The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (89 page)

marriage partners of dif erent suits, the chances of mating one of

them from the widow are bet er than even; with three, they are less

than even, but worth taking if you are either suf iciently in the lead

to be able to af ord the risk, or suf iciently behind not to be able to

af ord not to. Having overcome the hurdle of accurate bidding, the

actual play should be relatively straightforward for a skil ed soloist,

as there are not enough tricks to enable the partners to

communicate and co-operate very ef ectively. The soloist often

thereby ends up with considerably more than he bid – which is a

good reason for al owing him to score only what he bid, thus

exerting even greater pressure to bid up to the ful potential of the

hand. The game can get very exciting when someone is close to the

thousand, as careless bidding at this critical point may induce

irrecoverable reversals of fortune.

Mariás

3 players, 32 cards

This extension of Mariage is the Czech national card game. Of

several versions, each with its own range of variations, the

fol owing three-hander is essential y that described by V. Omasta

and S. Ravik in Hraci Karty, Karetni Hri (Prague, 1969).

Preliminaries Three active players, but four may play with each in

Preliminaries Three active players, but four may play with each in

turn dealing and sit ing that hand out. The player at dealer’s left is

Forehand, and bids and plays first; the next player in rotation is

Middlehand, the third Rearhand. The 32-card pack is normal y

German-suited, but if necessary you can substitute French. Cards

rank and count as fol ows:

German

Daus Zehn König Ober Unter 9 8 7

point value

10 10 0

0

0

0 0 0

French

A

T

K

Q

J

987

Object In each deal there is a soloist who aims to take a clear

majority of the points available. The total available is at least 90,

including 10 for winning the last trick, but may rise to as high as

190 with marriage declarations, which count 20 each, or 40 in

trumps.

Deal Deal ten each in batches of 3-2-(2)-3-2. The (2) denotes an

extra two dealt to Forehand, giving him 12 in al . Each player’s

second batch of five must be kept separate from the first.

Bidding Forehand is expected to choose trumps and play a basic

game. He starts by examining his first seven cards, leaving his other

five face down. If wil ing to entrump the suit of any of these seven,

he lays it, face up, on the table. If not, he picks one of his other five

at random, turns it face up, and must accept its suit as trump. He

then takes al his cards except the turn-up, and discards any two,

face down, as a widow. They may not include an Ace or Ten, and if

they include a trump, he must say so.

Forehand then asks the others – Middlehand first – if they wil let

him play a basic game. One of them can prevent it by of ering to

play either betl (lose every trick playing at no trump), or durch

(win every trick after nominating any desired suit as trump).

If neither does so, Forehand is the soloist in a basic game, which

he is at liberty to embel ish by making any of the fol owing

he is at liberty to embel ish by making any of the fol owing

announcements:

1. Seven Last. An undertaking to win the last trick with †7.

2. 2. Hundred. An undertaking to take at least 100 points

without making more than one marriage. (But subsequent

marriages are scorable once this has been achieved.) There is

a bonus for doing this anyway, but it is doubled for

announcing it beforehand.

3. Hundred and Seven. Both the above bids maybe combined.

4. Double Seven. An undertaking to win both the last trick with

†7 and the penultimate trick with any other Seven. (If either

of these fails, the other is also considered to have failed.)

5. Betl. A bid to lose every trick at no trump. Cards rank

AKQJT987, and there are no scores for Aces, Tens or last. Betl

may be played open, with al players’ hands face up on the

table, for double the score.

6. Durch. A bid to win every trick, playing with the turned suit

as trump. (Unlike the others, Forehand may not entrump a

suit other than the one turned.)

Other announcements and doubles Either opponent, if holding †7,

may announce ‘Seven last’, thereby undertaking to win the last trick

with it. (There is a penalty for playing †7 to the last trick and losing

it, whether announced or not.) Similarly, either opponent may cal

‘One hundred’, thereby obligating his partnership to take 100

points with the aid of not more than one marriage.

It is possible to double the basic game, and either or both of the

announcements. Each may be doubled at dif erent levels: double

(x2), redouble (x4), tut i (x8), retut i (x16). As to the basic game,

either opponent may double the soloist, the soloist may then

redouble, and so on, alternating between the soloist on one hand

and the opposing partnership on the other. As to the announcement

of Seven last or One Hundred, it can be doubled by either opponent

if the soloist bids it, or vice versa, and further levels of doubling

continue alternately.

continue alternately.

It is necessary to specify what is being doubled. For example, a

round of bidding might go:

Forehand Clubs, hundred

Middlehand Double

Dealer

Seven last

Forehand Redouble the game, double the Seven

Middlehand Pass

Dealer

Tutti the game

Forehand Pass

Automatic concession If Forehand bids a basic game, and no extras

are added or doubles made, it is considered not worth playing.

Forehand is deemed to have won, and scores accordingly.