W. S. Sykes); Derbyshire (Mrs. Harley); Redhill, Surrey (Miss G. Hope); Ordsall, Nottinghamshire (Miss Matthews); Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss J. Barker); and there are other versions from Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 86); Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 57); Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 385); Oswestry, Ellesmere (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 512).
The Keeper answers-- I ve lost the key of the garden gate, And cannot let you through. Then all the ring say-- You must stop all night within the gate, Unless you have strength to break through. The child inside then attempts to break through, and if he succeeds in breaking any of the clasped hands the one who first gives way has to take the place in the centre.--Roxton, St. Neots (Miss Lumley). See Bull in the Park. Gegg To smuggle the Gegg, a game played by boys in Glasgow, in which two parties are formed by lot, equal in number, the one being denominated the Outs, the other Ins. The Outs are those who go out from the den or goal, where those called the Ins remain for a time. The Outs get the Gegg, which is anything deposited, as a key, a penknife, &c. Having received this, they conceal themselves, and raise the cry, Smugglers! On this they are pursued by the Ins; and if the Gegg (for the name is transferred to the person who holds the deposit) be taken, they exchange situations--the Outs become Ins and the Ins Outs.
The first card withdrawn is placed about six inches from the box, and the second is laid close to the box itself. [Illustration] Every two cards withdrawn in this manner are called a _=turn=_, and there are twenty-five turns in each deal, Soda and Hoc being dead cards. In making the first turn, the Soda begins the pile farther from the box, and the next card taken out is called a _=loser=_, which is placed close to the box. The card left face upward in the box is the _=winner=_ for that turn, so that there must be a winner and a loser for every turn; the loser outside the box, and the winner left in it. On the next and all following turns, the winning card on the previous turn will be placed on the same pile as the Soda, so that it shall be possible at any time to decide which cards have won, and which have lost. The _=Object of the Game=_ is for the players to guess whether the various cards on which they place their money will win or lose. They are at liberty to select any card they please, from the ace to the King, and to bet any amount within the established limit of the bank. _=The Layout.=_ All bets are made with counters of various colors and values, which are sold to the players by the dealer, and may be redeemed at any time. These counters are placed on the layout, which is a complete suit of spades, enamelled on green cloth, sufficient space being left between the cards for the players to place their bets.
The laws of the game do not differ from Dummy Whist, except in the following special Law: There is no misdeal, as the deal is a disadvantage. THE POKER FAMILY. Properly speaking, Poker is not the founder, but simply the most famous representative of a very ancient and always very popular family of games, all of which can be traced to one source, the old French game of Gilet, which was undoubtedly of Italian origin, perhaps a variety of Primero. Gilet we find changed to Brelan in the time of Charles IX., and although Brelan is no longer played, the word is still used in all French games to signify triplets, and “brelan-carré” is the common French term for four of a kind in _le poker Américain_. From Brelan we trace the French games of Bouillotte, and Ambigu, and the English game of Brag; but the game of poker, as first played in the United States, five cards to each player from a twenty-card pack, is undoubtedly the Persian game of _as nas_. The peculiar and distinguishing characteristic of Poker we find well described by Seymour, in his chapter on “Brag,” in the “Court Gamester,” 1719: “The endeavour to impose on the judgment of the rest who play, and particularly on the person who chiefly offers to oppose you, by boasting or bragging of the cards in your hand. Those who by fashioning their looks and gestures, can give a proper air to their actions, as will so deceive an unskilful antagonist, that sometimes a pair of fives, trays or deuces, in such a hand, with the advantage of his composed countenance, and subtle manner of over-awing the other, shall out-brag a much greater hand, and win the stakes, with great applause and laughter on his side from the whole company.” Quite a number of card games retain the feature of pairs, triplets, sequences, and flushes, but omit the element of brag or bluff, and can therefore hardly be considered full-blooded members of the poker family. Whiskey Poker, for instance, has really little or nothing in common with the true spirit of poker, and is simply the very ancient game of Commerce, played with five cards instead of three.
