from an ace; another never but through necessity. This will often direct you in putting on the king second. The players of the old school never lead from a single card without six trumps; many do from weakness; some hav a trick of throwing down high cards to their adversary's lead, and then affect to consider (though they have no alternative) to deceive. Observation will enable you to counteract this, and turn it to your own profit. 9. The best leads are from sequences of three cards or more. If you have none, lead from your most numerous suit, if strong in trumps, and rather from one headed by a king than a queen; but with three or four small trumps. I should prefer leading from a single card to a long weak suit. N. B. This is contrary to the usual practice, especially of the players of the old school. 10. The more plainly you demonstrate your hand to your partner, the better. Be particularly cautious not to deceive him in his or your own leads, or when he is likely to have the lead-a concealed game may now and then succeed in the suits of your adversaries; but this should not be attempted before you have made a considerable proficiency; and then but seldom, as its frequency would destroy the effect. 11. At the commencement of a game, if you have a good hand, or if your adversaries are considerably advanced in the score, play a bold game; if otherwise, a more cautious one. 12. Be as careful of what you throw away, as what you lead; it is often of bad consequence to put down a tray, with a deuce in your hand. Suppose your partner leads the four, your right hand adversary the five, and you put down the tray, it ought to be to a certainty, that you ruff it next time; but if he finds the deuce in your hand, and you frequently deceive him by throwing down superior cards, it will destroy his confidence, and prevent his playing his game on similar occasions. I would wish to inculcate these minor qualifications of whist playing to the beginners, because they are attainable by every body; and when once the great advantage of this kind of correctness is seen, the worst player would practise it as constantly as the best, attention being all that is necessary. 13. Do not lead trumps, merely because an honour is turned up on your left, or be deterred from it if on your right hand. Either is proper, if the circumstances of your hand require trumps to be led; but neither other wise. 14. Finesses are generally right in trumps, or (if strong in them) in other suits; otherwise they are not to be risked but with caution. 15. Never ruff an uncertain card, if strong, or omit doing it if weak, in trumps; this is one of the few universal maxims, closely adhered to, even did you know the best of the suit was in your partner's hand: it has the double advantage of making a useless trump, and letting your partner into the state of your hand, who will play accordingly. 16. Keep the command of your adversary's suit, as ong as you can with safety; but never that of your partner. 17. Do not ruff a thirteenth card second hand if strong, but always if weak in trumps. 18. Always force the strong, seldom the weak, but never the two; otherwise you play your adversaries' game, and give the one an opportunity of making his small trumps, while the other throws away his losing cards. It is a very general as well as fatal error, but the extent of it is seldom comprehended by uuskilful play. ers, who, seeing the good effects of judicious forces, practise them injudiciously to their almost constant disadvantage. The following effect of a force is too obvious not to be instantly comprehended. I have only to tell the student, that the same principle operates through the fifty-two cards, however various their combinations; and that a steady consideration of it, as one of the first necessary steps towards acquiring an insight into the game. A has a sizieme major in trumps, a quart-major in a second, and a terce major in a third suit. B, his adversary, has six small trumps, and the entire command of the fourth suit; in this case it is obvious, that one force on A gains the odd trick for B, who without it loses a slam. Though so great an effect may seldom be produced, still there is scarcely a rubber where the truth of the maxim is not experimentally demonstrated. 19. When, with a very strong suit you lead trumps, in hope your partner may command them, show your suit first. If you have the strength in trumps in your hand, play them originally. 20. With the ace and three other trumps, it is seldom right to win the first or second leads in that suit, if made by your adversaries, unless your partner ruffs some other. 21. With a strong hand in trumps, particularly if you have a long suit, avoid ruffing, and still more over-ruffing your right hand adversary, as much as possible. As this is a maxim less understood, less practised, and more indispensably necessary, than almost any other, I will endeavour to explain it to beginners, as clearly as I am capable:-Cards being nearly equal, the point to which all the manœuvres of a good whist player tend, is to establish a long suit, to preserve the last trump to bring it into play, and to frustrate the same play of his adversaries. With an honour (or even a ten) with three other trumps, by well managing them, you have a right to expect success. In this case, do not overtrump your right hand adversary early in the hand; but throw away a Josing card, by which, there remaining but twelve trumps, your own hand is strengthened, and your partner