Extract from the book: Jean Boussac. Card game encyclopedia. Paris, 1896, p. 184–186.
The Polignac is a small living room game, which, not to be complicated, is nonetheless very interesting. We play it with friends who do not want to earn money; We play it mainly in societies where are ladies.
If the Polignac is playing four, each player receives eight cards. If it is played five, each of the players receives. Six cards and we remove two seven from the game, either the reds or the blacks. When we play the Six Polignac, each of the players receives five cards and we also withdraw two seven. Finally, if we are seven players, each receives four 'cards and we remove the four seven of the game.
All cards are distributed and their number, as we have just seen above, must always be divisible by the number of players; So there is no heel. There is also no return. All the combinations and all the efforts of the player must tend to make the least lifes that it is possible, or of the less, if he in fact, he must try that they do not contain valets and especially the valet of spades :: Polignac.
Of the situation. - We distribute the cards two by two, or otherwise, but it is never allowed to give more than three at one 'blow we start with the right.
Cards value. - The strongest map is the king; Then come the lady, are worth it, the ace, the ten, the new, the eight and the seven.
Game walk. - The player placed the first to the right of the donor who was designated by the spell, plays any card, and each player is obliged to provide color.
When we lack the color played, we hasten to get rid of our most unfortunate cards, that is to say of our valets and especially the valet of spades. If you have no valets it send on the carpet, you throw your biggest cards, because you have to reduce your chances of leveeing.
The game is played in ten, fifteen or twenty tokens, depending on the conventions made before starting the game.
The game is lost by that of the players who took the first number of agreed tokens first.
It is obvious that the player who has the attack will open the game in his weak color, and that he will have a dose care to create renuncies in order to make the cards that could be lifted.
You have to agree, before starting the game, how much we will take chips by valet picked up, and also explain if, when we lift with a valet of your hand, we will not have to take more tokens than in the previous case. There is no need to say that Polignac, or valet of spades, will always pick up a number of double tokens. Example: if the other valets each pick up two tokens, the valet of spades will pick four.
Misery or hood. - To give more spice and unexpected to the play of Polignac, it is generally agreed that the one who will make all the levees (and this is the height of the Deveine) not only will lose nothing but that all of his opponents will take a determined number of tokens, usually five.