Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-21
HEARTS BECOMING POPULAR.
Backhanded Sort of Whist Said to be
Driving Out Progressive Eucher.
From the New York Snn

Driving Out Progressive Eucher.
From the New York Sun.
Hearts," the little game that was intro
duced into high society few years ago, is
likely to become as much the rage, they say, as
progressive eucher has been for a season or two
past. The game seems to be all right and
fully as pleasant the older one of eucher.
not to speak of its being easier for greenh orn
to pick up. There always were one or two at a
progressive eucher party who did not know the
game and hadn't more than begun to learn it
when the bell rang time for the last round
This greatly interfered with the celebrity of the
play. that was essential TO make a progressive
eucher party lively, and was constant annoy
ance to good players. There will be no such
trouble with hearts. for its rules are so simple
that any one with any knowledge at all Of cards
can pick them up i'll few minutes. At the
same time there is room in the game for the
exercise of the faculties of memory and judg-
ment essential to good whist player. The
more one knows about it the better one plays
but to be able to play well enough to keep up
with the procession and avoid delaying the
games it is not essential to have any expert
knowledge.
There are four players in each game but no
partners-a fact that simplifies it greatly. The
full pack of ffty-two cards (no joker is dealt
IL,
deuce, low. The deal is determined by throw
ing card to each PLAYER, the lowest dealing.
The player at the dealers left leads, and the
others play in rotation, following suit if they
can, throwing away if they have none of the
suit led. The highest card of the suit led takes
the trick, and the winner of one trick leads for
the next.
The object of each player is to avoid taking
any trick that has a'heart in it. and, of
course, to compel some one else TO take tricks
into which hearts have been thrown. The re-
suit is a sort of reversal of whist, with hearts
perpetuaiiy trumps. Of course the highest
cards are the most dangerous for they are most
likely to take tricks and the fewer tricks one
takes the less chance of hearts Hearts, also,
are things despiSed, to be got rid of as rapidly
as possible. 1t is good thing, in general
way, to get rid of all cards of suite early in
the play, because then one can avoid having to
follow suit, perhaps, and have a chance to
throw away heart, and in various other mat
tiers the rules and customs that have become
instinct with whist players are reversed in
hearts.
When all the cards have been played each
player looks over his tricks, and for each heart
card, if any in them. he puts one counter into
pool. The player who has heart card
takes the pool. Where two or more PLAYERS
have escaped taking any hearts. the pool is
divided among them, and if all the players
have taken hearts the pool stands and is Joined
to that for the next round. Aside from these
general principles the rules of whist govern
the game. with some few exceptions, such as
the following:
If card is exposed during the deal, the
dealer must deal over again. But if the ex-
posed card belongs to the dealer, fresh deal
does not ensue.
II misdeal occurs the dealer must deal over
again. On the case of a misdeal the deal does
not pass to the eldest hand. at whist There
Is no advantage in having the DEAL and some
times there Is decided advantage, in having
the lead Therefore the dealer must not de-
priye an innocent player of the privilege of the
lead.)
A card exposed in the course of a play cannot
be called as III whist.
CAT whist, by exposing his card or cards, a
player gives knowledge to his partner. and
hence the rule that such may be called for and
must be played. In the game of hearts each
player is PLAYING for himself alone, and has no
partner to whom information can be conveyed
Therefore. the stringent rule OF whist cannot
be extended when no reason for the rule ex-
ists)
In case of revoke the delinquent must nav
into the pool as many counters as the pool then
contains, II any, and thirteen counters addi-
tional.
revoking player cannot win ANYTHING in
the round in which the revoke occurred; but
after the penalty has been paid the entire pool
Is divided at once among the players.
Any player has the right to look at the last
Every trick must be gathered and turned be-
fore card can be led for the next trick.
The game can also be played five-handed
and six-handed by rejecting from the pack
enough small cards of other suits than hearts
to make the cards divide evenly among all tho
players. There is also Jackpot attachment
sometimes played at hearts. The pot is started
with contribution of one counter from each
player. At the end of the round if more than
one player has escaped taking hearts the odd
counter left in the division of the pool, which
ordinarilay goes to the winning player nearest
the dealers left is put into the jack pot With
each deal each player adds another counter to
the jack pot, and this continues until some
player takes no trick at all in a round, when
the jack pot is awarded to him.
The adaptation of the game to parlor use for
large party can be readily accomplished in a
variety of ways All that is necessary is to get
In the progressive feature, so that the winner
or winners at one table proceed to the next
Play may be continued at each table until the
round ends at the first one, and the hands then
may be laid down and the counting done or
play may be by complete rounds at each table.
The first will probably prove the more popular
way.
One or two manuals of the game have been
issued, but they differ as to details and every
one can devise a system for himself of making
the game progressive and also of scoring,
whether by games or by total Of points, which,
explained before play begins, will do as well as
any fixed rules. The simplest way of scoring
is probably to count one for the highest PLAYER
at each table each time a change of table is
made. Prizes are given, of course to the high
est and second highest players and to the
BOBBY, separate sets of prizes for the ladies and
for the men, just as in progressive eucher.