| "HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME"
--Sly & The Family Stone (August 1969)
Partnership Hearts -- Variation II
(Please refer to last month's column, which discussed the "live" version of Partnership Hearts.)
The standard game of Partnership is not available on any online site; however, some very ingenious Zone.com players have created a hybrid version of the game. Thus, it is quite possible to play this very challenging and entertaining variation on Zone.com. Here are the basic guidelines:
1. The game limit is still 100 points, and the pass rotation remains the same. Each player must keep note of their (individual) score after each hand. Your partner sits directly opposite, as in the game of Spades. The scores for each team are added together at the end of each hand. Thus (at the end of game), if we have 45 and 65 points individually, and they have 100 and 30 points individually -- WE win, as our COMBINED total is 110 to their 130 points. This is most interesting, as one of our opponents actually had the low score when the game ended. Remember, this is a TEAM game…
2. There is still a "keeper" hand every fourth deal. Thus, there is no pass for these hands only.
3. Shooting the Moon is very difficult, and you must do it ALONE. Your partner may not take any points, and you must take all 26 -- a rather tall order. Then again, your partner will be trying to help you . . . In the Variety 2 Game, both members of a partnership combine their points. In addition, the hybrid game also has this nuance -- if either member of a team "Shoots," that player's side is still assessed 26 points, and the opponents are pasted with 52 points. You don't want to Shoot if the result will lose the game for you!
4. Passing strategy is very critical -- especially on the across pass. It is wise to pass a low or middle Heart on the left and right passes. When passing to partner, you must have some pre-arranged system. This way, you won't duplicate passed suits, or strand your teammate with a weakly protected spade Queen.
Basically -- that's it! It does take some adjusting! It is a good idea to post and reconcile the score after each hand. The game always ends when someone reaches 100 points -- there are times when it is good technique to push your partner over the 100 mark -- as long as your combined score is lower than the opponents' combined score! Try it -- you'll like it!
June Hearts Quiz
Congratulations to Tim Russell of Baton Rouge, LA. He was the only one who had all five correct answers. Several persons answered four out of five correctly... | |
