ABSTRACT
Besides the foregoing there are four principal varieties of Cassino, and the differences between each and their parent are slight. They are as follows: —
Twenty-one Point Cassino.
Royal Cassino.
Royal Draw Cassino.
Spade Cassino.
Twenty-one Point Cassino.—There is no difference here except the method of scoring. Twenty-one points is the game, and the usual way is for each player to take mental count of the number of cards, spades, and other points he has made, and then claim game as soon as he reaches 21. The count is then made; and if it be found that he has not reached 21, his opponent wins, no matter what his score may be. If, on the other hand, he is 21, it is his game, even though his adversary has scored more. If neither claims to be “out,” and it is found that both are “ out,” the game must be continued to 32 points; and so on, adding 11 points to the score to be reached until one player claims to have won the game.
Royal Cassino.—This is played in exactly the same way as the ordinary game, except that the court cards come into action. This gives the game a more scientific turn, for the court cards can now be used in combining and building, whereas in “straight” Cassino they can only be employed in making pairs.
Aces count one or fourteen, at the option of the player; kings count thirteen, queens twelve, knaves eleven; hence a 7 and a 4 can be taken with a knave, a 7, 4, and 2 with a king, and so on.
Royal Draw Cassino.—The only difference between this and the foregoing is that no more cards are dealt after the first round, but each player, after playing his card, draws the top card from the pack, thus restoring the number of his cards to four. When the pack is exhausted the hands are played out, and the count made in the usual way. If a player misses his draw he cannot correct the mistake until his next turn, when he must draw two cards.
Spade Cassino.—This variety (which may be played either as Royal or “straight” Cassino) has the additional interest that each card in Spades counts one point for game, the jack counting two. Sixty-one points go to game; points are scored on a cribbage board as soon as made, and all that remains to be counted at the end of play are the cards.
It should be remembered that the ace and deuce (Little Cassino) already count one each, so in Spade Cassino they count two.
