its practice.
Very much, however, depends on the temperament of the player. A bold,
enterprising person will risk much in the hope of winning much, and one
player will declare for Nap on the same cards which another would consider
only safe for three tricks, and, in like manner, one will declare for three
tricks where his neighbour would hesitate to risk two.

Another important matter for consideration is the number of players
engaged, and the consequent proportion of cards in use. Each player
receives five cards, so that it follows, with three players engaged,
that fifteen are in use, and thirty-seven remain in the pack unexposed;
whereas if five are playing there are twenty-five cards in use, and only
twenty-seven remaining unexposed. The calculation necessary is, therefore,
as to the probability of certain superior cards being in the hands of the
opponents, or remaining in the undealt surplus of the pack.

_TACTICS_.

As a perfect Nap is of such rarity we must content ourselves with
substitutes, and in this respect we may regard the following combinations
as good ordinary hands on which to declare for the full number of tricks:
a flush of fairly high cards, _i.e._, the five all of one suit; four
of one suit (headed with ace or king), and one high card of another suit;
or three high cards of one suit, with two high cards of a second suit.
It is dangerous to risk a Nap on a hand of three suits, unless it consists
of three high cards of one suit with two other aces; then it is often
possible to [6] win the five tricks, by first exhausting the trumps, and
then playing the aces, which must win; but if one of the opponents starts
with four trumps, no matter how small, success is, of course, impossible.

If a player does not consider his cards good enough to permit of his
declaring for Nap--and it is fair to suppose that not once in a hundred
they will be absolutely safe--he has to decide what they are worth, and
declare accordingly. It is not often that four tricks are called, because
a hand good enough for four is usually regarded as sufficiently good
for Nap, on account of the additional stakes received by the player who
succeeds in making the whole of the tricks, which amount to a difference
of six points from each competitor, as for four tricks he receives four,
while for Nap he receives ten, paying only five, however, if he loses.

On the same principle as already shown in regard to a "perfect" Nap,
it will