Card Games
The Bezique family of traditional card games garners much nostalgia. For some it’s memories of grandparents playing Pinochle in smoke-filled room with money at stake and cussing; for others it’s a spirited game of Bezique.
The best known of the family is Auction Pinochle, a terrific partnership game popular among American immigrants in the early 20th century. The two-player game of Bezique reached its peak of popularity in the 1860's, but still has fans today. Bezique got more extravagant over time, as single decks became double-decks and then quadruple decks in Rubicon Bezique. The even larger Six-pack Bezique is said to have been Winston Churchill’s favourite game. Other related card games worth exploring are Schnapsen (AG20), Ulti, Marias, and Tartli.
The origin of these games is still debated, although there is a general consensus they evolved from the medieval game of Piquet and expanded in different directions from the French Atlantic coast game of Cinq-Cents. All the games share the addictive mechanic of “trick and meld,” where winning a trick gives one the ability then to go on to meld scoring combinations—creating a foundational dilemma on how to use one’s cards. The games in this family also reserve a special place for the unusual scoring combination of Queen and Jack, with an implied cheekiness of illicit romance.
The two-player game of Penchant, invented in 1893 by “Jack Smarte” (pseudonym of John Smith McTear) is a “lost” game of the family, largely unknown today, yet one of its most refined and skillful. McTear was a British game expert who wrote for the journal Notes & Queries (a sort of Reddit of its day). He published the rules and strategy in an 1897 book of the game’s title, and the game was included without attribution in R. F. Foster’s Hoyle’s of that period. (The name likely alludes to the Queen’s romantic penchant for the Jack, as well as its role in setting trump.)
Bezique is a fun game, but Penchant is what to play to show your skills. Its stripped-down deck, unusual scoring, method of setting trump, and the addition of barring add extra dimensions of skill to the basic Bezique framework. Considering its age, Penchant plays surprisingly modern, with the tight feel of an abstract.
The best known of the family is Auction Pinochle, a terrific partnership game popular among American immigrants in the early 20th century. The two-player game of Bezique reached its peak of popularity in the 1860's, but still has fans today. Bezique got more extravagant over time, as single decks became double-decks and then quadruple decks in Rubicon Bezique. The even larger Six-pack Bezique is said to have been Winston Churchill’s favourite game. Other related card games worth exploring are Schnapsen (AG20), Ulti, Marias, and Tartli.
The origin of these games is still debated, although there is a general consensus they evolved from the medieval game of Piquet and expanded in different directions from the French Atlantic coast game of Cinq-Cents. All the games share the addictive mechanic of “trick and meld,” where winning a trick gives one the ability then to go on to meld scoring combinations—creating a foundational dilemma on how to use one’s cards. The games in this family also reserve a special place for the unusual scoring combination of Queen and Jack, with an implied cheekiness of illicit romance.
The two-player game of Penchant, invented in 1893 by “Jack Smarte” (pseudonym of John Smith McTear) is a “lost” game of the family, largely unknown today, yet one of its most refined and skillful. McTear was a British game expert who wrote for the journal Notes & Queries (a sort of Reddit of its day). He published the rules and strategy in an 1897 book of the game’s title, and the game was included without attribution in R. F. Foster’s Hoyle’s of that period. (The name likely alludes to the Queen’s romantic penchant for the Jack, as well as its role in setting trump.)
Bezique is a fun game, but Penchant is what to play to show your skills. Its stripped-down deck, unusual scoring, method of setting trump, and the addition of barring add extra dimensions of skill to the basic Bezique framework. Considering its age, Penchant plays surprisingly modern, with the tight feel of an abstract.
Rules
Deck
Penchant is played with a 32-card Piquet deck, 7 through Ace of four suits. From an ordinary deck remove the 2's through 6's. The cards rank 7 (low), 8, 9, T, J, Q, K, A (high). (This is different from the A-T-K order of the rest of the family.)
Goal
The object of Penchant is to score the most points in four hands of play. Players score for declaring combinations (melds), and for winning Aces, Tens, and Sevens (known as brisques) in tricks. A Cribbage board or Poker chips allows easy scoring.
