BASSET, or Basette, a game with cards, said to have been invented by a noble Venetian, who was banished for his invention. It was first introduced into France by Signior Justiniani, ambassador of Venice, in 1674. Severe laws were made against it by Louis XIV., to elude which they disguised basset under the name of pour et contre, “for and against,” which occasioned new arrets and prohibitions of parliament. The parties concerned in it are a dealer or banker; his assistant, who supervises the losing cards; and the punter, or any one who plays against the banker.

Besides these, there are other terms used in this game. 1. The fasse or face is the first card turned up by the tailleur belonging to the pack, by which he gains the value of half the money laid down on every card of that sort by the punters. 2. The couch is the first money which every punter puts on each card; each person who plays having a book of thirteen several cards before him, on which he may lay his money, more or less, at discretion. 3. The paroli is, when a punter having won the first stake, and having a mind to pursue his good fortune, crooks the corner of his card, and lets his prize lie, aiming at a sept et le va. 4. The masse is, when having won the first stake, the punter is willing to venture mere money on the same card. 5. The pay is, when the punter, having won the first stake, be it a shilling, half-crown, guinea, or whatever he laid down on his card, and not caring to hazard the paroli, leaves off, or goes the pay; in which case, if the card turns up wrong, he loses nothing, having won the couch before; whereas if it turn right, he by this adventure wins double the money staked. 6. The alpiew is much the same with paroli, and used when a couch is won by turning up or crooking the corner of the winning card. 7. Sept et le va is the first great chance or prize, when the punter, having won the couch, makes a paroli, and goes on to a second chance, so that if his winning card turns up again, it comes to sept et le va, which is seven times as much as he laid down on his card. 8. Quinze et le va is the next higher prize, when the punter having won the former, is resolved to push his fortune, and lay his money a second time on the same card, by crooking another corner; in which case, if it comes up he wins fifteen times the money he laid down. 9. Trent et le va is the next higher prize, when the punter, crooking the fourth corner of his winning card, if it turn up, wins thirty-three times the money he first staked. 10. Soixant et le va is the highest prize, and entitles the winner to sixty-seven times his first moneys which, if it be considerable, may chance to break the bank; but the bank has many chances of first breaking the punter. This cannot be won but by the tailleur’s dealing the cards over again.

The rules of the game of basset are as follows: 1. The banker holds a pack of fifty-two cards, and having shuffled them, he turns the whole pack at once, so as to discover the last card; after which he lays down all the cards by couples. 2. The punter has his book of thirteen cards in his hand, from the king to the ace, and out of these he takes one card or more at pleasure, upon which he lays a stake. 3. The punter may, at his choice, either laydown his stake before the pack is turned, or immediately after it is turned, or after any number of couples arc down. 4. Supposing the punter to lay down his stake after the pack is turned, and calling 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c. the places of those cards which follow the card in view, either immediately after the pack is turned or after any number of couples are drawn; then, 5. If the card upon which the punter has laid a stake comes out in any even place except the [7:4:434]first, he wins a stake equal to his own. 6. If the card upon which the punter has laid a stake come out in any even place except the second, he loses his stake. 7. If the card of the punter comes out in the first place, he neither wins nor loses, but takes his own stake again. 8. If the card of the punter comes out in the second place, he does not lose his whole stake, but only one half; and this is the case in which the punter is said to defaced. 9. When the punter chooses to come in after any number of couples are down, if his card happens to be but once in the pack, and is the last of all, there is an exception from the general rule; for although it comes out in an odd place, which should entitle him to win a stake equal to his own, yet he neither wins nor loses from that circumstance, but takes back his own stake.

This game has been the object of mathematical calculation; and M. de Moivre solves this problem: To estimate at basset the loss of the punter under any circumstance of cards remaining in the stock when he lays his stake, and of any number of times that his card is repeated in the stock. And from the solution he has formed a table showing the several losses of the punter in whatsoever circumstances be may happen to be. From this table it appears, 1. That the fewer the cards in the stock, the greater is the loss of the punter: 2. That the least loss of the punter, under the same circumstances of cards remaining in the stock, is when his card is but twice in it; the next greater when but three times; the next greater when four times; and the greatest of all when but once. The gain of the banker upon all the money adventured at basset is 15s. 3d. per cent.

Basset, Peter, a gentleman of good family, was chamberlain or gentleman of the privy chamber to King Henry V., a constant attendant on that brave prince, and an eyewitness of his most glorious actions both at home and abroad.