Editing Black Lady (section)

== Earliest rules – Foster (1909) ==
[[File:Hearts Penalty Cards.jpg|thumb|The penalty cards in black lady]]
The following rules are based on the earliest known rules – those by [[Robert Frederick Foster|R.F. Foster]] (1909) – in which black lady was an alternative name for discard hearts, itself a variation of classic hearts.{{sfn|Foster|1909|pp=349–356}}

=== Preliminaries ===
The game is designed for three to six players, although "four is the usual number." A [[standard 52-card deck]] of [[Anglo-American pattern]] cards is used in which cards [[rank (cards)|rank]] in their normal order, [[ace]]s high. If three play, the {{cards|2s}} is removed, if five play, the two black [[Deuce (playing card)|deuces]] are removed and, if six play, all four deuces are discarded. It was usual practice to play with two decks, one being [[shuffled]] while the other was being [[deal (cards)|dealt]]. Players [[cut (cards)|cut]] for the choice of seats (aces low), lowest becoming the first [[dealer (card player)|dealer]] and choosing a seat first and then others choosing their seats in their order. Players tying must cut again.{{sfn|Foster|1909|pp=349–356}}

Any player has a right to shuffle, the dealer last. Dealer offers the cards to [[pone (card player)|pone]] (to the right) for cutting, before dealing all the cards, clockwise and one at a time, to each player starting with [[eldest hand]] (to the left). The deal always rotates to the left. After the deal, each player [[discards (cards)|discards]] three cards to the left-hand neighbour. Players may not view the cards they receive before selecting their discards.{{sfn|Foster|1909|pp=349–356}}

=== Playing ===
The aim is to avoid taking any hearts or the black lady ({{cards|Qs}}) in the [[tricks (cards)|tricks]]. Eldest hand leads any card to the first trick. Players must follow suit if they can; otherwise may discard. There is no trump suit. The winner of a trick leads to the next.{{sfn|Foster|1909|pp=349–356}}

=== Scoring ===
Foster's scoring scheme for basic hearts is that players start with a fixed number of [[counters (cards)|counters]] (50 or 100) and pay one counter into the [[pool (cards)|pool]] for each heart captured; the Black Lady being worth thirteen. The pool is claimed by the person or people winning it. There are two ways of deciding a winner. In the sweepstake method, the pool may only be claimed by a player or players who takes no hearts at all. If everyone takes at least one, the pool stays and forms a 'jack' (hence 'jackpot') until someone eventually takes no hearts at the end of a [[deal (cards)|deal]]. If more than one player takes no hearts, they divide the pool, any odd counters staying put. In the 'Howell' method, at the end of each deal, players pay into the pool ''per opponent'' as many counters as they took hearts. So in a four-player game, if Andy takes the Black Lady and a heart i.e. 14 hearts, he pays {{nowrap|1=3 × 14 = 42}} counters into the pool. Once everyone had paid up, players claim as many counters as they ''did not hold'' at the end (26 minus the number of penalty points scored). So Andy may claim {{nowrap|1=26 − 14 = 12}} counters. This exhausts the pool and is designed to be a fairer reflection of the players' ability.{{sfn|Foster|1909|pp=349–356}} The Black Lady ranks as a spade within the spade [[suit (cards)|suit]] and so may be discarded if any other suit is played.