Deal
The players cut for deal, with the highest dealing. The deal alternates over the four hands. Six cards are dealt face down to each player, one by one. The remaining 20 cards are placed face down between the players and constitute the stock.
Play
Each hand consists of two phases: the first ten tricks (Phase 1), and an end-game of the last six tricks (Phase 2).
Phase 1: First Ten Tricks
Phase 1 consists of playing tricks, melding combinations, and drawing from the stock, until the stock is gone.
Non-dealer leads any card. A trick is won by the best card of the suit led or the highest trump. Cards do not have to follow suit, you do not have to play trump, and you do not have to win. As tricks are won, the Brisques are sifted out, and spread face-down near each player so as to be countable by both players. The remainder of cards won are discarded to the side and are not needed for the rest of the hand.
The play starts off with no trumps, and trumps are determined by the suit of the Jack in the first Penchant melded by the winner of a trick (see below).
A player may lead to a trick or respond to a trick using either a card from her hand or by using a card on the table that was previously melded.
Melds
Winning a trick gives the winner the privilege of declaring one meld, which is laid on the table and scored immediately. A player’s melded cards are kept face up in front of the player and are effectively still part of the player’s hand.
To make a meld, one or more cards have to be added from the hand to form a combination. Only one meld can be scored in any turn and, in contrast to Bezique, melds cannot be scored without adding a new card.
There are three classes of melds, sets, runs, and couplings. (I have taken the liberty of updating some of the arcane 19th century terminology of the original.)
A card already melded on the table can form part of a succeeding meld so long as you add one or more cards from the hand after a trick. Thus, with a pair of Queens melded, for example, you can add a third Queen for a Triplet. However, you cannot first meld the Triplet of Queens and then score a Pair with two of them without adding a new card. However, with the pair of Queens already melded, you could add a King matching the suit of one of them to form a Marriage, and so on.
Suppose, on the other hand, you have the two Queens on the table and a third is added that happens to match the suit of a King that is part of another meld. Only one combination can be scored for every trick won. Thus, you can score the Triplet, but you cannot later score the Marriage since you did not add at least one card.
Deck
Penchant is played with a 32-card Piquet deck, 7 through Ace of four suits. From an ordinary deck remove the 2's through 6's. The cards rank 7 (low), 8, 9, T, J, Q, K, A (high). (This is different from the A-T-K order of the rest of the family.)
Goal
The object of Penchant is to score the most points in four hands of play. Players score for declaring combinations (melds), and for winning Aces, Tens, and Sevens (known as brisques) in tricks. A Cribbage board or Poker chips allows easy scoring.
Deal
The players cut for deal, with the highest dealing. The deal alternates over the four hands. Six cards are dealt face down to each player, one by one. The remaining 20 cards are placed face down between the players and constitute the stock.
Play
Each hand consists of two phases: the first ten tricks (Phase 1), and an end-game of the last six tricks (Phase 2).
Phase 1: First Ten Tricks
Phase 1 consists of playing tricks, melding combinations, and drawing from the stock, until the stock is gone.
Non-dealer leads any card. A trick is won by the best card of the suit led or the highest trump. Cards do not have to follow suit, you do not have to play trump, and you do not have to win. As tricks are won, the Brisques are sifted out, and spread face-down near each player so as to be countable by both players. The remainder of cards won are discarded to the side and are not needed for the rest of the hand.
The play starts off with no trumps, and trumps are determined by the suit of the Jack in the first Penchant melded by the winner of a trick (see below).
A player may lead to a trick or respond to a trick using either a card from her hand or by using a card on the table that was previously melded.
Melds
Winning a trick gives the winner the privilege of declaring one meld, which is laid on the table and scored immediately. A player’s melded cards are kept face up in front of the player and are effectively still part of the player’s hand.
To make a meld, one or more cards have to be added from the hand to form a combination. Only one meld can be scored in any turn and, in contrast to Bezique, melds cannot be scored without adding a new card.
There are three classes of melds, sets, runs, and couplings. (I have taken the liberty of updating some of the arcane 19th century terminology of the original.)
