--Lincoln, Winterton, and Wakefield (Miss Fowler and Miss Peacock). VI. Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green, The fairest young lady [damsel] that ever was seen. O ----, O ----, your true love is dead; He s sent you a letter to turn round your head. --Redhill, Surrey (Miss G. Hope); Lancashire (Mrs. Harley). VII. Green meadows, green meadows, your grass is so green, The fairest young damsel that ever was seen; O Mary, O Mary, your sweetheart is dead; We ve sent you a letter to turn back your head. _Or_, Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green, and following on as above.
Mottelay, 1906. Good Bridge, by C.S. Street, 1907. Practical Bridge, by J.B. Elwell, 1908. Auction Bridge Up to Date, by W. Dalton, 1909. Principles of Auction Bridge, by “Badsworth,” 1910.
It is 24 to 1 against making a straight by drawing to three cards of it, open at both ends. It is 12 to 1 against making either a straight or a flush by drawing to three cards of a straight flush, open at both ends. _=HOW TO WIN AT POKER.=_ There have been many alleged infallible receipts for winning at Poker. Proctor thought that refusing to go in on less than triplets would prove a certainty; but in the same paragraph he acknowledges that the adversaries would soon learn the peculiarity, and avoid betting against the player. Triplets before the draw occur about once in every 45 hands. If five were playing, a person following Proctor’s advice would have to blind 9 times, and ante in at least 12 jack pots in every 45 hands, to say nothing of fattening. This means an outlay of at least 75 counters. When the triplets come, will he get back 75 counters on them? He will probably win the blind, and one or two antes; but the moment he makes his own ante good, every player who cannot beat triplets, knowing his system, will lay down his hand. An extensive observation of the methods of the best players has led the author to the conclusion that the great secret of success in Poker, apart from natural aptitude for the game, and being a good actor, is to _=avoid calling=_.
When no trump is turned, as in Pitch, no one can count Game if it is a tie. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases. If a trump is led, each player must follow suit if able. When a plain suit is led he need not follow suit if he prefers to trump; but if he does not trump, he must follow suit if he can. If he has none of the suit led he may either trump or discard. This rule is commonly expressed by saying that a player may _=follow suit or trump=_. The highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of the trick takes it in, and leads for the next one, and so on until all the cards have been played. The tricks themselves have no value except for the court cards and Tens they contain.
_=CARDS.=_ Poker is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards, ranking: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2; the ace being the highest or lowest in play, according to the wish of the holder, but ranking below the deuce in cutting. In some localities a special pack of sixty cards is used, the eight extra cards being elevens and twelves in each suit, which rank above the ten, and below the Jack. It is very unusual to play Poker with two packs. [Illustration: 11♣ 12♣] _=COUNTERS, or CHIPS.=_ Although not absolutely necessary, counters are much more convenient than money. The most common are red, white, and blue circular chips, which should “stack up” accurately, so that equal numbers may be measured without counting them. The red are usually worth five whites, and the blue worth five reds, or twenty-five whites. At the beginning of the game one player should act as banker, and be responsible for all counters at the table. It is usual for each player to purchase, at the beginning of the game, the equivalent of 100 white counters in white, red, and blue.
The player with the Queen must be on his guard against stale-mate in this ending. K and Q against K and B, K and Kt, or K and P. This is easy enough for the Queen if the player is careful to avoid stale-mate. K and two R’s against K and R. This can be won easily by forcing an exchange of Rooks. K and two B’s against K. In this position the King must be ruled off into a corner by getting the Bishops together, protected by their King. Start with the men in the following position:-- Black K on his own square. White King on K B 6; white Bishops on K B 4 and K B 5. White to move and win.
The laws of whist should be carefully studied. _=OBJECT OF THE GAME.=_ The object of all whist play is to take tricks, of which there are thirteen in each hand or deal. The first six tricks taken by one side are called a _=book=_, and do not count; but each trick above that number counts one point towards game. The seventh trick is called the _=odd=_; and two or more over the book are called _=two=_, _=three=_, etc., _=by cards=_. At the conclusion of each hand, the side that has won any tricks in excess of the book, scores them; the opponents counting nothing. As soon as either side has scored the number of points previously agreed upon as a game, which must be 5, 7, or 10, the cards are again shuffled and spread for the choice of partners, etc., unless it has been agreed to play a rubber. _=SCORING.
