CAPTAIN WENTWORTH: ” You have not been long enough in Bath,” said he, “to enjoy the evening parties of the place.”
ANNE ELLIOT: “Oh! no. The usual character of them has nothing for me. I am no card-player.”
CAPTAIN WENTWORTH: ” You were not formerly, I know. You did not use to like cards; but time makes many changes.”
-PERSUASION
A table or room set aside for card players is almost inevitable at any social gathering. Indeed, some parties are held for no other reason. Nearly everyone plays cards, though context often determines how enjoyable a game will be. Lively games with charming partners are enjoyable pastimes, while parties with no purpose other than making up whist tables with dull company are to be abhorred. In any event, everyone plays cards at some point, so it is best to familiarize yourself with the rules of some of the most popular games.
WHIST
Whist was probably the most popular card game of Jane Austen’s time and is related to the modern game of bridge.
REQUIREMENTS: Four players and a standard deck of fifty-two cards
1. Divide the players into two sets of two partners. Each player should sit across from his or her partner at the table.
2. Shuffle and deal all of the cards. Each player should have thirteen cards. The last card is left turned up; the suit of that card is the trump suit.
3. Lead the trick.The player sitting to the left of the dealer “leads” the trick by choosing a card to play from his or her hand.
4. Play the cards in a clockwise rotation. Try to play a card of the trump suit but a higher number. If you have none, then you may play a card of any suit.
5. Take the trick. The player with the highest card in the trump suit wins the trick. If there is no card from the trump suit, then the highest card from the lead suit wins the trick. When you win a trick, take up the four cards and stack them in front of you.
6. Pay attention to the cards already played. If you are attentive, you will know which cards already have been played and can guess your opponents’ cards with a fair degree of accuracy. Guessing your opponents’ cards is considered part of the strategy of the game.
7. Count points. Once a team has won six tricks, they begin to tally points: one point for each trick won.
8. Deal the cards again. The game continues until one set of partners wins five points. You will most likely have to deal the cards more than once.
9. Collect your winnings. The losers will pay a predetermined amount per point; for instance, if you have decided to play for a pound per point, the losers will each pay five pounds, which is split between the winners.
