Ellsworth American., 1863-12-11
New Game of Cards.

pronounced ba-sic) has been recently in.
troduced which bids fair to rival whist
especially as it can be played with two
three or four hands, using as many packs
of cards as there are players. Frank
Leslae's Monthly for November gives the
following rules for playing this game
"Bazique is a game, probably of late
invention, and of quite novel kind. It
is played with two piquet packs of cards
packs in which all under the seven spot
is throw out) shufled well together and
used as one. The cards rank as in whist,
with the exception that the ten comes be.
tween the ace and king One hundred
points mako the game, which may be
marked in the same manner as those at
piquet, except that they are scored at
once, as tney arise. Some players make
the game one thousand; bnt as all the
items then count as tens, this is ne edless
and cumbersome complication.
The players deal in turn. The dealer
gives CiSus Caiuo w SdCi, HoV otHgIJ, Dut
in parcels of three, three and two. He
then turns up the seventeenth as the
trump card, places it aside and puts the
remainder of the pack conveniently be-
tween the two players.
The play for tricks then commences by
the nondeaer leading card, which the
other party replies to but the rules of
playing are peculiar; the second player
is not bound to follow suit, but may play
any card in his hand he chooses if the
suit is followed the highest card wins; if
not, the card led wins. unless trump is
played upon it, as trumps command all
the other suits.
The winner Of the trick takes it up
and lays i. aside he then takes card
from the top of the pack into his hand ;
and, after his opponent has done the same
he leads a card tor the next trick and so
on till the pack is exhausted the number
of eight cards being constantly retained
in the hand of each player.
The tricks made score nothing and arc
of no value except for certain cards they
may contain as We shall hereafter dcs-
crbe.
The points are scored according to cer-
tain cards and certain combinations,
which the players may from time to time
become possessed of in their hands and
the skill lies in SO playing as to promote
these combinations. They are as fol-
lows:
Four aces in the hand count ten; four
kings, eight; four queens, six; four
four King and queen Of the
same suit are called marriage, and score
two; but the marriage of trumps scores
four.
The ace, ten, king, queen and knave of
trumps together form what is called the
and scores twenty-five.
The knave OF diamonds and queen Of
spades together form bazique, and score
four. 1t this occurs twice in the same
players hand, it is c,lled double bazique,
and scor"s fifty.
The seven of trumps scores one; but
it has this privilege, that it may be ex-
changed tor the trump card, which Is Oft
en- a great advantage when the latter
forms one of the sequence.
Now in order to score any Of these
items they must be declared : and this
can only be done Immediately after the
party holding them has won trick, and
before he has taken a new card from the
pack he then lays the card to be de-
clared face upward on the table, where
they remain, only still being considered
part of his hand and played for tricks as
he plclscs, just like the others. The OBJ
iect of keeping them exposed is to enable
the adversary to see that they are not de-
clared twice over; for example, no ace
which has formed part Of four aces de-
clared can form part of another tour
and no king or queen married can be mar
ried again and so on bnt any card al
ready declared can be again declared in
different class of combination; as for ex
ample, cards declared IN sequence may
be again be declared in fours or married.
or form part OF bazique, etc., as oppor-
tunity may permit.
The combinations are registered as they
are declared, aud the playing goes on as
before described until the last card of the
pack and trump card generally changed
to the sevenl onl remain; the winner OF
the last trick the former of these, and his
opponent the trump, and after this the
declarations cease. Any declared cards
lying on the table are taken up into the
hands, and new rule of play begins
the second player being now obligel to
follow suit if he can, aud, if not, to trump
the trick. So the whole eight cards are
played out and the winner OF the last
trick scores ono.
Each player now gathers up the heap
Of trick. he has taken, and, looking them
over, reckons up the number Of aces and
tens they contain, for each Of which he
adds one to his score. Toward the end
of the game 1t may sometimes happen
that both parties might score up to one
hundred by this means, and in such case
the majority on either side only should be
scored, which would either determine the
game in favor of one party, or at any
rate allow another hand to be commenc-
ed.
Basique is very pretty game and
very amusing, from the provoking d fl
culties it sometimes puts the player in as
to what cards they shall play or retain,
so as to do the least possible harm to
their chance of sooring-diii ,ultics which
often bring good deal of skill into ex-