King (playing card)

“ In other cases the player should lead a small card; according to the usual convention, the fourth best. His partner, and also the dealer, can credit him with three cards higher than the card led, and can often place the cards of the suit: for instance, the seven is led, dummy holds queen and eight, playing the queen, the third player holds the nine and smaller cards; the unseen cards higher than the seven are ace, king, knave and ten of which the leader must hold three ”

“ Two cards have gold grounds, and on them are two standing figures, one beating a drum, the other man holding what may be a magician’s rod or, perhaps, a flute. There are three cards of a dull yellow hue flecked with brown dots. These closely resemble the Atouts, as one of the seated figures holds up a circle or the Money mark, like the Queen of Dinari; and against the knees of the other a child leans, recalling Isis with Osiris. The eighteenth card is the Joker, and shows a likeness of the late Shah of Persia. ”

“ It is now nearly four hundred years since the playing cards were first introduced, and with the exception of material and kind, of finish and design, there has been no change in the first original, fifty-two card pack, and never will be. The first original game of "Whist" could have had no previous history, no previous law and no rule beyond that adopted and practiced by the first original players for the edification, entertainment and amusement of their honored Egyptian king and queen, by whom their game was named, and will so remain, unchanged so long as playing cards continue in use. ”

“ It, therefore, seems a pity that a uniform design is not agreed upon, as is the case with the court cards. Any deviation from the dress of the figures on the latter meets with instant opposition from players. It seems peculiar that the card is never represented by Mercury, or a fool, or a clown, or perhaps, a red devil, which would make it easy to distinguish from the Ace of Spades, which is often, and sometimes disastrously, mistaken for the more powerful Joker. ”

“ The very first card played by the non-dealer is the trump card.
Any one playing the ace of trumps marks four points to himself; for king he marks three; for queen, two; for knave, one; for the five of trumps, five; and for the ten of trumps, ten. When the knave, ten, or five are taken by superior cards, the points belonging to them are scored by the winner.
In counting for game, the five of trumps is reckoned as five; all the other aces, kings, queens, knaves, and tens are counted the same as in All Fours.
POKER. The game of Poker is better known in the United States than in England. ”

“ When all the cards are drawn from the pack, the players take up their eight cards. No more declarations can he made, and the play proceeds as at Whist, the ten ranking higher than the king, and the ace highest. In the last eight tricks the player is obliged to follow suit, and he must win the trick if possible, either by playing a higher card, or, if he has not a card of the same suit, by playing a trump. A player who revokes in the last eight tricks, or omits to take when he can, forfeits the eight tricks to his opponent. ”

“ The important business of discarding being concluded, the non-dealer leads off the game by playing any card he likes, his adversary playing a higher card, if he can, of the same suit, thus taking the trick. Should he have no higher card, he may take the trick with a trump, or pass it, as he feels inclined.
The holder of the king of trumps scores one point ”

“ The elder hand may announce after he has played, so that in its strictness the above rule applies only to the opponent; still, should the elder hand's king be covered by the card of his adversary, before he has declared, he cannot that time score the king. As in other games, the trump always wins the trick. The winner of one trick also leads on for the next, and thus the playing proceeds until all five tricks are won. ”

“ This game is easy and interesting when used as a solitaire, but when two or more players are pitted against each other and bent on preventing the score of the opponent, it will be seen that there is a great deal of “play,” for there are so many cards left in the Widow that the game is uncertain until its finish, as a card that is most desirable may never turn up, and, therefore, there is much chance as well as skill in the baby prodigy. ”

“ Thanks to the lovers of woodcuts, prints, and engravings, the history of European Playing Cards has been preserved. Through these it has been investigated, as it would have been impossible in any other way, since the men who are devoted to the card table are not usually of an investigating turn of mind, while those who prophesy with cards prefer the occult and mysterious to the scientific. ”

“ The fortune-telling packs issued by the card makers of the day generally bear French pips, since these symbols are the ones familiar to manufacturers in France, England, and America. They have, in addition, badly drawn, inartistic [Pg 367] pictures that are foolish and meaningless, since they are neither heraldic nor symbolic, and they are only intended for amateurs, since the true fortune-teller or Gypsy of to-day prefers the cards with the ancient pips of Money, Swords, Rods, and Cups, together with the Atouts. ”

“ In France the backs of the cards are highly glazed and are of a plain, uniform colour, generally red or green. In Spain card makers use speckled backs. The modern Tarots have designs engraved on a very thin paper that is pasted [Pg 243] on the back, the edges of which are turned over the face of the card, making a narrow border. These designs are sometimes “the woman of Samaria,” and at others a Hercules throwing rocks down a precipice. ”

“ Although the Spaniards remained faithful to the Tarots, they discarded the Atout part of the pack, retaining only the suit cards with the pips of Cups, Money, Swords, and Staves. The emblems adopted in the several countries nearly five hundred years ago (when a wave of card playing seems to have swept over Europe) , have retained their hold on the affections of those who adopted the individual devices, for each nation still clings to the pips that were then chosen, and it is only by degrees that the French designs are emigrating to different parts of the world. ”

“ Therefore, it seems quite natural to assume that Jucher, describing a player shouting with exultation when winning a point, must have been used unconsciously, whether this word is to be found in the dictionary or not, for it is certainly this exclamation that is used as the player throws down the card winning the third trick in Euchre when the opponent has ordered or taken up the trump card or made the suit. ”

“ Swords, Staves, Money, and Cups. Besides these, there are twenty-two cards with emblematic figures, that were also connected with the worship of Mercury or some of the ancient mysteries; and they, as a whole, represent the chief moral or spiritual characteristics of mankind, the cardinal virtues, marriage, death, creation, and resurrection, closely following the attributes of the Egyptian deities. They are presided over and controlled by Mercury himself, the card being named in Italy “il Matto,” or “le Fou”; and we know it as the Joker. ”

