The full pack of 52 cards is used. Cards have their pip values, except that Ace can count as 11 or 1 at the discretion of the holder. King counts as 14 and Queen as 13. The Jack has no value, but plays a special part in the game, as will be seen.

Six cards are dealt face downwards to the two poker players, and four cards face upwards to the table between them. The rest of the pack is temporarily set aside. If any Jacks are dealt to the table they are removed, placed at the bottom of the pack, and the spaces filled with cards from the top of the pack.

THE PLAY

The non-dealer plays first. If he plays a card of the same rank as any of the four cards on the table, he takes the card; or, if there are any two or three cards on the table whose values if added together equal that of the card played, he takes these cards.

If the cards on the table and the player’s hand are as illustrated on page 68 he will play the ♥ K and take the ♠ K from the table. If he holds the cards in the upper of the two illustrations below he will play the ♥ A and take the ♥ 2 and ♣ 9 from the poker table, because together they total 11, the value of an Ace.

The cards played and those taken from the table are kept in a pile, face downwards, on the table by the player who took them.

If at any time a player is able to take all the cards on the table (there may be only one, or there may be more than four) he announces ‘Tablanette’ and scores the total value of all the cares taken plus the value of the card he has played.

If, for example, the cards on the table are as illustrated below, and a player holds any of the other three Kings, he will be able to announce ‘Tablanette’, because his King will take the ♠ K and the other three poker cards whose values total 14. The score for this will be 42 points (i.e. 14 x 3).

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Games for Five or More Players