The San Francisco call., 1896-09-27
Whist a Conversation With Cards.

thorough understanding or system of play
between partners at whist table is where the
real enjoyment and the spirit of the game
comes in; it is the foundation and the basis of
all advancement or improvement in the game.
The law permits every one TO play their cards
as they please, and encourages them so to do
but the same law expects you 70 speak by the
card only. Between partners, there is q sort of
a telegraph at their disposal, and it is their
privilege TO work it for all it is worth and take
every possible advantage of it, but the dots
and dashes, signals and echoes should be open
and above board, apparent to every one,
and the key TO this system of telegraphy should
always De on the table, within the reach of
every one who wishes to acquire this knowledge
and make use of it to the best of his ability.
This written and unwritten whist law con-
demns everything approaching "private con-
ventions or clandestiue under-the-table
doings." 1t also provides against negligence,
forgetfulness or carelessness, for we all know
that on slightest symptoms of distraction the
same law never fails 10 awaken our attention
and strengthen the memory. To those that are
careless and negligent it IS chaos, and it
reminds US that at no great distance there is
an abyss into which our negligence may
plunge us headlong.
You have no doubt heard the saying many
and many time that whist is a language and
every card played all intelligible sentence.
don't wonder that such q question as this
might be asked:
"Do cards talk?"
How often have we heard the remark, "Speak
by the card If you can speak by the card
then cards must talk. Our answer 10 that is
yes; cards do talk, and theirlanguage is as well
understood by those who take the trouble to
study and get little knowledge OF K as any
other that is spoken. We will practically dem
onstrate this by giving sample of what one
card alone will say when it is laid on a table
in game OF whist by whist player, refer
ring our readers to Trist, Drayson, Cavendish,
Hamilton and Others for our authority
l am the original leader of the deal-mark
well, the original leader (there is only one each
deall-and the card select to lead is the ten OF
plain suit. 1t says TO my partner and the
whole table as we'll, The suit from which Lead
the ten IS the best one hold. have the king
jack and one or more small cards below the
ten If the ten wins the trick, what further
does it say, or what information does it giye9
1 don't suppose there is one player in twenty
who read this article that can offhand answer
the question correctly. Try it; then compare
notes.
1t says the queen is marked in my partners
hand; the ace may be there, if not it is in
second hand. To explain how il says this:
When ten wins fourth player cannot hold
either ace or queen or he would not have
allowed the ten to win. II ace and queen were
both in second hand surely the ten would have
been covered, king and jack being marked with
leader SO second hand cannot hold both If
second hand held the queen without ace and
passed the trick, third hand must hold ace.
and should play it (hnessing the ten would not
be playing whist; consequently ace is not in
the third hand, without the queen is there
also. The only one OF the two second hand
can hold is the ace; and queen must be with
third player.
To many queries on third-hand play on