A card already melded on the table can form part of a succeeding meld so long as you add one or more cards from the hand after a trick. Thus, with a pair of Queens melded, for example, you can add a third Queen for a Triplet. However, you cannot first meld the Triplet of Queens and then score a Pair with two of them without adding a new card. However, with the pair of Queens already melded, you could add a King matching the suit of one of them to form a Marriage, and so on.
Suppose, on the other hand, you have the two Queens on the table and a third is added that happens to match the suit of a King that is part of another meld. Only one combination can be scored for every trick won. Thus, you can score the Triplet, but you cannot later score the Marriage since you did not add at least one card.
SETS OF THE SAME VALUE
Name |
Description |
Example |
Points |
Pair |
Two of a kind |
♠️9, ♣️9 |
2 |
Triplet |
Three of a kind |
♥T, ♠️T, ♣️T |
3 |
Quadruplet |
Four of a kind |
♥K, ♠️K, ♦K, ♣️K |
10 |
RUNS OF THE SAME SUIT
Name |
Description |
Example |
Points |
Family |
Three card suit sequence of J, Q, K |
♠️J, ♠️Q, ♠️K |
3 |
Clan |
Four card suit sequence, must include J, Q, K |
♦T, ♦J, ♦Q, ♦K |
4 |
Extended family (i.e., Flush) |
Five cards of the same suit, must include J, Q, K |
♣️7, ♣️9, ♣️J, ♣️Q, ♣️K |
5 |
Reunion |
Five cards in suit sequence, must include J, Q, K |
♥T, ♥J, ♥Q, ♥K, ♥A |
25 |
COUPLINGS
Name |
Description |
Example |
Points |
Marriage |
K and Q of same suit |
♥K, ♥Q |
2 |
Besito |
Q and J of same suit |
♣️Q, ♣️J |
2 |
Penchant |
Q and J of different suits |
♦Q, ♣️J |
1 |
Trump
As mentioned above, trump is determined by the suit of the Jack in the first Penchant melded by the winner of a trick. The Penchant, moreover, is the one exception where you must win a trick to meld a combination. Even if your opponent has won the trick, if you have a Penchant you can meld it providing the trick winner did not declare any melds. However, a Penchant melded in a trick you did not win does not determine trumps.
Phase 2: Last Six Tricks
The second phase of play starts the moment the last card in the stock is drawn.
At this point the various melds are drawn back into the players’ hands. No more combinations can be scored.
The last six tricks are played out according to different rules, with the winner of the last trick of Phase 1 leading to the first. Players must follow suit if they can, must trump if they cannot, and must win if they can. Otherwise they may play any card.
Won tricks in Phase 2 are displayed spread face up as won so they remain visible. The aim of Phase 2 is to win as many brisques as possible. Brisques won in Phase 2 are called brisquettes.
After the six tricks are played, the score is tallied and the hand is over.
Scoring
Melds are scored as they are declared and laid on the table. In general melds score 1 point per card. The exceptions are the Penchants (1 point for two cards), Quadruplets (10 points), and Reunions (25 points).
Brisques are scored at the end of hand. Brisquettes won during Phase 2 earn 1 point apiece. The player with most total brisques across the whole hand (Phases 1 and 2 combined) scores a book bonus of 1 point for every brisque won in excess of six. There are twelve brisques in the deck. If both players win six, neither scores the bonus.
So for instance, a player who won ten of the twelve brisques, eight of those in Phase 2 would earn 8 points in brisquettes plus a 4 point book bonus (i.e., 10-6).
Note that brisques won in the last six tricks potentially count twice: once when won, and again at the end as part of the bonus. For that matter, they could also have been scored previously as melds.
A game is four hands. The final score for the game is the higher score minus the lower. If the lower-scoring player fails to make 40 points during the four hands, this player is lurched and the game score is doubled from its usual.
