Читать книгу Foster's Complete Hoyle: An Encyclopedia of Games - R. F. Foster - Страница 6

CARDS. Auction is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards, ranking A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2, the Ace being the highest in play, but ranking below the deuce in cutting. Two packs should be used, the one being shuffled while the other is dealt.

MARKERS suitable for scoring the various points made at Bridge have not yet been invented. Some persons use the bézique marker; but it is not a success. The score is usually kept on a sheet of paper, and it should be put down by each side, for purposes of verification.

PLAYERS. Auction is played by four persons, and the table is complete with that number. When there are more than four candidates for play, the selection of the four is made by cutting. These cut again for partners, and the choice of seats and cards.

CUTTING. The usual method of cutting for partners, etc., at auction, is to shuffle the cards thoroughly, and “spread” them face downwards on the table; each candidate drawing a card, and turning it face upwards in front of him. The four cutting the lowest cards playing the first game, or rubber.

SPREADING THE PACK.

The four having been selected, the cards are again shuffled and spread, and partners are cut for; the two lowest pairing against the two highest; the lowest of the four is the dealer, and has the choice of cards and seats.

TIES. As between cards of equal value in cutting, the heart is the lowest, diamonds next, then clubs and then spades.

POSITION OF THE PLAYERS. The four players at the bridge table are indicated by letters; A and B are partners against Y and Z; Z always represents the dealer, who always makes the first bid, A being the second bidder, Y the third and B the fourth.

DEALING. The cards having been properly shuffled the dealer, Z, presents them to the pone, B, to be cut. At least four cards must be left in each packet. Beginning at his left, the dealer distributes the cards one at a time in rotation until the pack is exhausted. When two packs are used, the dealer’s partner shuffles one while the other is dealt, and the deal passes in regular rotation to the left until the rubber is finished.

IRREGULARITIES IN THE DEAL. If any card is found faced in the pack, or if the pack is incorrect or imperfect, the dealer must deal again. If any card is found faced in the pack, or is exposed in any manner; or if more than thirteen cards are dealt to any player, or if the last card does not come in its regular order to the dealer, or if the pack has not been cut, there must be a new deal. Attention must be called to a deal out of turn, or with the wrong cards, before the last card is dealt, or the deal stands.

There are no misdeals in auction. That is to say, whatever happens the same dealer deals again. Minor irregularities will be found provided for in the laws.

The cards being dealt, each player sorts his hand to see that he has the correct number, thirteen; and the player or players keeping the score should announce it at the beginning of each hand.

STAKES. In auction, the stake is a unit, so much a point. The number of points won or lost on the rubber may be only two or three, or they may run into the hundreds. The average value of a rubber at auction is about 400 points. Any much larger figure shows bad bidding. In straight bridge the average is about 180. In settling at the end of the rubber, it is usual for each losing player to pay his right-hand adversary.

MAKING THE TRUMP. In auction, the dealer begins by naming any one of the four suits, or no trumps, for any number of tricks he pleases. Each player in turn to the left then has the privilege of passing, bidding higher, or doubling. When three players pass a bid, it is the highest made and is known as the Winning Declaration or Contract.

In order to understand the principles that govern the players in their declarations, one should be thoroughly familiar with the values attached to the tricks when certain suits are trumps. The first six tricks taken by the side that has made the winning declaration do not count. This is the “book,” but all over the book count toward making good on the contract, according to the following table:

When	Spades	are trumps,	each trick counts	2	points.
”	Clubs	” ”	” ” ”	6	”
”	Diamonds	” ”	” ” ”	7	”
”	Hearts	” ”	” ” ”	8	”
”	Royal Spades	” ”	” ” ”	9	”
”	there are no trumps,	” ” ”	10	”

The game is 30 points, which must be made by tricks alone, so that three over the book, called three “by cards,” will go game from love at no trump, or four by cards at hearts or royals. These are called the Major or Winning Suits. As it takes five by cards to go game in clubs or diamonds, and on account of the difficulty of such an undertaking, these are called the Minor or Losing Suits. An original bid of one spade can be made only by the dealer, and it simply means, “I pass.” That is, the dealer has nothing to declare on the first round of the bidding. [See note at foot of page 58.]

