Six-Pack Bezique

 

• The Shuffle

Both players shuffle, trading portions until all the cards are thoroughly mixed.

 

• The Cut

Each player lifts a portion of the pack and shows the bottom card. The player cutting the high card has choice of seats and whether or not to deal. Since the deal is a disadvantage, it is customary to choose not to deal. If the players cut cards of the same rank, regardless of suit, they cut again.

The dealer then lifts off a part of the pack. If this portion contains exactly 24 cards, the dealer scores 250. The non-dealer then estimates the number of cards the dealer took off; if his guess is correct, he scores 150. The remainder of the pack is then toppled over, all cards face down, at the side of the table so that cards may easily slide off the top. This is the stock.

 

• The Deal

Using the portion lifted off the pack, the dealer gives 12 cards to each player, one at a time, starting with his opponent. Any cards left un dealt in the packet are restored to the stock. If the dealer runs out of cards before giving 12 to each player, he takes enough cards from the stock to complete the deal.

 

• Object of the Game

The goal is to score points by showing certain declarations, sometimes called "melds," as in Pinochle, and by winning the last trick.

 

Originally, the spade queen and diamond jack counted as bezique no matter what suit was trump, and no other queen and jack combination ever counted as bezique. Many players still follow this rule in playing Six-Pack Bezique.

In some games, "Carte Blanche" - which means no king, queen or jack in the 12 cards originally dealt - scores 250. The entire hand must be shown. Thereafter, each time the holder draws a card, he may show it before putting it into his hand; and if it is not a face card, the player again scores 250 for Carte Blanche. However, as soon as he draws a face card, or puts any drawn card into hand without showing it, the player may no longer score for Carte Blanche.

 

• The Play

When the deal is completed, the non-dealer leads any card. The dealer does not have to follow suit. The card led wins unless a higher card of the same suit is played, or unless a trump is played to a plain-suit lead.

No points are scored for cards won in tricks. Therefore, the tricks are not gathered in, but are left face up in a pile.

The winner of each trick may show and score any one declaration. Then each player draws one card from the top of the stock to restore his hand to 12; the winner of the previous trick draws first and leads next.

 

• The Trump Suit

The suit of the first marriage declared becomes trump. If a sequence is declared before a marriage, the suit of the sequence becomes trump. However, the same suit may not become trump in two consecutive deals. A marriage in the trump suit of the previous deal may be declared before the new trump is established and counts 20.

◊ Variation: When it is played that Q and J always constitute a bezique, regardless of the trump, then the same suit may become trump in two or more consecutive deals.

 

• Method of Declaring

A player makes a declaration by placing the counting cards face up on the table and leaving them there; however, any such cards are available for play as though any of them were in the player's hand.

Every declaration is scored when it is made. Since the scoring is fast, special counting devices were often used for recording each player's score. Today, these devices are hard to find. Instead, players often use a pile of chips in at least three colors, representing 10, 100, and 1,000 points each. As a player scores, he takes the appropriate amount of chips from the pile.

The same card may be counted in a declaration more than once.

Example: A player puts down A, A, A, A and counts 100. The player then plays one of the aces. If it wins a trick, or the next time the player wins a trick, he may put down another ace and score 100 again. However, no more than the cards necessary to any one declaration may be on the table at one time.

Example: A player declares four queens of trumps, counting 600. The player holds another queen of trumps, but may not add it to the four on the table and score another 600. That player must first play one of the four queens on the table; then, if he wins that trick or a subsequent one, the queen may add the queen.

A marriage may be declared, and then A, J, 10 of the suit may be added to score a sequence. However, if the entire sequence is scored at one time, the count for the marriage is lost.

If a double bezique is declared, it counts 500. But if a single bezique is declared, it counts 40. When a second bezique is added (both cards of the first bezique being on the table), the full 500 is counted, making the total score for the two 540. Similarly, a third bezique may be added for a count of 1,500, provided that all cards of the double bezique are still on the table. Likewise, a fourth bezique may be added for 4,000, provided all cards of the triple bezique remain on the table.

