Some players do not count the brisques until the last trick has been played, but the practice is not to be recommended. Scores erroneously marked must be taken down, and the adversary may add the points to his own score. _=Suggestions for Good Play=_ will be found in Binocle. FOUR-HANDED BÉZIQUE. In this variation, four persons may play; each for himself or two against two, partners sitting opposite each other. Four packs of thirty-two cards each are shuffled together and used as one. Triple bézique counts 1500. When a player wins a trick, either he or his partner may declare everything in the hand, but only one combination can be scored at a time. The advantage of showing all the combinations in the hand is that they may be built up by either partner. For instance: One partner has declared bézique and royal marriage, scoring the marriage only.
Any person in the gallery is allowed to draw attention to errors in the score, and may advise the player he is backing, or even play out the game for him, if he resigns. The player need not take the advice given him, which must be offered without discussion, and by pointing only, not naming the suit or cards. If a player will not allow the gallery to back him, taking all bets himself, no one may overlook his hand nor advise him without his permission, and he need not retire if he loses the game. _=CUTTING.=_ The player cutting the highest écarté card deals the first hand, and has the choice of seats and cards. If a person exposes more than one card in cutting, the lowest is taken to be his cut. If he does not cut, or will not show his cut, he loses the first deal. _=STAKES.=_ Écarté is played for so much a game. If the gallery is betting, all money offered must be placed on the table, and if the bets are not taken by the players, they may be covered by the opposing gallery.
From the second, go on with the Queen, the card your partner does not know, which tells him you still have the Ace, _=but not the Jack=_. If you have not the Queen, you will have to go on with the Ace, and your leading the Ace _=will deny the Queen=_. If you have not the best, lead one of the second and third-best, if you hold both:-- [Illustration: 🃞 🃝 🃛 🃚 | 🂾 🂽 🂻 🂲 ] From the first of these, having led the King, if it wins, go on with the ten, whether you have any smaller cards or not. From the second, if the King wins, go on with the Jack, which denies the ten, but tells your partner you still have the Queen. No mistake is more common among beginners than leading a low card on the second round, on the assumption that the partner must have the Ace. If you have led from King and Queen only, you must go on with the fourth-best; because you have not both the second and third-best. This fourth-best is the card that was the fourth-best originally. Having led the King from this:-- [Illustration: 🃎 🃍 🃈 🃆 🃅 🃃 ] the card to follow the King is the six, if the King wins the first trick. _=The Fourth-best.=_ From any combination of cards, if you have not the best, or both the second and third-best, in your hand for the second round, lead your original fourth-best.
He is blindfolded, and stands alone, with his legs as far apart as possible. The other boys then throw their caps as far as they are able between the extended legs of the Cock (fig. 1). After the boys have thrown their caps, and each boy has taken his stand beside his cap, the Cock, still blindfolded, stoops down and crawls in search of the caps (fig. 2). The boy whose cap he first finds has to run about twenty yards under the buffeting of the other boys, the blows being directed chiefly to the head. He becomes Cock at the next turn of the game.--Rosehearty, Pitsligo (Rev. W. Gregor).
12. If an erroneous score, affecting the amount of the rubber, be proved, such mistake can be rectified at any time during the rubber. CUTTING. 13. The Ace is the lowest card. 14. In all cases, every one must cut from the same pack. 15. Should a player expose more than one card, he must cut again. FORMATION OF TABLE.