Round Games with Cards Part 1

Round Games with Cards.

by W. H. Peel.

"NAP," OR "NAPOLEON."

The game of Napoleon, or as it is more generally and popularly called "Nap," was introduced into this country from the United States, it is believed, about 1865, although it is recorded that the game had previously been played for high stakes at some of the more notorious gambling clubs.

It is named after the great Napoleon, as the princ.i.p.al player in the game becomes, for the time being, an Ishmaelite, whose "hand" is against every man's, and every man's against his, as was the case with the "Grand Adventurer" in 1804-15 (_see_ Variations)--whence we have the terms Wellington, Blucher, etc.

It is an admirable game for three, four, or five persons, and is also available for two and six, though four is the ideal number, and it is played with an ordinary pack of fifty-two cards. (For Nap with thirty-two card pack, _see_ page 14). With six persons taking part in the game the dealer stands out of the play, not dealing any cards to himself, though he receives and pays for the tricks like the others, and the same system is sometimes adopted when there are five players; as, if all the players took active part in the game, it would become most difficult to make the tricks, because more cards would be in use.

The popularity of the game is no doubt owing to the short time necessary for playing the hands, and to the fact [4] that it can be terminated at any moment, for no game or deal need exceed two or three minutes, except when a pool or "kitty" is introduced (_see_ Variations). In this case provision has to be made for the distribution of the amount of the kitty.

While care in playing is necessary, no great amount of skill is required to render the game diverting as an amus.e.m.e.nt, while it also affords ample scope for the exercise of speculation and the other elements of excitement.

_DESCRIPTION_.

The main idea of the play, as already stated, is for one of the compet.i.tors to stand against the united efforts of the others, who, in turn, use their powers to prevent his securing the object for which he is striving--in this case to win the whole or a certain number of tricks. The number of the tricks to be won is variable, and it depends on the value of the cards in each player's hand to decide what number he will endeavour to secure.

The greatest possible achievement is to win the whole of the tricks (which are five in number), and the player who succeeds in doing this scores a "Nap," and receives double stakes from each of his companions; if however, after declaring his intention to try for Nap he fails, he only pays a single, _i.e._, for five tricks; and, as will be shown later on, this condition attaching to a Nap becomes an important feature in deciding on the number of tricks to be played for, when a good hand is secured.

The only safe and perfect Nap is ace, king, queen, knave, and ten of the same suit, but as this combination of cards does not often occur in actual practice, it remains for the player to speculate on his chances with the cards he holds.

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It is this speculation of possibilities which forms the princ.i.p.al feature of the game, and it is the ability of a compet.i.tor to make an immediate decision on this point that governs his success or failure in its practice.

Very much, however, depends on the temperament of the player. A bold, enterprising person will risk much in the hope of winning much, and one player will declare for Nap on the same cards which another would consider only safe for three tricks, and, in like manner, one will declare for three tricks where his neighbour would hesitate to risk two.

Another important matter for consideration is the number of players engaged, and the consequent proportion of cards in use. Each player receives five cards, so that it follows, with three players engaged, that fifteen are in use, and thirty-seven remain in the pack unexposed; whereas if five are playing there are twenty-five cards in use, and only twenty-seven remaining unexposed. The calculation necessary is, therefore, as to the probability of certain superior cards being in the hands of the opponents, or remaining in the undealt surplus of the pack.

_TACTICS_.

As a perfect Nap is of such rarity we must content ourselves with subst.i.tutes, and in this respect we may regard the following combinations as good ordinary hands on which to declare for the full number of tricks: a flush of fairly high cards, _i.e._, the five all of one suit; four of one suit (headed with ace or king), and one high card of another suit; or three high cards of one suit, with two high cards of a second suit.

It is dangerous to risk a Nap on a hand of three suits, unless it consists of three high cards of one suit with two other aces; then it is often possible to [6] win the five tricks, by first exhausting the trumps, and then playing the aces, which must win; but if one of the opponents starts with four trumps, no matter how small, success is, of course, impossible.

If a player does not consider his cards good enough to permit of his declaring for Nap--and it is fair to suppose that not once in a hundred they will be absolutely safe--he has to decide what they are worth, and declare accordingly. It is not often that four tricks are called, because a hand good enough for four is usually regarded as sufficiently good for Nap, on account of the additional stakes received by the player who succeeds in making the whole of the tricks, which amount to a difference of six points from each compet.i.tor, as for four tricks he receives four, while for Nap he receives ten, paying only five, however, if he loses.

On the same principle as already shown in regard to a "perfect" Nap, it will be understood that ace, king, queen, is the only certain combination with which to secure three tricks, but these cards, again, are seldom met with in a hand, and speculation is once more the princ.i.p.al matter for consideration. Ace, knave, and ten of a suit is generally good for three tricks, as the only possibility against such a combination is that one of the other players holds king or queen of the same suit, with a smaller trump to throw away when the ace is led. Three tricks are, however, often called on much lower cards than ace, knave, ten, especially when the other cards in the hand are of one suit, or are sufficiently high to admit of the possibility of one of them securing a trick. The same line of reasoning holds good in regard to a declaration of two tricks, the only certainty in that case being ace and king.

It must not be considered, after these comments on the game, that there is any great difficulty to surmount in acquiring [7] a knowledge of Napoleon.

