A Tricks Scoring Patience Game

By Frater Pyramidatus

This game is a development of a very simple patience variation known in Hoyle’s as ‘Single Rail’, and in some later books as ‘Puss in
the Corner’; and perhaps the most straightforward of all the patience games.

On the table lay out the Aces are arranged in the following manner:

A♠ A♥
A♦ A♣

You may think this is not important, but this method echoes the Enochian Watchtower ordering of the Four Elements. It is
preferable.

These stations are known as ‘Houses’. Placed adjacently to these are the ‘Stacks’, of which there are obviously four in total. The
object of the game is not really to build up from the Aces to the Kings, as one would expect, but to score tricks. However one must
pretend that the goal of the game is go from the Aces sequentially to the Kings whilst taking only cards from the top of each of the four
stacks. There are three types of trick: House Trick, Stack Trick and Serpent Trick (this being where the points are scored
exponentially as is explained below).

You achieve cumulative points for each House the closer you rise to the King. If all Houses reach fulfilment then the game is over.
The game is also over if you cannot begin, or continue, a Serpent Trick. Points are totalled as a mean average for all hands played.

For Stack Tricks you play as in poker, however tricks can ‘blend’ so that if we have K♠ Q♠ J♠ J♣ J♥ one not only scores points for the
run of King, Queen and Jack but for the three Jacks as well. Also if we have, say, K♠ Q♠ J♠ J♣ J♥ again and the Jack of Hearts is
played onto a House and then the Jack of Diamonds is played onto the Stack later, we get more points for another group of three. It
goes without saying that the cards are spread out so that they can all be seen, unless you like making life difficult for yourself!

SERPE;T POI;TS
Serpent Tricks are by far the most complicated part of the game. We must assume that the goal, although not the highest point
scoring tactic, of the game is to fulfil the Houses in the centre of the table. However, we must calculate at what point a card is taken
from the deck that completely prevents us from fulfilling all the Houses. At this point the hand stops. If this card is a King then the
Serpent is initiated. It must be a King. We then reshuffle and start another hand. The next hand may fulfil the Houses but if the
‘stop card’ is again a King, or a Queen, then the Serpent Trick is continued. After this we must get another Queen, or a Jack, but not
a Ten, or any other lower card. So, to recap the Serpent must begin with a King, then be followed by a card equal or one lower to
itself, and so on down the sequence. At the time the Serpent sequence is interrupted play ceases and a mean average for points scored
for every hand is calculated. However, for the Serpent we only score points once for each game. ‘Forcing a serpent’ is cheating, we
must attempt as best we can to fulfil the Houses, and remember that one can only cheat oneself.

HOUSE POI;TS
The point scoring for House Tricks is based on the number of the cards themselves. So that if one scores 7♥ then one has 28 points
for that house, because the sum of the numbers 1 to 7 is 28. One does not get extra points for the Court Cards. We can score a total
of 220 points for fulfilling all of the Houses. It should be said that it is very difficult to do this, hence the ageless definition of the
‘patience’ game.
STACK POI;TS
Points here are effectively less than with the Houses because tricks can ‘blend’ (vide supra) and to encourage one to initiate a Serpent:

TABLE

THREE OF A KI;D FOUR OF A KI;D

Kings 15 20
Queens 15 20
Jacks 15 20
Tens 10 15
;ines 9 15
Eights 8 15
Sevens 7 10
Sixes 6 10
Fives 5 10
Fours 4 5
Threes 3 5

Runs must be at least three cards long and of the same suit. Different suited runs DO ;OT score points in the Stack tricks (they can
however in the Serpent).

K Q J = 20
K Q J 10 = 25
K Q J 10 9 = 30 (etcetera)

Q J 10 = 15
Q J 10 9 = 20
Q J 10 9 8 = 25 (etcetera)

J 10 9 = 10
J 10 9 8 = 15
J 10 9 8 7 = 10 (etcetera)

10 9 8 = 10
10 9 8 7 = 11
10 9 8 7 6 = 12 (etcetera)

∴ 9 beginning = 9 + 1 for each sequential card

∴ 8 beginning = 8 + 1 for each sequential card
∴ 7 beginning = 7 + 1 for each sequential card (etcetera)

SERPE;T POI;TS
As with Houses and Stacks tricks are scored with three or four of a kind (but in this case also with two of a kind), and with runs of at
least three cards and of the same suit.