Should C wish to call A, or even to raise him, A and C may continue the betting independently of B’s part of the pool. Should C have even less money than B, say one dollar, he may still further reduce the original pool, leaving the two dollars aside for settlement between A and B, and A’s third dollar still aside from that again for the decision of any other player. Let us suppose that A and C continue the betting until one calls. When the hands are shown, if either A’s or C’s is better than B’s, B loses his interest; but if B’s hand is better than either A’s hand or C’s hand, he takes the part of the pool for which he called a sight, while A and C decide the remainder between them. For instance: A calls C, and C shows three tens. Neither A nor B can beat it, and C takes everything. But if B had three Jacks, and A only three fives, B would take the part of the pool for which he called a sight, and C would take the remainder. Should C have raised and bluffed A out, or have bet so much that A finally refused to call, A would have no interest in either pool, and C would take all the money outside the pool for which B called a sight. Should it then transpire, on the show of hands between B and C, that A had laid down a better hand than either of them, that would not entitle A to claim the sight pool from B, because in laying down his hand he has practically acknowledged that C’s hand is better, and has retired from the game. If B’s hand is better than C’s, B takes the sight pool.
Halliwell, on the strength of the corrupted word Bellasay, connects the game with a proverbial saying applied to the family of Bellasis; but there is no evidence of such a connection except the word-corruption. The rhyme occurs in _Gammer Gurton s Garland_, 1783, the last words of the second line being time to away. Bellie-mantie The name for Blind Man s Buff in Upper Clydesdale. As anciently in this game he who was the chief actor was not only hoodwinked, but enveloped in the skin of an animal.--Jamieson. See Blind Man s Buff. Belly-blind The name for Blind Man s Buff in Roxburgh, Clydesdale, and other counties of the border. It is probable that the term is the same with Billy Blynde, said to be the name of a familiar spirit or good genius somewhat similar to the brownie.--Jamieson. See Blind Man s Buff.
On the next deal let us suppose that A makes 66 before B gets out of schneider, which will give A two points. To these he adds one for the tie on the last deal, and scores three altogether. _=Closing.=_ Closing is turning the trump card face down on the remainder of the pack, which signifies that there shall be no more drawing from the stock, and that the second player in each trick must follow suit if he can, although he is not obliged to win the trick. A player can close only when he has the lead, but having the lead, he may close at any time. The pone may close before leading for the first trick; or after winning the first trick, and before drawing from the stock. The leader may close after one or more tricks have been played, and he may close without drawing from the stock; or he may draw, and then close. If the leader closes without drawing, his adversary must play without drawing. When the stock is closed, the player holding the Nine of trumps may still exchange it for the trump card, whether he is the closer or not, provided he has previously won a trick. It is usual for the closer, if he does not hold the Nine himself, to take up the trump card and offer it to his adversary.
If he leads a King or Queen without claiming any count, it is evident that he has not a marriage. If he has simply forgotten to claim it, he cannot amend the error after his adversary has played to the trick, and the score is lost. To avoid disputes, careful players leave one of the marriage cards face up among their cards, as a reminder that a marriage was claimed in that suit, either by the player with the card turned, or by his adversary. _=Counting.=_ A player is not allowed to make any record of his progress toward sixty-six, but must keep his count mentally. It is highly important to keep both your own and your adversary’s count, in order that you may always know how many each of you wants to reach 66. A player is not allowed to go back over his tricks to refresh his memory, and if he looks at any trick but the last one turned and quitted, he loses the privilege of “closing.” All _=irregularities=_ in playing and drawing are governed by the same rules as in Binocle. _=The Last Six Tricks.=_ After the stock is exhausted, marriages may still be led or shown, and scored; but the second player in each trick must follow suit if he can, although he is not obliged to win the trick unless he chooses to do so.
With A Q 10 and others, J in Dummy’s hand, begin with the Queen. With A J 9 and others, 10 in Dummy’s hand, lead the Jack. With A J 10, Dummy having K Q x, play the Jack, and do not lead the suit again. In trumps, with K Q and others, if Dummy has the J singly guarded, begin with the King as usual, but follow it with the Queen instead of the smallest; for declarer may have passed in the hope of making a Bath coup with both Ace and Jack. In plain suits this is a dangerous lead, as declarer having Ace, and wishing to force Dummy, would hold his Ace as a matter of course. With short suits, such as K x, Q x; or even with King or Queen alone, the honour is a good lead if Dummy has no court cards in the suit. The Queen is rather a better lead than the King, the only danger being that second hand holds fourchette. With Q J x, or J 10 x, one of the high cards should be played. With Q 10 x, Dummy having Ace or King, the Queen should be led. With K 10 x, Dummy having Jack, the suit should not be led.
A similar game to this is played at Earls Heaton, Yorkshire (Mr. Hardy), and called Goose and Gander. Two players, the Goose and the Gander, stand in a ring, each on one leg. They hop out in turn, and try to catch one of the other players without letting their other leg touch the ground. If they fail in this they get strapped back to the ring. When either are successful, the player who is caught takes the place of either Goose or Gander in turn. The game is also mentioned in _Useful Transactions in Philosophy_, 1708-9. French Jackie This game is played either by boys or girls or by both together. One is chosen to stand alone; the other players join hands and form a circle. The one outside the circle goes round it and touches on the back one of the circle.
