The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-15
THE GREAT GAME OF SOLO

Chicago Times Herald: A new game
of cards has come out of the west. It
is a rapid, dashing game, giving to its
devotees plentiful and swift action for
their money. Wherever it has been in
troduced in the east it has caught
within it's splendid delights the lovers
of cards. Even poker, with its fasci-
mating jackpots and the mysteries of
the draw, becomes insipid after one
has tasted of the delirious joys of solo.
as the western stranger is known, and
as for whist hearts, casino, seven-up.
euchre, ct al, their very existence is
forgotten in the rapture of solo. A
fierce three handed ''cutthroat" game,
where two always contest against one,
is solo. 1t comes from the west, with
whose miner and cowboy it soon de-
stroyed the charm of faro and stud
poker as money ahsorbers. The game
came east when the new states of the
Dakotas, Montana, Washington, and
Idaho came, and may fairly be termed
the contribution of this new brood of
communities to the gayety of nations.
Fred Dubois, the handsome young SEN
ator from Idaho and Governor Shoup.
his StalWart senior colleague. were both
given to the game. So, too, were Tom
Carter and Lee Mantle, the second crop
of Montana senators. Lark Frank Pet
/ tigrew of South Dakota is an adept at
it, while HanSbrough of North Dakota
dallies with it. Frank Cannon, Utah's
natiye-born senator, was fairly brought
UP on it.
Thus solo came out of the west to
Washington and the east. What is
solo? Solo is a card game played with
a pack of Sc cards, all below six being
thrown out. The cards rank as follows:
Ace, ten. king, queen, jack, nine, eight,
seven and six. The suits are Of equal
rank, excepting that where two propos-
ais or bids for solos are made, that in
hearts, if any such be made. takes pre-
cedence. The counting cards of each
suit are as follows: Ace II. ten 10.
king 4, queen 8, jack 2. The rest of
the cards have no counting value. The
total possible count in each game Is
| therefore 120, reckoned as follows: Four
aces Al. four tens 80, four queens u
and four jacks S-120.
Solo is played by three persons If
there are four at the table the dealer
gives himself no hand. but shares the
fortunes of the two players opposed to
the single player.
If there are five or more at the table
the dealer gives cards only to the
three on his left. Those not receiving
cards share the fortunes of the two
players opposed to the one player
There are always three active players
in solo, and two Of them are always
opposed to the third.
Solo is played for so much a point
the single player winning or losing to
each Of the others at the table. A cent
a point foots UP pretty we'll each time
and makes a game good enough for
social purposes. A dollar a point would
require returned Klondikers for play
ers, while $40 a point would make the
financial maenateS of the world dizzy
| in three rounds.
| The cards are dealt one at a time, as
in whist or poker, each player receiy-
/ ing IL, the remaining three being laid
aside and are called the slough
cards" The cards having been dealt,
| the players, beginning with the one on
/ the left of the dealer, make their bids.
! To 'frawg is the lowest offer that can
be made. When a ''frawg'' bid is sue
cessful hearts are always trumDs. A
''frawg'' allows the player to take up
the three slough cards, incorporate
them with his other cards, discardinE
/ three to reduce his hand to an equality
with that of the others. He is entitled
/ to add to the value Of these discarded
cards in counting his game at the end
] of the hand.
! The solo" is to propose a higher
game than to ''fraWg," for the one who
''so\s" is not permitted the assistance
/ of the slough cards. He is, however,
! allowed to count them in reckoning the
number of points he has made after the
! hands are played.
Whether the player "frawgs" or
solos," either in hearts or any other
suit, he must make better than 60 to
be entitled to- be paid by his cut
| throat adversaries. In the case of a
successful "frawgp he is paid by each
of his adversaries one chip or counter
for each point in excess of go that he
has made in plating his hand in ad-
dition to the slough cards. In like man
ner. If he fails I'd make so points. in
Guiding the slough cards, he is COM
PEELED to pay one chip or counter back
! to each of his alversaries for each
point he fails toI make below so. IT
| must be remembered that those sitting
in the game but not receiving cards
pay or are paid with the opponents Ct
the single player
If the player wins a solo in clubs
spades or diamonds. he is paid by each
of his adversaries two counters, and in
q heart solo three counters for each
point he has MADE in excess of 60, in
Guiding the points in the slough cards
II the bidder loses his solo he pays
double unless it is a heart solo, wher
he pays treble.
When any suit is made trumps il
takes precedence of the others in the
! playing, out of the hands, but the count