The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (40 page)

amount equivalent to the pool just played for. These side pots are

kept separate, and the largest of them becomes the new pool when

the current pool has been won.

Sixte

(6p, 52 or 36c) An eighteenth-century French game worth

mentioning for its simplicity and the fact that it is uniquely

designed for six. Cards rank AKQJT9876(5432). Play to the right.

Deal six cards each in ones. If using 36 cards, dealer exposes his last

card for trump; if 52, stack the rest face down and turn the topmost

card for trump. Eldest leads to the first trick. Players must fol ow

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

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. One point is

scored by the first player to win three tricks or, if everybody wins

one trick, by whoever won the first; otherwise no one scores. Game

is 6 points, but winning al six in one deal wins the game outright.

Sizette

(6pp, 36c) Partnership version of Sixte. There are two partnerships

of three each, each player being flanked by two opponents. Deal six

each from a 36-card pack, turning the last for trump. Play as in

Sixte. The first side to win three tricks scores 1 point, or 2 if it wins

al six. (More interesting scoring schedules are easily devised.) Also

recorded is a variant in which al the players of a side sit

consecutively – that is, A A A B B B instead of A B A B A B. Equal y

playable would be a three-partnership version, with players sit ing

ABCABC.

Nap (Napoleon)

3-7 players, 28-52 cards

We played penny nap after supper. We played for about an hour

and a half, by the end of which time George had won fourpence…

and Harris and I had lost exactly twopence each.

We thought we would give up gambling then. As Harris said, it

breeds an unhealthy excitement when carried too far.

Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat, 1889

This simplified relative of Euchre is played throughout northern

Europe under various names and guises. Despite its title and

military al usions, it is not recorded under this name before the last

third of the nineteenth century, and may commemorate Napoleon

third of the nineteenth century, and may commemorate Napoleon

I I, who probably played either this or one of its close relatives. It is

best played by four or five players, using a stripped pack.

Preliminaries Three or more players use a 52-card pack ranking

AKQJT98765432, from which a certain number of lower numerals

may be stripped to increase the skil factor. Three may play with 24

cards (AKQJT9), four with 28 (AKQJT98), five with 28 or 32

(AKQJT987), and so on. A Joker may be added, counting as the

highest trump – or, in ‘mis’, the only trump. Each player starts with

the same number of chips. It is usual to shuf le the cards at start of

play and after a succesful bid of five, but, between other deals, only

to cut them. Deal five cards each (2+3 or 3+2).

Bidding Each in turn bids to win a number of tricks if given the

lead and choice of trumps. From low to high, the bids are: two,

three, mis (lose every trick), four, Nap (five), Wel ington (five for

doubled stakes), and (if agreed) Blucher (five for redoubled stakes).

Wel ington may only fol ow a bid of Nap, and Blucher a bid of

Wel ington.

Play The highest bidder leads to the first trick, and the suit ofthat

card is automatical y trump – except in a mis, if players have

previously agreed that mis is played at no trump. 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 bidder wins from each opponent 2-4 units

for bids of two to four respectively, 3 for mis, 10 for Nap, 20 for

Wel ington, 40 for Blucher. If not, he pays the same amount to each

opponent, though it may be agreed to halve it in the case of Nap.

Peep Nap

Version 1: The soloist, before leading, may peep at the top card of

the stock and exchange it for an unwanted card if desired.

Version 2: An extra card is dealt face down. Each player,

immediately before making a bid, is entitled to peep at it privately

for a unit stake.

When everyone has bid, the soloist may exchange it for an

unwanted card as above.

Version 3: As above, but each in turn may peep and exchange

before making a bid, so that the odd card – the ‘floater’ – keeps

changing. In versions 2 and 3, payments go to a pool which is taken

by the next player to bid and win five.

Pool Nap

A losing soloist pays to a pool as if it were an extra player, and the

pool is taken by the next player to bid and win five.

Purchase Nap

This radical variant is virtual y multi-player Ecarte. After the deal,

but before any bids are made, the dealer addresses himself to each

player in turn (finishing with himself) and sel s him, for a fixed

price, as many more cards as he wishes to buy. The purchaser must

reject that number from his hand before replacing them and may

not subsequently refer to his discards. The price paid goes to a

pool, which is taken by the first to win a bid of five.

Seven-card Nap

Deal seven cards each. Version 1: Everyone discards two before

Deal seven cards each. Version 1: Everyone discards two before

bidding and playing five-card Nap. Version 2: The bids and their

values are: three 3, four 4, Nap 10, mis 10, six 18, seven 24. A

soloist losing Nap, mis, six, or seven pays half stakes.

Widow Nap (Sir Garnet)

This increases the frequency of Nap bids. Deal an extra hand, face

down. Anyone bidding five may take these, add them to his hand,

and discard any five before leading of .

Brandle

4players, 28 cards

I have Anglicized the name of this delightful German Nap

equivalent from Brandeln, meaning ‘smoulder’. Rules vary: the

fol owing are typical.

Preliminaries Four players receive seven each (2-3-2) from a 28-

card pack, ranking AKQJT97 in every suit but trumps, which rank

J7AKQT9.

