RUBICON PIQUET, FOR TWO PLAYERS. The chief difference between this game and the usual form, Piquet au cent, is in the manner of declaring. The usual method in England and America is as follows:-- _=The Point=_ is scored by the player holding the greatest number of cards in the suit, and the pip value is resorted to only to decide ties. This is done in order to conceal, if possible, the nature of the cards held. When the numerical value is asked, only the last figure is given, “seven,” for instance, if the point is 47. If the point is good, the elder hand immediately names the suit. If it is not good, the suit is not named, and the elder hand proceeds to call his _=sequences=_. It they are good, the suits must be named; the same with quatorze and trio. _=Under-calling.=_ If a player holds an inferior sequence, quatorze or trio, which he knows is better than any his adversary can possibly hold, he may call it, and afterward score the better combination, provided he is correct in estimating the inferior one that he called as _=good against the cards=_.
X. Please, mother, buy me a milking-can, Milking-can, milking-can, Please, mother, buy me a milking-can, My dear mother. Where can I get the money from? Sell father s feather bed. Where shall your father sleep? Sleep in the boys bed. Where shall the boys sleep? Sleep in the pig-sty. Where shall the pigs sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub. What shall I wash with? Wash in an egg-shell. The egg-shell will break. Wash in a thimble. Thimble s not big enough.
The remainder of the pool is then divided in the usual way. This is a most exasperating game. _=DISCARD HEARTS.=_ This is sometimes called _=Black Jack=_, or _=Black Lady=_. If it is the Jack, it is worth ten hearts; if it is the Queen, it is worth thirteen hearts. After the cards are dealt, each player in turn lays out three cards which he does not want, and the player on his left is obliged to take them, after having discarded himself. No player may look at what he is going to get until he has discarded himself. The Black Jack or Lady holds its rank as a spade when spades are led; but the moment any other suit is led, of which the player is void, he can discard the Black Jack or Lady, just as he would get rid of a heart. If hearts are led and the player has no hearts, he can play the Black Jack or Lady to the trick, as it ranks below the deuce of hearts. _=PROGRESSIVE HEARTS.
If the player wins as many bets as he loses, and there is no percentage against him, he gets a dollar for every bet he wins, no matter how many bets he makes, or in what order the bets are won and lost, so that the number won equals the number lost. That this is so may be easily demonstrated by setting down on a sheet of paper any imaginary order of bets, such as the ten shown in the margin, five of which are won, and five lost; the net profit on the five bets won being five dollars. No matter how correctly the player may be guessing, and how much the luck runs his way, he wins smaller and smaller amounts, until at last he is “pinched off.” But if a long series of events goes against him his bets become larger and larger, but he must keep up the progression until he gets even. If ten bets go his way he wins $55; if ten go against him he loses $145. It is said that Pettibone made a fortune playing progression at Faro, which is very likely, for among the thousands of men who play it the probabilities are that one will win all the time, just as the probabilities are that if a thousand men play ten games of Seven Up, some man will win all ten games. At the same time it is equally probable that some man will lose all ten. Some players progress, but never pinch, keeping account on a piece of paper how many bets they are behind, and playing the maximum until they have won as many bets as they have lost. Against a perfectly fair game, with no percentage and no limit, and with capital enough to follow the system to the end, playing progression would pay a man about as much as he could make in any good business with the same capital and with half the worry; but as things really are in gambling houses and casinos, all martingales are a delusion and a snare. It is much better, if one must gamble, to trust to luck alone, and it is an old saying that the player without a system is seldom without a dollar.
Every checker player must know these four positions thoroughly, or he may abandon many a game as drawn which he could win, and may lose many a game which he could draw. These four positions are here given as they are usually found in the books, but the player must be able to recognize at once any position which resembles them, or can be made to lead up to them. The student will find many games marked as “won” in which he cannot see any winning position unless he is familiar with the four endings. The expert strives to exchange his men so as to bring about one of these positions, after which he knows he has a won game, although his less skilful adversary may be unconscious of his advantage. [Illustration: _=First Position.=_ Black to move and win. WHITE. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | ⛀ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | ⛂ | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | ⛂ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | ⛁ | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ BLACK. ] [Illustration: _=Second Position.=_ Black to move and win.
