SPOIL FIVE
One of the oldest card games . Spoil Five (also called Five Cards or Five Fingers) is a particular favorite of the Irish.
Requirements- Two to ten players, but the best game is with five to seven, each playing for himself.
- A standard 52-card deck.
- Rank of cards: In trumps, the ace of hearts is always the third-best trump, no matter the suit, Of the trump suit, the five is high, the jack second highest, the ace of hearts third, then the ace, king, queen in order. The rank of the spot or index cards, ! trump or not, is expressed “highest in red, ! lowest in black,” In plain suits (that is, suits I not trumps) the king, queen, jack are high in that order; followed by the spot cards, as , above. In plain suits, the diamond ace is; lowest of all; the black aces come between the jack and the deuce, When hearts are trumps, here are 13 trumps; five, jack, ace, king, “ queen, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, four, three, two. When diamonds are trumps, there are 14, the ace of hearts ranking third highest and two lowest. When spades or clubs are trumps, there are 14, ranking five, jack, acc 1 of hearts, ace, king, queen, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, ten (low),
The Deal. There is no cutting for the deal Any player deals cards one at a time and face, up to each player until a jack is turned. The player who gets the jack is the dealer for the first hand, The turn to deal then goes to the left for subsequent hands.
After shuffling the deck and having it cut by the player at his right, dealer gives each player a hand of five cards beginning with the player at his left. He deals first three at a time around, then two at a time. The next card is turned up, and that card determines the trump suit for that deal.
Robbing the Trump. Should the turned trump card be an ace, the dealer may discard any card in his hand face down for it, and his card does not have to be a trump card. He can either discard when playing to the first trick, or he can leave the ace there until ready to play it. The dealer, however, does not have to take the ace if he does not desire it. But he must declare whether or not he is exchanging for the ace. It is customary for the leader (the player at the dealer’s left) when making the first playto ask dealer whether he wishes to exchange for the ace. If dealer has made no declaration by then, he must do so before playing.
If the turned trump card is any card other than an ace, a player who does hold the ace of that suit may exchange any card in his hand for the turned-up card when it is his turn to play. If he does not wish to rob the trump, he does not have to do so. But in that case, he must tell the dealer to turn the trump face down, thus identifying himself as the holder of the ace. If the holder of the ace of trumps makes a play without exchanging or : identifying himself, his ace becomes the lowest trump in play. And if it should happen, c to be the ace of hearts, it loses the privilege previously described for that card.
Object of the Game. To win three of the five tricks played; or, as occonents to defeat any one player’s chance of taking three tricks.
The Play. Player at dealer’s left leads an card to the first trick. Each player in turn must follow suit, or he may playa trump even ifable to follow suit. If he cannot follow suit, he may play a trump or throw off any card, as he pleases. A player must follow suit to a trump ifable to, but the following three cards are exempt from this rule: five and jack of trumps or ace ofhearts. That is, he need not follow suit with such a card ifthe card led is a trump card flower rank. But he must follow suit with such a card ifthe lead was a trump card ofhigher rank. The highest- ranking card ofa led suit wins the trick ifthere are no trump cards in the trick. A trump card wins a trick, but if the trick contains more than one trump card, the highest- ranking trump wins. The winner ofa trick leads to the next until all five tricks have been played. Each player keeps tricks that he won face down in front of him.
Scoring. Each player puts one chip in the pool. The pool may be taken by the first player to win three tricks in any deal. If a player continues to play after winning poker three tricks, he must win all five (in which case he gets the pool plus one chip from each other player); if he does not win all five tricks, he does not get the pool. After any hand in which the pool is not won, each player puts in another chip for the next deal.
Additional Rules
Misdeals. If too many or too few cards are dealt on any round; if dealer exposes a card in dealing; if the deal is commenced with an uncut pack (provided a new deal is demanded before the deal is completed); or if dealer counts the cards on the table or in the pack, a misdeal is declared.
Irregular Hand. A hand with an incorrect number of cards is dead, and the other players continue play; but if a player has won three tricks with an irregular hand before it is discovered, he wins the pool.
