The Mississippi Heart Hand
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ª 10 5 4 3 2© -¨ 5 4 3 2§ 5 4 3 2 |
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ª -© 8 7 6 5 4 3 2¨ A K Q J 10 9§ - |
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ª J 9 8 7 6© -¨ 8 7 6§ 10 9 8 7 6 |
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ª A K Q© A K Q J 10 9¨ -§ A K Q J |
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Wow! What a hand! That is what the "mark" or victim was expected to think. Dating back to the days of whist and bridge-whist, the card sharps on the Mississippi River steamboats would organise the distribution of cards so that on a diamond lead the "mark" could make either six tricks with hearts as trumps, nine tricks with spades as trumps or ten tricks with clubs as trumps. As doubling and redoubling could continue indefinitely, the odd trick in a low stake game could very soon become a small fortune. Charles M. Schwab (1862-1939) a New York financier and steel magnate, who was also President of the Whist Club of New York, is reputed to have lost more than $10,000 on this hand (ACBL Bridge Encyclopaedia).