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16. When, second hand, a plain suit is led, play your lowest, with these exceptions :

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(1.) Holding in sequence two of the six best cards, play the lowest of the sequence. Thus with Queen, Knave, by playing the Knave you secure the first two rounds if your partner has the Ace guarded. This is the more advisable when you hold several others, as the suit is less likely to go round thrice; but the custom, in blind deference to tradition, is, when holding more than one small one, to play a small one.

(2.) Holding Ace, Queen, with Ten, or more than two others, play the Queen.

(3.) Holding Ace and five others, play the Ace.

(4.) Cover a Knave with the Ace even if holding the Queen; as, in proper play, the King cannot be on the right unless the Queen is also.

(5.) Cover a Ten holding Queen and one

other, as the lead is generally from Ten, Knave, King.

(6.) Cover an honour or a Ten when holding the "Fourchette," say the King, Knave— Queen led.

(7.) Cover an honour with King or Queen when weak in the suit, if you deem it a forced lead or from weakness.

(8.) Second round play the master-card, unless you have a safe finesse, as, when your left adversary in the first round played a Queen (showing he did not hold the Knave), which was won fourth hand by the King, and you hold Ten, Ace.

(9.) If you conclude from first round your partner holds the best and your right adversary the second, play the third best; as when your partner has won the Nine, fourth hand, with the King, and you hold the Knave.

Second Hand, with King and Small One.

A SMALL ONE LED.

17. The rule is to play the small one both in trump and plain suits, for your partner has the advantage of being led up to, which you would forfeit by playing the King, and at the same time disclose your weakness in the suit to the adversaries, unless your partner holds the Ace; while the Ace is about as likely to be on your left as on your right, and in trumps, even if the Ace be on your right, as it may properly be held up the next round, you may make your King. But when it is clear the lead will be advantageous to you, or you believe it is your partner's suit, and do not wish to block it, you should play the King.

Second Hand, with Queen and Small One.

A SMALL ONE LED.

18. The rule is to play the small one both in trump and plain suits, but requires special consideration. With Ace, King, a small one is led from trumps, and, when trumps are exhausted, from plain suits. When your partner holds the King over the Ace, the lead sometimes comes again from the same hand. These cases, as the play of the Queen, first round, incurs gain in the one and loss in the other, may be regarded as balancing each other, especially as they are of excep- . tional occurrence.

Therefore, in calculating the advisability of play all the cases may be eliminated where your partner holds neither Ace nor King, or holds the King over the Ace, as if the play were universally immaterial.

The only remaining cases are where third hand holds neither Ace nor King, when you

gain by playing the Queen; and where third hand holds King, and your partner the Ace, when you lose by playing the Queen.

Now, as the leader generally has one high card, it is more probable that third hand holds neither Ace nor King than that he should hold King and your partner the Ace.

Therefore the balance of probabilities is in favour of playing the Queen; and you should do so when you have reason to believe that the lead will be advantageous to you, or that the suit is your partner's, or (when trumps are out) the leader has great strength in it. But, notwithstanding the balance of probabilities is in favour of playing the Queen, there accrue such disadvantages when you fail to make it, from its indicating wrongly to your partner that you have the King, and from your right adversary being able to finesse against your partner next round, that the rule stands good to play a small one, with above exception.

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