
Put
Description
This 17th century two-player game uses a standard deck of cards. Each player gets 3, and any card can be played in any turn, the highest one wins the trick. (Ties count for nobody.) A player winning two tricks wins the round and gets a point. The first one to achieve 5 points is the winner. At certain points players can "put", then opponents can give up or "see" - if opponents choose the latter, then the winner of that round instantly wins the whole game.
The 19th century version of the game allows players to resign a hand, giving a point to their opponent. It could also be played four-handed, between two pairs of partners.
Some sources allow three players. In his Penguin Book of Card Games, David Parlett speculates that if all three players win one trick then nothing is scored, and that if one player puts, both of the opponents agree whether to concede or play out.