Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-07
WHIST.


To the student of whist it is not lit
tie interesting to survey the progress OF
the game from the time-about the H1lo,
die of the seventeenth century-"hen !.
emerged from, the obscurity which yelled
ire orirjn as well as the earliest methods
of p,aying it. Whilst there can be no
doubt about the close kinshlp OF
whist and the game Of ruiz anu
honors. as described by Cotton IN
THE Compleat Gamesters'' Q6'4),
there were. nevertheless, important
points of difference between the Two
pasti7nes The description OF WHIST as
contained in Seylnours edition OF l!'4 10
probably the true starting point for the
scientific study of the game; the student
with archaeological inclinatons may,
however. carry his research pack 1oo
wears farther if he is SO disposed.
The evolution of whist from the point
referred TO is striking in several par''cu-
lars l have before me copy o. the Az
nails of Gaming published almost slmui'a-
reouelv With Seymour's third edition OF
tho Court Gamester Ullis is, including
Cotton's two editions on account OIL 'iie
hooks having been practically the same
nl1l,lica,icnD The book affords q curious
insight into the strange mixture OF Scie"-
fife and erroneous ideas which prevailed
upon the subject at that time Dob: we
ere told 10 lead from the best suit IN
hand and TO select sequence in pref
crenca 70 any other; 10 open with the
highest OF the sequence unless II con-
sists of five cards. when the lowest OF
the sequence should be played here
we surely have the germ Of number snow
ing leads and unlocking play.
Here are a few leads which go TO sho"
that. barring reflncnents and coh'eltloh"
Of somewhat doubtful sounoness. we
have not made much ADVANCE ~ 'n'.
direction over Hoyle and his contempt
raries:
IF yo,, have ace, king and four smail
-ru-77ns begin with a small one, because
il is an equal wager that your partner
has a better trump than the last payer.
If YOU have ace king, knaEe ana thTee
small tru,nps. or king. queen zen anu
three small t:unaDs. begin Win tHe hi.4s,
because etc. Can excellent reason oelhs
Given for each ruled
Then follow some particular gases,
,vhicr, disDlav at least as great kno"l-
edge of the game as those gwen ~
IJoZ.le. extensive tables Of the odds uIloei
various conditions Of the dea!' anu 'ise
mr. six paees devoted to exposure OF .i.e
different swindling tricks ASSOCIATED WIN
the game at that time Referring ~ :,
certain method OF stacking uie ii,
NO writer saws: IF such a shuttle only
tolzos place once in game. 1t IS sum
cent 10 ruin Lord Give in the long run
.n1 believe that his lordsh.p. tho"sh
,o was una cc1.airted with the operations
has felt the effects of it as wen at oa'H
as in London 80
None of the editions OF the Ahna'e "
Gaming bears a signature, put, aitlous,'
the latest of them antedates the 1rst WOE" .,
claimed by Edmond Hoyie. ne EN-.
,r~ota the section on Whist in the former
,rr. ~, ,he bodily c-ibhed good deal
NJ its matter Even the Short Ireatlse'
which was issued privately ara 10 out
Few friends and pupils. could not nave
bofn issued much earlier than the
nannhlet which bore the author
signature The strange part OF lhe
things is not so much me 'aos
that HOWE probably wrote the
chapter on whist in Annals OF 1a,i at','
ne tha, Caycndish. who was careful!
student of the literature of the game, mas
nothing to say about the book and Pole'
who does mention il and can hardly rave
failed to examine it. makes no note o.
the similarities In the two treatlses. TINS
however is in the nature Of aggression.
After Hoyle there WAS nothing "r'tlen
Of consequence Gor PaEre's MaAfms are
no more than a systematic arrangement
If tho dtcta Of Hovle, until the appear
ancc of Matthew's Advice TO the Young
yhis: Player" This little volume IS
collection CT notes on whist without ordef
or system but they contain IN enect Tue
whole principles of the game. nave We
made any advance, except In pracuce
nerbaps. since the time of Matthew's
reo2) OF course. many fine works on the
subject have been written since tnat GAZE
to mention only the greatest OF them
.,,DPo,e's Philosophy-but whilst that
writer's exposition Of the principles OF
-. ,.,oa was q great advance IN the