Six-Bid Solo, Six Bid Solo or just Six-Bid for short, is a

trick-taking A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a ''hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of such g ...

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 (such as poker). A small number of card ...

from the western United States for 3 players and is often associated with

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. It is a member of the

German Tarok group Tapp (Swabian: Dapp or Dappen) is a trick-taking, card game for 3 or 4 players using 36 French-suited cards that is played in the south German region of Swabia, especially in the former Kingdom of Württemberg. It is the French-suited offshoot of G ...

of games that originated in an attempt to play a

tarot card game Tarot games are card games played with tarot decks, that is, decks with numbered permanent trumps parallel to the suit cards. The games and decks which English-speakers call by the French name Tarot are called Tarocchi in the original Italian, ...

with standard, non-

tarot cards The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots ...

. Six Bid Solo itself is a variant of

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

, a game very similar to south German

Tapp The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock band active between 1975 and 1990, whose core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They were accompani ...

, the Swabian version of German Tarok.

History

The origins of Six-Bid Solo lie with an old south German game called

German Tarok German Tarok, sometimes known as Sansprendre or simply Tarok, is a historical Ace-Ten card game for three players that emerged in the 18th century and is the progenitor of a family of games still played today in Europe and North America. It became ...

(''Deutschtarok'') which arose in the desire to play the

Grosstarock Grosstarock (german: Großtarock) is an old three-handed card game of the Tarock family played with a full 78-card Tarot pack. It was probably introduced into the southern German states around 1720 but spread rapidly into Austria and northwards a ...

with

German-suited German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional playing card used in many parts of Central Europe characterised by 32- or 36-card packs with the suits of Acorns (''Eichel'' or ''Kreuz''), Leaves (''Grün'', ''Blatt'', ''Laub ...

, non-

tarot card The tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their ...

s. German Tarok appeared in the late 18th century and became very popular in

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

during the 19th century. One offshoot was the game of

, played in Württemberg and Swabia, which was essentially German Tarok with

French-suited cards French-suited playing cards or French-suited cards are cards that use the French suits of (clovers or clubs ), (tiles or diamonds ), (hearts ), and (pikes or spades ). Each suit contains three or four face/court cards. I ...

. It may have been Tapp that was brought to the United States by European emigrants and which became the game of

, the name being derived from the lowest contract in Tapp, which was a ''Frage'' or ''Froag''.Dummett (1980), p. 569 The rules of Frog first appeared in a 1907 ''Hoyle'' and, by 1922, a variant called

Straight Solo Frog, sometimes called Solo Sixty, is a trick-taking, card game for 3 players that is or was popular in southern USA and Mexico (where it is known as Rana). It is a member of the German Tarok group of games that originate from an attempt to play t ...

had emerged in which the Frog contract had been dropped. This mirrored a practice in German Tarok where the ''Frage'' contract was left out in many places, something that was "regrettable" because there was much skill involved in playing it. Six-Bid was an elaboration of Straight Solo from two to six contracts, very like the modern version of Tapp with its contracts to lose or win every trick and in which hearts is a preference suit. The rules for Six-Bid Solo first appeared in the 1924 edition of ''Hoyles Standard Games'' (''HSG'') and have hardly changed since. It was played in

and is sometimes referred to as Salt Lake Solo.''Hoyle's Standard Games'', (1924), pp. 185–186. The 1940 ''Official Rules'' note it as "A Salt Lake Variation" without further elaboration. It is also known as American Solo.Parlett (1991), p. 196

Rules

The following rules are based on ''HSG'' supplemented by the other sources cited.

Players

Six Bid may be played by three or four, but there are always only three active players; if four play the dealer is '

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

' and sits out. Some rules state that five''Goren (1961), pp. 328–329 or even sevenWood & Goddard (1938), pp. 152–154 may play but, again, only three are active in any one deal.Goren (1961), p. 327.

Cards

Thirty six

are used, formed by stripping the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s from a

standard 52-card pack The standard 52-card deck of French-suited playing cards is the most common pack of playing cards used today. In English-speaking countries it is the only traditional pack used for playing cards; in many countries of the world, however, it is used ...

. The cards rank and score, as in most

Ace-Ten games An Ace-Ten game is a type of card game, highly popular in Europe, in which the Aces and Tens are of particularly high value. Description Many of Europe's most popular card games feature the Ace-Ten scoring system, where the cards count as Ace = ...

