=_ In all games in which the deal is an advantage, a misdeal loses the deal; but in all games in which the deal is a disadvantage, or some position is more advantageous than that of the dealer, such as the “age” at Poker, a misdeal does not lose the deal. The only exception to this rule is in Bridge, in which there are no misdeals, and Cribbage, which has a fixed penalty. _=Bidding.=_ In all games in which there is any bidding for the privilege of playing or of making the trump, or any betting on the value of the hands, the privilege must be extended to each player in turn, beginning on the dealer’s left. Any bid or any bet once made can neither be taken back nor amended. If any bid is made out of turn in any partnership game, it must be assumed that undue information is conveyed, and the player in error, or his partner, must lose his bid. In round games there is no penalty. _=Exposed Cards.=_ No player can exact a penalty for his own error, so that if an adversary of the dealer exposes one of his own cards he cannot claim a misdeal, but the dealer’s side may. There should be no penalty for a player’s having exposed a card unless he can derive some benefit from the exposure, such as from his partner’s having seen it.
Simonetti sagged with defeat. Look, Rose, he gasped. I want out. Bad enough that our losses can t be stopped by this creep Smythe. Now you drag in another TK. Buy me out! What s a business worth that s losing its shirt? Rose sneered. We were in clover, you fool, till this cross-roader got to us. This is our only chance to get even. That finished Simonetti. He went back to his desk and slumped against it, scowling at the points of his handtooled boots.
If the pone has too many cards he may return the surplus to the top of the pack, without showing or naming them. If the dealer has too many, the pone may draw from his hand face downward, returning the surplus to the top of the pack; but the pone may not look at the cards so drawn unless the dealer has seen them. If there are too few cards, and the pone elects to have the deal stand, the deficiency must be supplied from the top of the pack. _=THE CRIB.=_ The cards dealt, each player takes up his six cards and examines them with a view to laying out two cards, face downward, for the crib; leaving himself four cards with which to play. The four cards which form the crib, two from each hand, always belong to the dealer, and it is usual for each player, in discarding for the crib, to slip his two cards under the end of the cribbage board opposite to that occupied by the remainder of the pack. Cards once laid out for the crib, and the hand removed from them, cannot be taken up again. A penalty of two points may be scored by the adversary for each card so taken up again, whether it is returned to the player’s hand or not. If either player confuses his cards in any manner with those of the crib, his adversary scores two points, and may also claim a fresh deal. If it is not discovered until he comes to lay out for the crib, that a player has too many cards, the same rules apply that are given for misdealing; but if he has too few cards there is no remedy, as he has lifted his hand.
--Jamieson. Genteel Lady A player begins thus:-- I, a genteel lady (or gentleman) came from that genteel lady (or gentleman) to say that she (or he) owned a tree. The other players repeat the words in turn, and then the leader goes over them again, adding, with bronze bark. The sentence goes round once more, and on the next repetition the leader continues, with golden branches. He afterwards adds, and silver leaves, and purple fruit, and on the top a milk-white dove, and, finally, mourning for the loss of his lady-love. If a player should fail in repeating the rigmarole, there is a fine to pay. A pipe-lighter is stuck in her hair, and she must say one-horned lady instead of genteel lady. When a second horn is added, of course she says two-horned, and so forth. Some players wear half-a-dozen before the conclusion of the game. The game is called The Wonderful Tree.
Gregor). Jamieson says, Hy Spy, a game resembling Hide and Seek, but played in a different manner. The station, which in England is called Home, is here the Den, and those who keep it are the Seekers, and are called the Ins. Those who hide themselves, instead of crying Hoop, as in England, cry Hy spy; and they are denominated the Outs. The business of the Ins is, after the signal is given, to lay hold of the Outs before they can reach the den. The captive then becomes one of the Ins; for the honour of the game consists in the privilege of hiding oneself. Jamieson adds, Hy is still used in calling after a person, to excite attention, or when it is wished to warn him to get out of the way. Strutt describes it as Harry-Racket, or Hide and Seek (_Sports_, p. 381). At Cork two sides are chosen for Spy; one side hides while the other side hunts.
