Bezique player and early expert of Six-Pack, or "Chinese" Bezique. There is some evidence that the English writers Wilkie Collins and Christina Rossetti were also enthusiasts. However, since the late nineteenth century the game has declined in popularity. A two-handed Bezique deck is a 64-card deck, consisting of the ace down to the seven of each suit doubled (i.e. the twos to sixes are stripped from two decks and the remaining cards combined), The players cut for deal, with the highest card having preference. The rank of the cards in cutting, and in play, is , , , , , ,
Bezique by playing a higher card or by ruffing. Bezique is not generally perceived to be a difficult game, though remembering the possible meld combinations and scoring can be confusing for the complete novice. There are also a number of small rules, such as the high ranking of cards with a face value of ten, the ability to swap sevens with the trump card and so on, that beginners should keep in mind. Once the general pattern of playing a trick, declaring a meld (if any) and then drawing a new card from the talon is established in the mind, the