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I ve got a rice pudding for you. I shan t come for that. I ve got a dish of bones. I ll come for that. The Dog then comes. The girls have been previously told not to laugh whilst the one who stands out is talking to the Dog. Then the girl says to the Dog-- All the birds in the air, All the fishes in the sea, Come and pick me out (for example) The girl with the golden ball. If the girl who desired the golden ball laughs, the Dog picks her out. If nobody laughs, he guesses who the girl is that has wished for the golden ball. If the Dog guesses correctly, she goes and stands behind him, and if he guesses incorrectly she goes and stands behind the one who has been asking the questions.
In order to get the line back to his second longest suit, the blanks, he would play the 5-2, hoping to play 2-0 next time. His adversary, B, would play on this end if he could, but being unable to do so, he gets rid of his heaviest domino, playing the double six. A plays 2-0, and B should now bring in his suit of aces by playing 6-1, which would win the game; but for the sake of illustration we shall suppose that he foolishly plays 6-4. A plays his double four, and the dominoes on the table present the following appearance:-- [Illustration] B, having neither 4 nor 0 on any of his remaining dominoes, says: “_=Go=_,” which signifies that he is blocked, and cannot play. A can now play at either end, and with either of two dominoes; but it would be bad policy to play the 4-5, because his adversary might be able to play to the 5; but it is a certainty that he cannot play to either 0 or 4. If A plays the 4-5, B gets rid of all his dominoes before A can play again. If A plays the 4-0 on the blank end, he will have to play again with his 4-5; but if he plays it on the 4 end he blocks himself. Whether to block the game or not depends on the probable comparative value of the dominoes held by A and B. If A blocks the game by making both ends blank, both players show their remaining dominoes, and the one with the greater number of pips loses as many points as he has pips in excess of the other player. In order to judge whether to block or play, it should be remembered that as there are 147 pips in the entire set, the average value of each domino will be 5¼.
| | 33.| -- | -- | -- | | 34.| -- | -- | -- | | 35.|Bells will ring and | -- |The bells will ring, | | |birds sing. | |birds will sing. | | 36.| -- | -- | -- | | 37.|We ll all clap hands | -- |We ll clap hands | | |together. | |together. | | 38.
Strohman, G., the dummy at Whist or Bridge. Strong Suits, those in which a number of tricks can be made after the adverse trumps are out of the way. Sub Echo, a trump signal in a plain suit, made after partner has led trumps, and the player has not echoed on the trump lead. Sub-sneak, a two-card suit which is led for the sole purpose of getting a ruff on the third round. Sweating Out, winning a game without taking any risks, by waiting for the trifling points that fall to your share. Systems, any guide that keeps a player from guessing in the distribution of his bets; as distinguished from a martingale, which controls the amount of the wager itself. Table Games, Chess, Checkers, and Backgammon. Tables, the ancient name for Backgammon. Taille, F.
SEC. 10. Should a player record on the trump slip a different trump from one turned in dealing and the error be discovered at the next table, there must be a new deal. If the deal has been played at one or more tables with the wrong trump, the recorded trump must be taken as correct and the players at the original table take the average score for the deal; if less than three tables are in play, there must be a new deal. SEC. 11. By the unanimous consent of the players in any match, a trump suit may be declared and no trump turned. LAW V.--IRREGULARITIES IN THE HAND. SEC.
_=Simple Inferences=_ from the fall of the cards usually supply the best guide in the matter of changing suits. If the Jack is led from K Q J x x, and wins the trick, partner may be credited with the Ace; and if the original leader has four trumps, and a card of re-entry, he should quit his established suit, and lead trumps to defend it. If the King and Ace have been led from A K x x, partner dropping the Queen on the second round, the suit should be changed, unless the original leader is strong enough to risk weakening his partner by forcing him to trump the third round. Four trumps are generally considered to be sufficiently strong to justify a force in this position. Some players will force, even with a weak hand, if the two cards played by the partner are small, and he has not availed himself of an artifice known as _=calling for trumps=_, which we shall consider presently. If the King and Ten have been led from K Q J 10, and on the second round one adversary has dropped the Eight, the other the Nine; the suit should be changed, as partner must have the Ace, and neither of the adversaries have any more. To lead such a suit again is called _=forcing both adversaries=_; as it allows one to make a small trump and the other to get rid of a losing card. If the Four has been led from J 8 6 4, and the adversaries have won the first trick with the Nine or Ten, A K Q must be against the leader and his partner, and the suit should be abandoned as hopeless, unless it is feasible to force the partner. If at any time there is a strong indication that the adversaries will have a cross-ruff, it is usually best to stop leading plain suits, and attempt to get out the trumps. _=THE LEADER’S PARTNER=_, or the Third Hand, has several conventional plays to remember; the most important of which are the following: _=When Partner Leads High Cards=_, the Third Hand has usually little to do but to play his lowest of the suit.
