In the 1740′s Englishman Edmond Hoyle earned extra income by tutoring high society at the game of whist, a precursor to modern bridge. When he discovered that there was no published set of rules for the game, he authored A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist. Hoyle’s book quickly became a best-seller and he went on to publish other works like A Short Treatise on the Game of Backgammon, An Artificial Memory for Whist, and Short Treatises on the games of Piquet (which included sections about Chess and Quadrille). Eventually, Hoyle’s work overcame the leading standard, The Compleat Gamester, and became the authority for play according to the rules. The phrase “according to Hoyle” became synonymous for the final authority on a subject, or any set of official rules. Even today, many modern card game rule books reference Hoyle in their title. August 29th, the anniversary of Hoyle’s Death in 1769, is observed as “According to Hoyle” Day, offering game-players everywhere a chance to remember Endmond Hoyle and have some fun playing according to the rules.
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