The etymology of the word Skat, sometimes spelt Scat, is a matter of doubt, but the most plausible explanation is that it is a corruption of one of the terms in the parent game of Taroc; “scart,” from “scarto,” what is left; or “scartare,” to discard or reject. “Matadore” is another word from the game of Taroc, still retained in Skat. Others attribute the word to “Skatt,” the Old-German or Anglo-Saxon for money; the modern German, “Schatz,” a treasure, referring to the forms of the game in which good counting cards are laid aside in the skat for the count at the end of the hand. This derivation would account for both spellings of the word, with a “k” and with a “c.” The student is advised to make himself familiar with the German terms in the following description, as they are in common use wherever skat is played. Many American players who use the English language in bidding by figures, still adhere to the German names for the suits and positions at the table. _=CARDS.=_ Skat is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, all below the Seven being deleted. The rank of the cards differs according to whether the players are attempting to win or to lose tricks. If the object is to win tricks, it is known as a “game;” if the object is to lose, it is called a “nullo.
Only the player who wins the pool can demand payment for combinations held. TEXT-BOOKS ON POKER. Draw Poker, by John W. Keller, 1887. Round Games, by Baxter-Wray, 1891. Complete Poker Player, by John Blackbridge, 1875. Proctor on Draw Poker, 1883. Schenck’s Rules for Draw Poker, 1872. The Poker Book, by Richard Guerndale, 1888. The Gentlemen’s Handbook of Poker, by J.
If it is turned up, the dealer turns up the next card for a trump, and when it comes to his turn, he can take both cards into his hand, discarding others in their place. If the dealer passes, the eldest hand may take up the trump. If only two declare to play, a trump must be led for the first trick; if three play, trumps must be led twice; if four play, three times. If the leader has no trump, he must lead his smallest card, face downward, which calls for a trump from such of the other players as have one. All penalties are made by adding fresh crosses to the delinquent’s score. LOO, OR DIVISION LOO. This was at one time the most popular of all round games at cards; but its cousin Napoleon seems to have usurped its place in England, while Poker has eclipsed it in America. There are several varieties of the game, but the most common form is Three-card Limited Loo, which will be first described. _=CARDS.=_ Loo is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards, which rank, A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2; the ace being the highest.
| | | 35.|Birds shall sing and |Bells shall ring and |Bells ring and we | | |bells ring. |birds sing. |shall sing. | | 36.| -- | -- | -- | | 37.|Clap all your hands |We ll all clap hands |And all clap hands | | |together. |together. |together. | | 38.
One of the other side should gather all tricks won by the adversaries of the bidder. A trick once turned and quitted cannot again be seen. In some places they have a very bad habit of gathering tricks with the cards face up, turning down one card only. This always results in numerous misdeals, on account of cards being continually found faced in the pack. The hands are usually abandoned when the bidder succeeds in his undertaking, or shows cards which are good for his bid against any play. If it is impossible for him to succeed, as when he bids four and the adversaries have won two tricks, the hands are thrown up, because nothing is paid for under or over-tricks. Players should show the remainder of their hands to the board, as evidence that no revoke has been made. _=IRREGULARITIES IN HANDS.=_ If a player, before he makes a bid or passes, discovers that he holds too many or too few cards, he must immediately claim a misdeal. If he has either made a bid or passed, the deal stands good, and the hand must be played out.
--Northall s _English Folk Rhymes_, p. 386. This is a marching game for very little children, who follow each other in a row. (_b_) Halliwell gives the first two lines only (_Nursery Rhymes_, No. dxv., p. 101), and there is apparently no other record of this game. It is probably ancient, and formerly of some significance. It refers to days of bows and arrows, and the allusion to the killing of the wren may have reference to the Manx and Irish custom of hunting that bird. All in the Well A juvenile game in Newcastle and the neighbourhood.
If the man should fall asleep? Set a dog to bark all night. If the dog should meet a bone? Set a cock to crow all night. If the cock should meet a hen? Here comes my Lord Duke, And here comes my Lord John; Let every one pass by but the very last one, And catch him if you can. --Cork (Mrs. B. B. Green). IX. London Bridge is broken down, Broken down, broken down, London Bridge is broken down, My fair lady. [Other verses commence with one of the following lines, and are sung in the same manner--] Build it up with penny loaves.
3rd. To add three points to their own game score. The penalty cannot be divided. A revoke may be corrected by the player making it before the trick in which it occurs has been turned and quitted. The card played in error must be left face up on the table, and must be played when demanded by the adversaries, unless it can be got rid of previously, in the course of play. In America, the revoke penalty is two tricks. _=The Honours=_ are the four highest trumps, A, K, Q, and J; and _=after tricks have been scored=_, partners who held three honours between them are entitled to count two points towards game; four honours counting four points. If each side has two honours, neither can count them. It is not enough to score them; after the last card has been played, they must be claimed by word of mouth. If they are not claimed before the trump is turned for the following deal, they cannot be scored.
