Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-10-19
POINTS ON CARDS.
A Few Easy but Important Questions
About Whist Answered.

About whist Answered.
have been asked the following ques.
tons ir fourteen states Of the Union. The
answers ase contained in every good whist
text boo.. but n whist text book Is Greek
to the average mortal, and anything more
than a glance over the interminable pages
of explanations, tables and hands would
bring ON the 81. Nitus dance or brain fever.
The reader must imagine the questions to
have been asked by an enthusiast, who has
played the game and likes 1t. but who is
not familiar with the rules.
Enthusiastic understand that ! should
lead originally from my long suit, and that
when ! have five or more trumps it's best
TO lead them out. But ! can't get the signal
through my head.
Answer-If you a TO signal to your
partner for tr,mps all you have To do Is to
play an unnecessarily high card. That's
the whole thing in a nutshell. Suppose
your right hand opponent leads clubs, and
you have the 3 and =. Now, II you play
the 8 second hand, why you are playing an
unnecessarily high card, are you not' Other.
wise You would play the Of course you
haven't completed the signal yet. but you
nave lone your part. On the next round
Of clubs you play the ., aud then your part.
ner sees your call. Suppose your left hand
opponent leads diamonds and you haven't
any. The trick belongs TO sour partner
second hand and you throw of clubs. But
instead Of throwing the lowest club first
throw the next highest to it. This is an
unnecessarily high card, and when on the
Nart rAup1 Of fhfa stif xa, lis,ar ri xnur
lowest club you complete the signal.
Enthusiast-Of course. Now you spoke
Of describing. In a case like this do you
throw off from your weak or strong suits
Answer-That depends. C%avendish says
that on your opponents lead OF trumps
discard from your long suit, and IL you
or your partner are strong in trumps
discard from sour weak suit. The pNnt
is that II You and your partner are
strong in trumps you want to make all
you can out Of your long suits, and you
can't afford to weaken them. But il your
opponents are strong in trumps, then you
play a defensive game, and as your weak
suits are their strong suits, you hold on to
them to keep the command as long as pos.
sible.
Enthusiastic see. But suppose you are
weak in trumps, and you have no indica-
tlon ~ 10 your opponents or your part
ner's strength in them'
Answer-This could only happen In the
first round, unless the suits were changed,
for the second round Of the same suit
would declare somebody's signal, il there
was any. But where you have no indica-
ton Of what others hold, always discard
from your weak suit. or curse your op.
p%onent's signal is practically for informa
tory purposes. as good as II they led trumps,
and after ii you would follow the rule and
discard from your strong suit.
Enthusiast-Tbat's all right. But sup.
pose your partner doesn't notice "A signal
given by your opponents. It's very con.
6ning work to watch the cards M they
fall. Suppose my partner should fail to
discard from my long suit. My partnG
would he deceived, wouldn't he, Nov
don't tell me my partner ought to see IL.
know that already. but nobody is infalli.
bla
Answer-You have almost answered
your w question. Simply he guided by
good common sense. Remember that
whist was not made for rules. but rules
made for waist. HatrI your miItnvr's
play. In a case like this il is better TO fol
low the rule the first time. and then at the
end of the hand call your partners atten.
ton to his failure to see the signal. II he
is a good player you will have TO remind
him but once. Ton MASON.