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From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, by MultiMedia |
All Fours |
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| Originn | England |
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| Alternative names | High-Low-Jack, Old Sledge, Seven Up |
| Trick-taking | |
| Playerss | 2 or more |
| Memory, Attention | |
| Cardss | 52 cards |
| Deck | Anglo-American |
| Play | |
| Card rank (highest to lowest)) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Playing time | 15 minutes approximately |
| Random chance | Moderate |
| Auction Pitch, Pedro, Phat | |
All Fours, also known as High-Low-Jack or Seven Up
Each player is dealt six cards. In trick play, players are allowed to trump instead of following suit. The title refers to the possibility of winning four game points by being dealt both the highest and the lowest trump in play, capturing the Jack of trumps and winning the greatest number of card-points..
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The dealer shuffles and the pone (player sitting before the dealer in game rotation) cuts. The dealer hands out 6 cards to each player in batches of 3. Trump is determined by the suit of the first card played in trick-play. Eldest hand leads to the first trick, and the winner of each trick leads to the next. Standard trick-play rules are in effect with the exception that a player who can follow suit to a plain suit lead is nevertheless allowed to play a trump..
At the end of the deal scoring points are awarded as described in the table. The Jack point is not awarded if no player held the Jack of trumps. The Game point is only awarded if one party has won more card-points in tricks than any other. The scoring points accrue strictly in the order given in the table, preventing ties in case more than one team reaches the target score at the end of the deal.
The pub game played nowadays in northern England under the name All Fours is a four-player partnership version of Pitch, played for 11 points. Side payments are made for winning all four points in a single hand. In some areas the point for Low is awarded to the eventual owner.
Choosing the trump suit by leading to the first trick is known as
pitching
All Fours / Seven
Up
Although All Fours is basically a two-player game, it is also good for three or four and can be played by even more. Four can play individually or in two fixed partnerships, sitting crosswise. The rules have been formulated so as to cover all cases. Between Charles Cotton's 1674 rules and the rules in early 20th century English and American rule books there was little variation, and a very similar form is still popular in the Caribbean. Except for the way in which the trump suit is determined the game is identical to Pitch. Seven Up is All Fours played to a target score of 7 points..
After dealing the dealer turns the next card on the stock face up to determine the trump suit. Instead of immediately leading to the first trick, eldest hand has the option of begging, to which the dealer responds either by granting each opposing party 1 point, or by running the cardsJackk
Instead of scoring 1 point for turning up the Jack, the dealer scores 1 point for turning up the Ace, 2 points for the Six (Trinidad) or Two (Tobago) and 3 points for the Jack. If running the cards, the dealer scores each time such a card is turned up, even if it does not make trumps. If the Jack was captured in a trick won by the party that did not originally hold it, the party scores 3 points for Hang Jack
In this scoring variant of Blind All Fours, in addition to the usual features the winner of a trick immediately scores the card-points of any trumps it contains. Moreover, winning a trick that contains the Five of trumps immediately scores 5 points. The game is played for 61 points, ideally scored on a cribbage board. For determining the winner of the Game point, The Five of trumps is also worth 5 points. All other trumps and non-trumps have their usual card-values.
This trick-and-draw variant was also known as French FourssFrench Loo or Spanish All Fourss. Trumps is determined randomly before the deal. Each player receives only 3 cards. The remaining pack is used face up for drawing after each trick. Placing it face up ensures that revokes can be noticed. The point for Low goes to the player who wins the lowest trump in a trick. If the stock is kept face down as usual this variant is known as Shasta Sam
Around the middle of the 19th century among American players an innovation spread, allowing the eldest hand to "sell the trump", i.e. auction the privilege to pitch. This early form of Auction Pitch is now known as Commercial Pitch.
In Commercial Pitch the players in turn get a chance to bid 1–4 points for the privilege of pitching, or pass. Each bid must be higher than the previous one. Eldest hand immediately scores the amount of the bid. A highest bidder who does not win at least as many points as bid is set back the amount of the bid. Eldest hand may refuse to sell the right to pitch to the highest bidder, in which case eldest hand must win at least as many points or is set back.
All Fours is among the oldest extant card games in England. Its first known description was in Charles Cotton's Complete Gamester of 1674, where the game was reported as popular in Kent. It is probably of Dutch ancestry, and David Parlett suggests that it played a role with the association of the name Jackk with the card rank that was originally known only as the knave.
In the 19th century, the game was taken to America and became popular among the African Americans on slave plantations. Also called Seven upAuction Pitch, which probably developed in the New England States, Pedro, and California Jack, also known as High-Low-Jack. Modern descendants include Don