If it is Black’s move, White can win easily; but if it is White’s move it is impossible to win, because whether he checks or not the black King gets in front of the Pawn and either wins it or secures a stale-mate. Put the Pawn behind the King, on K B 5, and White wins, no matter which moves first, for if Black moves he allows the white King to advance to the seventh file, which will queen the Pawn. If White moves first, and the black King keeps opposite him, the Pawn advances. If Black goes in the other direction, the white King goes to the seventh file and wins by queening the Pawn. If the white King and Pawn are both moved one square further back, the King on K B 5, and the Pawn on K B 4. the win will depend on the move. If it is White’s move he can win by advancing the King; but if it is Black’s move he can draw by keeping his King always opposite the white King. If the Pawn advances, he will get in front of it, and if the King is afterward advanced, he will get in front of it; winning the Pawn or securing a stale-mate. _=THE KNIGHT’S TOUR.=_ Owing to the peculiarity of the Knight’s move, many persons have amused themselves in trying to cover the entire chess board with a Knight, touching the same square once only, and returning to the starting-point again.
” Altogether we can trace nineteen games which are clearly derived from whist. Duplicate, Drive, and Progressive whist are simply changes in the arrangement of the players and in the methods of scoring. Prussian whist introduces the cutting of the trump from the still pack. Dummy and Double-dummy are simply whist with a limited number of players, necessitating the exposure of one or more hands upon the table. The French game of Mort is dummy with a better system of scoring introduced. Favourite Whist simply changes the value of the tricks in scoring, according to the trump suit. Cayenne and Bridge introduce the first changes of importance. In Cayenne, the dealer and his partner have the privilege of changing the trump from the suit turned up; in Bridge they name the trump suit without any turn-up, and play the hands as at dummy. In Boston, and Boston de Fontainebleau, in addition to making the trump suit instead of turning it up, further departures are introduced by naming the number of tricks to be played for, allowing the player to take all or none without any trump suit, and by ‘spreading’ certain hands, without allowing the adversaries to call the exposed cards. French and Russian Boston are simply varieties of Boston.
Miss Dendy sends a similar rhyme from Monton, Lancashire, where it is known simply as a marching game. For similar rhymes, see Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 3. See Paddy from Home, Tip it. Fippeny Morrell Twice three stones, set in a crossed square, where he wins the game that can set his three along in a row, and that is fippeny morrell I trow. --_Apollo Shroving_, 1626. See Nine Men s Morice, Noughts and Crosses. Fire, Air, and Water The players seat themselves in a circle. One of the players has a ball, to which a string is fastened. He holds the string that he may easily draw the ball back again after it is thrown.
Around a green gravill The grass is so green, And all the fine ladies Ashamed to be seen. They wash em in milk And dress em in silk-- We ll all cou don together. My elbow, my elbow, My pitcher and my can; Isn t ---- A nice young gell? Isn t ---- As nice as her-- They shall be married with a guinea-gold ring. I peep d through the window, I peep d through the door, I seed pretty ---- A-dancin on the floor; I cuddled her an fo dled her, I set her on my knee; I says pretty ---- Won t [ëe?] you marry me. A new-swept parlour, An a new-made bed, A new cup and saucer Again we get wed. If it be a boy, he shall have a hat, To follow with his mammy to her na , na , na ; If he be a gell, she shall have a ring, To follow with her mammy to her ding, ding, ding. --Wakefield (Miss Fowler). (_c_) The more general way of playing this game is to form a ring of children simply. The children walk round singing the verse as in the Belfast version, and when the last line is sung, the child whose name is mentioned turns round, facing the outside of the ring and having her back to the centre. She continues to hold hands with the others, and dances round with them in that position.
