The Namer then gives each player a secret name. When names have been given to all the players, the Namer calls on the Guesser to come, by saying-- Witchie, witchie, yer bannocks are burnin , An ready for turnin . Whereupon he approaches, and the Namer says-- Come, chois me out, come, chois me in, to ---- (naming one by the assumed name). The players all shout, Tack me, tack me, repeatedly. The Witch points to one. If the guess is correct the player goes to the Witch s side, but if it is incorrect he goes to the Namer s side. This goes on till all the players are ranged on the one side or the other. The two parties then come to a tug, with the Namer and Guesser as leaders. The gaining party then ranges itself in two lines with a space between the lines, each boy holding in his hand his cap or his handkerchief tightly plaited. The boys of the conquered side have then to run between the two lines, and are pelted by the victors.
The game of Bottle Pool is played on a pool table with one white ball, the 1 and 2 ball, and pool-bottle. The 1 and 2 balls must be spotted, respectively, at the foot of the table, at the left and right diamond nearest each pocket, and the pool-bottle is placed standing on its neck on the spot in the centre of the table, and when it falls it must be set up, if possible, where it rests. Carrom on the two object-balls counts 1 point; Pocketing the 1 ball counts 1 point; Pocketing the 2 ball counts 2 points; Carrom from ball and upsetting bottle counts 5 points. The game consists of 31 points. The player having the least number of points at the finish of the game shall be adjudged the loser. Any number of persons can play, and the rotation of the players is decided as in ordinary pool. Player No. 1 must play with the white ball from any point within the string at the head of the table, at either the 1 or 2 ball at his option. The player who leads must play at and strike one of the object-balls before he can score a carrom on the pool-bottle. If a player carrom on the bottle from either of the object-balls, in such a way as to seat the bottle on its base, he wins the game, without further play.
=_ A, with his dangerous suit of spades, clears up the hearts at once. _=6th Trick.=_ The second round of spades betrays A’s dangerous suit to the other players. _=7th Trick.=_ A must risk the King and 3 being divided, for if they are in one hand nothing will save him. Z keeps ♢9 and ♣Q in order to be sure of getting a lead, as he is the only player who can load A by putting him in on spades at the end making him take in his own hearts. _=8th Trick.=_ B cannot risk playing the high clubs while there is any chance for him to win the pool. He can count A to be safe in diamonds, with two hearts and two spades. _=10th Trick.
In other places, it is the rule that the bidder must make the odd trick or he cannot count honours or anything else. There are then only eleven points to be played for in each deal; seven odd tricks and four honours. Any player bidding four would have to win the odd and three honors, or two odd and two honours, or something to make up his bid. _=SCORING.=_ No matter how many more than his bid he makes, he can score it all. If he fails, he is set back the amount of his bid. If his adversaries win the odd trick or more, they count one point for each trick over the book in addition to the amount by which they set the bidder back. When there are seventeen points in play each deal, it is usual to take the lower score from the higher and score the difference only, but when the bidder fails, he is not set back, but simply gets nothing at all, while his opponents score all they make, without any deductions. NORWEGIAN WHIST. _=CARDS.
[Illustration: Pone +-------+ | B | Dummy |Y Z| Declarer | A | +-------+ Leader ] _=Selecting the Suit to Lead.=_ If your partner has declared a suit, lead the best card you hold of it, regardless of number, unless you have an ace-king suit of your own, in which case lead the king first and have a look at dummy. If partner has not declared anything, lead your own suit. With high cards not in sequence, such as ace-queen, king-jack, or even queen-ten, in every suit but trumps, lead the trump. There is a great difference between playing against a trump declaration and against no-trumpers; because in the first case the leader is opposed to unusual trump strength and his object must be to make what he can of his winning cards, before the declarer gets into the lead and discards his weak suits, so as to be ready to trump them. But in the second case, there being no trumps, the leader’s object should be to get a suit established against the dealer, if he can, and the longer the suit is, the better. The dealer’s strength in a no-trumper is usually scattered, and he may often be found with a weak or missing suit, which is generally the suit in which the eldest hand or his partner is long. We shall first consider the leads against trump declarations, because they are more common and are also the more useful. If a player makes a trump-hand lead against a no-trump declaration, he will not do nearly so much harm as if he make a no-trump-hand lead against a trump declaration. For that reason, if a player cannot master both systems of leading, it is better for him to learn the leads against trumps than those against no-trumps.
, one who shares in the fortunes of the game, although not actually playing, as the dealer in four-handed Skat. Paying in Cards. When the banker and the player’s point is equal, the latter is said to “pay in cards.” Penultimate, the lowest but one of a suit at Whist. Phaser, F., to change the pack. Philosopher, a card sharp. Piano Hands, hands which run along smoothly at Whist, and yield no opportunities for loss or gain. Piking, making small bets all over the layout at Faro. Playboy, the Jack of trumps at Spoil Five.