CASSINO. A game at cards played by two or more persons. Four cards are dealt to each player, and four are turned face up on the table. After the hands are played, the greatest number of earls counts the holder three, the greatest number of spades one, big casino (the ten of diamonds) two, little casino (the deuce of spades) one, and each ace one, so that eleven eau be possibly counted by one person; the whole game is twenty-one. The play is to take from the table as many cards as possible, preferring spades, or aces, or big or little casino. The tricks are taken by pairing—that is, by match ing one card in the hand with another on the table; thus, a ten will take a ten, or a nine and an ace, or four aces and a six, or any other combination of spots that makes just ten. An other part of the game is 'building,' or combining cards on the board with one in hand; for ex ample, a player puts a four on a six to make np ten, meaning to take both when his turn to play again comes; but any one having a ten may take them before him; or if he builds a six, the next player may make it a nine, and the next still may put on an ace and call it ten, hut in build ing. the one who makes any particular number
must hold the card that will take it. Sonic per :ions make a progressive build—that is, if one has a nine and cannot at the time make a nine, he puts a four on a two and calls it six, having of course a three to make a nine when it is next his turn to play. But this kind of building is generally ruled out as irregular. In a modern variation of the game. the knave counts eleven, the queen twelve, the king thirteen. the ace one or fourteen, as the players may choose, and the `joker' fifteen. This plan greatly enlarges the number of combinations; as, for instance, an ace may possibly take three other aces, four deuces. and a tray, making fourteen spots; or the ace may take the big and little casino and two aces, which would make six points in the game.