where you missed; and if that cannot be conveniently done, you
only lose the deal, and there is an end of it.

'But when A or B is to cut, they make it all safe; for then they
make the CORNER-BEND, which any one that knows may cut to, a
hundred times together.

'Piping at Whist. By piping I mean, when one of the company that
does not play, which frequently happens, sits down in a
convenient place to smoke a pipe, and so look on, pretending to
amuse himself that way. Now, the disposing of his fingers on the
pipe whilst smoking discovers the principal cards that are in the
person's hand he overlooks; which was always esteemed a
sufficient advantage whereby to win a game. There is another
method, namely, by uttering words. "Indeed" signifies diamonds;
"truly," hearts; "upon my word," clubs; "I assure you," spades.
But as soon as these methods become known, new ones are invented;
and it is most curious that two persons may discover to each
other what sort of cards they have in hand, and which ought first
to be played, many different ways, without speaking a word.'

There can be no doubt that the act of sorting the cards is
capable of giving an acute observer a tolerably accurate idea of
his partner's or either of his opponents' hands; so that where
cheating is suspected it would be better to play the cards
without sorting them. The number of times a sorter carries a
card to a particular part indicates so many of a suit; your own
hand and his play will readily indicate the nature of the cards
in which he is either strong or weak.