No trump is turned, and the remainder of the pack is left on the table face downward. _=MISDEALING.=_ If any card is found faced in the pack, the cards must be reshuffled and dealt again. If the dealer exposes a card in dealing, or turns up a trump by mistake, the adversaries may elect to have a new deal by the same dealer, or to let the deal stand. If the dealer gives too many or too few cards to any player, or fails to give the same number of cards in each round, it is a misdeal, and the deal passes to the next player on the left. Any player dealing out of turn, or with the wrong cards, may be stopped before the last three cards are dealt; but after that the deal stands good. If a misdeal is not discovered until after a bid has been made, the deal stands good if three players have their right number of cards. The deal passes in regular rotation to the left. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ The game is fifty-one points, and the side first pegging that number, or getting rid of its fifty-one counters is the winner.
Sporting with animals before sacrificing them was a general feature at these rites. It is known that the Church opposed the people imitating beasts, and in this connection it is curious to note that in South Germany the game is called _blind bock_, i. e., blind goat, and in German _blinde kuhe_, or blind cow. In Scotland, one of the names for the game, according to A. Scott s poems, was Blind Buk : Blind buk! but at the bound thou schutes, And them forbeirs that the rebutes. It may therefore be conjectured that the person who was hoodwinked assumed the appearance of a goat, stag, or cow by putting on the skin of one of those animals. He who is twice crowned or touched on the head by the taker or him who is hoodwinked, instead of once only, according to the law of the game, is said to be _brunt_ (burned), and regains his liberty.--Jamieson. Blind Man s Stan A boys game, played with the eggs of small birds.
The object is to get as near twenty-one as possible without passing it, and it is usually considered best to stand at 18, but to throw again at 17. If a player goes beyond 21, he is out of it. The one getting nearest 21 takes the pool; ties divide it. CENTENNIAL. Two persons or sides play with three dice. The object of the game is to secure pips on the dice, or multiples of pips, which will make the figures from 1 to 12 in numerical order, and afterward the numbers from 12 to 1 again. The first side to accomplish this wins the game. There must be an ace in the first throw or nothing counts; that obtained, any following numbers may be made singly, or by adding two or more together. Suppose the first throw is 4, 2, 1. The 1 and 2 will make 1, 2 and 3.
Rubiconed, lurched, defeated before getting half way. Ruffing, trumping a suit. Run, a succession of counting shots at Billiards. Schnitt, G., a finesse. Schneiden, G., to finesse. Schinden is sometimes used. Scratch, a fluke, a score which was not played for. Screw Shot, a force shot at Billiards.
Combinations from which the _=Ace=_ is led contain at least five cards in suit, or both Queen and Jack. [Illustration: 🂱 🂷 🂶 🂴 🂲 | 🃑 🃝 🃛 🃖 ] This lead is an indication to partner that the leader has not the King, and that the suit is either long, or contains three honours. _=Rules for Leading Low Cards.=_ If the suit selected for the lead contains none of the combinations from which a high card should be led, it is customary with good players to begin with the 4th-best, counting from the top of the suit. This is called the card of uniformity; because it indicates to the partner that there are remaining in the leader’s hand exactly three cards higher than the one led. From any of the following combinations the proper lead would be the Four:-- [Illustration: 🃞 🃛 🃘 🃔 🃓 | 🃑 🃝 🃚 🃔 🂽 🂻 🂶 🂴 🂲 | 🂱 🂻 🂺 🂴 ] [Illustration: 🂫 🂪 🂩 🂤 🂢 | 🂮 🂨 🂧 🂤 🃊 🃉 🃈 🃄 🃃 | 🃍 🃆 🃅 🃄 ] _=Rules for Leading Short Suits.=_ It will sometimes happen that the only four-card suit in the leader’s hand will be trumps, which it is not desirable to lead. In such cases, if there is no high-card combination in any of the short suits, it is usual to lead the highest card, unless it is an Ace or King. Many good players will not lead the Queen from a three card suit, unless it is accompanied by the Jack. All such leads are called _=forced=_, and are intended to assist the partner, by playing cards which may strengthen him, although of no use to the leader.
If Vivant deals the first hand for Mort, he must present the pack to the player on dummy’s right to be cut, and deal the cards from right to left, turning up the trump at Mort’s place. If he deals for himself, he presents the pack to the pone to be cut, and proceeds as in whist. When two packs are used, the French laws require that if the deal is for Mort, the Right shall gather and shuffle the still pack; and that if Vivant deals for himself, the pone shall gather and shuffle. I have found this to be awkward, because the player who is gathering and shuffling the cards of one pack is called upon to cut the other. For this reason I recommend that whichever adversary is the pone for the deal in hands should allow his partner to gather and shuffle the still pack. When either adversary deals, his partner will, of course, gather and shuffle the still pack. The general rules with regard to irregularities in the deal are the same as at whist, with the following exceptions:-- A misdeal does not lose the deal unless the opponents so elect; they may prefer a new deal by the same dealer. The reason for this is that the deal is a disadvantage, especially for Mort. If Vivant or Mort offers the pack to one adversary to cut, and then deals as if the other had cut, it is a misdeal; and it is not admissible to shift the packets in order to remedy matters. It might be imagined that a card exposed in dealing, if dealt to Mort, would make no difference, as all his cards will presently be exposed.
If a player takes a card too many from the stock, he may replace it if he has not put it with the other cards in his hand. If he has seen it, he must show it to his adversary. If the superfluous card has been taken into the hand, the player must have too many cards, and can score nothing that deal. This does not prevent the adversary from scoring anything he may have in hand or play, even if it is inferior. If a player is found to have too few cards after the draw, he may still play and count all he can make, but he cannot win a capot, because he has no card for the last trick, which must be won by his adversary. _=The Stock.=_ If a player looks at one of his adversary’s cards in the stock before or during the draw, he can count nothing that hand. If he looks at a card left in the talon after the draw, which he is not entitled to see, his adversary may call a suit from him as many times as he has seen cards. If a card of the talon is accidentally exposed, the player to whom it would naturally belong may demand a fresh deal. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.
If one player held these cards [Illustration: 🃛 🂫 🂱 🂺 🂷 ] and wished to make hearts trumps, he would be playing “with two.” If another player wished to make the same suit trumps with these cards:-- [Illustration: 🂻 🃋 🂾 🂽 🂹 🂸 ] he would be playing “without two,” and the value of each game would be exactly the same, no matter which player actually made the trump. Matadores must be held; they do not count if won from the adversaries in the course of play. _=MARKERS.=_ Counters of any kind are not used in Skat, as the score is kept on a writing pad, which should be ruled into vertical columns for the number of players engaged. _=PLAYERS.=_ Skat is played by three persons. If there are four at the table the dealer takes no cards, but shares the fortunes of those who are opposed to the single player, winning and losing on each hand whatever they win and lose. If there are five or six at the table, the dealer gives cards to the two on his left, and the one next him on the right. Those holding no cards share the fortunes of the two who are opposed to the single player.