the name of a game at cards, of French origin.

It may be played at by any indiscriminate number of people, though a single pack of cards is used during the deal. The dealer, who possesses an advantage, shuffles the cards, and after they have been cut by another of the party, deals out two cards on his left hand, turning them up, then one for himself, and a fourth that he places on the table for the company, which is called the repousance. On this card any, or all the company, the dealer excepted, may put their money, which the dealer is compelled to answer. The dealer continues turning the cards upwards, one by one, till two of a sort come up, that is to say, two aces, two deuces, &c., which, to prevent mistakes, or their being considered as single cards, he places on each side of his own card: and as often as two, three, or the fourth sort of a card come up, he invariably places, as before mentioned, on each side of his own card. The company has a right to take and put money upon any single card, unless the dealer's card should happen to be double, which is often the case, by this card being the same as one of the two hand-cards, which he first dealt out on his left hand: thus he continues dealing till he brings either their cards or Lantern or his own. Whilst the dealer's own card remains undrawn, he wins; and whichever card is turned up first loses. If he deals out the two cards on his left hand, which are styled the hand-cards, before his own, he is entitled to deal again. This advantage amounts to no more than his being exempted from losing, when he turns up a similar card to his own, immediately after he has turned up one for himself.

Lausquinet is often played without the rejouissance, the dealer giving every one of the party a card to put their money upon. It is also often played by dealing only two cards, one for the company and the other for the dealer.

It should likewise be observed, that a limitation is generally fixed for the sum to be placed upon any card or number of cards, either in gold or silver, beyond which the dealer is not obliged to answer.