RANK OF THE BIDS. In order to over-call a previous bid, whether of the partner or the opponent, the bidder must undertake to win the same number of tricks in a suit of higher value, or a greater number of tricks having the same aggregate value as the preceding bid. Players should restrict themselves to the same form of expression throughout, and all bids, even passing, must be made orally and not by gesture.

Let us suppose this to be the bidding: The dealer, Z, begins with “One spade,” second player, A, says, “I pass,” or simply, “No.” Third bidder, Y, says, “One club,” fourth player, B, “No trump.” The dealer, starting on the second round, says, “Two clubs,” supporting his partner’s declaration. Next player, A, who passed the first time, says, “Two royals.” Both Y and B pass, but the dealer, Z, says, “Three clubs.” Observe that while three clubs is worth no more than two royals, 18, the club bid offers to win more tricks than the royals and therefore ranks as a higher bid. A doubles three clubs. Y passes and B says, “Two no trumps.” As will be explained presently, doubling does not affect the value of the declaration in bidding, so two no trumps, worth 20, over-calls three clubs. Z, A and Y all pass, so two no trumps becomes the winning declaration and B is the declarer, A being the dummy, with Z to lead for the first trick.

In this example, had the bid been left at three clubs, doubled or not, that would have been the winning declaration, and the partner who first named that suit, Y, would be the declarer, Z being the dummy, although Z actually made the highest bid. It is only when the two players that have both named the winning suit are not partners that the higher bidder becomes the declarer.

DOUBLING. No player may double his partner, but he may redouble an opponent who has doubled. All doubling must be strictly in turn, like any other bid. Doubling does not affect the value of the bids, but simply doubles the value of the tricks or penalties when they are scored at the end of the hand. Suppose A bids two royals and Y doubles. B can take A out with three clubs, because, so far as the bidding goes, two royals are still worth only 18.

Any over-call annuls the double, or redouble. Suppose A says two hearts, Y doubles, B redoubles, and Z says two royals. The doubling is all knocked out, and if A were to go three hearts and get the contract, hearts would be worth only 8 a trick in the scoring unless Y doubled all over again. A double reopens the bidding, just the same as any other declaration, allowing the player’s partner, or the player himself in his turn, to take himself out of the double by bidding something else.

IRREGULARITIES IN DECLARING. If any player declares out of turn, either in bidding a suit or in doubling, either opponent may demand a new deal, or may allow the declaration so made to stand, in which case the next player to the left must bid, just as if the declaration had been in turn. If a player pass out of turn there is no penalty, and the player whose turn it was must declare himself. The player who has passed out of his proper turn may re-enter the bidding if the declaration he passed has been over-called or doubled.

If a player makes an insufficient or impossible declaration, either adversary may call attention to it. Suppose the last bid is three royals, and the next player says four clubs. This is not enough, as three royals is worth 27 and four clubs only 24. Unless the player in error correct himself at once, and make it five clubs, either adversary may demand that it be five clubs, and the partner of the corrected player cannot bid unless this five-club bid is over-called or doubled. A player correcting himself must stick to the suit named, not being allowed to say four diamonds when he sees that four clubs is not enough.

If an insufficient declaration is passed or over-called by the player on the left, it is too late to demand any penalty, and the insufficient bid stands as regular. Suppose A bids three royals and Y says four clubs, B and Z passing. A can repeat his bid of three royals if he likes, as that is enough to over-call four clubs.

If a player makes an impossible declaration, such as calling six diamonds over five no trumps, when it is clearly impossible to make any diamond declaration worth 50, either adversary may demand a new deal, or may insist that the last bid made by his own side, five no trumps, shall be the winning declaration, or he may force the player in error to declare a grand slam in diamonds and play it, his partner being forbidden to take him out.

METHOD OF PLAYING. The winning declaration settled, whether doubled or not, the player on the left of the declarer leads for the first trick, and dummy’s cards go down, the declarer playing the combined hands. The declarer gathers the tricks for his side, but either adversary may gather for the other. The first six tricks taken by the declarer make a book, and all over the book count toward his contract. The adversaries have a book as soon as they reach the limit of the tricks they may win without “setting” the contract. If the contract is four hearts, the declarer must win ten tricks, so that his opponents have a book when they get home three tricks. All tricks should be laid so that they may be readily counted by any player at the table.