“ Cards for divination have appeared from time to time, but the emblems were so fanciful and so unauthoritative that the unhistoric designs have not found favour. One of them in the British Museum shows traces of being derived from the [Pg 300] Tarots, as Mercury is seen hovering over a sailing vessel under his guise of protector of merchants. It is to be remarked that it is the Seven of Bells and is called Commerce. The Eight of Bells is the Wheel of Fortune. The Two of Leaves is Hope, and the Six of that suit is the Death card. ”

“ Take up the top card, which, being really a king, you may exhibit without apparent intention, and place it at the bottom. Take the next card, which the spectators suppose to be also a king, and place it about half way down the pack, and the next, in like manner, a little higher. Take the fourth card, which, being actually a king, you may show carelessly, and replace it on the top of the pack. ”

“ FOR SECOND HAND.
23.—With king, queen, and small cards, play a small one when not strong in trumps; but if weak, play the king. With ace, king, queen, or knave only, and a small card, play the small one.
FOR THIRD HAND.
24.—With ace and queen, play Her Majesty, and if she wins return the ace. In all other cases the third hand should play his best card when his partner has led a low one. It is a safe rule for third hand to play his highest.
FOR ALL THE PLAYERS.
25.—Fail not, when in your power, to make the odd trick. ”

“ Holding ace, ten, and a small one, your partner leading the nine of the suit, pass it; for if he holds an honour you make two tricks, counting your ace for a certain trick.
With king, queen, or queen and knave, and another play one of the high cards in all cases when you are second hand. With an average remainder of trumps and good cards, having one certain loser, throw it away at your first opportunity; it may enable your partner to make his second best of the suit. When your partner does not trump a winning card you may be quite sure that he means you to play trumps. ”

“ Do not lead from ace queen, or ace knave. Do not—as a rule—lead an ace, unless you have a king. Do not lead a thirteenth card, unless trumps be out. Do not trump a thirteenth card, unless you be last player, or want the lead. Keep a small card to return your partner's lead. Be cautious in trumping a card when strong in trumps, particularly if you have a strong suit. Having only a few small trumps, make them when you can. If your partner refuse to trump a suit, of which he knows you have not the best, lead your best trump. ”

“ The average holding of high cards is one Ace, one King, one Queen, and one Knave. From the average standpoint it is immaterial whether they are all in one suit or divided. Any hand containing a face card or Ace above this average is a No-trumper, whenever it complies with the other above-mentioned requirements. When the average is exceeded by holding two Aces, instead of an Ace and King, a No-trump should be called, but two Kings, instead of a King and Queen, or even a King and Knave, is a very slight margin, and the declaration is doubtful for any but the most expert. ”

“ The Spaniards omit the woman from their cards, while the French drop one of the men, the cavalier, a mounted figure that gives variety and value to the royal family in other countries, and makes the game more like one of war, and not merely a compliment to a distinguished lady. However, the King, Queen, and Knave are now the only ones with the French emblems, and these are followed by ten pip cards, in which number one, or the Ace, is sometimes the highest, and, at others, the lowest in the pack, according to the game to be played. ”

“ Should the ace of diamonds not be turned up at all, then the king, queen, or next highest card in that suit wins the best chance.
All hands are now turned up, the holders of intrigue, matrimony, &c., taking the stakes placed on these points.
When two or more players happen to hold similar cards, as king and queen, king and knave, &c., the stake is gained by the elder hand, but if any chance be not won, it is left over until the next deal; and on any unclaimed point the stakes may, if thought desirable, be increased. ”

“ The player looks at the ten face cards and throws out any aces. Then he builds up suits, as far as he can, by resting a card of opposite color, and of one degree lower in value, on some other card. Thus, a red goes on a black, a black on a red, a queen on a king, a two on a three, and so on. When the shifting of cards causes a file to have no face card in it, then the uppermost non-face card may be turned over, ready for being used. ”

“ The very greatest care is necessary in arranging the cards for this trick, as in the event of one card being misplaced, the whole trick will be spoiled. To [165] arrange the pack sort the suits of spades, clubs, and diamonds in numerical sequence, and the suit of hearts in the order of seven, ace, queen, two, eight, three, jack, four, nine, five, king, six, ten; place the hearts face uppermost so that the seven is at the bottom and the ten at the top. ”

“ The knave, which is the best, reckons eleven; the ten for ten; ace, four; king, three; and queen, two. The trump suit is reckoned, not as in Whist, by the [150] original possessors of the cards, but to those who may be fortunate enough to take them during the game. The players must of course follow suit, and the penalty for a revoke is the loss of the game. Forty-one is game, the points of which are made by counting the cards in the tricks taken and the honours of trumps. The surest way of saving the ten is to play it in a round of trumps, when one of your partners has played the best trump ”

“ Compound declarations are allowed, i.e. cards added to the open cards can at once be used, without waiting to win another trick, in as many combinations of different classes as they will form with the winner’s open cards. For example: A has three open kings, and he wins a trick containing a king. Before drawing again he places the fourth king with the other three, and scores 80 for kings. This is a simple declaration. But suppose the card led was the queen of trumps, and A wins it with the king, and he has the following open cards—three kings, three queens, and ace, ten, knave of trumps. ”

“ Fig. 57.
These mechanical cards are used in various ways. Such a card may be introduced with good effect in the trick of the “rising cards,” before described. The king of spades, we will suppose, is one of the cards drawn. The changing card is made one of those which rise from the pack, but is so arranged as to appear as the king of hearts. When the king of spades is called for, this card rises. The performer feigns to be taken by surprise, and asks the person who drew the card whether he is sure he is not mistaken, and that the card he drew was not the king of hearts. ”