As we said at the commencement of our remarks no great skill is essential, but considerable care is necessary to secure anything like success at the game, the chief factor in which is so-called luck. It is impossible to make tricks, or even declare an intention to try for them, unless one receives a certain number of high cards. One may even go further, and say that luck goes far beyond the actual cards dealt to each player, for the best of hands often fail, and poor cards frequently achieve success; whilst it happens, in numerous cases, that the playing of the cards demonstrates that really weak hands would have secured success if the holder had had the pluck, or impudence, we may term it, to declare more than the value of the cards seemed to justify. On the other hand it is often astonishing to find the number of high cards of a given suit included among the fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five in the hands of the players engaged in the game.

Taking all matters into consideration, it must be regarded as virtually impossible to give any precise rules for deciding the number of tricks to declare, and it is equally difficult to lay down any definite plan for playing the cards to the tricks. We can only generalize for the information of our readers, who must decide for themselves whether they will play an adventurous game, with its greater risks, and greater possibilities of success; or whether they will adopt a quieter and less speculative course, standing to win or lose less on their own declarations.

It must always be borne in mind, however, that whichever course is pursued it is only his own actions that can be governed by each player. One may adopt a quiet, safe game, and risk little, while some or all of the opponents may adopt the opposite extreme, and force all the compet.i.tors, [8] in a manner of speaking, to share in their risky speculations.

If the bold player wins, and we think the chances are in his favour, the quieter ones, no matter how safe their own declarations may be, must necessarily lose, and _vice versa_ so that we have, not only the numberless possible combinations of the cards to consider, but also the temperament and position of those engaged in each game.

Care should be taken to remember, as far as possible, the cards thrown away by the other players, when they cannot follow suit to any particular lead, and it will be found in practice that much information can be derived as to the character of the remaining cards from a careful study of the hands during the progress of the play, and this knowledge is particularly valuable when a player is left with two cards of equal, or nearly equal value, and his chance of success depends upon his winning a trick with one of them.

We shall now proceed to consider the various parts of the game, and the variations that have been introduced into the method of playing it.

_STAKES_.

The stakes may consist of any amount previously arranged, and whatever is decided upon, whether it be counters or money, is recognised as the limit per trick, only changed when a player having declared for Nap, succeeds in making it, in which case each player pays double, or as though he had lost ten tricks. In other cases the players win or lose one stake for each trick that the senior hand has declared for. Say, for example, he declared to win three tricks, and succeeded, then each of the other players would pay him three times the amount of the stake; if the senior hand did not succeed, he would have to pay a similar amount to each of the others.

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_DEALING_.

The deal is decided by the cards being turned face upwards before each player, until the first knave is exposed. The player to whom the knave falls then becomes the first dealer. It is better to play with two separate packs of cards, as considerable time is saved in collecting and shuffling, which operations are to be performed by the player on the next dealer's left hand side. When shuffled the cards are to be placed on the right hand side of the dealer, where they are to be left until the player on his right cuts them. The dealer distributes five cards to each player, going from left to might, and dealing the cards one at a time.

As the deal is a disadvantage, inasmuch as the dealer has the last call, there is no penalty attaching to a misdeal, unless the game is being played with the addition of a pool or kitty (_see_ page 11), in which case the player making a misdeal pays a penalty to the pool equal to the stake of one trick. In the event of a misdeal, or accidental exposure of a card, the whole pack must be collected, shuffled and re-cut, as before, after which the cards are to be re-dealt by the same player who made the mistake.

The players must not interfere with the cards during the deal, under a similar penalty, nor touch the remainder of the pack when once it has left the dealer's hands.

_CALLING_.

The deal having been completed the players are ent.i.tled to look at their cards, and then declare, in turn, whether they will "stand" or "pa.s.s," the player on the dealer's left having the first call. If he decide to stand he declares the number of tricks he will stand for, while if he elects to pa.s.s [10] he simply states his intention of so doing, but it is understood that the first caller must stand for one trick, should all the others decide to pa.s.s, except in the case where the Double Header is agreed to (_see_ page 13). The next player then announces his intention. If he cannot stand for more tricks than have already been called he must pa.s.s, and the same holds good all round, until the dealer is reached. No player may make a second declaration, or alter one once made.

_PLAYING THE HANDS_.

The player who has called the highest number of tricks now becomes senior hand, and his object is to make the tricks he has declared, in opposition to the united efforts of the other players, who combine --without consultation or arrangement of any kind--to defeat his purpose.

The senior hand may make trumps of any suit he chooses, and this he signifies by leading one of the suit he selects. It will thus be seen that the first card played in each deal decides the trumps for that deal.

The player on the left of the leader then follows. If he has a card of the suit led he must play it, but if not he may throw off any card he chooses.

If he has more than one card of the suit he can play either, as he is not forced to head the trick even if he has a card higher than that led but in practice it is seldom desirable to pa.s.s a trick in the first round, when headed by the senior hand, except under exceptional circ.u.mstances, such for instance as holding ace and a small one, with knave or a lower card led.

Provided no player has headed the trick, _i.e._, played a higher card of the same suit as the one led, the trick is scored by the senior hand, and he leads for the second [11] round. If, however, one of the players has taken the trick, then the lead pa.s.ses to the winner of that trick, and the same occurs after the second, third and fourth tricks.

In the second and subsequent rounds the leader may play whatever card he chooses, just as in the first, the trumps remaining unaltered. A player having one of the suit led in either round must play it, but if he has none of the suit he may either discard one of the others, or head the trick by playing a trump. This continues throughout the five rounds, unless the senior hand shall have previously won the number of tricks he declared, or shall have lost such a number as to render his success impossible, in either of which cases the cards are collected for the next deal.

VARIATIONS.

There are several innovations and different methods of play which may be introduced into the game of Napoleon, but any divergence from the plain game should be carefully settled by the company _before the play is commenced_. Failing a proper understanding on this point, the rules applicable to the simple game must be adhered to.