, as follows:

Deal and auction

Deal A deal, or deals may refer to: Places United States * Deal, New Jersey, a borough * Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * Deal Lake, New Jersey Elsewhere * Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia * Deal, Kent, a town in England * Deal, ...

and

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

are clockwise. The first

dealer Dealer may refer to: Film and TV * ''Dealers'' (film), a 1989 British film * ''Dealers'' (TV series), a reality television series where five art and antique dealers bid on items * ''The Dealer'' (film), filmed in 2008 and released in 2010 * ...

is chosen by any desired method. The dealer shuffles and has the cards

cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

before dealing a

packet Packet may refer to: * A small container or pouch ** Packet (container), a small single use container ** Cigarette packet ** Sugar packet * Network packet, a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-mode computer network * Packet radio, a form ...

of 4 cards to each player, beginning with

eldest hand Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position. Position Games of Anglo-American origin In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...

, then 3 each, then 3 cards face down on the table as the

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

, and finally 4 more cards each, i.e. 4-3-(3)-4, so that each player has a

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each "h ...

of 11 cards. If four play, the dealer now sits out and does not participate in the game. Beginning with eldest, players may

pass Pass, PASS, The Pass or Passed may refer to: Places * Pass, County Meath, a townland in Ireland * Pass, Poland, a village in Poland * Pass, an alternate term for a number of straits: see List of straits * Mountain pass, a lower place in a moun ...

or bid for one of the six

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

listed below. Players may not change their announced bid unless overcalled in which case they must immediately

raise Raise may refer to: Music *''Raise!'', the name of a 1981 album by Earth, Wind, and Fire * '' Raise'' (album), the name of a 1991 album by Swervedriver Place names * Raise, Cumbria, England * Raise (Lake District), the name of the 12th highe ...

or pass. The winner of the

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

becomes the 'bidder' or 'player' and the widow counts to him or her at the end, except in ''Misère''. The games are shown below in ascending order: Some rules rename ''Guarantee Solo'' and''Spread Misère'' to ''Guarantee'' and ''Spread'' respectively.Gibson (1993), pp. 309–311 In a ''Spread Misère'', the bidder's hand is laid down, face up, after the other two players have played their first card. In a ''Call Solo'', if the called card is

sleeping Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and body. It is characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, reduced muscle activity and reduced interactions with surroundings. It is distinguished from wakefulness by a de ...

in the widow, there is no exchange.

Play

Except in ''Spread'', eldest leads any card to the first trick and play proceeds clockwise, each player playing one card. Players must

follow suit A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a ''hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of such g ...

if able; otherwise must trump if able. If they can neither follow nor trump they may discard. There is no requirement to

head the trick The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge (card game), Bridge, Hearts ...

. The trick winner collects the trick and lays it away face down before leading to the next trick.

Scoring

Scoring is as per the table above. If the game is won, the bidder is paid the game value by each active opponent; if lost, the bidder pays the same to each player at the table including the dealer if there are four players.

Progressive Solo

Another variant of Frog that emerged at the same time as Six-Bid was Progressive Solo, later also called Denver Progressive Solo or Denver Solo.Pennycook (1982), pp. 286–287 The 1940 ''Official Rules'' subtitle Progressive Solo as the "Denver Athletic Club Variation" without substantiating the statement.''Official Rules'' (1940), pp. 201–206. Its rules were last recorded in the 1980s so it may now be extinct. Pennycook describes it as a "simple, yet skilful, game." The rules are as for Six-Bid, except where stated. Three to five may play. This time there are five

contracts A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...

. Frog is retained and there were four suit solos ranking, in ascending order, , , and . Players bid in rotation and must initially

or bid any contract. Once a bid is made, subsequent players must pass, double or

overcall In contract bridge, an overcall is a bid made after an opening bid has been made by an opponent; the term refers only to the first such bid. A ''direct'' overcall is such a bid made by the player seated immediately to the left of the opener, i.e ...