Barring
Pairs, Triplets and Quadruplets are divided into two classes, Major and Minor. The Major sets are formed of court cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings) and Aces; the Minor sets are formed of cards below the Jack. The highest Major set in either tableau at any moment controls the bar: The highest Major Pair in either tableau bars the opponent melding any Minor Pairs; the highest Major Triplet in either tableau bars the opponent melding any Minor Triplets or Pairs; and the highest Major Quadruplet bars all Minor sets. The barring player does not have to have declared the barring set as such: it merely has to be found amongst her melded cards. However a Minor set that is longer (more cards) than the barring set can still be melded even if it does not bar anything itself. To unbar you only have to tie the rank of highest Major set, not beat it. And only Minor sets can be barred, never sequences or couplings.
For instance, if your adversary has two Queens on the table, you cannot announce any Pair below Jacks. Her Queens need not have been announced as a Pair; they may be parts of, say, a Marriage and a Penchant. But if you have on the table a Pair as good as hers (say a pair of Queens, or pair or trio of Kings), you can meld Minor Pairs.
For another example, suppose she has two Kings on the table, and you have two Aces. Your Aces cancel her Kings, and you can score any Minor Pair; but she cannot. If you have a Minor Triplet to declare, such as three 8's, no Major Pair of hers will bar it, because your Triplet is longer than her Pair. In addition, no Minor set on her side will bar you; it must be a Triplet of court cards or Aces, and it must be better than any Triplet among the cards you have laid on the table yourself.
Modern Scoring—Tailoring the Game to Your Tastes
Having played many hands, I recommend players shave off some of the extremes of melding: utilizing 8 points for a Quadruplet, and 20 points for a Reunion. This is in part based on the fact that a Reunion will occur 2.5 times as often over sixteen hands as a Quadruplet. An easy way to remember this is that melds are worth 1 point per card, except Quadruplets are 2 points per card and Reunions 4.
One advantage of the “many paths to victory” structure of Penchant is that the scoring is easily tinkered with and tailored to suit one’s preferences. For instance, when I play I usually double the brisque scorings (i.e., 2 points per brisquette and 2 points per total brisques over six) while leaving the meld scores largely intact. Effectively, I halve the meld score. I do this because I find melding more dependent on luck than capturing brisques and this balances the three scoring paths (melding, end-game brisquettes, and brisque bonus) for a tighter more strategic game. Others may prefer to double only the Brisque Bonus to 2 while leaving brisquettes at 1 and melds as they are (if they find building a hand for Phase 2 less interesting). And of course, nothing stops one playing by McTear’s original.
Thoughts on Tactics
There is a flow to Penchant that feels contemporary. Every turn you need to decide how to use your cards: to win tricks here and now to meld or collect brisques for the book bonus, or to build a hand for the short but important Phase 2; you may decide to score and “bank” cards via melds or go specifically for the all or nothing Reunion. Each road can make sense depending on context. The fact you do not score brisques in Phase I until you make six in total demands a commitment—since you will score nothing if you capture fewer than seven. At the same time, sometimes it makes sense to try to get ahead purely by building up a melding-engine. Preparing for the short but explosive end game is a path in itself, and you can win just on brisquettes.
The tight slow tension of Penchant has been described as “walking on a knife.” It feels closer to a modern Eurogame or abstract. And this is so different from the extravaganza of Bezique, where there are up to six copies of every scoring card, and points accumulate like a slot machine.
Penchant is a game of constant agonizing choices and time pressure: with only six cards at play one is always choosing between tricks and melds, current, and potential. You must not only think of immediate points when melding, but also build a hand to win brisquettes in Phase 2, worth a lot of points. Ten tricks of play in Phase 1 does not allow much time for implementation. You must also decide between playing and thereby revealing, or holding and thereby hiding, key cards needed by the opponent. When to set trump is another difficult choice; if you wait too long your opponent will act. The “all or nothing” book bonus creates a constant pressure to reach seven brisques, or prevent your opponent from doing so. Then there is barring strategy and tactics. A particularly unique challenge of Penchant is how to win Tens (middle ranked) and 7's (the lowest rank).
The order of melding takes some thought: Minor sets are easier to score at the beginning before they are barred, especially 8's and 9's that may only be used otherwise in the rare five-card Flush. All things being equal, you should first meld cards you intend on using early in tricks.
