Stuss, or Jewish Faro, is a variation of faro that seems to have developed in the later 19th century into the 20th in New York City, but also in Chicago.This game peaked in popularity around the First World War but faded out by the end of the Second World War. Stuss is more of a domestic game rather than a house or casino type play; a game played among people in a back room than in a public one.Â
It is essentially the same as faro with some exceptions. Traditionally it is dealt from the hand of the dealer like in the older forms of faro, but apparently some dealer boxes show up from time to time on antique sites listed as Stuss boxes. These have a cut out of the window that allows the numbered indices in the corner of modern playing cards to show. Apparently, some of these boxes withheld the last two turns from play. The other notable exception was Stuss dealers won all the money on a split rather than half. Sometimes it is played without the soda card and no option to call the turn (a 26 turn deal).