has the tenace in whatever suit is led; whereas, had you over-ruffed, you would have given up the whole game to secure one trick. But there are reasons for breaking this rule. 1st. If your left hand adversary has shown a decided great hand in trumps, (in which case make your tricks while you can) or, 2dly. If your partner decidedly means to force you. To understand if this is the case, you are to observe, if your partner plays the winning or losing card of the suit you have refused. If the former, it is by no means clear he means to force you, and play your own game. If the latter, you are to suppose him strong in trumps, and depend on him to protect your long suit: a due reflection on this, will convince you of the value of that maxim, which enjoins you never to play a strong game with a weak hand, or vice versa. A few deviations from this effectually destroys that confidence necessary between partners, and introduces a confusion and consequences that cannot be too carefully avoided, or too strenuously deprecated. 22. If the circumstances of your hand require two certain leads in trumps, play off your ace, let your other trumps be what they may. 23. It is a general maxim not to force your partner, unless strong in trumps yourself. There are, however, many exceptions to this rule: as, 1st. If your partner has led fro:n a single card. 3d. If great strength in trumps is declared against you. 4th. If you have a probability of a saw. 5th. If your partner has been forced and did not trump out. 6th. It is often right in playing for an odd trick. 24. It is often difficult to judge when to lead trumps. The following situations will assist the beginner to reason, and, in general, direct him properly: 1st. With six trumps, on supposition your partner has a strong suit. 2d. If strong in other suits, though weak in trumps yourself. 3d. If your adversaries are playing from weak suits. 4th. If your adversaries are at the point of eight, and you have no honour, or probability of making a trump by a ruff. 25. It is easy soon to discover the different strengths of good players, but more difficult with bad ones. When your adversary refuses to trump, and throws away a small card, you conclude his hand consists of a strong suit in trumps, with one strong and another weaker suit. If he throws an honour, you know he has two suits only, one of which is trumps. In the latter case, win tricks when you can. Avoid leading trumps, or to his suit; force him, and give your partner an opportunity to trump, if possible. This maxim cannot be too maturely considered, as there is a fault which is constantly committed by bad players, and is among those most fatal in their consequences. The moment an adversary refuses to ruff, though a winning card, they, in violation of common sense, trump out, and not unfrequently give away five or six tricks, which a judicious force would have prevented. 26. If you are strong in trumps, and have the ace, king, and two or more of your right hand adversary's ead, there are two ways to play, either to pass it the irst time, or else to put on the ace, and play the suit on to force your partner. If weak in trumps, put on the ace, but do not continue the suit. 27. If you win your partner's lead with the queen, unless in trumps, do not return it; it is evident the ace or king lies behind him, and you give the tenace to the adversary. 28. To lead from only three cards, unless in sequence, is bad play, and only proper when you have reason to think it is your partner's suit; in which case, play off the highest, though the king or queen. N. B. This is contrary to the general practice, but undoubtedly right. 29. The first object should be to save the game, if it appears in probable danger; the next to win it, if you have a reasonable hope of success, by any mode of play, though hazardous. If neither of these is the question, you should play to the points or score of the game. In other words, you should not give up the certainty of the odd trick, or scoring five or eight, for the equal chance of two, six, or nine; whereas you should risk an equal finesse that will prevent your adversaries from these scores by its success, 30. It is generally right to return your partner's lead in trumps, unless he leads an equivocal card, such as nine or ten. These are called equivocal, because they are led with propriety, both from strong and weak suits With a quart to a king-or nine, ten, knave, and king of a suit, you lead the nine, as you do when it is the best of two or three of a suit. 31. With only four trumps do not lead one, unless your strong suit is established, except that with a tercemajor, and another trump, and a sequence to the king of three or more, it is good play to lead trumps twice, and then the knave of your suit, and continue till the ace is out. 32. If you remain with the best trump, and one of your adversaries has three or more, do not play out, as it may stop the suit of your other adversary. If they both have trumps, and your partner none, it is right to take out two for one. 33. If strong in trumps, with the commanding card of your adversaries' suit, aud small ones, force your partner, if he has none of that suit, with the small ones, and keep the commanding cards till the last. 34. If your partner leads the ace and queen of a suit, of which you have the king and two others, win his queen, that you may not stop his suit. 35. If your right hand adversary wins, and returns his partner's lead, should you have the best and a small |