h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's possible these questions are answered in an entry for Piquet, but I find most card game instructions on H2G2 impenetrable. This game looks like one I can actually figure out.

Is the 13th card removed from play after the(possible)Dix substitution, or is it reinserted into the deck?

Is the deck reshuffled for each hand?

What is the point of turning the bottom card up? Do both players get to look at it as this is being done? Is this a tease, that shows the players that no matter what, this particular card will not turn up in any meld or trick? If the cards aren't reshuffled from hand to hand, and the game lasts long enough to get to the bottom of the deck,is it giving one player knowledge of at least one of his opponent's cards?

It seems that if one player makes melds before trick taking, the other player will have extra cards. What happens to them? Does he automatically win those cards for himself (and the 10 pts for taking the last trick) in the trick taking phase of the game?

Of course, I can only speak for the way I play this game.

>Is the 13th card removed from play after the (possible) Dix substitution?
- Yes

Is the deck reshuffled for each hand?
- Yes

>What is the point of turning the bottom card up? Do both players get to look at it as this is being done? Is this a tease, that shows the players that no matter what, this particular card will not turn up in any meld or trick?
- The only point of doing this is to show both players one more card (as well as the 13th card or the Dix if substituted) that is definitely not in play. This can sometimes be important.

>If the cards aren't reshuffled from hand to hand
- they are reshuffled.

>It seems that if one player makes melds before trick taking, the other player will have extra cards.
- each player has nine cards. When a player has claimed for sequences those cards do not go out of play, they are still used for making tricks.

To win meld points, you have to show your opponent some of your hand, so that he can better plan to best you during the trick portion of play?

Yes indeed, you don't get anything for nothing in this game. Especially if you belong to the school that says that to score for the Bella it has to be declared when you play the first of the two cards in the meld.

As I pointed out in the entry, it can sometimes be best not to declare a meld.