The Penguin Book of Card Games: Everything You Need to Know to Play Over 250 Games (26 page)

3. Solo. Hombre announces trumps, but plays without

discarding.

Each in turn may pass or bid, and, having passed, may not come

in again. Each bid must be higher than the last. However, a player

who comes earlier in the bidding has positional priority, and may

‘hold’ (take over) the bid just made by a later player.

Discard and draw Unless playing solo, Hombre may make any

number of discards before drawing the same number from the top

of the stock. Solo or not, both opponents may then discard and

draw for themselves. As it is advantageous for one of them to have

the stronger hand, Hombre’s right-hand opponent may either

discard immediately or pass this privilege to the other player.

Whoever does so first may discard and draw any number (up to

Whoever does so first may discard and draw any number (up to

eight, under English rules). The other may then, but need not,

discard up to as many as are left. Discards are always made face

down, but rules vary as to whether any cards left untaken from the

stock may be turned face up, and this point should be agreed before

play.

PlayEldest leads first. Normal y, players must fol ow suit if possible,

otherwise may play any card. The trick is taken by the highest card

of the suit led, or by the highest trump if any are played, and the

winner of each trick leads to the next.

RenegingA player holding a matador need not play it to a trump

lead, but may, if lacking lower trumps, instead ‘renege’ by playing

from another suit. However, if a higher matador is led, a player

with a lower matador may not renege but must play either it or

another trump.

Five and the voleIf Hombre takes the first five tricks straight of , he

wins without further play. If instead he leads to the sixth, he

thereby obligates himself to win the vole (al nine), thus increasing

his potential winnings or penalties.

ConcedingIf Hombre thinks he cannot win, he may surrender at any

time before playing to the fourth trick. He may not do this if

playing a solo. In a vuelta, his surrender must be accepted by both

opponents. In a simple game, however, either opponent may

himself take over the role of Hombre and play the rest of the hand

as if he had made the bid himself.

OutcomesThe possible outcomes are:

1. Sacada = Hombre wins.

2. Puesta = Hombre loses and no one wins a majority of tricks

(they fal 4-4-1 or 3-3-3)

(they fal 4-4-1 or 3-3-3)

3. Codil e = Hombre loses and one opponent wins a majority of

tricks.

For a win, Hombre takes the contents of the pot and is paid by

each opponent as fol ows: simple game 5, vuelta 7, solo 15, plus

any of the fol owing bonuses:

The vole (nine tricks)

25

Primeras (win first five and stop) 1

Estuches (top trumps)

1each

Estuches are three or more top consecutive trumps from A

downwards. Hombre would gain 4 extra if he had held (say) the

top four but not the fifth, or, conversely, the fifth highest but none

of the top four.

If Hombre loses puesta (4-4-1 or 3-3-3), he doubles the pool and

adds to it five chips for each other player in the game.

If Hombre loses codil e (one opponent wins a majority of tricks),

he pays the same as for a puesta, but to the player who won instead

of to the pot.

Penalties payable to the opponents are further increased as

described above for primeras (losing the first five tricks), and

estuches (one per top consecutive trump held or not held).

If Hombre fails to win al nine after leading to the sixth, he pays

30 to each opponent, less 2 if he played vuelta or 10 if he played

solo, less also the number of estuches applicable.

Optional extras

Favorito A bid in diamonds overcal s the same in a dif erent suit,

and wins or loses double.

Gascaril e Hombre discards and draws eight cards, and then

announces trumps. This has a value of 3 chips. It may be bid only if

everyone passes, and may be forced upon a player who holds A.

Contrabola (misére). No one discards, Hombre entrumps a suit of

which he holds at least one, and aims to lose every trick. If

successful, he wins a simple game; if not, it counts as a puesta.

Comment The usual requirement for a simple bid is five trumps

including two matadors, or one matador and King, Queen. Vuelta is

bid with a few high cards in al suits rather than with two or three

long suits. In neither bid is it wise to exchange more than about

four cards. Remember that the ef ect of the exchange, which is also

open to the opponents, is that the twenty-seven cards in play wil

include al eleven or twelve trumps and probably eight top cards in

plain suits. Solo needs a long, strong suit with at least one matador

and a void suit, or one headed solely by top cards. After winning

five tricks, do not at empt the vole if there is a matador out against

you. Since higher matadors cannot be forced out by lower ones, it is

a common ploy for an opponent to hold one back in order to

defeat the bid in the last four tricks.

Scoring by points

The fol owing point-score system (of my devising) works

reasonably wel and produces interesting results. Agree on the

number of deals to be played, and play as described above but with

these modifications. The bids and their basic scoring values are:

Obligation 1

Exchange 2

Turn-up 3

Solo

5

If al pass without bidding, Obligation must be played by whoever

holds A, or by eldest hand if no one does. It involves discarding al

but one card, drawing eight from stock, and then announcing

trumps. Exchange is equivalent to entrada, Turn-up to vuelta.

The value of each game is doubled for each of the fol owing

feats:

1. Cuatro: winning by four tricks (4-3-2).

2. Primeras: winning the first five tricks and then stopping.

3. The vole: winning al nine. This is doubled in addition to

primeras, i.e. quadrupled.

4. Vole declared: the game value is doubled again (octupled) if

Hombre predicts before playing to the first trick that he wil

win al nine.

The value of a lost game is exactly what Hombre would have

won had he succeeded, and is deducted from his current score. If he

loses by codil e, the same value is also added to the score of the

player who beat him. If he loses by puesta, that value is also

recorded in a separate column representing the pot. The pot-points

are carried forward cumulatively and are eventual y credited to the

first player to win a solo or the vole. The pot is then reset to zero. If

any remain in the pot at the end of the game, it goes to the winner

of the last hand – or, if this also resulted in puesta, is distributed

evenly between the opponents.

Quadril e 4 players,40cards

4 players, 40 cards

It will not be unnecessary to acquaint the Reader, that the following game of

Quadrille has been about two years, and is at present, the favourite game at the French court… [It] is more amusing and entertaining than… any other Game on