After which there is, as usual, the ring dance. They then represent washing, ironing clothes, baking bread, washing the house, and a number of other familiar proceedings. Chambers quotes a fragment of this little ballet, as practised at Kilbarchan, in Renfrewshire, which contains the following lines similar to those in this game:-- She synes the dishes three times a day, Three times a day, three times a day; She synes the dishes three times a day, Come alang wi the merry-ma-tanzie. She bakes the scones three times a day, Three times a day, three times a day; She bakes the scones three times a day, Come alang wi the merry-ma-tanzie. She ranges the stules three times a day, Three times a day, three times a day; She ranges the stules three times a day, Come alang wi the merry-ma-tanzie. This game originated, no doubt, as a marriage dance round a sacred tree or bush. As it now exists it appears to have no other character than the performance of duties such as those enumerated in the description. In no version that I am acquainted with do the elements of love and marriage or kissing occur, otherwise the resemblance it bears to the Scotch Merry-ma-tanzie would suggest that it is a portion of that game. This game possesses the centre tree, which is not preserved in Merry-ma-tansa. Trees were formerly sacred to dancing at the marriage festival, as at Polwarth in Berwickshire, where the custom once prevailed, which is not unworthy of notice.
Double fives are great favourites with backgammon sharps. The next thing is to place the dice together in pairs, to be sure that they are exactly the same height each way. If dice are not square they can be made to roll over and over on the same faces. The faces should then be tested to see that they are not convex, even in the slightest degree. Shaped dice are usually flat on the ace and six faces, especially in crap shooting. Each die should be held between the thumb and forefinger at its longest diameter, to see if it has any tendency to swing on a pivot, for if it does it is loaded. Even if the dice are transparent, it is no guarantee that they are not loaded in the spots. Loaded ivory dice soon get discoloured, and the presence of any darkness in the corners is usually a sign of the presence of mercury. It is a mistake to suppose that loaded dice will always throw high or low; all they will do is to beat averages. Finally, the dice should be tested with a magnet, as they are sometimes made to work in connection with a battery concealed under the table.
He may pick up his cards, but he should use his eyes in following the manner and facial expression of the other players as they sort their cards. One of the greatest errors made by the age is in thinking that he must save his blind. The player who draws to nothing because he can do so cheaply, will usually have nothing to draw at the end of the game. The age can usually afford to draw to four-card flushes, and to straights open at both ends, but should not do so when there are less than three who have paid to draw cards, or when the ante has been raised. If the age holds Kings or better before the draw, he should invariably raise the ante unless there are five players in the pool besides himself, or unless some other player has already raised. If he holds two pairs, he should do all his betting before the draw. If any other player has raised, or his own raise is re-raised, the age must use his judgment of the player and the circumstances. It is useless for the age to disguise his hand by such manœuvres as holding up an odd card to a pair, unless he raises the blind at the same time. If he draws one or two cards only, and has not raised the blind, every one will credit him for a small pair and an ace, or for a bobtail, and will inevitably call any bluff he may make. The age is the poorest position at the table for a bluff, but it is decidedly the best in which to win large pots with moderate hands.
IV. Here comes a poor woman from Baby-land With three small children in her hand. One can brew, the other can bake, The other can make a pretty round cake. One can sit in the garden and spin, Another can make a fine bed for the king; Pray, ma am, will you take one in? --Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 72. V. Here is a poor widow from Sandy Row, With all her children behind her. One can knit and one can sew, And one can make the winder go. Please take one in. Now poor Nellie she is gone Without a farthing in her hand, Nothing but a guinea gold ring.
--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor). Jolly Fishermen [Music] --Tean, North Staffs. (Miss Burne). I. They were two jolly fishermen, They were two jolly fishermen, They were two jolly fishermen, And just come from the sea, And just come from the sea. They cast their nets into the sea, And jolly fish caught we, And jolly fish caught we, And jolly fish caught we, They cast their nets into the sea, And jolly fish caught we. --Tean and Cheadle, North Staffs. (Miss Burne).