As in Pinochle, combinations should be built up slowly, since they score cumulative points. For example, with the modern scoring, a Quadruplet is potentially worth 13 points if drawn out (2+3+8); a Reunion potentially 29 (2+3+4+20). But of course the Quadruplet may be blocked at any point and you need to finish within ten tricks.
The two high-scoring “standout” meld combinations are crucial to monitor: Reunions and Quadruplets. The probability of being able to obtain a full Reunion across Phase 1 is about 1 in 10; the probability of a Quadruplet across Phase 1 is about 1 in 4. Keep a checklist of the potential Quadruplets and Reunions your opponent might hold based on known cards.
Going for the Reunion is a challenging gambit. You basically have to sacrifice winning the book bonus and brisquette points for a huge pay off. One needs to start early with the J-Q-K plus some others to make this gambit worthwhile. Even with luck on your side you have to make sure you hide your intentions, keeping as many of its cards unexposed as possible. The Quadruplet is much easier to obtain (2.5 times as likely), but still has a nice bonus.
Think carefully about playing a trick from your melds if it removes a bar on your opponent. Typical of this game, the tradeoff is sometimes worth it.
Take careful note of the stock, as any melding strategy needs to finish by the time it is exhausted, and it is easy to be caught off guard.
Take careful note of cards played in tricks that could have turned your Besitos and Marriages into larger runs, so you can abandon those plans and avoid fishing for cards in vain. Likewise, conceal in hand as long as possible cards that would create runs for your opponent.
Jacks are especially pivotal, for without them Marriages and Sets cannot turn into runs. And of course they are the only cards which can set trump.
J-Q-K forms the basis for many melds. This combination also allows domination of tricks in the end game if it is extended upwards. Be careful of letting the opponent sweep a run in the end game by playing a suit you do not possess.
The Flush is the only meld that allows you a couple of low-card kickers, so it is a good way to get rid of 8's and 9's, while scoring 5 points at the same time.
Looking at different rank’s versatility in scoring different combinations, the cards go from the Queen (usable in every combination), to the 9, 8, and 7 (usable only in Sets and the Flush). The Jack is the second most versatile card, as it can be used also in Besitos and Penchants. Kings come next, because of their role in the Marriage, then the Ace and Ten, and lastly, as mentioned 9, 8, and 7.
Winning last trick in Phase 1 is very important, since the winner leads in Phase 2, where every brisquette is worth a clean point (and even more so if using modernized scoring). At what point in the hand one decides to shift focus to prepping for Phase 2 is one of the key tensions of the game.
Aces are most valuable, since they are simultaneously trick winners, brisques, and barring cards. Melding aces is usually best, since they can be “stored” for future tricks, or saved even longer to control the end game, while barring the whole time—but melding also reveals you have them. Keeping Aces for Phase 2 can generate huge points, even if you sacrifice some earlier tricks.
The Penchant’s main value is not as a scorer but in setting trump and should be used selectively. There is less value in setting trump before you know both hands for the end-game; however, wait too long and your opponent will set it for you. You could also set trump early and then build your strong suit for the end-game. The Jack in your opponent’s strong suit is obviously a strong card to hold to prevent her making trump.
Set trump when you have preponderance in a suit, are scoring badly, when it might help with declarations, and if the opponent will likely make trump in an unfavourable suit.
Winning 7's—the lowest rank—takes particular skill. You can still “make book” without them, so one strategy is to win everything else. You can alternatively win 7's by exhausting your opponent’s remaining cards in the suit. Melding 7's early allows you to win them opportunistically in tricks; but leaving them on the table too long risks having to play them in the end game, where they usually count against you twice. One common tactic is to “sacrifice” a 7 in Phase 1, so it will not haunt you even more in Phase 2.
It should be noted that most of the bread-and-butter trick tactics of other games (stoppers, squeeze plays, guarding, finesse, etc.) also apply to Penchant.
A Penchant cheat sheet is available here.
