How win at Speculation

In the evening it was found, according to the predetermination of Mrs Grant and her sister, that after making up the whist-table there would remain sufficient for a round game, and everybody being as perfectly complying and without a choice as on such occasions they always are, speculation was decided on almost as soon as whist; and Lady Bertram soon found herself in the critical situation of being applied to for her own choice between the games, and being required either to draw a card for whist or not.   Mansfield Park

How to Play Speculation

Deck: 52 card deck with Aces high

Players: 2 to 9

Object: To be the holder of the highest trump at the end of a round.

Preliminaries:

Each player contributes to the pot. The dealer deals three cards to each player, face down. She turns up the next card in the deck to determine trump.

Play:

If the trump card is an Ace, the dealer takes the pot. If the trump card is a King, Queen or Jack, the dealer offers it for sale to the highest bidder. Players may check their cards to decide whether they wish to bid. The dealer may choose whether she wishes to accept the bid. If she does, the payment is made and the card passed to the buyer. All cards are now turned face up, and the holder of the highest trump takes the pot. If the faced up trump is a card with a number, the card is put up for bid, however the players may not look at their hands before deciding to bid. Whether it is sold or not, it is left face up on the table. If the card is sold, the buyer does not turn up her cards until a higher trump is turned. The player on the dealer's left now turns up her top card. This continues in rotation to the left until a higher trump than the one face up is discovered. If a better trump shows, it may be offered for sale by its holder, who has the right to decide whether or not to accept the bid. The rest of the face down cards are turned up, one by one, until a higher trump is exposed. A higher trump may also be offered for sale. The player holding the highest trump at the end of the game wins the pot.