If this is to be allowed, it should be so understood at the beginning of the game. _=The High Hand=_ jack pot is played whenever a hand of an agreed value, such as a flush or a full, is shown to the board; that is, called. In some places four of a kind calls for _=a round of jacks=_, every player in turn making it a jack on his deal. _=Only Two In.=_ It is a common custom in large parties, say six or seven players, to make it a jack when no one but the dealer will ante. Instead of allowing the blind to make his ante good, and draw cards against the dealer, each player contributes two white counters, the age adding one to his blind, and the cards are redealt for a jack pot. Another variety of this custom is when the blind is opposed by only one ante, to allow the age to make this player take down his two counters, and to pay two counters for him, to make it a jack. For instance: Five play, and A has the age. B and C pass, and D antes two counters. The dealer, E, says: “I pass for a jack.
One who fails to pay mouth bets is a welcher. Muggins, to take a score which has been overlooked by an adversary, especially in Cribbage and Dominoes. Natural, anything which wins the stake immediately; 7 or 11 at Craps; 21 at Vingt-et-un; 8 or 9 at Baccara. Natural Points, those which must be made every deal, such as big and little cassino, high, low, etc. Navette, F., a cross ruff. Neben Farbe, G., plain suits. Next, the suit of the same colour as the turned trump at Euchre. Diamonds are “next” to hearts.
W. Gregor). A fellow lies on all fours--this is the Block; one steadies him before--this is the Study; a third is made a Hammer of, and swung by boys against the Block (Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_). Patterson (_Antrim and Down Glossary_) mentions a game, Hammer, Block, and Bible, which is probably the same game. Blow-point Strutt considers this to have been a children s game, played by blowing an arrow through a trunk at certain numbers by way of lottery (_Sports_, p. 403). Nares says the game was blowing small pins or points against each other, and probably not unlike Push-pin. Marmion in his _Antiquary_, 1641, says: I have heard of a nobleman that has been drunk with a tinker, and of a magnifico that has played at blow-point. In the _Comedy of Lingua_, 1607, act iii., sc.
There were several games played with buttons--some on level ground, in a ring or square; but the most approved was with a hole dug in the earth near a wall, or near the trunk of a large tree. The hole should be about the cavity of a small tea-cup, the players toeing a scratched line about four or five feet from the hole, after tossing for first innings. Each of the players (mostly two) contribute an equal number of buttons, say from two to ten, and of equal value or quality. The one having first turn takes the whole of them in his hand, and by an under-throw, or rather a pitch, endeavours to get the whole, or as many as possible, into the hole. If all go clean into the hole, he wins the game, and takes the whole of the buttons started with; but if one or more of the buttons are left outside the hole, the non-player has then the choice of selecting one which he considers difficult to be hit, and requesting the player to hit it with his _nicker_. This is made of solid lead, about the size of a florin, but twice its substance, and each player is provided with one of his own. Much judgment is required in making this selection, the object being to make it most difficult not only to hit it, but to prevent it being hit without being knocked into the hole, or sending the nicker in, or sending another button in, or even not striking one at all. In any one of these cases the player loses the game, and the non-player takes the whole of the stakes. In playing the next game, the previous non-player becomes the player.--London (C.
He quotes from a MS. play as follows-- It is edicted that every Grobian shall play at Bamberye hott cockles at the four festivals. Indeed a verye usefull sport, but lately much neglected to the mollefieinge of the flesh. --Halliwell s _Dictionary_. [Illustration] Nares _Glossary_ also contains quotations from works of 1639, 1653, and 1697 which illustrate the game. Mr. Addy says that this game as played in Sheffield is quite different from that described under the same title in Halliwell s _Dictionary_. Aubrey (p. 30) speaks of Hot Cockles as a game played at funerals in Yorkshire, and the lines here given show that this was the game. The lines-- Where is this poor man to go? Over yond cuckoo s hill I O, embodies the popular belief that the soul winged its way like a bird, and they remind one of the passing of the soul over Whinny Moor (see funeral dirge in Aubrey s _Remains of Gentilisme_, p.