DUMMY. Until a card is led by the proper player, the declarer’s partner has all the rights of any other player, but as soon as the player to the left of the declarer leads and dummy’s cards are laid on the table, dummy’s duties and rights are restricted to the following:

He may call attention to few cards played to a trick; correct an improper claim of either adversary; call attention to a trick taken by the wrong side; ask his partner if he have none of a suit to which he renounces; correct an erroneous score; consult with the declarer as to which penalty to exact for a revoke; and, if he has not intentionally overlooked the hand of another player, he may call his partner’s attention to an established revoke made by the adversaries, or to a card exposed by them or a lead out of turn made by them.

The Revoke. Should a player fail to follow suit when able to do so, it is a revoke, and the revoke is established when the trick in which it occurs is turned down and quitted by the side that won it, or when the revoking player, or his partner, in his right turn or otherwise, has led or played to the following trick. If a player ask his partner if he has none of the suit led, before the trick is turned down, the revoke may be corrected, unless the player in error replies in the negative, or has led or played to the next trick.

Dummy cannot revoke under any circumstances.

The penalty for the revoke depends on the side in error. If the declarer revokes he cannot score anything but honours as actually held, while the adversaries take 100 points penalty in the honour column, in addition to any they may be entitled to for defeating the declaration. If an adversary revokes, they score honours only, and the declarer may either take the 100 points, or he may take three actual tricks and add them to his own. If he takes the tricks, they may aid him in fulfilling his contract, as the score is then made up as the tricks lie, but the declarer will not be entitled to any bonus in case he was doubled.

Suppose Z is the declarer, and is playing three hearts doubled. He wins the odd trick only, but detects a revoke, for which he takes three tricks. This gives him four by cards, doubled, worth 64 points toward game, but he does not get any bonus for making his contract after being doubled, or for the extra tricks, because they were taken in penalty and not in play.

Exposed Cards. After the deal but before the winning declaration is settled, if any player exposes a card his partner is barred from bidding or doubling, and the card is subject to call. Should the partner of the offending player prove to be the leader to the first trick, the declarer may prohibit the initial lead of the exposed suit.

All cards exposed by the declarer’s adversaries after the original lead are liable to be called and must be left on the table, face upward. Exposed cards are those played two at a time, dropped on the table face up, or so held that the partner might see them, or cards mentioned as being in the hand of the player or his partner. The declarer is not liable to any penalty for exposed cards.

Leading Out of Turn. If either adversary leads out of turn, the declarer may call the card exposed, or call a suit when it is the turn of either adversary to lead. If the declarer leads out of turn, from his own hand or dummy’s, there is no penalty, but he may not correct the error unless directed to do so by an adversary. If the second hand plays to the false lead, it must stand. If the declarer plays from his own hand or from dummy to a false lead, the trick stands. In case the dealer calls a suit and the player has none, the penalty is paid.

Cards Played in Error. If any player but dummy omits to play to a trick, and does not correct the error until he has played to the next trick, the other side may claim a new deal. If the deal stands, the surplus card at the end is supposed to belong to the short trick, but is not a revoke.

OBJECT OF THE GAME. The object in auction is for the declarer to fulfil his contract, and for the adversaries to defeat it. The highest card played to the trick, if of the suit led, wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. At the end of the hand the declarer counts up the tricks he has won over the book and if he has made good on his contract he scores the value of those tricks toward game. As soon as either side reaches 30, it is a game, but the hands are played out, and all the tricks counted.

RUBBERS. Three games, 30 points or more each, make a rubber, but if the first two are won by the same partners the third game is not played. The side that first wins two games adds 250 rubber points to its score.

SCORING. Apart from the game score, which is made entirely by tricks won on successful declarations, there are several additional scores that have no influence in winning or losing the game, although they may materially affect the ultimate value of the rubber. These are all entered under the head of “honour scores,” or “above the line.”

Honours are the five highest cards in the trump suit, A K Q J 10; when there is no trump, they are the four Aces. The partners holding three, four or five honours between them, or four honours in one hand, or four in one hand and the fifth in the partner’s, or all five in one hand, are entitled to claim and score them, according to the following table. It will be seen that their value varies according to the trump suit; and it must be remembered that this value cannot be increased by doubling.