As mentioned above, trump is determined by the suit of the Jack in the first Penchant melded by the winner of a trick. The Penchant, moreover, is the one exception where you must win a trick to meld a combination. Even if your opponent has won the trick, if you have a Penchant you can meld it providing the trick winner did not declare any melds. However, a Penchant melded in a trick you did not win does not determine trumps.
Phase 2: Last Six Tricks
The second phase of play starts the moment the last card in the stock is drawn.
At this point the various melds are drawn back into the players’ hands. No more combinations can be scored.
The last six tricks are played out according to different rules, with the winner of the last trick of Phase 1 leading to the first. Players must follow suit if they can, must trump if they cannot, and must win if they can. Otherwise they may play any card.
Won tricks in Phase 2 are displayed spread face up as won so they remain visible. The aim of Phase 2 is to win as many brisques as possible. Brisques won in Phase 2 are called brisquettes.
After the six tricks are played, the score is tallied and the hand is over.
Scoring
Melds are scored as they are declared and laid on the table. In general melds score 1 point per card. The exceptions are the Penchants (1 point for two cards), Quadruplets (10 points), and Reunions (25 points).
Brisques are scored at the end of hand. Brisquettes won during Phase 2 earn 1 point apiece. The player with most total brisques across the whole hand (Phases 1 and 2 combined) scores a book bonus of 1 point for every brisque won in excess of six. There are twelve brisques in the deck. If both players win six, neither scores the bonus.
So for instance, a player who won ten of the twelve brisques, eight of those in Phase 2 would earn 8 points in brisquettes plus a 4 point book bonus (i.e., 10-6).
Note that brisques won in the last six tricks potentially count twice: once when won, and again at the end as part of the bonus. For that matter, they could also have been scored previously as melds.
A game is four hands. The final score for the game is the higher score minus the lower. If the lower-scoring player fails to make 40 points during the four hands, this player is lurched and the game score is doubled from its usual.
Barring
Pairs, Triplets and Quadruplets are divided into two classes, Major and Minor. The Major sets are formed of court cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings) and Aces; the Minor sets are formed of cards below the Jack. The highest Major set in either tableau at any moment controls the bar: The highest Major Pair in either tableau bars the opponent melding any Minor Pairs; the highest Major Triplet in either tableau bars the opponent melding any Minor Triplets or Pairs; and the highest Major Quadruplet bars all Minor sets. The barring player does not have to have declared the barring set as such: it merely has to be found amongst her melded cards. However a Minor set that is longer (more cards) than the barring set can still be melded even if it does not bar anything itself. To unbar you only have to tie the rank of highest Major set, not beat it. And only Minor sets can be barred, never sequences or couplings.
For instance, if your adversary has two Queens on the table, you cannot announce any Pair below Jacks. Her Queens need not have been announced as a Pair; they may be parts of, say, a Marriage and a Penchant. But if you have on the table a Pair as good as hers (say a pair of Queens, or pair or trio of Kings), you can meld Minor Pairs.
For another example, suppose she has two Kings on the table, and you have two Aces. Your Aces cancel her Kings, and you can score any Minor Pair; but she cannot. If you have a Minor Triplet to declare, such as three 8's, no Major Pair of hers will bar it, because your Triplet is longer than her Pair. In addition, no Minor set on her side will bar you; it must be a Triplet of court cards or Aces, and it must be better than any Triplet among the cards you have laid on the table yourself.
Modern Scoring—Tailoring the Game to Your Tastes
Having played many hands, I recommend players shave off some of the extremes of melding: utilizing 8 points for a Quadruplet, and 20 points for a Reunion. This is in part based on the fact that a Reunion will occur 2.5 times as often over sixteen hands as a Quadruplet. An easy way to remember this is that melds are worth 1 point per card, except Quadruplets are 2 points per card and Reunions 4.
One advantage of the “many paths to victory” structure of Penchant is that the scoring is easily tinkered with and tailored to suit one’s preferences. For instance, when I play I usually double the brisque scorings (i.e., 2 points per brisquette and 2 points per total brisques over six) while leaving the meld scores largely intact. Effectively, I halve the meld score. I do this because I find melding more dependent on luck than capturing brisques and this balances the three scoring paths (melding, end-game brisquettes, and brisque bonus) for a tighter more strategic game. Others may prefer to double only the Brisque Bonus to 2 while leaving brisquettes at 1 and melds as they are (if they find building a hand for Phase 2 less interesting). And of course, nothing stops one playing by McTear’s original.