Whether the adjoining man is his own or his adversary’s, the player can hop over it into the vacant space beyond, and he can make as many hops as there are men and spaces. This being so, a player will try to make “ladders” with his own men, placing them in a line diagonally, with a space between each, and will then hop his men over them all. As soon as he gets all his men into his adversary’s yard the game is ended. Special directions always come with the apparatus. GO-BANG. This is played on a board of 361 squares. Each player has his own coloured counters, and they draw for the first move. Each places a man in turn, and the first to get five men in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, wins the game. MORELLES, OR NINE MEN’S MORRIS. This game, sometimes called _=The Mill=_, is played on a board ruled off into compartments, as follows: [Illustration: +----------+----------+ | | | | +------+------+ | | | | | | | | +--+--+ | | | | | | | | +---+---+ +---+---+ | | | | | | | | +--+--+ | | | | | | | | +------+------+ | | | | +----------+----------+ ] Each player has nine men, of distinguishable colours.
A lone hand making three or four tricks only, scores 1. 500, OR BID EUCHRE. In this variety of euchre, the joker is always used. When there is a trump suit, it is the best trump; but when there are no trumps, it is a suit by itself, but still a trump. The player holding it cannot trump with it as long as he can follow suit; but when he has none of the suit led, he can trump with the joker if he likes. When the joker is led in a no-trump hand, the leader must name the suit that he wishes played to it. Five hundred is supposed to be a game for three players, but sometimes two play against two as partners. The dealer gives ten cards to each player, three and then two at a time as in the ordinary game of euchre; but after dealing the first three cards to each he lays off three cards face down for a widow. This widow is taken in hand by the successful bidder, who discards three cards in its place. The players bid for the privilege of naming the trump suit, or of playing without any trump but the joker.
--Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_. See Chickidy Hand, Deadelie, Hunt the Staigie, Whiddy. More Sacks to the Mill A very rough game, mentioned in Dean Miles MS., p. 180 (Halliwell s _Dictionary_). Lowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_) says this is a favourite game with children at Christmas-time, when wishing for one of a romping character, but he does not describe it further. Northall (_English Folk Rhymes_, p. 354) says that in Warwickshire and Staffordshire boys torture an unfortunate victim by throwing him on the ground and falling atop of him, yelling out the formula, Bags to [on] the mill. This summons calls up other lads, and they add their weight. Mother, may I go out to Play? I.
--Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 231). We ll follow our mother to market, To buy herself a basket; When she comes home she ll break our bones, We ll follow our mother to market. --Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 84). A version familiar to me is the same as above, but ending with For tumbling over cherry stones. The mother then chased and beat those children she caught. The idea was, I believe, that the children were imitating or mocking their mother (A. B. G.
=_ If any adversary of the player who pitches the trump leads or plays out of turn, he may be called upon by the bidder to play his highest or lowest of the suit led; or to trump or not to trump the trick. If any player but the pitcher has followed the erroneous lead, the cards must be taken back; but if the pitcher has followed, the error cannot be rectified. In case of a _=revoke=_, the hand is played out as if the revoke had not occurred, and each player except the person in error counts whatever points he makes. If the pitcher of the trump fails to make the number of points bid, he cannot be set back, but must be allowed to score any points he makes. The revoking player is then set back the number of points bid, and forfeits a red counter to the pool. If no bid was made, he is set back two points. SMUDGE. In this variation of auction pitch, any player who is not in the hole wins the game at once if he can bid four and make it. PEDRO. Pedro, Pedro Sancho, Dom Pedro, and Snoozer, are all varieties of Auction Pitch, in which certain counting cards are added, and secondary bids are allowed.
1). Some of the soldiers go to the fortress and surround it, singing the first verse (fig. 2). The children in the fortress reply, the four first verses being thus sung alternately. The soldiers then go to the King singing the fifth verse (fig. 3), the remaining verses being thus sung alternately. One of the soldiers then goes to the fortress and endeavours by throwing herself on the clasped hands of the children forming the fortress to break down the guard (fig. 4). All the soldiers try to do this, one after the other; finally the King comes, who breaks down the guard. The whole troop of soldiers then burst through the parted arms (fig.
, to shuffle. Memory Duplicate, playing over the same hands at the same table; the players who held the N and S cards getting the E and W for the overplay. Menage, F., gathering and arranging the cards for the succeeding deal when two packs are used. Milking, taking a card from the bottom and the top of the pack at the same time with the forefinger and thumb. Mischen, G., to shuffle. Misdeal, any failure to distribute the cards properly. Mise, F., the layout, or the original pool.