PLAYING THE HANDS

The player who has called the highest number of tricks now becomes senior hand, and his object is to make the tricks he has declared, in opposition to the united efforts of the other players, who combine (without consultation or arrangement of any kind) to defeat his purpose.  The senior hand may make trumps of any suit he chooses, and this he signifies by leading one of the suit he selects.  It will thus be seen that the first card played in each deal decides the trumps for that deal.

The player on the left of the leader then follows.  If he has a card of the suit led he must play it, but if not he may throw off any card he chooses.  If he has more than one card of the suit he can play either, as he is not forced to head the trick even if he has a card higher than that led but in practice it is seldom desirable to pass a trick in the first round, when headed by the senior hand, except under exceptional circumstances, such for instance as holding ace and a small one, with knave or a lower card led.

Provided no player has headed the trick, i.e., played a higher card of the same suit as the one led, the trick is scored by the senior hand, and he leads for the second round.  If, however, one of the players has taken the trick, then the lead passes to the winner of that trick, and the same occurs after the second, third and fourth tricks.

In the second and subsequent rounds the leader may play whatever card he chooses, just as in the first, the trumps remaining unaltered.  A player having one of the suit led in either round must play it, but if he has none of the suit he may either discard one of the others, or head the trick by playing a trump.  This continues throughout the five rounds, unless the senior hand shall have previously won the number of tricks he declared, or shall have lost such a number as to render his success impossible, in either of which cases the cards are collected for the next deal.

See Also:
Nap Tatics
Nap or Napoleon
Stakes, Dealing and Calling
Nap Variations