The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (90 page)

Play The soloist leads first. Players must fol ow suit if possible and

head the trick if possible. If unable to fol ow, they must trump and

overtrump if possible. 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.

A player holding a marriage announces ‘Twenty’ or ‘Forty’ upon

playing either of the relevant cards to a trick. The cards of a

marriage are not gathered into the trick but left face up on the table

in front of the player scoring them, for ease of checking afterwards.

In an open betl or durch, al hands are laid face up on the table

at the end of the first trick, and the partners may discuss with one

another how best to play.

Score The basic scores for betl and durch are 5 and 10 respectively,

or 10 and 20 if played open, and they are af ected by whatever

level of doubling may have been applied. The appropriate amount

is added to the soloist’s score if won, deducted if lost.

The scores for a trump game are as fol ows. Al are doubled if

hearts were trump, and are subject to whatever additional doubling

hearts were trump, and are subject to whatever additional doubling

may have been applied:

Basic game

1

plus

for each additional 10 points 1/2

plus

Seven last (silent)

1

or Seven last (announced)

2

or Double Seven (announced) 8

plus

Hundred (silent)

2

or Hundred (announced)

4

The relevant score for winning the last trick with †7 goes to both

partners if one of them makes it. Playing it to the last trick and

failing to win it incurs 1 penalty point, or 2 if it was announced. If

this happens to the partners, both are penalized even if one of them

wins the trick to which the other played the Seven. If Seven last was

announced, its holder may not play it to any earlier trick unless

forced to do so.

Ulti (Talonmarias)

(3 players, 32 cards)

Hungary’s national card game is an elaboration of Marias, formerly

cal ed Talonmarias, but now more usual y Ulti from its bid of

winning the last trick with the lowest trump. Though virtual y

unknown outside its home borders, Ulti is wel worth exploring, as

unknown outside its home borders, Ulti is wel worth exploring, as

it of ers some unusual and intriguing features. The fol owing

account is based on an article by John McLeod and additional

material from Gyula Zsigri. It reflects recent changes in the play,

but, as usual, the game is subject to local variations.

Preliminaries As for Maria (see above). Deal and play to the right.

Deal Lowest card deals first. The player at dealer’s left either cuts or

knocks. If he cuts, deal seven cards to Forehand and the rest round

in batches of five. If he knocks, deal a batch of 12 to Forehand and

batches of 10 each to the others.

Object In each deal the highest bidder becomes the soloist and

plays alone against the other two. The soloist’s aim in a basic game

is to take, in tricks, more points than the other two take between

them. The points available are basical y 90, counting 10 for each

Ace and Ten taken in tricks, plus 10 for winning the last trick; but

this may be increased (to a maximum of 190) by the declaration of

marriages, which count 40 in trumps and 20 in each non-trump

suit.

Contracts The biddable contracts are listed below. Any of those

involving a trump suit may be increased in value by adding ‘ulti’ to

the basic bid. Ulti is an undertaking to win the last trick with †7,

and adds 4 points to the game value (or 8 with hearts trump).

1. Game. An undertaking to win a majority of points for Aces,

Tens, and marriages. It is bid by announcing ‘Play’ if the

intended trump is not hearts, otherwise ‘Play in hearts’. A

game in hearts overcal s one in a relatively minor suit (one of

the other three). The contract is worth 1 game point, or 2 in

hearts.

2. Hundred. The bidder undertakes to win at least 100 points in

play, including the score for not more than one marriage. It is

bid by announcing ‘40-hundred’ or ‘hearts 40-hundred’ if the

bid by announcing ‘40-hundred’ or ‘hearts 40-hundred’ if the

marriage to be scored for is in trumps, or ‘20-hundred’ or

‘hearts 20-hundred’ if not. In either case, a heart bid overcal s

the same bid made without suit specification. A 40-hundred is

worth 4 points and a 20-hundred worth 8, both doubled in

hearts.

20-hundred is a higher bid than 40-hundred, as you can

af ord to lose only one Ace or Ten, whereas in a 40-hundred

you can af ord to lose three.

It is legal to bid 20-hundred or 40-hundred without holding

a marriage, but hoping to find a required marriage-partner in

the talon.

3. Betli. An undertaking to lose every trick, playing at no trump,

and with each Ten ranking between its Jack and Nine. There

are three such bids: simple betli for 5, hearts betli for 10, and

open betli for 20. The first two are identical, except for the

scores (‘hearts’ is purely nominal). In open betli, al three play

with their cards spread face up on the table after the first trick

has been won, and the partners may not confer.