Only one declaration may be scored during one turn. However, more than one declaration may be announced.

Example (hearts are trumps): A player who has the K on the table puts down the Q and J, and declares, "40 for bezique, and 40 to score for the marriage of the K and Q." The next time that player wins a trick, he may score the additional 40. Actually a player may have several un scored declarations pending at the same time. He may select the order in which such declarations are scored, and the player does not have to score a combination unless he chooses-whether or not the necessary cards are on the table.

A player who has a declaration still un scored should announce it after every trick, whether or not that player wins the trick.

 

•The Final Play

No declaration may be scored after the last two cards of the stock have been drawn. Each player then picks up any cards he has on the table, and the winner of the previous trick leads. In the play of the final 12 cards, the non-leader must follow suit to the card led if he can, and try to win the trick.

 

• Game

Each deal constitutes a game, and the player with the higher score wins. The winner adds 1,000 to his score. If the loser has failed to reach 3,000, it is a "rubicon" (from the expression "failing to cross the Rubicon"), and the winner scores all the points made by both players even if his score was less than 3,000.

Example: The winner scores 2,700; the loser 2,600. The winner scores 2,700 + 2,600 + 1,000 for game, for a total of 6,300. In computing the final scores, it is customary to disregard any fraction of 100 points.

 

Eight-Pack Bezique

This zany variation is exactly the same as Six-Pack Bezique, except for the greater number of cards and the following differences:

In the deal, each player receives 15 cards.

A single bezique counts 50, a double bezique 500, a triple bezique 1,500, a quadruple bezique 4,500, and quintuple bezique 9,000.

Five trump aces count 2,000, five trump tens 1,800, five trump kings 1,600, five trump queens 1,200, and five trump jacks 800.

The loser is rubiconed if he fails to reach 5,000.

 

Rubicon Bezique

This game is the forerunner of the Six-Pack and Eight-Pack variations.

Two people play, using four 32-card packs shuffled together, 128 cards in all. In the deal, nine cards are dealt to each player. No trump is turned; the first marriage declared is the trump suit.

A sequence in a non-trump suit (called a "back door") counts 150. A triple bezique counts 1,500, a quadruple bezique 4,500, and the last trick 50. There is no count for the seven of trumps.

Carte Blanche is scored as explained in Six-Pack Bezique, except that it counts only 50 each time.

The same cards may be used more than once in the same declaration, as explained under Six-pack Bezique; however, there is no additional count for four of a kind in the trump suit.

Each player gathers in his tricks as they are won, but brisques are not counted except to break a tie or to permit a player to escape being rubiconed. If either player counts brisques, both count them.

Each deal constitutes a game, and the player with the higher score adds 500 for game. All fractions of 100 points are disregarded unless they are needed to determine the winner. If the player with the lower score has less than 1,000 points, including brisques, he is rubiconed; and the winner receives a bonus of 1,000 instead of 500, plus all the loser's points, plus 320 for all the brisques.

 

Chouette Bezique

Chouette Bezique is a variation that allows three or more people to play Rubicon, Six-Pack Bezique, or Eight-Pack Bezique. The game is similar in format to a game called Chouette, a version of Backgammon which is played when more than two players want to participate in the same game.

All three players draw a card from the shuffled packs. The player with the high card is "in the box" and has his choice of seats; the player with the next-highest card is "captain" and plays against the player in the box. The third player and any others are partners of the captain and may consult with him, but the captain makes the final decision on any play.

If the player in the box wins the game, he collects in full from every opponent and remains in the box. The captain then retires, and the next player in order of precedence becomes captain.

When the player in the box loses a game, he pays every opponent in full and retires, becoming lowest in order of precedence. The previous captain is now in the box, and the next in line becomes captain.