Players: 2
Cards: 24 cards: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 and 9 of each suit. (Discard all 2s to 8s).
The Deal: Each player receives six cards, dealt three at a time. Place the rest of the pack face down in the middle of the table, to form the stock. Turn the top card of the stock face up and place it partly underneath the stock. This is the trump card and it decides the trump suit.
The Rank: The cards in each suit are ranked, highest to lowest, Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Jack, and Nine.
Early Play: The non-dealer leads first. The cards are played out in tricks. A trick is won by the higher trump or by the higher card played of the suit led. The winner of a trick draws the top card of the stock, and the opponent draws the next card. In this way, each hand is restored to six cards after each trick. During this early play, you do not have to follow suit to the lead. You may play any card. The early play ends when the stock is exhausted.
To Win the Game: You try to meld marriages (see below) win cards in tricks and win the last trick. The first player to reach a total of 66 or more points wins a game point. The first one to score ten game points wins an overall game.
Marriages: A marriage is a meld of a King and Queen of the same suit. In the trump suit, a marriage counts 40. In any other suit, it counts 20. To score a marriage, you must show it after winning a trick, then lead one of the two cards. If the non-dealer wants to lead a King or a Queen from a marriage for an opening lead, he/she may show the marriage and then do so. But he/she may not score the marriage until after he/she has won a trick.
Trump Card: A player who has the nine of trumps may exchange it for the trump card – to get a higher trump. He/she may make this exchange only after winning a trick, before making the next lead.
Closing: At any turn to lead, a player may turn the trump card face down. By doing that he/she closes –that is, stops – any further drawing from the stock. The hands are played out as in Later Play (see below), except that marriages may still be melded
Later Play: After the stock is exhausted, you play out the six cards in each hand. In this part of the game, you must follow suit to the lead, if you can.
Counting Cards: Cards won in tricks are counted as follows:
Each Ace…………………….11
Each Ten…………………….10
Each King…………………… 4
Each Queen…………………. 3
Each Jack……………………. 2
Scoring: Marriages are scored on paper whenever melded. Points taken in tricks are not entered on paper until a hand is finished, but it is important to keep mental track of these points and your opponent’s points as they are won. In your turn to play, you may claim that you have reached 66. Then stop play at once and count.
Scoring:
-you score one game point
-or two if you opponent has less then 33
-or three game points if he has not even won a trick
The reason it is so important to realize when you have won a game – and to claim it – is that you may lose by playing out the hand. If you and your opponent both get more than 66, or if you tie at 65, neither of you wins. Usually, at least one game point is won by somebody in each deal. As mentioned earlier, you win by scoring ten game points in an overall game.