Bidding The bids and their values are:

Brandle (3 tricks)

1

Four

2

Five

3

Six

4

Bettel (misére, no trump) 5

Mord (trump slam, all 7) 6

Herrenmord (7 no trump) 7

Each in turn, starting with eldest, may pass or bid, and having

passed may not come in again. If al pass, there is no play and the

deal moves round. Each bid must exceed the previous one, but an

earlier (elder) player may ‘hold’ the bid of a later, thus forcing the

lat er to pass or raise. The highest bid is Mord (‘Death’).

Herrenmord is not an overcal , merely a Mord played at no trump.

Play The soloist announces trumps upon leading to the first trick,

but is not obliged to lead one. Players must fol ow suit and head

the trick if possible; must trump and overtrump if unable to fol ow;

and may renounce only if unable to do either. 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 soloist receives the value of his bid from

each opponent, or scores the appropriate amount. There is no

bonus for overtricks. If unsuccessful, he pays it to each opponent, or

deducts it from his score.

Redbeard (Rodskagg, Five Up)

3-7 players, 52 cards

The Swedish equivalent of Nap is cal ed Rodskagg (Redbeard,

Barbarossa), or Fem Opp, ‘Five Up’, from the five-point penalty

imposed for various faults. Like so many Scandinavian games, it is

played without trumps but with a sting in its tail.

Preliminaries From three to seven players start with 12 chips each,

Preliminaries From three to seven players start with 12 chips each,

or a score of 12, and the winner is the first to reach zero by

shedding al chips or points. Cards rank AKQJT98765432. Play to

the right.

Deal Deal six cards each in threes, then knock and say, ‘Knack for

kort ochfelgiv (Knock for cards and misdeal).’ Anyone picking up

their cards before the dealer knocks must go ‘five up’ (add five

chips or points to his account). Dealer himself goes five up if he

misdeals, and it counts as a misdeal if he fails to knock or correctly

pronounce the requisite incantation.

Bidding Each in turn, starting with eldest, either passes or bids from

one to six tricks at no trump, each bid being higher than the last. A

bid of six can be overcal ed by ‘Redbeard’, which is an al -or-

nothing bid and cannot be overcal ed.

Play The highest bidder becomes the soloist and leads to the first

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

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

winner of each trick leads to the next. There are no trumps.

Drop-outs After the fourth trick, the soloist must (on pain of going

five up) ask whether those who have not yet taken a trick wish to

go on. Those concerned may then either drop out, suf ering no

penalty, or continue play, in which case they wil go five up if they

fail to take at least one of the last two tricks.

Score If the soloist fulfils his bid, he sheds as many points as his bid,

otherwise he goes five up. The others shed 1 per trick, but for

taking no tricks go five up – unless, however, they dropped out

when invited to do so.

A player successful y bidding Redbeard sheds al his points and

wins outright. For failing, he goes five up and drops out of the

current game. Game A player wins by reaching zero exactly and

current game. Game A player wins by reaching zero exactly and

announcing, ‘Knack för min utgäng (Knock for going out).’ If he fails

to announce it, and someone else goes out with the correct

announcement, he goes five up for his failure.

A player who wins more tricks than necessary goes down to zero

and then comes up again. For example, needing 2 to win, and

making 3, he ends with 1. But many schools now disregard this

rule.

I Bourre

3-7 players, 52 cards

A gambling game in which poor players can be suckered into

losing big when they have lit le chance of winning.

Carl Sifakis, Encyclopedia of Gambling (1990)

Pronounced Boo-ray, and sometimes so writ en, Bourre (French for

‘stuf ed’) has enjoyed a remarkable revival as an ‘authentic Cajun

game’ promoted by the National Cajun Bourre Association of

Louisiana, with the usual inauthentic account of its origins and

af iliations. On the plus side, their booklet does include some

authentic Cajun recipes.

Preliminaries From three to seven players use a 52-card pack

ranking AKQJT98765432. Everyone contributes equal y to a pool

and receives five cards, dealt one at a time, the dealer’s last card

being shown for trump. (Variant The next undealt card is turned for

trump.) Each in turn announces whether or not he wil play,

thereby undertaking to win at least one trick. (Variant Players

secretly put a chip in their fist if they want to stay in or form an

secretly put a chip in their fist if they want to stay in or form an

empty fist if not; when al are ready, they open their fists

simultaneously.) After these announcements, each active player in

turn may make any number of discards face down and receive

replacements from the top of the stock.

Play First active player left of dealer leads. Players must fol ow suit

and head the trick if possible; must trump and overtrump if unable

to fol ow; and may renounce only if unable to do either. 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.

Anyone holding A, K or Q of trumps must lead his highest trump as

soon as possible.

Pay-of A player who wins three or more tricks sweeps the pool. A

player who wins none is ‘bourreed’, and contributes to the next

pool the same amount as the pool held when he lost. If two players

win two each, it is a ‘split pot’ tie, and the pool is carried forward

to the next deal.

I Julep

3-7 players, 40 cards

The Spanish equivalent of Bourre. Julep basical y means a sweet

drink used as camouflage for a nasty medicine, and is therefore

literal y a ‘sweetener’.

Preliminaries From three to seven, ideal y five or six, receive five

cards each in ones from a 40-card Spanish pack ranking

A3KQJ76542. Turn the next for trump. Play to the right.

Bidding Each in turn may throw his hand in or bid to play, thereby

undertaking to win at least two tricks. Dealer may take the turn-up

in exchange for a discard, thereby undertaking to play.

Drawing Each in turn may make any number of discards, then

receive the same number from the undealt stock (excluding the