A player at twenty-five cent Loo has been known to lose $320 in three consecutive deals. _=DEALING.=_ The pack having been properly shuffled and cut, the dealer gives three cards to each player, one at a time in rotation, beginning on his left. The first deal, and every deal in which the pool contains only the three red counters put up by the dealer, is known as a _=simple=_, and no trump card is turned up until one or two tricks have been played to. If there are more than three red counters in the pool, it is known as a _=double=_, and an extra hand must be dealt for the _=widow=_, and after all have been helped, the next card in the pack is turned up for a trump. The dealer gives cards to the widow just before helping himself in each round. _=Irregularities in the Deal.=_ If the pack is found to be imperfect, or any card except the trump is found faced in the pack, the same dealer must deal again without penalty. If the dealer neglects to have the pack cut; reshuffles it after it has been properly cut; deals a card incorrectly and fails to correct the error before dealing another; exposes a card in dealing; gives any player too many or too few cards; or deals a wrong number of hands, it is a misdeal, and he loses his deal, and forfeits three red counters to the current pool. The new dealer adds his three counters as usual, and the pool becomes a double.
If a player without three is forced to risk finding a Matadore in the Skat, it is usually enough for him to know that the odds are about 3 to 1 against it. It is much more important for him to consider what cards may make against him, and what they would count. It is often necessary to estimate very closely the number of points that must fall on a certain number of leads. For instance: You are Vorhand, and hold these cards:-- [Illustration: 🂫 🂻 🃋 🃞 🃝 🃙 🃘 🃗 🃇 🂧 ] Even if you find the Ace and Ten with the best Wenzel in one hand against you, you have an almost certain club Solo, for if you lead a Wenzel, your adversary must either take it, or give you the Ace or Ten. If he wins it, and his partner gives him a Ten of another suit, and they then proceed to make both the Aces and Tens of your weak suits, that will give them only 56 points, and you will make every other trick. The only thing that could defeat you is for one player on the fourth trick to lead a suit of which his partner had none. This would require one player to have all the spades and the other all the hearts, which is almost impossible. Another familiar example is the following: You are Vorhand with these cards:-- [Illustration: 🃛 🂫 🃑 🃚 🂡 🂪 🂸 🂷 🃈 🃇 ] Although you cannot possibly win more than six tricks, and must lose every trick in the red suits, you have an invincible Grand; because the adversaries have not a sufficient number of Fehlkarten to give you to avoid adding 16 points to the 46 you already have in your hand, which must make you 62 before they get a trick. It is better to bid on a doubtful Solo than on a risky Tourné, and if you have a choice of two numerically equal suits, it is better to bid on a suit containing small cards in preference to one containing A 10. In bidding Tournés, you must remember that the more cards you hold of a suit, the less your chance to turn up one.
GAMES. 1st 2nd 3rd 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 If the agreement had been to play three games, there would have been eight possible events, one of which must happen but all of which were equally probable. These are shown in the margin. If Smith wins the first game, there are only four possible events remaining; those in which the first game was won. Of these, there are two in which he may win the second game, and two in which he may lose it, showing that it is still exactly an even thing that he will win the second game. If he wins the second game, there are only two possible events, the first two on the list in the margin, which begin with two wins for Smith. Of these he has one chance to win the third game, and one to lose it. No matter how far we continue a series of successive events it will always be found that having won a certain number of games, it is still exactly an even thing that he will win the next also. The odds of 1023 to 1 against his winning ten games in succession existed only before he began to play. After he has won the first game, the odds against his winning the remaining nine are only 511 to 1, and so on, until it is an even thing that he wins the tenth, even if he has won the nine preceding it.
The pone therefore shows his hand, which, combined with the starter, is as follows:-- [Illustration: 🂭 🃃 🂤 🃔 🃕 ] This is worth 10 holes; the run of three with one duplicate is always worth 8, and the fifteen formed by the starter and the Five counts 2 more. This puts the pone’s total score to 25 points. The dealer then counts, showing his hand first. This, with the starter, is as follows:-- [Illustration: 🂭 🂱 🂲 🃂 🃓 ] This is worth 14 holes. In addition to the run of three with one duplicate, three fifteens can be formed by combining the starter and a Three with each of the deuces, and then taking the starter and the Ace with both the deuces together. This puts the dealer’s total score to 24, with the crib still to count. This is as follows, with the starter:-- [Illustration: 🂭 🃛 🂫 🃚 🂡 ] This is worth 9 holes; 8 for the run of three with one duplicate, and 1 for his nobs. There are no fifteens, and the Ace is worthless. This puts the dealer three holes round the corner, and on the homestretch for the game hole. The deal now passes to the player that was the pone, and the next crib will belong to him.
They then sing the remaining four lines. The two who were first in the centre then go out, and the game begins again, with the other two players in the centre. (_c_) Miss Burne says this game is more often played as Three Jolly Fishermen. At Cheadle, North Staffs., a few miles distant from Tean, this game is played by grown-up men and women. Jolly Hooper I. Here comes a [or one] jolly hooper, Ring ding di do do, Ring ding di do do. And who are you looking for, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do? I am looking for one of your daughters, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do. What shall her name be, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do? Her name shall be [Sarah], In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do. Sarah shall ramble, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do, All around the chimney [jubilee] pot in 1881.
The simplest way for the beginner to learn the Knight’s move is to observe that he must go two squares, neither more nor less, in a vertical or a horizontal direction, and must then change the colour of the square he stands on by going one square either to the right or left, which will complete the L shaped movement. Diagram No. 4 will show that when the Knight is away from the side of the board, he may go to any one of eight different squares; but when he is in a corner he can go to two only. For that reason Knights are much more powerful when placed near the centre of the board. [Illustration: _No. 4._ +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | 8 | | 1 | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | 7 | | | | 2 | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | ♞ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | 6 | | | | 3 | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | 5 | | 4 | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | 1 | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | 2 | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | ♞ | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ ] The peculiarity of the Knight’s move is that it is not retarded by other pieces, because the Knight can jump over them, a privilege which is not given to any other piece on the board. In Diagram No. 5, for instance, the Knights have been legitimately moved, but no other piece could be moved until the Pawns had made way for it. [Illustration: _No.