Thoughts on Tactics
There is a flow to Penchant that feels contemporary. Every turn you need to decide how to use your cards: to win tricks here and now to meld or collect brisques for the book bonus, or to build a hand for the short but important Phase 2; you may decide to score and “bank” cards via melds or go specifically for the all or nothing Reunion. Each road can make sense depending on context. The fact you do not score brisques in Phase I until you make six in total demands a commitment—since you will score nothing if you capture fewer than seven. At the same time, sometimes it makes sense to try to get ahead purely by building up a melding-engine. Preparing for the short but explosive end game is a path in itself, and you can win just on brisquettes.
The tight slow tension of Penchant has been described as “walking on a knife.” It feels closer to a modern Eurogame or abstract. And this is so different from the extravaganza of Bezique, where there are up to six copies of every scoring card, and points accumulate like a slot machine.
Penchant is a game of constant agonizing choices and time pressure: with only six cards at play one is always choosing between tricks and melds, current, and potential. You must not only think of immediate points when melding, but also build a hand to win brisquettes in Phase 2, worth a lot of points. Ten tricks of play in Phase 1 does not allow much time for implementation. You must also decide between playing and thereby revealing, or holding and thereby hiding, key cards needed by the opponent. When to set trump is another difficult choice; if you wait too long your opponent will act. The “all or nothing” book bonus creates a constant pressure to reach seven brisques, or prevent your opponent from doing so. Then there is barring strategy and tactics. A particularly unique challenge of Penchant is how to win Tens (middle ranked) and 7's (the lowest rank).
The order of melding takes some thought: Minor sets are easier to score at the beginning before they are barred, especially 8's and 9's that may only be used otherwise in the rare five-card Flush. All things being equal, you should first meld cards you intend on using early in tricks.
As in Pinochle, combinations should be built up slowly, since they score cumulative points. For example, with the modern scoring, a Quadruplet is potentially worth 13 points if drawn out (2+3+8); a Reunion potentially 29 (2+3+4+20). But of course the Quadruplet may be blocked at any point and you need to finish within ten tricks.
The two high-scoring “standout” meld combinations are crucial to monitor: Reunions and Quadruplets. The probability of being able to obtain a full Reunion across Phase 1 is about 1 in 10; the probability of a Quadruplet across Phase 1 is about 1 in 4. Keep a checklist of the potential Quadruplets and Reunions your opponent might hold based on known cards.
Going for the Reunion is a challenging gambit. You basically have to sacrifice winning the book bonus and brisquette points for a huge pay off. One needs to start early with the J-Q-K plus some others to make this gambit worthwhile. Even with luck on your side you have to make sure you hide your intentions, keeping as many of its cards unexposed as possible. The Quadruplet is much easier to obtain (2.5 times as likely), but still has a nice bonus.
Think carefully about playing a trick from your melds if it removes a bar on your opponent. Typical of this game, the tradeoff is sometimes worth it.
Take careful note of the stock, as any melding strategy needs to finish by the time it is exhausted, and it is easy to be caught off guard.
Take careful note of cards played in tricks that could have turned your Besitos and Marriages into larger runs, so you can abandon those plans and avoid fishing for cards in vain. Likewise, conceal in hand as long as possible cards that would create runs for your opponent.
Jacks are especially pivotal, for without them Marriages and Sets cannot turn into runs. And of course they are the only cards which can set trump.
J-Q-K forms the basis for many melds. This combination also allows domination of tricks in the end game if it is extended upwards. Be careful of letting the opponent sweep a run in the end game by playing a suit you do not possess.
The Flush is the only meld that allows you a couple of low-card kickers, so it is a good way to get rid of 8's and 9's, while scoring 5 points at the same time.
