Ruff and Honours
Encyclopedia
Ruff and Honours, a successor of the French game Triomphe (M.Eng. Triumph, Trump
) with many different spellings, is a 17th century card game
derivative of Ruff, the ancestor of Whist
, which in turn was the forerunner of bridge
and many other trick-taking card games like Whisk and Swabbers.
Some versions of this game seem to have been among the principal forms of card games in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but by the end of the eighteenth they had already been replaced by Whist
. Other forms seem to have been around since the mid-fifteenth century, judging by a reference to the game of Roufle (M.Fr. Roffle, earlier Romfle (1414), from It. Ronfa) in a letter of Jean de Lannoy in 1875.
Many scholars on card games have speculated about the relation between Ruff and Honours and a former card game known as Trump. According to Charles Cotton
, Ruff and Honours, alias called Slamm, was played by four players in two partnerships where it was compulsory to follow suit when able. The cards ranked as at Whist
, and honours were scored. Twelve cards were dealt to each player, four left in the stock, and the top card turned up for trumps. The holder of the ace of trumps was allowed to ruff, i.e. to take in the stock and put out four cards from his hand. The game was played nine up, and at the point of eight honours could be called, as at Long Whist. Accordding to Randle Cotgrave
it was just a synonym for Trump, while Francis Willughby
offered the reasonable speculation that the name Trump may once have designated a simple trick-taking game without the element of ruff and the honours.
Ruff-and-honours, if not the same game as Trump, was most probably a game with a score for the four highest cards of the trump suit, as first described in Cotton's The Compleat Gamester written in 1674, who also states that Ruff and Honours was indeed one of the games most commonly known in England.
Trump (card game)
A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its normal rank in trick-taking games. Typically an entire suit is nominated as a trump suit - these cards then outrank all cards of plain suits...
) with many different spellings, is a 17th century card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
derivative of Ruff, the ancestor of Whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
, which in turn was the forerunner of bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
and many other trick-taking card games like Whisk and Swabbers.
History
This game was first mentioned in 1522 by Bernadine of Sienna in his sermon "Ye Tryumphe." There seemed to be two slightly different games at that time. In the game of Ruff, a pack of 52 cards was used and 12 cards dealt to each player, with the first of the remaining four cards turned over to determine the trump suit. In Honours, 48 cards were used with the last of the cards dealt to the player on the dealers left turned over to determine trumps.Some versions of this game seem to have been among the principal forms of card games in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but by the end of the eighteenth they had already been replaced by Whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
. Other forms seem to have been around since the mid-fifteenth century, judging by a reference to the game of Roufle (M.Fr. Roffle, earlier Romfle (1414), from It. Ronfa) in a letter of Jean de Lannoy in 1875.
Many scholars on card games have speculated about the relation between Ruff and Honours and a former card game known as Trump. According to Charles Cotton
Charles Cotton
Charles Cotton was an English poet and writer, best known for translating the work of Michel de Montaigne from the French, for his contributions to The Compleat Angler, and for the highly influential The Compleat Gamester which has been attributed to him.-Early life:He was born at Beresford Hall...
, Ruff and Honours, alias called Slamm, was played by four players in two partnerships where it was compulsory to follow suit when able. The cards ranked as at Whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
, and honours were scored. Twelve cards were dealt to each player, four left in the stock, and the top card turned up for trumps. The holder of the ace of trumps was allowed to ruff, i.e. to take in the stock and put out four cards from his hand. The game was played nine up, and at the point of eight honours could be called, as at Long Whist. Accordding to Randle Cotgrave
Randle Cotgrave
Randle Cotgrave , may possibly be Randal, son of William Cotgreve of Christleton in Cheshire, who is mentioned in the pedigree of the Cotgreve family, contained in Harl. MS. 1500, fol...
it was just a synonym for Trump, while Francis Willughby
Francis Willughby
thumbnail|200px|right|A page from the Ornithologia, showing [[Jackdaw]], [[Chough]], [[European Magpie|Magpie]] and [[Eurasian Jay|Jay]], all [[Corvidae|crows]]....
offered the reasonable speculation that the name Trump may once have designated a simple trick-taking game without the element of ruff and the honours.
Ruff-and-honours, if not the same game as Trump, was most probably a game with a score for the four highest cards of the trump suit, as first described in Cotton's The Compleat Gamester written in 1674, who also states that Ruff and Honours was indeed one of the games most commonly known in England.
Features
- Four players in two opposing pairs, the partners sitting opposite each other.
- The 52-card deckPlaying cardA playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
is used and the dealer deals to every player 12 cards, 4 at a time. - The four cards remaining forms "the stock".
- The upcard of the stock is turned and the suitSuit (cards)In playing cards, a suit is one of several categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several symbols showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or in addition be indicated by the color printed on the card...
of that card becomes the trump suit. - The holder of the trump Ace has the privilege of "ruffing" the stock's four cards into his own hand, and discarding four others as he likes. If the upcard is an Ace, the dealer earnes the privilege of ruffing.
- After the ruffing, the player to the dealer's left may lead any card to the first trick. The other players have to follow suit if possible, but otherwise may play any card. The trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led, or by the highest trump if any are played. The winner of each trick leads to the next.
- The Knave, Queen, King, and Ace of Trump are called "Honours" .
Scoring
- Before the first trick is played, Honours may be declared.
- If the partners hold three Honours they score two points, or four points if they hold all four.
- If a player holds three Honours, he may declare them and win.
- If he holds two, he may call "Can-ye" to his partner, asking him if he has any; if so, he can immediately declare them and win.
- To each trick the partners have in excess of 6 they score one point.
- The play is nine points.
See also
- PrimeroPrimeroPrimero, Prime, Primus, Primiera, Primavista, often referred to as “Poker’s mother”, as it is the first confirmed version of a game directly related to modern day poker, is a 16th century gambling card game of which the earliest reference dates back to 1526...
- Primo vistoPrimo vistoPrimo visto, Primavista, Prima-vista, Primi-vist, Primiuiste,Primofistula, or even Primefisto, is a 16th-century gambling card game fashionable c. 1530-1640...
- Gleek
- TrumpTrump (card game)A trump is a playing card which is elevated above its normal rank in trick-taking games. Typically an entire suit is nominated as a trump suit - these cards then outrank all cards of plain suits...
- WhistWhistWhist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
- Contract bridgeContract bridgeContract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
Literature
- A woman killed with kindness: and The fair maid of the west by Thomas Heywood, Katharine Lee Bates 1917 ISBN 1444645196