ABSTRAC

Cards

Use a 24-card pack consisting of A-K-Q-J-10-9 in each suit.

Start

Shuffle the cards thoroughly and deal them all out, face up, with just enough overlap to enable each card to be identified. For example:

Take cards one, two or three at a time from right to left

Object

To take cards that form scoring combinations (sets and sequences, as in Rummy) but without taking more cards than absolutely necessary.

Play

Non-dealer examines the layout and decides whether to play first or second. If second, dealer must play first.

You each in turn draw either one, two or three consecutive cards from the top end of the row until none remain. (The top end is the one with the fully exposed card - A in the illustration.)

You must place the cards you take face up on the table before you, clearly arranged by suit and rank, so your opponent can always see what you have taken so far.

Score

The scoring combinations are sets of three or more cards of the same rank and sequences of three or more cards of the same suit. Any individual card may, if possible, be counted twice, once in a set and once in a sequence. Your score for the deal consists of two part-scores multiplied together.

First, for combinations, score as follows:

sets: three of a kind 2 points, four of a kind = 8 points

suit-sequences: of three 3, four 4, five 6, six 12 points

Next, total your score for combinations and multiply this by the total number of cards drawn by your opponent. This gives you your score for the deal.

Misère

Theoretically, if you don't make any combination at all you score nothing, since one of the multipliers is zero. In this case, however, the scores are reversed. The player who took no combination scores whatever the other one makes, and the other one scores nothing.

Example

Given the layout illustrated above, non-dealer went first, and the number taken at each pair of turns was: 2-2, 2-3, 1-1, 2-3, 1-3, 2-2.

Non-dealer therefore took : A9 AQ A AKQJ9, scoring 8 for four Aces, plus 4 for the diamond sequence, times 14 cards taken by dealer, total 168.

The dealer took : KQJ10 KJ109 KQJ109 10, scoring 8 for four Tens, plus 4 for the Kings and Jacks, plus 4 for the spade sequence, plus 3 for the heart sequence, plus 6 for the clubs, total 25, times 10 cards taken by non-dealer, total 250.

It's interesting to see what the results would be if the same layout were played in various different ways. Assuming that non-dealer chose to go first, then

a. if each player always took one card, dealer would win by 96 to 60;
b. if they each always took two, non-dealer would win by 144 to 120; and
c. if they each always took three, non-dealer would win by 96 to 84.

Variant 1: Suit-based Abstrac

As above, except that the number of cards you take at each turn is not automatically one, two or three ad lib but is determined by the suit of the currently exposed card. If it's a spade, you may take only it; if a heart, you may take one or two cards; if a club, up to three cards; if a diamond, up to four. In the layout illustrated above, therefore, the first player may take only the Ace, but the second may then take any or all of the next four cards.

Variant 2: Unlimited Abstrac

As above, the Joker to be taken first

This arose fromcorrespondence with David Levy, a US computer programmer who has tested the game in numerous variations. Add a Joker and spread the 25 cards out as before, such that the Joker must be taken first. The first player may draw any number of cards up to twelve. At each subsequent turn you must take at least one card and may take any number up to one more than the previous player. The only purpose of the Joker is to prevent both players from taking the same number of cards (12) - it isn't wild and can't be used to form part of a scoring combination.

52-CARD ABSTRAC

Overview

This is played in two halves, using the full 52-card pack. As it is difficult to get suit-sequences and four of a kind the scoring combinations differ from those of the basic game, being more like those I used in Hindsight and Nimbly.

Play

Thoroughly shuffle the pack and deal out 26 cards face up in a row. You will score for the longest flush you collect, for your longest sequence, and for your longest set. Play as in the basic game (above) except that the number of cards you take at each turn is not automatically one, two or three ad lib but is determined by the suit of the currently exposed card. If it's a spade, you may take only it; if a heart, you may take one or two cards; if a club, up to three cards; if a diamond, up to four. In the layout illustrated above, therefore, the first player may take only the Ace, but the second may then take any or all of the next four cards.

Scoring

Having completed the first half, examine the cards you took and score as follows:

• the number of cards in your longest suit, multiplied by
• the number of cards in your longest sequence, regardless of suit, multiplied by
• the number of cards in your longest set (4, 3 or 2)

Finally, if you took fewer than 13 cards, multiply the above again by the number of cards you took fewer than your opponent (that is, count 2 for each card you took short of 13). This will compensate for the fact that whoever takes more cards in total will tend to score more for combinations.

Note these scores, then deal the previously undealt 26 cards face down in a new spread for the second half of the game. Whoever played first in the first half plays second in the second. Play and score as above, and add your two half-scores together to produce your score for the whole round.

Game

Play up to any agreed target score, such as 500, or for any agreed number of deals.