BOSTON, a game of cards invented during the last quarter of the 18th century. It is said to have originated in Boston, Massachusetts, during the siege by the British. It seems to have been invented by the officers of the French fleet which lay for a time off the town of Marblehead, and the name of the two small islands in Marblehead harbour which have, from the period of the American Revolution, been called Great and Little Misery, correspond with expressions used in the game. William Tudor, in his Letters on the Eastern States, published in 1821, states some what differently that "A game of cards was invented in Versailles and called in honour of the town, Boston ; the points of the game are allusive, `great independence,' `little independence,' `great misery,' `little misery,' etc. It is composed partly of whist and partly of quadrille, though partaking mostly of the former." The game enjoyed an extraordinary vogue in high French society, where it was the fashion at that time to admire all things Ameri can. "The ladies . . . filled my pockets with bon-bons, and . . . called me 'le petit Bostonian." It was indeed by the name of Bostonian that all Americans were then known in France.
The rules of Boston recognized in English-speaking countries differ somewhat from those in vogue in France. According to the former, two packs of 52 cards are used, which rank as in whist, both for cutting and dealing. Four players take part, and there are usually no partners. Counters are used, generally of three colours and values, and each hand is settled for as soon as finished. The entire first pack is dealt out by f ours and fives, and the second pack is cut for the trump, the suit of the card turned being "first preference," the other suit of the same colour "second preference" or "colour," while the two remaining suits are "plain suits." The eldest hand then announces that he will make a cer tain number of tricks provided he may name the trump, or lose a certain number without trumps. A player may pass, and the next player bids. Succeeding players may "overcall," i.e., overbid, previous bidders. Players passing may thereafter bid only "miseres." If a player bids seven but makes ten he is paid for the three extra tricks, but on a lower scale than if he had bid ten. If no bid should be made, a "misery partout" (general poverty) is often played, the trump being turned down and each player striving to take as few tricks as possible. Payments are made by each loser according to the value of the winner's bid and the overtricks he has scored. There are regular tables of payments. In America overtricks are not usually paid for.