Complex sentence: The Couch: which was the first stake that every punter laid upon each card--every player having a book of 13 cards before him, upon which he must lay his money, more or less, according to his fancy.
Split into simpler sentences: The couch: which was the first stake that every punter laid upon each card. Each player had a book of 13 cards before him, upon which he must lay his money, more or less, according to his fancy.