Whoever has the highest number counts the point for Game. For instance: Two are playing. The elder hand has taken in an ace, two Kings and a Jack, which are collectively worth 11. The dealer has taken in a Queen and a Ten, which are worth 12; so the dealer marks the point for Game. If both players have the same number, or if there is no Game out, which rarely happens, the non-dealer scores Game. If three play, and Game is a tie between the two non-dealers, neither scores. The non-dealer is given the benefit of counting a tie for Game as an offset to the dealer’s advantage in turning Jacks. When no trump is turned, as in Pitch, no one can count Game if it is a tie. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The eldest hand begins by leading any card he pleases.
We proffer them, not as a finished set of rules, but as material for anyone who chooses to work over them, in the elaboration of what we believe will be a far more exciting and edifying Kriegspiel than any that exists at the present time. The game may be played by any number of players, according to the forces engaged and the size of the country available. Each side will be under the supreme command of a General, who will be represented by a cavalry soldier. The player who is General must stand at or behind his representative image and within six feet of it. His signalling will be supposed to be perfect, and he will communicate with his subordinates by shout, whisper, or note, as he thinks fit. I suggest he should be considered invulnerable, but Colonel Sykes has proposed arrangements for his disablement. He would have it that if the General falls within the zone of destruction of a shell he must go out of the room for three moves (injured); and that if he is hit by rifle-fire or captured he shall quit the game, and be succeeded by his next subordinate. Now as to the Moves. It is suggested that: Infantry shall move one foot. Cavalry shall move three feet.
Currants and Raisins Currants and raisins a penny a pound, Three days holiday. This is a game played running under a handkerchief; something like Oranges and Lemons. --Lincoln (Miss M. Peacock). Cushion Dance [Music] --_Dancing Master_, 1686. This music is exactly as it is printed in the book referred to. (_b_) The following is an account of the dance as it was known in Derbyshire amongst the farmers sons and daughters and the domestics, all of whom were on a pretty fair equality, very different from what prevails in farm-houses of to-day. The Cushion Dance was a famous old North-country amusement, and among the people of Northumberland it is still commonly observed. The dance was performed with boisterous fun, quite unlike the game as played in higher circles, where the conditions and rules of procedure were of a more refined order. The company were seated round the room, a fiddler occupying a raised seat in a corner.
The inference always was, that until the bridge was rebuilt some stop would be put to the Dame s Christmas operations; but why the falling of London Bridge should form part of a Christmas Carol at Newcastle-upon-Tyne I am at a loss to know. Some fragments were also printed in the _Mirror_ for November 1823; and a version is also given by Ritson, _Gammer Gurton s Garland_. The _Heimskringla_ (Laing, ii. 260, 261) gives an animated description of the Battle of London Bridge, when Ethelred, after the death of Sweyn, was assisted by Olaf in retaking and entering London, and it is curious, that the first line of the game-rhyme appears-- London Bridge is broken down, Gold is won and bright renown; Shields resounding, War-horns sounding, Hild is shouting in the din; Arrows singing, Mail-coats ringing, Odin makes our Olaf win. If this is anything more than an accidental parallel, we come back to an historical episode wherein the breaking down and rebuilding of London Bridge occur, and it looks as if the two streams down which this tradition has travelled, namely, first, through the game, and second, through the song, both refer to the same event. Dr. Rimbault has, in his _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 34, reconstructed a copy of the original rhyme from the versions given by Halliwell and the _Mirror_, and gives the tune to which it was sung, which is reprinted here. The tune from Kent is the one generally used in London versions. The tune of a country dance called London Bridge is given in Playford s _Dancing Master_, 1728 edition.
Those who have not won a trick are looed, and must contribute three red counters each for the next pool. This is called a _=Bold Stand=_. _=In Double Pools=_, an extra hand is dealt for the widow, and a trump is turned. No player is allowed to look at his cards until it comes to his turn to declare. The dealer, beginning on his left, asks each in turn to announce his intentions. The player may _=stand=_ with the cards dealt him; or may _=take the widow=_ in exchange; or may _=pass=_. If he passes or takes the widow, he gives his original hand to the dealer, who places it on the bottom of the pack. If he takes the widow or stands, he must win at least one trick, or he is looed, and will forfeit three red counters to the next pool. If all pass but the player who has taken the widow, he wins the pool without playing, and the next deal must be a simple. If only one player stands, and he has not taken the widow, the dealer, if he will not play for himself, must take the widow and play to defend the pool.