TABLE

Kings 1 10
2 20
3 30
4 40
Queens 1 20
2 40
3 60
4 80

Jacks 1 30
2 60
3 90
4 120

Tens 1 40
2 80
3 90
4 120

;ines 1 50
2 100
3 150
4 200 (etcetera)

SERPE;T RU;S

KQJ 200
K Q J 10 400
K Q J 10 800 (etcetera)

DIVI;ATIO;
This is obviously where the game becomes rather more complicated. And we must remember that divination, of any kind, is
extremely dangerous. If the cards are properly shuffled and we make no mistakes in placing the cards (the most common error being
placing a high card on top of a low card of the same suit) one may assume some accuracy of divination. You will note that logical
thought is used here whereas with Tarot spreads things are almost completely random. Theoretically this will activate both ‘sides’ of
the human brain.

We can liken the House fulfilment of Ace to King in the four suits to the Lightning Flash on the Tree of Life (which we find so often
discussed in the annals of Qabalism); we can also compare the Stacks to the blocked forces of potential that surround us. These
Stacks are really the ‘delay mechanisms of the universe’. The Serpent, on the other hand represents the forces that are striving to
stop us achieving what we will. So comparing the Tricks scored in all these three areas should provide us with a comprehensive view
of the predicament we find ourselves in and what the cards have to tell us about it. And we must remember that the ‘the cards never
lie’. Apart from this the rest is permutation and open to sheer speculation, as the interpreter (the tricks scorer) must translate the
cold austerities of the numbers and suits into something more human.
 Ace of ♠ Ace of Swords The Root of the Powers of Air
Two of ♠ Peace Luna in Libra
Three of ♠ Sorrow Saturn in Libra
Four of ♠ Truce Jupiter in Libra
Five of ♠ Defeat Venus in Aquarius
Six of ♠ Science Mercury in Aquarius
Seven of ♠ Futility Luna in Aquarius
Eight of ♠ Interference Jupiter in Gemini
;ine of ♠ Cruelty Mars in Gemini
Ten of ♠ Ruin Sol in Gemini
Ace of ♥ Ace of Cups The Root of the Power of
Water
Two of ♥ Love Venus in Cancer
Three of ♥ Abundance Mercury in Cancer
Four of ♥ Luxury Luna in Cancer
Five of ♥ Disappointment Mars in Scorpio
Six of ♥ Pleasure Sol in Scorpio
Seven of ♥ Debauch Venus in Scorpio
Eight of ♥ Indolence Saturn in Pisces
;ine of ♥ Happiness Jupiter in Pisces
Ten of ♥ Satiety Mars in Pisces
Ace of ♦ Ace of Disks The Root of the Powers of
Earth
Two of ♦ Change Jupiter in Capricorn
Three of ♦ Works Mars in Capricorn
Four of ♦ Power Sol in Capricorn
Five of ♦ Worry Mercury in Taurus
Six of ♦ Success Luna in Taurus
Seven of ♦ Failure Saturn in Taurus
Eight of ♦ Prudence Sol in Virgo
;ine of ♦ Gain Venus in Virgo
Ten of ♦ Wealth Mercury in Virgo
Ace of ♣ Ace of Wands The Root of the Powers of Fire
Two of ♣ Dominion Mars in Aries
Three of ♣ Virture Sol in Aries
Four of ♣ Completion Venus in Aries
Five of ♣ Strife Saturn in Leo
Six of ♣ Victory Jupiter in Leo
Seven of ♣ Valour Mars in Leo
Eight of ♣ Swifness Mercury in Sagittarius
;ine of ♣ Strength Luna in Sagittarius
Ten of ♣ Oppresion Saturn in Sagittarius