Cutter the player whose is entitled to cut the cards; usually the opposite side of the dealer to forehand (or eldest/elder hand). Dealer the person who distributes or deals the cards to players in a card game. Declarer the highest bidder, who declares and then strives to make good the stated contract. Defender a player who plays against the declarer, usually with other defenders. King in games where there is one player more than the rules permit, players take turns at being 'king', usually dealing and then sitting out. A king may or may not score points with the other players. A common practice in German games, but also found in e.g. American Six-Bid Solo. Opponent a player of the opposing side; a defender (q.v); or any other player in a round game. Partner a player who plays co-operatively in a team and who shares the winnings or losses. Partnerships may be fixed for the whole session or vary from deal to deal. Soloist a player who plays a Solo game, i.e. plays alone, as the declarer, against 2 or more other defenders. In partnership games there may be a: Declaring team or declaring side the declarer's team or side Defending team or defending side the team or side opposing the declarer and declarer's partner Dealing Choice of dealer In most card games, the role of dealer rotates, either clockwise or anticlockwise. The first dealer may be decided in one of several ways: The youngest player is invited to deal first The first dealer is chosen by lot i.e. players draw cards from a shuffled pack and the player with the highest card deals first (e.g. Schafkopf, Poker) The first dealer is chosen by lot i.e. players draw cards from a shuffled pack and the player with the lowest card deals first (e.g. Whist) In casinos, the dealer is always the house banker for obvious reasons. Distribution The distribution of the cards is conducted by the dealer in accordance with the game rules. The dealer may deal the cards one at a time, or in groups or packets, as indicated by the rules. In some games, all cards are dealt, while in other versions, some cards are left undistributed and are placed – or stacked – in the centre of the table as a talon or widow. The cards distributed to a player are known as the player's "hand". Normally