Change one rule out loud

Tables are rarely matched. A seven-year-old plays a twelve-year-old; a grandparent plays a teenager. Changing a rule can make the game fair without making it easy. Change one rule, and say it out loud.

Good changes are visible: a head start of a few points, an extra card, one take-back per game, cards played face up for the youngest. A bad change is a secret one, like quietly playing badly. A child usually notices, and a win handed over teaches nothing about the game.

Say the change, agree on it, and try it for one game. If one player keeps winning easily, change it again, out loud. A head start everyone can see makes the game more even without anyone pretending.