You are playing Three, so the talon is in two groups of three. The King you called is not in the talon. Your hand: Skus, XI, VIII, XIV, K
, Q, C, J, 1
, 2, 3, 4. You hold no Diamonds and no Clubs at all. Group A: K
, Q, C (10 Card Points). Group B: 7
, 8, 9 (1 Card Point).
Which group do you take?
Reveal answer
Answer
Take Group A. Three cards make a base count of 1, the pips add 4 + 3 + 2 = 9, so the group is worth 10 Card Points, and Group B is worth 1 Card Point. Whichever group you refuse goes to the Defenders’ pile, so this choice alone moves your side’s total by 9 Card Points. You hold no Diamonds now, and that is no reason to refuse Group A. After taking it, discard the Q, the C and one small Heart face-down. A King may never be discarded, so after the discard you hold one Diamond, the K. The 5 pips of the Queen and the Cavalier count for you without winning a trick, and the lone K you keep still counts as nearly a whole trick. Discards count in your pile at the end, so do not refuse a talon group just to keep a suit empty.
, the C and one small Heart face-down. A King may never be discarded, so after the discard you hold one Diamond, the K. The 5 pips of the Queen and the Cavalier count for you without winning a trick, and the lone K you keep still counts as nearly a whole trick. Discards count in your pile at the end, so do not refuse a talon group just to keep a suit empty.