INDOOR AMUSEMENTS. 



The second player, as a rule, should play his 

 lowest card, in order to preserve his strength in 

 the leader's suit. The first trick in the suit is left 

 to partner, who has an even chance of holding a 

 better card than the third player. But if the 

 second hand has a strong sequence, he should 

 play the lowest of the sequence, by which partner's 

 hand may be saved, and a high card still remain 

 over the original leader. 



The following are the principal sequences : 



With ace, king, queen play queen. 



With ace, king, &c. play king. 



With king, queen, knave play knave. 



With king, queen, &c. play queen. 



With queen, knave, ten play ten. 



With queen, knave, and one small play knave. 



When a high card is led, it is sometimes advis- 

 able for the second player to cover it with a 

 higher one. The shortest rule is to put an 

 honour on an honour, if with but two or three 

 cards of the suit. With king or queen, and 

 four of the suit, it is better to pass an honour led. 



When the second hand has none of the suit 

 led, he should, as a rule, trump, if he has but 

 two or three trumps ; but he should not trump 

 a losing card if he has more than three trumps, 

 the reason of which will be explained when treat- 

 ing of the management of trumps. 



The third hand, as a rule, plays his highest 

 card in order to support partner in his suit. 

 The exceptions are, that with ace, queen, &c. 

 the queen is to be played ; and if partner has 

 begun with a high card, it is often right to pass it 



The management of trumps varies according to 

 whether the player is strong or weak in them. 

 If strong (i. e., with four or more), they should not 

 be used for trumping, if it can be avoided, but 

 should be kept together, in hopes of establishing 

 a suit, and of remaining with the long trump, with 

 which to get the lead after the other trumps are 

 out, and so to bring it in. Thus, if the opponents 

 lead a losing or doubtful card, it is better, as a 

 rule, not to trump it when holding four trumps. 

 But if the opponents lead a winning card, it is, as a 

 rule, better to trump it, though holding four trumps, 

 than to pass it in hopes of bringing in a suit 



With five trumps, the chance of succeeding in 

 exhausting the opponents' hands, and of remain- 

 ing with the long trump, is so considerable, that 

 a player having five or more trumps, should lead 

 them ; and as number is the principal element of 

 strength, he should not be deterred from leading 

 trumps merely because the fourth hand has turned 

 up an honour. 



With four trumps only, it is better first to lead 

 the strong suit. When the adversaries' hands are 

 cleared of that suit, or so far cleared that the 

 holder of the long cards in that suit commands it, 

 it is, as a rule, safe to lead from four trumps. 



As a rule, less than four trumps should not be 

 led from. But a player is justified in leading 

 from weak trumps, if he holds winning cards in 

 every suit ; if the adversaries are both trumping 

 a suit ; or if the game is lost, unless his partner 

 has strength. 



It is most important to return partner's trump 

 lead at once, unless he has led from weakness ; 

 for partner, by leading trumps, declares a strong 

 game, and it is then the best policy to abandon 

 one's own plans, and to support his. 



It follows that a player should not, as a rule, 



lead a card for his partner to trump, unless he 

 has four or more trumps ; for with less than four 

 trumps the player is weak ; and if he forces his 

 partner to trump, his partner is weakened also ; 

 and the chances are that by weakening partner 

 under such circumstances, the command of trumps 

 will remain with the adversaries. 



But a player may force his partner to trump, 

 although weak himself, if partner has already been 

 forced, and has not afterwards led trumps ; if 

 partner has already declared weakness in trumps, 

 as by trumping a doubtful card second hand ; if 

 two partners can each trump a different suit ; and 

 when one trick from partner's hand wins or saves 

 the game. 



The same considerations which make it inexpe- 

 dient to force partner when weak one's-self, shew 

 the advantage of forcing a strong trump-hand of 

 the opponents. 



There are yet some general rules of play which 

 have not been explained. 



The second, third, and fourth players should 

 always play the lowest of a sequence. The rule 

 here given is in conformity with the play that 

 would naturally be adopted in playing cards that 

 are not in sequence ; and by keeping to a uniform 

 plan, players are enabled to infer what cards their 

 partner does or does not hold. It is true that the 

 adversaries often gain the same information ; but it 

 is found by experience that it is of more advantage 

 to inform partner than to deceive the opponents. 



As a rule, it is advisable to lead out the 

 winning cards of partner's suit The presump- 

 tion is that he has led from his strong suit ; and 

 by leading out the winning cards, the suit is 

 cleared for him, and his long cards are not 

 obstructed. The reverse applies to suits led 

 by the adversaries. It is mostly right to retain 

 the winning cards of such suits as long as pos- 

 sible, in order to stop the establishment of them. 



When a player has none of the suit led, he 

 should, as a rule, throw away from his weakest 

 suit ; for by discarding from a strong suit, its 

 numerical power is damaged. But when the 

 adversaries have shewn great strength in trumps, 

 it is not advisable to keep small cards of a long 

 suit, as it is not likely that it can ever be brought 

 in. Under such circumstances, the player should 

 throw away from his best protected suit, and keep 

 guards to his weaker ones. 



What is called finessing is in many cases 

 advantageous, but young players had better avoid 

 it A finesse is an endeavour by the second or 

 third player to obtain or keep the command of a 

 suit by heading a trick with an inferior card, 

 though holding a higher one of the suit not in 

 sequence. Thus having what is called a tenace 

 (namely, the best and third best cards of a suit), 

 say ace and queen, the third player finesses if he 

 play his queen instead of his ace. 



Players should watch the cards as they are played, 

 and endeavour to infer from them where the others 

 lie. Thus, if a player wins a queen with an ace, it 

 may be inferred that he has not the king, the ride 

 being to win with the lowest ; if a player leads 

 trumps at starting, it may be inferred, as a rule, 

 that he is strong in trumps, or has a very fine 

 hand. By recording in this way, and by counting 

 the number of cards played in each suit, skilled 

 players will often, towards the close of a hand, 

 know the position of all the important cards 



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