Looking at different rank’s versatility in scoring different combinations, the cards go from the Queen (usable in every combination), to the 9, 8, and 7 (usable only in Sets and the Flush). The Jack is the second most versatile card, as it can be used also in Besitos and Penchants. Kings come next, because of their role in the Marriage, then the Ace and Ten, and lastly, as mentioned 9, 8, and 7.
Winning last trick in Phase 1 is very important, since the winner leads in Phase 2, where every brisquette is worth a clean point (and even more so if using modernized scoring). At what point in the hand one decides to shift focus to prepping for Phase 2 is one of the key tensions of the game.
Aces are most valuable, since they are simultaneously trick winners, brisques, and barring cards. Melding aces is usually best, since they can be “stored” for future tricks, or saved even longer to control the end game, while barring the whole time—but melding also reveals you have them. Keeping Aces for Phase 2 can generate huge points, even if you sacrifice some earlier tricks.
The Penchant’s main value is not as a scorer but in setting trump and should be used selectively. There is less value in setting trump before you know both hands for the end-game; however, wait too long and your opponent will set it for you. You could also set trump early and then build your strong suit for the end-game. The Jack in your opponent’s strong suit is obviously a strong card to hold to prevent her making trump.
Set trump when you have preponderance in a suit, are scoring badly, when it might help with declarations, and if the opponent will likely make trump in an unfavourable suit.
Winning 7's—the lowest rank—takes particular skill. You can still “make book” without them, so one strategy is to win everything else. You can alternatively win 7's by exhausting your opponent’s remaining cards in the suit. Melding 7's early allows you to win them opportunistically in tricks; but leaving them on the table too long risks having to play them in the end game, where they usually count against you twice. One common tactic is to “sacrifice” a 7 in Phase 1, so it will not haunt you even more in Phase 2.
It should be noted that most of the bread-and-butter trick tactics of other games (stoppers, squeeze plays, guarding, finesse, etc.) also apply to Penchant.
A Penchant cheat sheet is available here.
Conclusion
So there it is, Penchant, a lost Victorian classic from the Bezique family. Experienced Bezique players will find themselves immediately at home in this sharp variation of their beloved game. New players, unfamiliar with Bezique and its various incarnations, may need a bit of work to become conversant with Penchant. Nevertheless, the effort will be worth it, opening up the whole vista of this skillful and historical family of card games. ◾️
So there it is, Penchant, a lost Victorian classic from the Bezique family. Experienced Bezique players will find themselves immediately at home in this sharp variation of their beloved game. New players, unfamiliar with Bezique and its various incarnations, may need a bit of work to become conversant with Penchant. Nevertheless, the effort will be worth it, opening up the whole vista of this skillful and historical family of card games. ◾️
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The original Penchant scoring was actually ten times the values given by the author in the article above. If you do multiply the above scores by ten, either for the original scoring or for the modern scoring proposed by Jonathan Kandell, you can use traditional Bezique markers to record the scores during the play of the game. On the bottom left of the table in the header image you can just discern a traditional Bezique marker in use, of the same type as those depicted in the image below. ~ Ed.
You can see from this advertising below from McTear's original book that the game was to be sold with markers similar to these. No doubt the original Penchant markers are very scarce these days, but Bezique markers are easier to source. Of course, with the smaller scores in the article, a Cribbage board works well, as the author suggests.
Acknowledgements
Jack Smarte, Penchant: A Game for Two Players. Mucie & Sons. London: 1893.
Robert F. Foster, Foster’s Complete Hoyle. Frederick A. Stokes, New York:1897.
Jonathan Kandell, "Penchant card game - rules & strategy," which is available here on BoardGameGeek: 2010, revised 2020.
Header image: Gustave Caillebotte, La Partie de Bésigue (1881). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Jack Smarte, Penchant: A Game for Two Players. Mucie & Sons. London: 1893.
Robert F. Foster, Foster’s Complete Hoyle. Frederick A. Stokes, New York:1897.
Jonathan Kandell, "Penchant card game - rules & strategy," which is available here on BoardGameGeek: 2010, revised 2020.
Header image: Gustave Caillebotte, La Partie de Bésigue (1881). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.