This is called a ' natural ' the holder receives twice - sometimes thrice - the stake or the doubled stake. Hence a player who receives an ace and a ten-card scores 21 at once. The object of the game is to make 21, by the pips on the cards, an ace counting as i or i 1, and the court cards as I o each. Another card is then dealt, face downwards, all round each player looking at his own. The amount of the original stake should be set by each player opposite his card. When all have staked, the dealer looks at his own card and can double all stakes if he chooses. The others thereupon look at their cards and declare their stakes - one, two, three or more counters or chips - according to the value of their cards.
The right to deal having been decided, the dealer gives one card face downwards to each person, including himself. VINGT-ET-UN (colloquially, ' Van John '),'), a round game of cards, at which any number of persons may play, though five or six are enough.
