The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (41 page)

turn-up). If not enough cards remain, shuf le the cards of those who

have passed to form a new stock.

Defending the pack If only one player bids, any one player who

passed can of er to ‘defend the pack’ by drawing six cards from

stock and discarding one.

Play The first active player to the right of the dealer leads to the

first trick. 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.

Pay-of An active player who failed to win two tricks pays an

agreed stake, the julep, as explained below. If only one player

succeeds, he wins the pot plus a julep from each active player. If

two players win two each, they split the pot and the juleps. If al

fail, they al pay a julep to the pot, which is then carried forward.

If the pack was defended and lost, the lone player wins the pot

but the defender does not pay a julep. If both succeed, the lone

player wins half the pot, and the other half is carried forward. If the

defender wins, he gets the pot plus a julep from the lone player.

Five-card Loo (Lanterloo)

3-10 players, 52 cards

The English equivalent of Bourre, now defunct, is not be confused

with Three-card Loo. The name Pam, denoting the top trump,

represents a medieval comic-erotic character cal ed Pamphilus,

described by Eric Partridge as ‘an old bawd’. (From it derives also

‘pamphlet’, original y a printed sheet containing a story about him.

These educational interpolations come free of charge.) Lanterloo is

from the French lenturlu, a meaningless refrain used in lul abies

(‘lul ay, lul oo’), and denotes a flush containing Pamphile. An

earlier form of the game, lacking Pam, was played under the name

Mouche.

Preliminaries From three to ten receive five cards each (3+2 or

2+3) from a 52-card pack ranking AKQJT98765432. Dealer antes

five chips to the pot before dealing, and turns the next for trump

after dealing.

Pam and flush The highest card in play is J, or Pam, which beats

everything, including the Ace of trumps. A flush is five cards of the

same suit, or four of a suit plus Pam. The best flush is four of a suit

plus Pam, fol owed by a flush in trumps, then by the plain-suit

flush containing the highest top card or cards. Whoever holds the

best flush (if any), whether before or after exchanging cards, ‘looes

the board’ immediately – that is, he is deemed to win al five tricks

without play, and is appropriately paid by anyone who does not

himself hold either Pam or a flush.

Bidding Each in turn may pass or play, thereby undertaking to win

at least one trick. (Variant: No one may pass if clubs are trump.)

Each active player may discard as many as he likes in return for the

same number dealt from the top of the pack.

Play Eldest leads. If the trump Ace is led (now or subsequently) its

Play Eldest leads. If the trump Ace is led (now or subsequently) its

leader may say, ‘Pam be civil,’ whereupon the holder of J may

not play it if he has any other trump. 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. The winner of each trick leads to the next, and must

lead a trump if possible.

Pay-of Each trick earns one-fifth of the pool.

Rams

(Rammes, Ramsch, Rounce, Bierspiel) (3-5p, 32c) The Belgian and

Alsatian equivalent of Five-card Loo. Cards rank AKQJT987.

Preliminaries Ante five to the pool, deal five each (3+2) plus a

spare hand of five, and turn the next for trump. Each in turn may

pass or undertake to win at least one trick; but when the pool

contains only five units nobody may pass. One player only may

exchange his hand for the spare, sight unseen, but must then play.

Rams is a bid to win al five tricks, and obliges everyone else to

play. If everybody passes, dealer receives five chips from the player

on his right and there is no play. If only one player before him

of ers to play, dealer himself may not pass. Dealer may take the

trump turn-up in exchange for any unwanted card.

Play The 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.

Score Each won trick earns one-fifth of the pool. A player who

Score Each won trick earns one-fifth of the pool. A player who

takes none adds five for the next deal. A successful rams bid wins

the pool plus five from each opponent. If lost, the bidder doubles

the pool and pays five to each (nothing extra for the player who

took the trick that ended the play). Variant games include Rounce,

using 52 cards, and Bierspiel, in which 7 is always the second-

highest trump.

Mauscheln, Mousel

(3-5p, 32 or 52c) Mauscheln is the German and Mousel the Danish

equivalent of Loo. Mauscheln means diddle (swindle).

From three to five players, ideal y four, use a 32-card pack

ranking AKQJT987. Play to the left. The dealer stakes an amount

divisible by four, then deals four cards each, in twos, and turns the

next for trump. Each in turn may pass or declare ‘Diddle’, thereby

undertaking to win two tricks. As soon as someone of ers to diddle,

each in turn may pass, in which case they drop out, or ‘Join in’,

which is an undertaking to win at least one. If no one of ers to

diddle, the deal passes round. If someone diddles but no one joins

in, the diddler wins the pot without play. Otherwise, each active

player may now make any number of discards and receive the same

number from the top of the stock. If it runs out, make a new stock

from the cards of those who passed, or from discards if necessary.

The diddler leads any card to the first trick. 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. Each won

trick earns one-quarter of the pot. An active player who took none,

or the diddler if he took only one, pays the value of the pot. If the

diddler took none, he pays double.

1. Variants 1. If the turn-up is an Ace or other high card, the

dealer may diddle before looking at his cards. In this case,

when his turn comes to exchange, he may look at his cards,

discard, and include the turn-up in his replacements.

2. The 7, cal ed Bel i, is the second-highest trump, and its

2. The 7, cal ed Bel i, is the second-highest trump, and its

holder pays a premium if he loses it to the trump Ace.

3. A player dealt a flush (four of the same suit) must pay a

premium, throw his hand in, and be dealt a new one.

Norrlandsknack (Norseman’s Knock)

3-5p, 52 cards

A distinctively Swedish member of the family, literal y ‘North

Country Knock’. Norrland is the northern third of the country,

including Lapland. Much the same game is played in Finland under

the name Ramina, according to my informant, Veikko Lahdesmaki.

Preliminaries From three to five players use a 52-card pack, ranking

AKQJT98765432. Each player stakes one chip to the pot at start of

play, but not at each deal. Each also starts with a 10-point score and

deducts one for each trick won. The winner is the first to reach

zero.

Deal Deal a batch of three to each player, turn the next for trump,

then two more each.

Bidding In the first deal, each in turn either knocks, thereby

undertaking to win at least one trick, or says, I lurk.’ Lurking means

to play in hope of winning a trick, as there is no penalty for failing

to do so at this stage. On subsequent deals, a player can only pass,

not lurk. If al pass, the same dealer redeals. After three pass-outs,

the deal passes on.

Draw In the first deal only, as soon as someone knocks there

Draw In the first deal only, as soon as someone knocks there

fol ows a draw. Each in turn, starting with eldest, may make any

number of discards and then draw the same number of

replacements from stock. Dealer must take the trump turn-up

before discarding, and correspondingly draws one card fewer to

restore his hand to five. Drop Subsequent deals are played

dif erently. When someone knocks, the other players – including

any who have passed – must decide whether they wil join in or

drop out. (It is also usual to bid, join in or drop out when three

cards have been dealt to each and a trump-card is turned. The last

two cards are then not dealt til the auction is over.)

Play Eldest leads the trump Ace if he has it, otherwise any card.

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. When at least one player is down to one point – which

must be declared by the scorekeeper or the player concerned – the

rules change. Trumps must always be led, if possible, and a player

failing to do so when possible is ‘loafed’.

Score Deduct 1 point for each trick won. If a knocker wins no trick,