Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1890 — POPULARITY OF HEARTS. [ARTICLE]

POPULARITY OF HEARTS.

Pointers on a Came Which Blds Fair to Be All the Rage. “Hearts.” the little game that was introduced into high society a few yehre ago, is likely to become as much the rage, according to the New York Sun, as progressive euchre has been for a season or two past The game seems to be aiF right, and fully as pleasant as the older one of euchre, not to speak of its being easier for a greenhorn to pick up. There were always one or two at a progressive euchre party who did not know the game, fnd hadn’t more than begun to earn It when* the bell rang for the

last round. This greatly interfered with the celerity ot play that was essential to make a progressive euchre party lively, and was a constant atfnoy&nce to good players. There will be no such troubles with hearts, for its rules are so simple that-any one with any knowledge at all of cards can pick them up in a few minutes. At the same time, there is room in the game fertile exercise of the faculties of memory and judgement essential to a good whist player. The more one knows about it the better one plays, but to be able to play well enough to keep up with the procession and avoid delaying the game it is not essential to have expert knowledge. There are four players in each game, but no partners, a fact that simplifies it greatly. The full pack of Sf iy-two cards (no joker) is dealt at once, and the cards rank from ace, high, to deuce, low. The deal is determined by throwing a card to each player, the lowest dealing. The player at the dealer’s left leads, and ther others play in rotation, following suit if they can, throwing away if they have none of the suit led. The highest card of the suit led takes the trick, and the winner of one trick leads for the next. The object of each player is to avoid taking any trick that has a heart in it and, of course, to compel some one elseto take 11‘ieks inb)"which hearts have been thrown. I'he result is a sort of reversal of whist, with hearts perpetually trumps. Of course the highest car ds sire the most dangerous, for they are most lii<ely to take tricks, and the fewer tricks one takes the less chance of 1 hearts. Hearts, also, are things despised, to be got rid of as rapidly as possible. It is a good thing, in a general way, to get rid of all cards of one suit early in the play, because then one can avoid having to follow suit, perhaps, and have a chance to throw away a heart, and in various other matters the rules and customs that have become instinct with whist players are reversedin hearts.