Napoleon

Napoleon, a round game at cards. Five cards are dealt to each player by one at a time, as at whist. Each player in rotation to the dealer's left looks at his hand and declares the number of tricks he will stand for, or whether he will pass. If all pass, the first player must stand for one trick. When a declaration is made subsequent players must stand for more tricks or pass. If Nap (all five tricks) is declared, no further declaration is made. The stand-hand leads; the card he first leads makes the trump suit. The other players follow suit in rotation, as at whist, the winner of the trick leading to the next. The cards rank as at whist. A player not able to follow suit may play any card. No one is obliged to head the trick. If the stand-hand wins the number of tricks he stood for, he receives so much for each trick from each of the other players. If he fails he similarly has to pay all round. If Nap is declared and won, the stand-hand receives double all round; if lost, he only pays single. Sometimes this rule applies to four tricks, when Nap receives triple and only pays single. There is no misdeal; errors in dealing require a fresh deal. A player who exposes a card before all have declared, or declares out of turn, cannot stand on that hand. A player who exposes or detaches a card after the play has begun, or who plays out of turn, is fined the value of three tricks to the stand-hand, besides what he loses if the stand-hand wins. If the stand-hand loses, the player fined receives nothing. The stand-hand is liable to no penalty for exposing or detaching a card, nor for playing out of turn. If the stand-hand revokes he loses what he stood for. If any other player revokes, and the stand-hand wins, the revoker has to pay for all the players; if the stand-hand loses he has to pay to all but the revoker, who receives nothing. Cards played after the correction of a revoke are replayed. See H. G. Playfair's Game of Napoleon (1884).