This example shews the necessity of taking out two trumps for one upon most occasions.

There is an exception to the foregoing rule; if you find that your adversaries are very strong in any particular suit, and that your partner can give you no assistance in the same, in such a case examine your own, and also your adversaries' scores; because by keeping one trump in your hand to trump such suit, it may be either a means to save or win a game.

2. Suppose you have ace, queen, and two small cards of any suit; your right-hand adversary leads that, in such case, do not put on your queen, because it is equal that your partner has a better card than the third hand; if so, you have the command of that suit.

An exception to the foregoing rule is, in case you want the lead, then play your queen.

3. Never lead from king, knave, and one small card, because it is 2 to 1 that your partner has not the ace, and also 32 to 25, or about 5 to 4, that he has ace or queen; and therefore, as you have only about 5 to 4 in your favour, and must have four cards in some other suit, suppose the ten to be the highest, lead that suit, because it is an equal wager that your partner has a better card than the last player; and if the ace of the first-mentioned suit lies behind you, which is also equal, in case your partner has it not; in this case, on your adversaries leading this suit, you probably make two tricks.

that 4. Suppose in the course of play it appears your partner and you have four or five trumps remaining, when your adversaries have none, and that you have no winning card, but have reason to judge that your partner has a thirteenth or some other winning card in his hand; in that case

play a small trump, to give him the lead, in order to throw away any losing card in your hand, upon such thirteenth or other good card.

SOME DIRECTIONS FOR PUTTING UP AT SECOND

HAND, KING, QUEEN, KNAVE, OR TEN OF ANY SUIT, &c.

1. SUPPOSE you have the king, and one small card of any suit, and that your right-hand adversary plays that suit; if he is a good player, do not put on the king, unless you want the lead, because a good player seldom leads from a suit of which he has the ace, but keeps it to bring in his strong suit after the trumps are out.

2. Suppose you have a queen, and one small card, of any suit, and that your right-hand adversary leads the same; do not put on the queen, because if the adversary has led from ace and knave, in that case, upon the return, your adversary finesses the knave, which is generally good play, especially if his partner has played the king; you thereby make your queen; but by putting on the queen, it shews your adversary that you have no strength in that, and consequently puts him upon finessing upon your partner throughout the whole suit.

3. Likewise observe, in case you should have the knave or ten with a small card of any suit, it is generally bad play to put up either of them at second hand, because it is 5 to 2 that the third hand has either ace, king, or queen of the suit led; therefore as the odds against you are five to two, though you should succeed sometimes by this method, yet in the main you must be a loser; be cause it demonstrates to your adversaries, that

you are weak, and consequently they finesse upon your partner throughout that whole suit.

4. Suppose you have ace, king, and three small cards of any suit that your right-hand adversary leads; upon which you play your ace, and your partner the knave. In case you are strong in trumps, return a small one in that suit, in order to let your partner trump: thereby you keep the command in your own hand, and at the same time give your partner an intimation that you are strong in trumps; therefore, he may play his game accordingly, either in attempting to establish a saw, or by trumping out to you, if he has either strength in trumps, or the command of the other suits.

5. Suppose A and B's game is scored 6, the adversaries C and D 7, and that nine rounds are played out, of which A and B have won seven tricks, and no honours are reckoned in that deal; in this case A and B have won the odd trick,

which puts their game upon an equality; and suppose A to have the lead, and has two of the smallest trumps remaining with two winning cards of other suits; and C and D have the two best trumps between them, with two other winning cards in their hands. It is 11 to 3 that C has not the two trumps; and likewise 11 to 3 that D has them not: the odds being so much in A's favour to win the whole stake, it is his interest to play a trump; for suppose the stake to be £70 depending, A and B win the whole, if he succeeds by this method; but, on the contrary, should he play the close game, by forcing C or D to trump first, he having won the odd trick already, and being sure of winning two more in his own hand, by this method his game will be scored 9 to 7, which is about 3 to 2, and therefore A and B's share of the

£70 will amount only to £42, and A only secures £7 profit; but in the other case, upon supposition that A and B have 11 to 3 of the stake depending, as aforesaid, A, by playing his trump, is entitled to £35 out of the £70 depending.

DIRECTIONS HOW TO PLAY WHEN AN ACE, KING, OR QUEEN, ARE TURNED UP ON YOUR RIGHT-HAND.

1. SUPPOSE the ace is turned up on your righthand, and that you have the ten and nine of trumps only, with ace, king, and queen of another suit, and eight cards of no value: begin with the ace of the suit of which you have the ace, king, and queen, which is an information to your partner that you have the command of it; then play the ten of trumps, because it is 5 to 2 that your part ner has king, queen, or khave; and though it is about 7 to 2 that your partner has not two honours, yet, should he chance to have them, and they prove to be the king and knave, in that case, as he will pass your ten, and it is 13 to 12 against the last player holding the queen of trumps, upon supposition your partner has it not; then when your partner has the lead, he plays to your strong suit, and you upon having the lead, play the nine of trumps, which puts it in your partner's power to be almost certain of winning the queen if he lies behind it. The foregoing case shews, how an ace turned up against you may be made less beneficial to your adversaries.

2. If the king or queen are turned up on your right-hand, the like method of play may be made use of; but always consider your partner's skill, because a good player will usually make a proper use of such play, but a bad one seldom.

3. Suppose your right-hand adversary leads the

king of trumps, and that you have the ace and four small trumps, with a good suit; in this case pass the king; and though he should besides have queen and knave of trumps, with one more, yet if a moderate player, he will play the small one, imagining that his partner has the ace: when he plays the small one, pass it also, because it is an equal chance that your partner has a better trump than the last player. If so, and a tolerable player, he will judge you have a good reason for this method, and consequently, if he has a third trump remaining, will play it; if not, he will play his best suit.

4. A Critical Case to win an Odd Trick.

Suppose A and B partners against C and D, and the game to be nine all, and every trump out, A being the last player, has the ace and four other small cards of a suit in his hand, and one thirteenth card remaining: B has only two small cards of A's suit; C has queen and two other small cards of that suit, D has king, knave, and one small card of the same. A and B have won three, C and D four tricks; therefore A is to win four tricks in order to obtain the game. C leads this suit, and D puts on the king; A gives him that trick, D returns that suit; A passes it, and C plays his queen; thus C and D have won six tricks, and C'imagining the ace of that suit to be in his partner's hand, returns it; by which means A wins the four last tricks, and consequently the game.

5. Suppose you have the king and five small trumps, and your right-hand adversary plays the queen; in that case do not put on the king, because it is an equal chance that your partner has the ace; and suppose your adversary should have queen, knave, ten, and one small trump, it is also