Piquet is said to have derived its name from that of its
inventor,

who contrived it to amuse Charles VI. of France. The game was
played with thirty two cards, that is, discarding out of the pack

all the deuces, treys, fours, fives, and sixes. Regular
piquet-packs were sold. In reckoning" target="_blank" title="n.计算；算帐；估计">reckoning up the points, every card

counted for its value, as ten for ten, nine for nine, and so on
down to seven, which was, of course, the lowest; but the ace

reckoned for eleven. All court cards reckoned for ten. As in
other games, the ace won the king, the king the queen, and so on,

to the knave, which won the ten. The cards were dealt at option
by

fours, threes, or twos, to the number of twelve, which was the
hand--'discarding' being allowed; but both the dealer and he that

led were OBLIGED to discard at least one card, let their game be
ever so good. When the cards were played out, each counted his

tricks; and he that had most reckoned 10 for winning the cards;
if the tricks were equal, neither reckoned at all. He who,

without playing (that is, according to the various terms of the
game), could reckon up 30 in hand, when his antagonistreckoned

nothing, scored 90 for them; this was called a repic; and all
above 30 counted so many,--32 counting 92, and so on. He who

could make up 30, part in hand and part by play, before the other
made anything, scored 60; this was called a pic.

The game was also played as pool precisely" target="_blank" title="ad.精确地；刻板地">precisely according to the rules
briefly sketched as above, the penalty for losing being a guinea

to the pool.
Piquet required much practice to play it well. It became so

great a favourite that, by the middle of the 18th century, the
meanest people were well acquainted with it, and 'let into all

the tricks and secrets of it, in order to render them complete
sharpers.' Such are the words of an old author, who adds that

the game was liable to great imposition, and he explains the
methods in use. Short cards were used for cutting, as in Whist,

at the time. Of these cards there were two sorts, one longer
than the rest; and the advantage gained by them was as the

adversary managed it, by cutting the longer or broader, as best
suited his purpose, or imposing on the dealer, when it was his

turn, to cut those which made most against him. The aces, kings,
queens, and knaves were marked with dots at the corners, and in

the very old book from which I am quoting precise directions are
given how this marking can be effected in such a manner 'as not

to be discovered by your ADVERSARY, and at the same time appear
plain to YOURSELF.' With a fine pointed pen and some clear

spring water, players made dots upon the glazed card at the
corners according to the above method; or they coloured the water

with india ink, to make the marks more conspicuous. The work
concludes as follows:--'There are but 32 cards made use of at

Piquet, so that just half of them will be known to you; and in
dealing you may have an opportunity to give yourself those you

LIKE best; and if you cannot conveniently" target="_blank" title="ad.方便地；合宜地">conveniently CHANGE the PACK
according to your desire, you will commonly KNOW what YOU are to

TAKE IN, which is a demonstrative advantage to win any one's
money.'

Evidently they did not 'assume a virtue' in those days, 'if they
had it not.'

BASSET.
The game of Basset (in French Wassette) was considered one of the

most polite games with cards, and only fit for persons of the
highest rank to play at, on account of the great losses or gains

that might accrue on one side or the other.
The sums of money lost in France at this game were so

considerable that the princes of the blood were in danger of
being undone; and after many persons of distinction were ruined

the court of France thought fit to forbid Basset. Then Faro was
invented; and both were soon introduced into England, and after

three or four years' play here, they impoverished so many
families, that Parliament enacted a suppression of both games,

with severe penalties. The two games are, therefore, of
historical interest, and deserve an explanation.

Basset was a sort of lottery. The dealer who kept the bank at
Basset, having the sole disposal of the first and last card, and

other considerableprivileges in dealing the cards, had a much
greater prospect of gaining than those who played. This was a

truth so acknowledged in France that the king, by public edict,
ordered that the privilege of a talliere, or banker at Basset,

should only be allowed to the 'chief cadets,' or sons of
noblemen--supposing that whoever kept the bank must, in a very

short time, acquire a considerable fortune.
In this game there was: 1. The Talliere, the banker, who laid

down a sum of money to answer every winning card which might turn
up. 2. The Croupiere, the assistant of the former, standing by

to supervise the losing cards,--so that when there were many at
play he might not lose by overlooking anything which might turn

up to his profit. 3. The Punter, or every player. 4. The Fasse,
that is, the first card turned up by the talliere, by which he

gained half the value of the money laid upon every card of THAT
SORT by the punters or players. 5. The Couch, which was the

first stake that every punter laid upon each card-- every player
having a book of 13 cards before him, upon which he must lay his

money, more or less, according to his fancy. 6. The Paroli: in
this, whoever won the couch, and intended to go on for another

advantage, crooked the corner of his card, letting his money lie,
without being paid the value by the talliere. 7. The Masse,

which was, when those who had won the couch, would venture more
money on the SAME card. 8. The Pay, which was when the player

had won the couch, and, being doubtful of making the paroli, left
off; for by going the pay, if the card turned up wrong, he lost

nothing, having won the couch before; but if by this adventure
fortune favoured him, he won double the money he had staked. 9.

The Alpieu was when the couch was won by turning up, or crooking,
the corner of the winning card. 10. The Sept-et-le-va was the

first great chance that showed the advantages of the game,
namely, if the player had won the couch, and then made a paroli

by crooking the corner of his card, and going on to a SECOND
chance, if his winning card turned up again it became a

sept-et-le-va, which was seven times as much as he had laid upon
his card. 11. Quinze-et-le-va, was attending the player's

humour, who, perhaps, was resolved to follow his fancy, and still
lay his money upon the SAME card, which was done by crooking the

third corner of his card: if this card came up by the dealing of
the talliere, it made him win fifteen times as much money as he

staked. 12. Trent-et-le-va was marked by the lucky player by
crooking the end of the fourth corner of his card, which, coming

up, made him win thirty-three times as much money as he staked.
13. Soissante-et-le-va was the highest chance that could happen

in the game, for it paid sixty-seven times as much money as was
staked. It was seldom won except by some player who resolved to

push his good fortune to the utmost.
The players sat round a table, the talliere in the midst of them,

with the bank of gold before him, and the punters or players each
having a book of 13 cards, laying down one, two, three, or more,

as they pleased, with money upon them, as stakes; then the
talliere took the pack in his hand and turned them up--the bottom