and the non-bidders’ scoring.

Preliminaries From two to six may play. The standard game is four,

sit ing crosswise in partnerships. Six play as two teams of three or

three of two, each player being flanked by an opponent. Game is

500 points over as many deals as necessary.

Cards The number of cards used is ten times the number of players,

plus two, plus Joker (optional). The special Five Hundred 63-card

plus two, plus Joker (optional). The special Five Hundred 63-card

pack consists in ful of A-K-Q-J-(13)-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, plus

Joker. The Thirteens exist only in red suits. The ful pack is used

only in the six-player game. For other numbers of players, the cards

used are:

five 52 or 53 (AKQJT98765432 in al suits)

four 42 or 43 (AKQJT98765 in al suits, plus two red Fours)

three 32 or 33 (AKQJT987 in al suits)

two 24 only (AKQJT9 in al suits, no Joker) Rank of cards In

non-trump suits, cards rank in their natural order (Ace high, Two

low). In trumps, the order is:

Best Bower = Joker (if used)

Right Bower = Jack of trumps

Left Bower = other Jack of same colour as trumps

A-K-Q-10… etc. (or A-K-Q-13… if six play)

Deal Deal ten each, in batches of 3-4-3. After the first round of

three, deal three cards face down to the table as a ‘kit y’, or two if

the Joker is omit ed, or four if only two play.

Bidding Each in turn, starting with eldest, either passes or overcal s

any previous bid. A bid is an of er to win the stated number of

tricks in the stated trump suit playing alone (if two or three play),

or with one’s partner (if four or six), or with the aid of a temporary

al y (if five). A bid may be announced as ‘6 spades’ (for example)

or by its value in the fol owing scoring table (‘40’, etc.):

6

7

8

9

10

no tricks,

trump

tricks tricks tricks tricks tricks

no trump

spades 40

140 240 340 440 misére 250

clubs

60

160 260 360 460

diamonds 80

180 280 380 480

hearts 100 200 300 400 500

no trumps 120 220 320 420 520 open misére 520

Misére, despite its value, is overcal ed by any bid of eight or more;

open misére overcal s everything.

The highest bidder after three consecutive passes becomes the

declarer. If al pass without bidding, tricks are played at no trump

and the aim is to win as many as possible.

The kit y Declarer takes the kit y into hand and makes the same

number of discards face down before play. If al passed, the kit y

remains untouched.

Cal ing (five players). If five play, declarer either announces that he

wil ‘go alone’, or else cal s for a partner (except in misére) by

naming a non-trump card. Whoever holds it immediately identifies

himself as declarer’s partner.

Play Declarer leads first, or, if everyone passed, eldest hand. (At

open misére, the hand is spread face up before the opening lead.)

Players must fol ow suit if possible, otherwise may play any card.

The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the

highest trump if any are played, and the winner of each trick leads

to the next. In a no-trump bid, including misére, the Joker is in fact

a trump – the only one – and may be played when its holder

cannot fol ow suit, thereby winning the trick. If led, its holder cal s

for a suit to be played to it, which may not be one in which he has

already renounced.

Score The soloist or each member of the declaring side either wins

or loses the value of his contract (see the Table on p. 101).

Regardless of success or failure, each member of the opposing side

scores 10 per trick won by their side – or, in a misére, 10 for each

trick taken by the declarer, for which reason miséres must be

played right through. If no one declared, each player scores 10

points for each trick that he won. Game The game ends when either

side has scored 500 or more as the result of winning a contract, or