WHIST. 



his adverfary, being at feven, makes three by cards, if A has 

 two by honours, he IHU wins his bet. 



The odds of this game are calculated according to the 

 points, and with the deal, in the following manner : 



1 love - - 10 to 9 



2 love - - 10 to 8 



Sec. &c. 



Except that 9 is confidered as fomething worfe than 8. 

 It is 3 to I in favour of the firft game. The odd trick has 

 been always fuppofed in favour of the leader ; but Mr. M. 

 is of opinion, that this is an error, as the dealer has the ad- 

 vantage in this, as in every other fcore. 



We (hall here fubjoin an explanation of two terms that 

 are univerfally ufed, but not generally underftood, viz. 

 tenace zndjinejfe. 



" The principle of the tenace is fimple. If A has the ace 

 and queen of a fuit, and B, his adverfary, has the king and 

 knave, the lead confideration will fhew that if A leads, B 

 wins a trick, and vice iierfd of courfe ; in every fituation it is 

 the mutual plan of players by leading a lofing card to put 

 it into the adverfary 's hand to oblige him to lead that fuit, 

 whereby you preferve the tenace. So far is eafily compre- 

 hended ; but it requires attention with praftice to apply the 

 principle, fo obvious in the fuperior, to the inferior cards, or 

 fee that the fame tenace operates occafionally with the feven 

 and five, as the ace and queen, and is produftive of the fame 

 advantage. A, laft player, remains with the ace and queen 

 of a fuit not played, the laft trump, and a lofing card : B, 

 his left-hand adverfary, leads a forcing card. Query — How 

 is A to play ? Anfmer — If three tricks win the game, or 

 any particular point, he is not to ruff, but throw away his 

 lofing card, becaufe his left-hand adverfary being then 

 obliged to lead to his fuit, he remains tenace, and muft make 

 his ace and queen. But upon a fuppofition that making 

 the four tricks gains him the rubber, he fhould then take 

 the force, as in thefe fituatioirs you are juftified in giving up 

 the tenace for an equal chance of making any material 

 point. 



" 'Y\\^ Jinejfe has a near affinity to the tenace, except that 

 the latter is equally the objeft where two, and the former 

 only where there are four players. A has the ace and queen 

 of a fuit led by his partner, now the duUell beginner will 

 fee it proper to put on the queen ; and this is called fineffing 

 it, and the intention is obvioudy to prevent the king from 

 m«king, if in the hand of his right-hand adverfary. Should 

 it not be there, it is evident you neither gain nor lofe by 

 making the finefie ; but few players carry this idea down to 

 the inferior cards, or fee that a trick might be made by a 

 judicious finetTe, againft an eight, as a king ; but to know 

 exaftly when this fhould be done, requires more fl<ill than 

 in the more obvious cafes, united with memory and ob- 

 fervation. Another cafe of fincffe even againft two cards 

 frequently occurs, and the reafon on refleftion is felf- 

 evident. 



" A leads the ten of a fuit, of which his partner has the ace, 

 knave, and a fmall one ; B fhould fineffe or let the ten pafs, 

 even though he knows the king or queen are in his left-hand 

 adverfary's hand, becaufe he preferves the tenace and pro- 

 bably makes two tricks ; whereas, had he put on his ace, 

 he could make but one — in fhort, tenace is the game of po- 

 fitioQ, and fineffe, the art of placing yourfelf in the moft 

 advantageous one." Matthews's Advice, &c. ed. 10.1816. 



M. de Moivre has folved this problem : To find the odds 

 that any two of the partners, that are pitched upon, have 

 not the four honours ? M. de Moivre concludes from this 

 folution. 



Vol. XXXVIII. 



1. That it is 27 to 2, nearly, that the dealers have not 

 the four honours. 



2. That it is 23 to i, nearly, that the eldeft have not the 

 four honours. 



3. That it is 8 to i, nearly, that neither one fide nor the 

 other have the four honours. 



4. That it is 13 to 7, nearly, that the two dealers do not 

 reckon honours. 



5. That it is 20 to 7, nearly, that the two eldeft do not 

 reckon honours. 



6. That it is 25 to 16, nearly, that either one fide or the 

 other do reckon honours, or that the honours are not equally 

 divided. 



The fame learned author alfo determines, that the odds 

 for the partners who have eight of the game, if dealers, 

 againft thofe who have nine, is nearly as 17 to 11. But 

 if thofe who have eight of the game are eldeft, the odds 

 will be nearly as 95 to 77. And that without confider- 

 ing whether thofe who have eight are dealers, or eldeft, 

 there is one time with another the odds of fomewhat lefs 

 than 7 to 5 ; and very nearly that of 25 to 1 8. 



It is a queftion likewife belonging to this game, what the 

 probability is that a player has a given number of trumps 

 dealt him ; particularly, it has been often taken as an equal 

 wager, that the dealer has at leaft four trumps. M. de 

 Moivre has computed the following tables ; fhewing for 

 the dealer, as well as the other gameilers, what the pro- 

 bability is of taking precifely any afiigned number of 

 trumps in one deal. And thence by a continual addition 

 of the numbers, or of fuch part of them as is neceffary, it 

 is eafily found what the probability is of taking at leaft 

 that number. 



By the help of thefe tables feveral ufeful queftions may 

 be refolved; as, i. If it is aflced, what is the probabi- 

 lity that the dealer has precifely III trumps, befides the 



4662 , , 



trump card ? The anfwer, by Table I., is - ; and the 



probability of his having fome other number of trumps is 

 3C 11213 



