_=RANK OF THE PROPOSALS.=_ The various calls outrank one another in the order in which we have given them. If one player says, “I propose,” and another calls “Solo,” the solo call shuts out the proposal, even though it has been accepted by a second player. The call of a misère would in turn shut out a solo; abundance would take precedence of misère; and abundance in trumps would be a better call than simple abundance. The slam of course outranks all other bids. This making of a better proposition than one already made is known as “_=Over-calling=_.”
A player who has made a call of any kind, or has accepted a proposal, may amend his proposition to a better one, only in case he is over-called; or a player who can not get a partner to accept him may amend his call to solo. For instance: A player may have a hand which he feels sure is good for 8 tricks, perhaps 9. To be safe, he calls solo, and hopes to make three or four over-tricks. If he is outbid by some player over-calling him with a misère, he may be tempted to amend his call to abundance.
No call is good until every player who has not already passed does so, by saying distinctly, “I pass.”
_=STAKES.=_ The losses and gains of the players are in proportion to the difficulties of the tasks they set themselves.
The most popular method of settling is to pay or take red counters for the various calls, and white counters for the tricks under or over the exact number proposed. If the callers succeed in their undertakings, their adversaries pay them; if they fail, they pay their adversaries. A red counter is worth five white ones.
Proposal and Acceptance wins or loses 1 red counter. Solo wins or loses 2 red counters. Misère, or Nullo, wins or loses 3 red counters. Abundance, of any kind, wins or loses 4 red counters. Open Misère, or Spread, wins or loses 6 red counters. Declared Abundance, or Slam, wins or loses 8 red counters. Each Over or Under-trick wins or loses 1 white counter.
In Proposal and Acceptance, each of the partners pays one of his adversaries. In all cases in which a single player is opposed to the three others, he wins or loses the amount shown in the foregoing table with each of them individually; so that a single player calling a solo would win or lose 6 red counters. If he lost it, making only four tricks, he would also have to pay to each of his three adversaries a white counter. If he won it, making seven tricks, each of them would have to pay him two red and two white counters.