Hoyle, Edmond

Hoyle, Edmond (hoil), 1672–1769, English writer on games, b. London. He codified the rules of whist in his book A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist (1742) and in successive editions of the book he added new material on whist together with treatises on quadrille, piquet, and backgammon. He wrote several other books, and "according to Hoyle" has come to mean "by highest authority." Several modern encyclopedias of card games use the name Hoyle in their titles.

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Hoyle, Edmond

(born 1671/72—died Aug. 29, 1769, London, Eng.) British writer on card games. Hoyle wrote A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist in 1742, and in 1760 he established a set of rules for whist that remained in effect until 1864. His codification of the laws of backgammon (1743) is still largely in force. He is memorialized in the phrase “according to Hoyle” and in various game rule books that contain his name in the title as an indication of authority.