I took a good look at the door to the main casino, a heavy job of varnished native cedar. Just to show him, I turned my back on the bar, leaning against it with one foot on the brass rail. The lift was as clean as I ve ever managed. Anger, fear, any strong emotion, is a big help. They came up all together, staying in a stack, and I could perceive that they hung in the air behind me, a good foot clear of the bar, and about twenty feet from the door to the casino. In a smug show of control, I dealt the cartwheels off the top of the stack, one at a time, and fired them hard. Each one snapped away from the hovering stack, like a thrown discus. My perception was of the best. Each coin knifed into the soft cedar of the door, burying itself about halfway. My best sustained lift, I suppose is about two hundred times the weight of a silver dollar.
, the eldest hand, at Skat. Vorwerfen, G., to play out of turn. Weak Trumps, not enough to justify a player in passing a doubtful trick. Wedges, cards trimmed to taper toward one end, so that if certain ones are reversed they can be easily pulled out. Welcher, one who makes mouth bets, and afterward fails to pay. Whipsawed, losing two different bets on the same turn. Whiskey Hole, only one to go. Whitewashed, defeated without having scored a point. Wide Balls, those which are near the corner of the table, and are almost sure to be hit by a ball coming from either cushion.
See Mulberry Bush, When I was a Young Girl. New Squat A ring is made by marking the ground, and a tin placed in the middle of it. One boy acts as keeper of the tin, the other players also stand outside the ring. One of these kicks the tin out of the ring, the others then all run to hide or squat out of sight. The keeper has to replace the tin before looking for the boys. If, after that, he can spy a boy, that boy must come out and stand by the ring. When another boy is spied, he endeavours to reach the ring before the keeper does so, and kick out the tin. If he is successful, any one of the boys who is standing by, having been previously spied, is released from the keeper, and again hides. The object of the keeper is to successfully spy all the boys. When this is accomplished the last boy becomes the keeper.
13. _=Rouge=_ or _=Noir=_. Red or Black. The foregoing are the payments at Monte Carlo; but wheels with less numbers are scaled down accordingly. The players can bet on the zero if they choose, and they will be paid if it comes up, 35 for 1, but all other bets are lost. In wheels with two zeros, red and black, the bank wins on the colour which does not come, and the bets on the right colour are neither paid nor taken, but must remain until the next turn of the wheel. This is now the practice at Monte Carlo, with the single-zero wheels. _=Systems.=_ As at Faro, gamblers at Roulette are never tired of devising systems to beat the game; but none of them are of any further use than to afford a little passing amusement to their inventors. Persons who are interested in systems will find in the New York Sun, July 5, 1896, a very interesting tabulation of every roll of the ball at Monte Carlo for seven successive days, 4,012 in all, of which 120 were zeros.
For instance: The retourne is an eight; a brelan of Queens is shown, and wins the pool. Another player holds a pair of eights, and claims brelan favori. He does not pay the winning brelan, but receives one counter from its holder, and also from each of the other players. If the brelan favori wins the pool, it is paid two counters by each player. If two simple brelans are shown, the higher wins the pool; but both must be paid by each of the other two players, who did not hold brelans. _=The Point.=_ If no brelan is shown, the hands of all the players are shown, including those who passed out during the betting. This will expose thirteen cards, including the retourne. The pips in each suit are then counted, the ace reckoning for 11, court cards for 10 each, and the 9 and 8 at their face value. Whichever suit has the greatest number of pips is called _=the suit that wins=_, and the player who holds the highest card of it takes the pool; provided, of course, that he was one of those who backed his hand until the last call.
