Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-17
THE GAME OF chop"
1t Excels Poker and Equals the Fascinating
Faro-A New Card Game that Has Taken
Paris and London by Storm.
Paris Letter to Cincinnati Enquirer.

Paris Letter to Cincinnati Enquirer.
People of Paris vino gamble are devot-
ing all of their spare time to a new game
that has supplanted all of the other
games played for money.
The new game is called "hop,' and
it is described as being the most fascinat-
ing game that mas ever been played
not even excepting the alluring game of
poker.
Paris is so infatuated with chop" that
millions Of francs are lost and won at it
every night.
The game of chop" has been intro
duced into the clubs of London, and it is
being played there with zeal worthy of
better cause. So far as known, the
game has not as yet been attempted in
the United States, but it is only matter
of time when it will become as popular
there as in Paris and London for the rea-
son that it is SO enticing that it is impOs-
sible for card players to withstand its
temptations. All that is required to rem
der it Il go there is to explain the rules
governing the play.
Chop is an extremely simple game.
Any person Of ordinary mental caliber
can play it if once told how to proceed.
Here is description Of the game: Four
persons are necessary 10 make up a game.
Take four decks Of cards, from which
throw Cu6 AL the cards below the sevens
That leaves the aces, kings, queens,
jacks, tens, mines, Fights and sevens to
play with.
al four of the decks are shuffied to-
gether as though they were one deck.
This done and the cards having been cut,
one person makes the deal, giving one
card at time to the other players until
he has dealt them three cards apiece,
but taking no cards himself.
After the deal those who have been
supplied with cards look at their hands
and bet or stay out, as their judgment
dictates.
The matter of betting having been set
tied, the dealer turns card from the top
of the deck and proceeds to pay and
take, according to the exigencies of the
game.
Losers and winners are determined
thus: If the dealer turns an ace he
makes a sweep, or, in other words, wins
all OF the bets that are made, regard
less of the cards held by the other play
erS.
If he turns king and there are any
kings in the hands ont, they stand off,
the dealer. All cards below the king
lose on that hand or deal. Ali aces out
win.
1t is merely this: The person to whom
the cards are dealt takes chances, after
looking at their cards and before seeing
the turn up, of their cards being either
higher in denomination than the card that
will be turned up or as high.
The ace is the dealer percentage. A
king or seven will stand off king or
seven, and there is nothing lost or won
on such a stand off, but nothing will
stand off an ace when turned up by the
dealer. Even If there are three aces in a
hand against the dealer he wins if he
turn an ace.
When the cards have all been dealt by
one dealer he passes them to the player
on his left, and they are shuflled and
dealt by that person until they are again
exhausted, and so on as long as the game
lasts. They are not shul1led between the
hands as in poker or euchre, but after
each hand is played the cards employed
in that hand are thrown aside, not to be
used until another grand shuttle has been
made.
A limit is placed on bets to be made,
w
purse of the players.
Imagine g game. Say the players are
Blackie Edwards, Tom Meade, Dick Hol-
land and Bill Bolander.
They sit in the order named, with
Blackie on Meade S right. Its Blackie's
deal. He shuf1les the cards and hands
them to Bolander to cut. Then he deals
one card at time, helping Meade first,
until he deals three cards from the top of
the deck to each of the players.
Meade looks at his hand and finds a
king, n ten and a seven. The limit is
S25. Meade bets ST. He signifies his
willingness to bet by declaring that it S
a ego, - that being the technical phrase.
Holland finds in his hand jack, nine
md an eight spot. He bets the limit.
Boiander discovers queen and pair
IF tens. He bets Sc .25.
Blackie then turns up jack.
Meade's king, being higher than the
Jack turned by the dealer, wins 81, but |
he ten and the seven both being below |
.he jack, cause him TO lose 81 each, which |
forces him to pay the dealer 81.
Hollands jack is stand off for |
6lackie s jack turned up, and there is
10 action SO far as that card is concerned. |
Dick loses on the ten and the seven, they |
10Th being below the jack in value, SO
lie owes Blackie twice S25 until he can see
Bill Hyde.
Bolander wins one bet and loses two,
laving n queen and two tens.
The next hand, all of the outsiders,
hat is, those other than the dealer. have