Revoke. (Illegal exposure of a card after any player has won two tricks; robbing the trump when not holding the ace.) The offender’s hand is dead and he does not receive cards until the pool in progress is won; but he must still add to the pool when other players do.
Forty-Five
Variation canasta poker of Spoil Five, for two, four (two against two), or six (three against three) players. Game is scored by points; side taking three or four tricks scores 5 points; five tricks, 10 points. Sometimes each trick Counts 5 points, and score of side taking fewest tricks is deducted from that of side taking most tricks. Thus three tricks count 5; four tricks, 15; five tricks, 25 points; 45 points is game.
Twenty-Five
In some areas, the game is played for 25 points; otherwise it is played in the same manner as Forty-Five
Auction Forty-Five
This form of Spoil Five and Forty-Five is the national game of Nova Scotia. It is played in the same manner as Spoil Five except for the following:
- Four players, two against two as partners, or six, three against three as partners, seated alternately.
- When bidding, the player to the left of dealer does so first and the turn passes to the left. Bids are in multiples of 5 points and the highest bid is 30. Each bid must be higher than the preceding bid, except that dealer may beat the previous bid without going over, by saying “I hold”; if he does, each online poker player who did not previously pass gets another turn and dealer again may take the bid without going over. A side having 100 points or more may not bid less than 20.
- When discarding and drawing, the high bidder names the trump, then each player discards as many cards as he wishes and dealer restores his hand to five cards from the top of the pack. The player at the left of the high bidder leads first.
- When scoring, each trick won counts 5 and the highest trump in play counts an additional 5, making 10 in all for the trick it wins. If the high bidder’s side makes its bid, it scores all it makes; if it fails, the amount of the bid is subtracted from its score. The opposing side always scores whatever it wins in tricks. A bid of 30 (for all five tricks) is worth 60 if it is made and loses 30 if it fails. Game is won by the first side to reach 120.
SINGLE HASENPFEFFER
This old game is another offshoot of Euchre. Its name means hare or rabbit stew in German and it is a fast-moving game.
Requirements
- Four players, two against two as partners.
- A 25-card deck consisting of the ace, king, queen, jack, ten, nine of each suit plus a joker.
- The joker is the highest trump. The rank of the other cards is exactly as described in Partnership Euchre .
Beginning of the Game. The selection of the dealer, partners, seating positions, changing seats, shuffle, and cut are as provided under the General Rules for Card Games, chapter 1.
The Deal. Dealer gives three cards at a time to each player until all have hands of six cards. The last card is turned face down in the center of the table and is not looked at by any player.
Object of Game. The object of the game is to win 10 points in tricks, each trick counting 1 point.
The Bidding. Beginning with the player at dealer’s left, each in his turn bids the number of tricks that he believes his side will take, or he passes. A bidder names only the number of tricks, but not the suit. A bid may begin as low as a player chooses. Every succeeding bid must be for a higher number. A player has only one bid and may not bid after passing. If all players pass, the player holding the joker must bid three and name which suit is to be trump. If no one holds the joker, there is a new deal by the same dealer.
The Play. The successful bidder picks up the face-down card and places it in his hand without exposing it to the other players. He then names the suit for that deal. After this, he discards anyone card to bring his hand to six cards. Then he leads any card he wishes for the first trick.
Playing turn goes to the left, a player must follow suit if able to do so; if he cannot follow suit, he may playa trump or any other card. The highest card in a trick wins the trick, except when a trump is played. Then the highest trump card takes the trick. The winner of a trick turns it face down in a common trick pile kept by his side, that is, all tricks won by himself and his partner. The winner of a trick leads any card to the next trick, and play continues in this fashion until all tricks have been played. A player may not play the joker as long as he can follow to a no-trump suit led.
Scoring. If the bidder’s side fulfills the contract, it scores 1 point for each trick it won in play. If the bidder’s side does not make its contract, it is “set back.” In such a case the amount of the bid is deducted from any previous score, even if it means going minus or in the hole. Whether bidder’s side fulfills the contract or not, opponents score 1 point for each trick they win during the play. The side first reaching 10 points is winner. If both sides reach 10 points in the same deal, the bidding side wins.
Additional Rules. If irregularities occur, follow the additional poker rules for Partnership Euchre