The French terms are generally used to designate the number of cards in the sequence: Tierce, Quatrième, Quinte, Sixième, Septième, Huitième. Many English works on cards erroneously spell quinte without the “e,” and give “quart” for a sequence of four. If one is going to use the French language at all, it may as well be used correctly. Sequences outrank one another according to the best card, if they are of equal length; so that a quinte to a King would be better than a quinte to a Queen; but a longer sequence always outranks a shorter one, regardless of the high cards. The player holding the best sequence is entitled to score it, together with any inferior sequences he may hold in other suits. Should his adversary hold intermediate sequences, they are of no value. For instance: One player holds a quinte to the Jack in spades, a tierce to the Ten in hearts, and a tierce to the Nine in clubs; while the other holds a quatrième majeure (A K Q J) in hearts, diamonds, and clubs. None of the latter are of any value; but all those in the other hand are good. If the best sequence is a tie, no sequences can be scored by either player. The value of a sequence is ten more than the number of cards that go to form it, provided that number exceeds four.
--Dronfield, Derbyshire (S. O. Addy). This game was also played in London. The _dramatis personæ_ were a mother, an eldest daughter, the younger children, a witch, and a pot was represented by another child. The Mother names the children after the days of the week. She tells her eldest daughter that she is going to wash, and that she expects her to take great care of her sisters, and to be sure and not let the old witch take them. She is also to look after the dinner, and be sure and not let the pot boil over. The Mother then departs, and stays at a little distance from the others. The eldest daughter pretends to be very busy putting the house to rights, sweeps the floor, and makes everything tidy; the younger children pretend to play, and get in the elder sister s way.
=_ Beginning on the dealer’s left, each player in turn plays a card from his hand, placing it face upward on the table. Only one card can be played at a time, and each person must play in his proper turn until all four of his cards are exhausted. After receiving fresh cards, the eldest hand again plays first, and so on for every round. Under certain conditions, each player in his proper turn may take up certain cards from the table, together with the one played from his hand, turning them face downward in front of him. He is entitled to count all the points contained in the cards taken in or won in this manner. These conditions are: that he can match or _=pair=_ a card or cards on the table; that he can _=combine=_ two or more cards on the table so as to make their total pip value equal to that of the card he plays; or that he can _=build=_ a card in his hand upon one on the table, so as to make their total pip value agree with that of a second card, still in his hand. _=Pairing.=_ If the person whose turn it is to play, holds in his hand any card of a similar denomination to any of those on the table, he may play the card from his hand, face upward, and then gather it in again, together with all similar cards, turning them face downward in front of him. For instance: He holds an Eight, and there are one or two Eights on the table. He plays the Eight from his hand, and then gathers in all of them.
| -- | -- | -- | |21.| -- | -- | -- | |22.| -- | -- | -- | |23.|He sent letter to turn|He sent letter to turn| -- | | |your head. |your head. | | |24.| -- | -- |She s left off her | | | | |wedding to turn back | | | | |her head. | |25.| -- | -- | -- | |26.| -- | -- |Mother, is it true; | | | | |What shall I do? [Then| | | | |repeat Nos.
Three players having taken none, the thirteen counters remain in the pool, forming a Jack, which can be won only by one player taking no hearts, each of the others having taken at least one. During the time the Jack is played for, and until it is won, each player must add to the pool by paying for the hearts he takes in each hand. 30. In Auction Hearts, the player to the left of the dealer has the first bid, the dealer the last, and there is no second bid. THE BÉZIQUE FAMILY. This family includes three of our most popular games; Bézique itself, Binocle, and Sixty-Six. These are all comparatively modern games, but are descended from very old stock, the best known of the ancestors being Marriage, Matrimony, and Cinq-Cents. The etymology of the word Bézique is very much disputed. Some claim that it is from the Spanish basa, afterwards basico, a little kiss; referring to the union of the spade Queen and the diamond Jack, and the various marriages in the game. This was afterwards Basique, transformed by the French to Bésique, and by the English to Bézique.
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=_ A player calling attention in any manner to the trick or to the score, may be called upon to play his highest or lowest of the suit led; or to trump or not to trump the trick during the play of which the remark was made. ÉCARTÉ. Écarté is usually described as a very simple game, but unfortunately the rules governing it are very complicated, and as no authoritative code of law exists, disputes about trifling irregularities are very common. In the following directions the author has selected what appears to be the best French usage. The code of laws adopted by some of the English clubs is unfortunately very defective, and in many respects quite out of touch with the true spirit of the French game. The English are very fond of penalties; the French try to establish the status quo. _=CARDS.=_ Écarté is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, which rank, K Q J A 10 9 8 7. When two packs are used, the adversary shuffles one while the other is dealt. _=MARKERS.