She screeched a little and grabbed at the needle-prick with her fingernails. You never know how much power there is in Psi until you use it without restraint. I threw the crowd back away from us with a lift that nearly blacked me out, and had Pheola on the wet boards of the floor before she could blink. She had only seconds to live unless I blocked all circulation to and from her arm. I found the spots in her armpit and lifted the veins and arteries into a complete block. A whiff of garlic told me that Simonetti had reached the table. He d been watching on the TV monitor, of course. He knelt down beside us. A doctor, quick, I said. She s been pinked with nerve poison.
_=The Revoke.=_ The rules governing this are the same as those already given for English Dummy. Mort is not liable to penalty under any circumstances. If any other player revokes, his opponents may take three points from the score of his side; or add three points to their score; or take three of his tricks. The penalty cannot be divided; but if two or more revokes are made by the same side, the penalty for each may be enforced in a different manner. For instance: If the score is 3 to 2 in favor of the adversaries, Vivant may take three points from their score for one revoke, and add three to his own score for the other. It is not permissible to reduce the revoking player’s _=tricks=_ to nothing. At least one must be left in order to prevent slams being made through revoke penalties. _=Cards Played in Error.=_ Vivant is not liable to any penalty for dropping his cards face up on the table; but if he or Mort plays two cards at once to a trick, the adversaries may select which they will allow to be played.
If the banker wins the coup, he deals again, and so on until he loses, when the deal passes to the player on his left. The banker, after winning a coup, may pass the deal to the player on his right, if he chooses to do so, provided that player will put up an amount equal to that then in the bank. When this player loses a coup, the bank must go to the player to whom it would have gone in regular order; that is, the one on the left of the player who transferred his privilege. Six packs of cards are generally used in Chemin de Fer, and the cards are placed in a wooden box, from which each dealer takes as many as he wants. _=CHEATING.=_ Baccara is honeycombed with trickery. Dishonest players, in collusion with the banker, have certain means of informing him of their point, so that he may win all the money staked upon that side of the table by the other players. This may be done in many ways. The player may ask the one sitting next him whether or not he should draw, which shows that he has 5. Or he may make a movement as if to expose his first two cards, and then correct himself.
Now what are the odds against your winning the pool? Suppose you hold tens, and draw three cards. Your chance of improving your hand is a little better than one in five. The opener of the jack pot has exactly the same chance, and if both of you draw cards a hundred times under those circumstances, he will beat you in the long run, to say nothing of the other players who may come in and beat both of you. It is therefore evident that in backing tens against openers, it is four to one against your beating the openers to begin with, and if you do beat them the odds are still against your winning the pot. If there were five players, and the jack pots were all equal in amount, you would have to win one pot out of five to make your investment pay. Can you make this average when your original pair will not beat openers? There are three principles with regard to the draw that should never be lost sight of: (1) An average go-in hand is a hand which will win its proportion of the pools, according to the number playing, taking all improvements and opposition into account. This can be demonstrated to be a pair of tens. (2) The draw is much more valuable to a weak hand than to a strong one, and weak hands will improve in much greater proportion than strong ones will. For instance: The chances for a player to improve by drawing to a pair of Queens are one in three and a half. He may make two pairs, or triplets, or a full hand, or four of a kind.
It is seldom right to show the bézique cards in other combinations, and four Jacks is a very bad meld, because it shows your adversary that he cannot hope for double bézique. By holding up bézique cards, even if you know they are of no use to you, you may lead your adversary to break up his hand, hoping to draw the card or cards you hold. _=Trumps.=_ Small trumps may be used to advantage in winning brisques, but you should keep at least one small trump to get the lead at critical periods of the hand, or to make an important declaration. It is bad policy to trump in to make minor declarations, unless your time is short. It is seldom right to lead the trump Ace, except at the end of the hand, or when you have duplicates, but leading high trumps to prevent an adversary from declaring further is a common stratagem, if you know from the cards in your hand, and those played, that your adversary may get the cards to meld something of importance. _=The Last Tricks.=_ Before you play to the last trick, give yourself time to note the cards your adversary has on the table, and compare them with your own, so that you may play the last tricks to advantage. If you wait until after playing to the last trick, he may gather up his cards so quickly that you will be unable to remember them. At Rubicon it is not always advisable to win the last trick.