4. Plain durchmars. An undertaking to win every trick at no

trump, with Tens ranking between Jacks and Nines. As with

betli, there are three such bids: simple for 6, hearts for 12, and

open for 24. (Variant: Only two such bids are recognized:

simple durchmars for 12 and open durchmars for 24.) In open

durchmars, al three play with their cards spread face up on

the table after the first trick has been won, and the partners

may not confer.

5. Trump durchmars. The soloist undertakes to win every trick

with a trump suit specified by himself, and with Tens ranking

between their Aces and Kings. This may be bid alone, or with

an ulti, a hundred, or both. Trump durchmars scores 6 game

points, or 12 in hearts. Open trump durchmars scores 12, or

24 in hearts. (Variant: Open durchmars scores 24 whether in

hearts or a minor suit.)

Bidding The auctionisconductedinamanner uniquetoUlti. Forehand

Bidding The auctionisconductedinamanner uniquetoUlti. Forehand

may not pass, but must make two discards face down and make an

opening bid by naming any contract.

Thereafter, each in turn may (a) pass, or (b) take the two

discards, make a higher bid, and discard any two, face down, or (c)

bid without taking the discards (but this is unusual). Passing does

not prevent anyone from bidding again later, but the auction ends

when al three pass in succession, and the last bidder becomes the

soloist in the last-named contract. This makes it possible for the last

bidder to make one final exchange and a higher bid than his

previous one.

The soloist should note that if the final two discards include any

scoring cards, they wil count to the opponents at end of play as if

they had won them in tricks.

A higher bid is one carrying a higher potential score, but there

are so many of equal value that they can only be listed in order of

priority (see the Table below). Note that any ‘heart’ bid overcal s

the same bid in a relatively ‘minor’ suit (one of the other three):

Conceding, doubling In a basic ‘Play’ in a minor suit and without

extras, the soloist may concede without play before the first trick is

led. This prevents the opponents from doubling or scoring bonuses

that mighthave accruedinthe play. Otherwise, either opponent

uponplaying to the first trick may announce ‘double’ to the soloist’s

basic bid, or to his additional ulti announcement, or both. The

soloist may then announce ‘redouble’, thus quadrupling the

appropriate score, and either opponent may then announce

‘surdouble’, thus octupling it. A double orsurdouble made by one

partner is binding upon the other, except in respect of a betli or

durchmars bid. In these cases (only), one or both partners may

double, and any such double is binding only upon its maker’s final

set lement with the soloist.

bid

trump

score

1 play

minor

1

2 play in hearts

hearts

2

3 40-100

minor

4

4 ulti

minor

1 + 4

5 betli

NT

5

6 durchmars

NT/min. 6

7 40-100 ulti

minor

4 + 4

8 hearts 40-100

hearts

8

9 20-100

minor

8

10 hearts ulti

hearts

2 + 8

11 40-100 durchmars

minor

4 + 6

12 ulti durchmars

minor

4 + 6

13 hearts betli

NT

10

14 20-100 ulti

minor

8 + 4

15 hearts durchmars

NT/min. 12

16 open durchmars

minor

12

17 40-100 ulti durchmars

minor

4+4+6

18 20-100 durchmars

minor

8 + 6

19 hearts 40-100 ulti

hearts

8 + 8

20 40-100 open durchmars

minor

4 + 12

21 ulti open durchmars

minor

4 + 12

22 hearts 20-100

hearts

16

23 20-100 ulti durchmars

minor

8+4+6

24 40-100 ulti open durchmars

minor

4 + 4+12

25 hearts 40-100 durchmars

hearts

8 + 12

26 hearts ulti durchmars

hearts

8 + 12

27 20-100 open durchmars

minor

8 + 12

28 open betli

NT

20

29 20-100 ulti open durchmars

minor

8 + 4 + 12

30 hearts 20-100 ulti

hearts

16 + 8

31 open durchmars

NT/hearts 24

32 hearts 40-100 ulti durchmars

hearts

8 + 8 + 12

33 hearts 20-100 durchmars

hearts

16 + 12

34 hearts 40-100 open durchmars

hearts

8 + 24

35 hearts ulti open durchmars

hearts

8 + 24

36 hearts 20-100 ulti durchmars

hearts

16 + 8 + 12

37 hearts 40-100 ulti open durchmars hearts

8 + 8 + 24

38 hearts 20-100 open durchmars

hearts