Hoyle's Games Modernized Part 20

II. Should the dealer place the last (which is called the trump) card, face downwards, on his own or on any other packet.

III. Should the trump card not come in its regular order to the dealer; but he does not lose his deal if the pack be proved imperfect.

IV. Should a player have fourteen or more cards, and any of the other three less than thirteen;[56] unless the excess has arisen through the act of an adversary, in which case there must be a fresh deal.

V. Should the dealer touch, for the purpose of counting, the cards on the table or the remainder of the pack.

VI. Should the dealer deal two cards at once, or two cards to the same hand, and then deal a third; but if, prior to dealing that third card, the dealer can, by altering the position of one card only, rectify such error, he may do so, except as provided by the second paragraph of this Law. {173}

VII. Should the dealer omit to have the pack cut to him, and his adversaries discover the error, prior to the trump card being turned up, and before looking at their cards, but not after having done so.

38.--Should a player take his partner's deal, and misdeal, the latter is liable to the usual penalty, and the adversary next in rotation to the player who ought to have dealt then deals.

39.--A misdeal loses the deal;[57] unless, during the dealing, either of the adversaries touch the cards prior to the dealer's partner having done so; but should the latter have first interfered with the cards, notwithstanding either or both of the adversaries have subsequently done the same, the deal is lost.

40.--Should three players have their right number of cards--the fourth have less than thirteen, and not discover such deficiency until the first trick has been turned and quitted, the pack shall be a.s.sumed to be complete, and the deal stands good; and he will be answerable for any revoke he may have made, in the same way as if the missing card or cards had been in his hand.

41.--If a pack, during or after a rubber, be proved incorrect or imperfect, such proof does not alter any past score, game, or rubber; that hand in which the imperfection was detected is null and void (except in the case of such deficiency as is provided for by Law 40); the dealer deals again.

THE TRUMP CARD.

42.--The dealer, when it is his turn to play to the first trick, should take the trump card into his hand; if left on the table after the second trick be {174} turned and quitted, it is liable to be called.[58] His partner may at any time remind him of the liability.

43.--After the dealer has taken the trump card into his hand, it must not be asked for; a player naming it at any time during the play of that hand, is liable to have his highest or lowest trump called. Such call cannot be repeated. Any player may at any time inquire what the trump suit is.

44.--If the dealer take the trump card into his hand before it is his turn to play, he may be desired to lay it on the table; should he show a wrong card, this card may be called, as also a second, a third, &c., until the trump card be produced.

45.--If the dealer declare himself unable to recollect the trump card, his highest or lowest trump may be called at any time during that hand, and, unless it cause him to revoke, must be played; the call may be repeated, but not changed (_i.e._ from highest to lowest, or _vice versa_) until such card is played.

THE RUBBER.

46.--The rubber is the best of three games. If the first two games be won by the same players, the third game is not played.

SCORING.

47.--A game consists of five points. Each trick, above six, counts one point.

48.--Honours, _i.e._ Ace, King, Queen, and Knave of trumps, are thus reckoned:

{175}

If a player and his partner, either separately or conjointly, hold--

I. The four honours, they score four points.

II. Any three honours, they score two points.

49.--Those players who, at the commencement of a deal, are at the score of four, cannot score honours.

50.--The penalty for a revoke[59] takes precedence of all other scores.

Tricks score next. Honours last.

51.--Honours, unless claimed before the trump card of the following deal is turned up, cannot be scored.

52.--To score honours is not sufficient; they must be claimed at the end of the hand; if so claimed, they may be scored at any time during the game. If the tricks won, added to honours held, suffice to make game, it is sufficient to call game.

53.--The winners gain--

I. A treble, or game of three points, when their adversaries have not scored.

II. A double, or game of two points, when their adversaries have scored one or two.

III. A single, or game of one point, when their adversaries have scored three or four.

54.--The winners of the rubber gain two points (commonly called the rubber points) in addition to the value of their games.

55.--Should the rubber have consisted of three games, the value of the losers' game is deducted from the gross number of points gained by their opponents.

56.--If an erroneous score be proved, such mistake can be corrected prior to the conclusion of the game in which it occurred, and such game is not {176} concluded until the trump card of the following deal has been turned up.

57.--If an erroneous score, affecting the value of the rubber,[60] be proved, such mistake can be rectified at any time during the rubber.

CARDS LIABLE TO BE CALLED.

58.--The following are exposed cards:--

I. Two or more cards played at once, face upwards.

II. Any card dropped with its face upwards, in any way on or above the table, even though s.n.a.t.c.hed up so quickly that no one can name it.

III. Every card named by the player holding it.

59.--All exposed cards are liable to be called, and must be left or placed face upwards on the table. If two or more cards are played at once, the adversaries have a right to call which they please to the trick in course of play, and afterwards to call the remainder. A card is not an exposed card, under the preceding Law, when dropped on the floor, or elsewhere below the table. An adversary may not require any exposed card to be played before it is the turn of the owner of the card to play; should he do so, he loses his right to exact the penalty for that trick.

60.--If any one play to an imperfect trick the winning card on the table, and then lead without waiting for his partner to play, or lead one which is a winning card as against his adversaries, and then lead again, without waiting for his partner to play, or play several such winning cards, one after the other, without waiting for his partner to play, the latter may be called on to win, if he can, the first or any {177} other of those tricks, and the subsequent cards thus improperly played are exposed cards.

61.--If a player or players (not being all) throw his or their cards on the table face upwards, such cards are exposed, and liable to be called, each player's by the adversary; but no player who retains his hand can be forced to abandon it.

62.--If all four players throw their cards on the table face upwards, the hands are abandoned; and no one can again take up his cards. Should this general exhibition show that the game might have been saved or won by the losers, neither claim can be entertained unless a revoke be established.

The revoking players are then liable to the following penalties: they cannot under any circ.u.mstances win the game by the result of that hand, and the adversaries may add three to their score, or deduct three from that of the revoking players, for each revoke.

63.--If a card be detached from the rest of the hand, which an adversary at once correctly names, such card becomes an exposed card; but should the adversary name a wrong card, he is liable to have a suit called when he or his partner next have the lead.

64.--If any player lead out of turn, his adversaries may either call the card erroneously led, or may call a suit from him or his partner when it is next the turn of either of them to lead. The penalty of calling a suit must be exacted from whichever of them next first obtains the lead. It follows that if the player who leads out of turn is the partner of the person who ought to have led, and a suit is called, it must be called at once from the right leader. If {178} he is allowed to play as he pleases, the only penalty that remains is to call the card erroneously led. The fact that the card erroneously led has been played without having been called, does not deprive the adversaries of their right to call a suit. If a suit is called, the card erroneously led may be replaced in the owner's hand.

65.--If it is one player's lead, and he and his partner lead simultaneously, the penalty of calling the highest or lowest card of the suit properly led may be exacted from the player in error, or the card simultaneously led may be treated as a card liable to be called.

66.--If any player lead out of turn, and the other three have followed him, the trick is complete, and the error cannot be rectified; but if only the second, or the second and third, have played to the false lead, their cards, on discovery of the mistake, are taken back; there is no penalty against any one, excepting the original offender, whose card may be called--or he, or his partner (whichever of them next first has the lead), may be compelled to play any suit demanded by the adversaries.