All three others have passed and you are playing Three, with two groups of three spread face-up. The King you called is not in the talon. Your hand: Skus, XVII, XII, IX, K
, C
, J, 7, 8, 1
, 2, 3. Group A: K
, Q, 7. Group B: 2, 3, 4.
Which group do you take?
Answer
Take Group A. Three cards make a base count of 1, the K is 4 pips and the Q is 3 pips, so Group A is worth 8 Card Points; Group B carries no pips and is worth 1 Card Point. Whichever group you refuse goes face-down to the Defenders’ pile, so this one choice moves 7 Card Points before a trick is played. Keep the K: a King may never be discarded, and a lone King rarely gets trumped, so count it as nearly a whole trick. Then discard the Q, the C and the J face-down, which puts 6 pips in your pile. Discards count in your pile at the end, so when the rules allow it, discard a high-value card rather than a plain one.
is 4 pips and the Q is 3 pips, so Group A is worth 8 Card Points; Group B carries no pips and is worth 1 Card Point. Whichever group you refuse goes face-down to the Defenders’ pile, so this one choice moves 7 Card Points before a trick is played. Keep the K: a King may never be discarded, and a lone King rarely gets trumped, so count it as nearly a whole trick. Then discard the Q, the C and the J face-down, which puts 6 pips in your pile. Discards count in your pile at the end, so when the rules allow it, discard a high-value card rather than a plain one.