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MODERN WHIST.

Preliminary Advice.

1. BANISH from your mind all superstition that there is luck in the seats, or in dealing with the pack that helped to win the previous rubber or the alternate rubbers, or in fresh packs, or in shuffling the cards; but believe there is luck to be obtained by yourself and your partner playing your cards correctly in a concert game, especially if your adversaries do otherwise.

2. Note the trump card, sort your cards carefully, count them, and afterwards keep your eyes on the cloth. Remember the score,

B

keep count of the tricks, observe the cards as they fall, drawing inferences at the time, and should your partner fail to follow suit, ask at once and emphatically if he has none, naming the suit: "No Club, partner?"

3. Play according to the rules and conventions, so as to give as much information to your partner as you can; but do not let these stand in the way of making the best score possible under the circumstances of the hand, as there are exceptions to every rule.

Playing to the Score.

4. Remember that between winning and losing the odd trick there is a relative difference of two in the scores, and that the score of three where honours make out is very much better than that of two, and as good as that of four, unless the adversaries are more than one.

5. At love to four the difference between scoring four and five is a whole game, if the third game a whole rubber. Hence you are justified, if the game be safe, in playing boldly to win on the hand and cancel the adversaries' score, when at love or one to three or four.

6. At three, when two by honours, you should play cautiously, to prevent the adversaries winning by tricks.

7. At three with two honours you should not lead trumps unless you think it advisable, even if your partner hold no honour; or unless the game be hopeless if he hold none.

8. Playing trumps early in the hand lets the side that proves the strongest bring in long suits and make a big score. Hence as you may find all the trump strength with one adversary-when you do not require a big score to win the game and the adversaries do, you should refrain from leading trumps, though if

the scores were reversed, or even level, you would lead them. Thus you should not play so boldly at three or four as at love or one, as you have little to gain and much to lose. Of course this holds conversely with respect to the adversaries' score.

The relation of the scores is the guide for the early lead of trumps, and playing to the score is the fundamental principle of Whist.

9. When love or one to love or one, lead from strength in trumps, however weak in other suits; but not from weakness in trumps, unless very strong in all the other suits.

When love or one to three or four, you may be justified by the state of the hand in leading trumps, however weak in all the suits.

When three or four to love or one, do not lead trumps until it be clearly advantageous to do so.