When a cribbage board is not at hand, the game may be kept by ruling a sheet of paper into ten divisions, and marking them with the figures 1 to 0 on each side: +---------------------------------------+ | 0 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +---------------------------------------+ | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | +---------------------------------------+ Each player being provided with two coins, one silver and one copper, (or different sizes,) the copper coin can be advanced from point to point to count units, and the silver coin will mark the tens. _=PLAYERS.=_ Cribbage is distinctly a game for two players, although three may play, each for himself, or four, two being partners against the other two. When two play, one is known as the _=dealer=_, and the other as the non-dealer, or the _=pone=_. _=CUTTING.=_ The players cut for the choice of seats, and for the first deal. The lowest cut has the choice, and deals the first hand. The Ace is low. If a player exposes more than one card he must cut again. Ties are also decided by cutting again.
The players bid for the privilege of naming the trump suit, or of playing without any trump but the joker. The number of tricks bid must not be less than six, and the suit must be named at the same time. The player having the most valuable game, regardless of the number of tricks or the suit, is the successful bidder, because a bid of seven in hearts, for instance, is worth more in points than a bid of eight in clubs, as will be seen from the following table. ---------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------- If trumps are: |6 tricks.|7 tricks.|8 tricks.|9 tricks.|10 tricks. ---------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------- Spades | 40 | 80 | 120 | 160 | 200 Clubs | 60 | 120 | 180 | 240 | 300 Diamonds | 80 | 160 | 240 | 320 | 400 Hearts | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 No-trumps | 120 | 240 | 360 | 480 | 600 ---------------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------- The successful bidder always leads for the first trick, after he has taken the widow and discarded, and after the hand is played, he has the first count. If he has made as many as he bid, he scores it; but he cannot score more than he bid unless he succeeds in winning every trick.
Some parties play a very liberal game, and the players bet high on medium hands, and give every one a good fight. It is best to have liberal or lucky players on your right; because if they sit behind you, they will continually raise you, and you will be forced either to overbid your hand on the same liberal scale that they adopt, or lose what you have already put up. If a liberal player sits on your right you will often be able to make large winnings on moderate hands. In a close game, when the players bet in a niggardly manner, the liberal player is at a great disadvantage; for he can win little or nothing on his good hands, but will lose large amounts when he runs up the betting on a good hand which is opposed to one that is better. When a liberal player finds a close player following him freely, he may be sure there is a very strong hand against him. _=VARIETY.=_ Above all things a player should avoid regularity in his play, because observant adversaries will soon learn his methods. The best players usually play two pairs pat, without drawing, about half the time. This gives them the reputation of betting on pat hands which are not genuine, and when they get one that is real, they will often succeed in getting a good bet, or even a raise, from those holding triplets or two large pairs, who have noticed them play two pairs pat. In the same way it is advisable to hold up an odd card occasionally, without raising the ante; so that when you do hold triplets, and draw two cards, you will not frighten every one at the table.
| -- | | 6.|Will you let one of | | |your fair maids. | | 7.|Come and play with us.| | 8.| -- | | 9.| -- | | 10.| -- | | 11.| -- | | 12.| -- | | 13.
When the dealer bids no trump, third hand should take him out with any weak five card suit and nothing else, simply to warn him that there are no winning cards in the hand. Always take him out with five cards in a winning suit, no matter how strong the rest of the hand. Take the dealer out of one suit with another suit only to deny his suit. Take him out of a winning suit with no trump, only to deny his suit and show strength in each of the three other suits. If the dealer bids no trump and second hand calls a suit, double if you can stop the suit twice, otherwise show any good suit of your own, but do not go two no-trumps unless you can do it all yourself. Leave that to your partner. Do not assist your partner’s suit bids with less than three tricks if second hand over-calls. _=Fourth Hand=_ bids on the bidding much more than on his cards. He should never take the dealer out of a spade that both second and third hand have passed unless he can go game. If the dealer bids a losing suit, second and third hands passing, leave him in unless you can go game and are not afraid of a shift.