. A player whose bid is overcalled may

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

when the bidding comes around again, otherwise must pass. Any doubling is only between the bidder and the doubler and is cancelled if the current contract is overcalled. A player who has been doubled may redouble when the turn comes around again. Once all bar one have passed, the player left in becomes the 'bidder' and must play the highest contract announced. In a Frog, the bidder picks up and exchanges with the widow before laying away the three discards, face down, to one side. In any solo, the widow is untouched. In either case, the widow cards count towards the bidder's score at the end of play. To win, the bidder must then take at least 60 card points in tricks and the widow. If successful, the bidder is paid by each opponent for each point above 60; if unsuccessful, the bidder pays them each the same amount. The tariffs, which are multiplied by any doubling or redoubling, are shown in the summary table below: In addition, there may be two pots – one for ''Frog'' and one for the ''Solos'' – to which players ante an agreed amount each deal. Pennycook specifies the same stake for each pot; ''HSG'' states that the solo pot receives a double stake from each player.

Footnotes

References

Literature

* _ (1839)
''Das Sansprendre-Spiel in Regeln zur richtigen Auffassung und Ausführung desselben nach seinen verschiedenen Nuancen dargestellt''
(''SSR''). Bayreuth: Grau 50 pp. * _ (1881). ''Ausführliche Anleitung zum Deutschtarokspielen, nebst einem Anhange, enthaltend: ein Verzeichniß über alle technischen oder Kunstausdrücke, Provinzialismen und vulgären Bezeichnungen, welche bei diesem Spiele vorkommen''. (AAD) Munich: Cäsar Fritsch. 88 pp. * _ (1907)
''Hoyle's Games''
NY: McClure. * _ (1922)
''Official Rules of Card Games''
Cincinnati: USPC. * _ (1924)
''Hoyle's Standard Games''
Cincinnati: USPC. * _ (1940). ''Official Rules of Card Games: Hoyle Up to Date''. Cincinnati: USPC. * Beattie, Rob (2009). ''The Art of Playing Cards''. NY: Quarto. *

Culbertson, Ely Elie Almon Culbertson (July 22, 1891 – December 27, 1955), known as Ely Culbertson, was an American contract bridge entrepreneur and personality dominant during the 1930s. He played a major role in the popularization of the new game and was wide ...

(1957),

Phillips, Hubert Hubert Phillips (13 December 1891 – 9 January 1964) was a British economist, journalist, broadcaster, bridge player and organiser, composer of puzzles and quizzes, and the author of some 70 books. Life Education and early career Phil ...

(ed.), ''Culbertson’s Card Games Complete'', Watford: Argo *

Dummett, Michael Sir Michael Anthony Eardley Dummett (27 June 1925 – 27 December 2011) was an English people, English academic described as "among the most significant British philosophers of the last century and a leading campaigner for racial tolerance and ...

(1980). ''The Game of Tarot''. London: Duckworth. * Gibson, Walter B. (1993)

974 Year 974 ( CMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Battle of Danevirke: Emperor Otto II defeats the rebel forces of King Harald I, who ha ...

''Hoyle's Modern Encyclopedia of Card Games''. Devizes: Selecta. *

Goren, Charles Charles Henry Goren (March 4, 1901 – April 3, 1991) was an American bridge player and writer who significantly developed and popularized the game. He was the leading American bridge personality in the 1950s and 1960s – or 1940s and 1950s, as " ...

(1961). ''Goren's Hoyle - Encyclopedia of Games.'' NY: Chancellor Hall, Ltd. *

Morehead, Albert H Albert Hodges Morehead, Jr. (August 7, 1909 – October 5, 1966) was a writer for ''The New York Times'', a bridge player, a lexicographer, and an author and editor of reference works. Early years Morehead was born in Flintstone, Taylor County, ...

, Richard L. Frey and

Geoffrey Mott-Smith The Mott-Smith Trophy, named for writer and cryptographer Geoffrey Mott-Smith, is awarded to the player with the best overall individual performance in the Spring Nationals, the spring event of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North Amer ...

(1991). ''The New Complete Hoyle'' NY, London: Doubleday. *

Parlett, David David Parlett (born 18 May 1939 in London) is a games scholar, historian, and translator from South London, who has studied both card games and board games. He is the president of the British Skat Association. His published works include many pop ...

(1991), ''A History of Card Games'', Oxford: OUP. *

(2008), ''The Penguin Book of Card Games'', London: Penguin, * Pennycook, Andrew (1982). ''The Book of Card Games.'' London/NY: Grenada. {{Trick-taking card games German Tarok group Three-player card games American card games French deck card games