How to play the game of................

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                          by Lawrence Nelson
                          last updated: 2/21/85



Players

 The Game is played with two teams of two players each, partners sit
 on opposite sides of the table.

Object

 The object is to win the most games you can.

The deal

 The game is played with a deck of 52 cards plus two (2) Jokers.
 All the cards are dealt out to the players plus a six (6) card kitty.
 (I.E. 12 cards to each player and 6 to the kitty)

The kitty

 The kitty has six (6) cards that is won by the player with the highest
 bid.  The winner can take out from the kitty all the cards he thinks
 will help him and his partner win the game.  He must replace the cards
 he take out of the kitty with cards from his hand.  The kitty counts as
 his teams first book.  In a no trump hand it is never shown. Players
 can decide before play starts if the kitty is shown when there is
 trumps.

A game

 A game is won when you get seven (7) points or make your opponents
 go negative seven (-7).

Books

 A group of four cards (one played by each player).  In a turn a player
 MUST play a card in the same suit that lead the book.  If a player does
 not have one he may then play a trump or a card of another suit.

Bidding

 There is one round of bidding, starting with the dealers left, each
 player makes a bid (how many book above six (6) his team can make).
 You must either bid higher than the person to your right or "pass"
 (make no bid).  If everyone passes the dealer MUST make a bid. The
 player whos bid wins goes first

Making your bid

 You get points by making your bid.  You make your bid by taking six (6)
 books plus the number of books your team bid.  For example if your team
 bids four (4) you have to make ten (10) books to win the hand. Your
 opponents can get points when your team has the bid by taking 7 or more
 books from you (they get one point for each book over 6).  If you make your
 bid you get points equal to the number you bid, plus one point for each
 extra book you make.  For example if you team bids three (3) and your make
 ten (10) books you get three points for making your bid, plus one (1) extra
 point for making the fourth book (over the 6).

Not making your bid

 If your team does not make the books you said you would (your bid plus
 the 6 extra books) you lose the number of points equal to your bid.  for
 example if you team bids five (5) and you only make ten (10) books you
 lose five points from your score.

The Bids

 A player bids on the books he thinks he and his partner will make,
 starting with the player to the left of the dealer.
 The valid bids range from the lowest (3 high) to the highest (7 no).

     The following chart shows the range of the bids:
   +--------------------------------------------------------+
   | where n1 is a number from 3 to 7                       |
   +----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | n1 high  | Cards are A,K,Q,J,10,.......                |
   |   n1     | (saying only a number implies high "with")  |
   +----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | n1 low   | Cards are A,2,3,4,5,........                |
   +----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | n1 no    | no trump (bid winner picks direction)       |
   +----------+---------------------------------------------+

 The player who wins the bid does the following:
        1) tells in which way the cards are going
           (if the bid does not specify it)
        2) What suit is the trump suit
           (if there is to be a trump suit)
        3) Take the kitty and replace the cards in his hand
           (if he wants to).  Some players play that if there is
           going to be trumps then the kitty is shown. This must
           be decided before the game starts.  The kitty is never
           shown in a no trump hand.
        4) If there are no trumps and other players have Jokers
           They now can replace the Joker and only the joker with
           one of the cards in the kitty (high joker get to pick
           first) without looking at the cards.
        5) after steps 1-5 are done, takes the kitty and makes it
           his teams first book.  He now plays his first card and
           the game starts.

Order of the cards

 When the bid is high the order is:

      Ace,King,Queen,Jack,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2

 When the bid is low the order is:

      Ace,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,Jack,Queen,King


With Trumps

 A trump is a wild card that can beat any card played in a book.
 If a game is played with trumps the order of cards are as follows:

 When the bid is high the order is:
     -(H)-> high-Joker,Low-joker,Ace,King,Queen,Jack,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2

 When the bid is low the order is:
     -(L)-> high-Joker,Low-joker,Ace,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,Jack,Queen,King

 Note there are now two new cards in the order of cards, they are the
 two jokers (high and low).  A trump can only be played if a player
 DOES NOT have any of the suit that lead a book but MUST play one (if
 he has one) if the lead suit is trump.

Other rules

 Also note the following rule notes:

 1)  If the lead card is not a trump and you do not have one,
     you can play either a TRUMP or a card from another suit.

 2)  If you play a card that is not the same suit as the lead
     card when you have a card of that suit in your hand, and
     you get caught by one of your opponents, your team must
     give up three (3) books to your opponents.



                              player 2
                              ________

                     +------------------------------+
                     |             +--+             |
                     |             |12|+            |
                     |             +--+|            |
                     |              +--+            |
                     |                              |
                     |  +--+      (kitty)     +--+  |
                     | +--+|       +--+       |+--+ |
                     | |12|+       | 6|+      +|12| |
            player 1 | +--+        +--+|       +--+ | player 3
            ________ |              +--+            | ________
                     |                              |
                     |              +--+            |
                     |             +--+|            |
                     |             |12|+            |
                     |             +--+             |
                     +------------------------------+

                              player 4 /Dealer
                              ________________

 At this table players 1 and 3, 2 and 4 are partners.
 and that player 4 is the dealer so player 1 starts off the bidding.