In the foregoing deal he would have bet on the A 3 4 6 9 J to lose on the fourth card out of the box, and would have bet on the case cards of the 2 7 8 10 Q K to win. The Soda, it must be remembered, is really a winning card. Of these bets he would have won 5 out of twelve, taking back his money on the 8, as that card was left in hoc. Playing _=break even=_, these bets would have been exactly reversed, as all the cards would have played either to win and lose an equal number of times, or to _=win=_ or _=lose out=_; that is, to do the same thing all four times. Another favourite system is colours. The player takes some definite card, such as the soda, or the first winner or loser, as his starter, and whatever the colour of the third card of each denomination, that is, the card that makes it a case, he plays it to win or lose, according to the system of colours he is playing. Many players reverse on the last turn. When a player bets one card to lose and another to win, and loses both bets on the same turn, he is _=whipsawed=_. _=The Last Turn.=_ If three different cards are left in for the last turn, the players can _=call the turn=_, naming the order in which they think the cards will be found.
The ring dance round to a tune and sing a chorus [which is not given by the writer]. They then stop. Buff extends his wand, and the person to whom it happens to be pointed must step out of the circle to hold the end in his hand. Buff then interrogates the holder of the wand by grunting three times, and is answered in like manner. Buff then guesses who is the holder of the wand. If he guesses rightly, the holder of the stick becomes Buff, and he joins the ring (_Winter Evening s Amusements_, p. 6). When I played at this game the ring of children walked in silence three times only round Buff, then stopped and knelt or stooped down on the ground, strict silence being observed. Buff asked three questions (anything he chose) of the child to whom he pointed the stick, who replied by imitating cries of animals or birds (A. B.
W. Gregor. Jamieson says, Lothian children, while carrying one of their number in this manner, repeat the following rhyme-- Lend me a pin to stick i my thumb, To carry the lady to London town. He says this method of carrying is often used as a substitute for a chair in conveying adult persons from one place to another, especially when infirm. In other counties it is called Queen s Cushion and Queen s Chair, also Cat s Carriage. Brockett (_North Country Words_) says, King s Cushion, a sort of seat made by two persons crossing their hands, in which to place a third. The thrones on the reverses of the early Royal Seals of England and Scotland consist of swords, spears, snakes, &c., placed in the manner of a King s Cushion. The method used is for both children to grasp the wrist of his left hand with the right, while he lays hold of the right wrist of his companion with his left hand. This way of hoisting or carrying is still used by schoolboys when they desire to honour a boy who has distinguished himself in the playground or schoolroom.
If a player refuses a card, the banker may be able to judge whether or not he has 6 or 7 by his habit of drawing or not drawing at 5. If he is known to be a player who draws at 5, it is useless for the banker to stand at 5, unless he thinks he can beat the player on the other side of the table, and there is more money on that side. If the player demanding a card has been given a 10, the banker should stand, even at 3 or 4. If he has been given an ace, the banker should stand at 4; if a 2 or 3, the banker should stand at 5; if the player is given a 4, the banker should draw, even if he has 5. If a player has drawn a 5, 6 or 7, the banker should draw, even if he has 5 or 6. If the player draws an 8 or 9, the banker should stand at 4 or 5, sometimes even with 3. It must be remembered that the banker should have a sharp eye to the relative amounts staked on each side of the table, which will often decide which player he should try to beat. For example: The banker has 5, and the player on his right has drawn a 10, the one on his left a 7. The banker has an excellent chance to win all the bets on the right, and should have a certainty of standing off with them, and unless those on the left very much exceeded them, the banker would be very foolish to risk losing everything by drawing to 5, simply to beat the player on his left. _=BACCARA CHEMIN DE FER.
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.
Three small holes are made in the ground, triangularly about twenty feet apart, to mark the position of as many boys, each of whom holds a small stick, about two feet long. Three other boys of the adverse side pitch successively a piece of stick, a little bigger than one s thumb, called Cat, to be struck by those holding the sticks. On its being struck, the boys run from hole to hole, dipping the ends of their sticks in as they pass, and counting one, two, three, &c., as they do so, up to thirty-one, which is game. Or the greater number of holes gained in the innings may indicate the winners, as at cricket. If the Cat be struck and caught, the striking party is out, and another of his sidesmen takes his place, if the set be strong enough to admit of it. If there be only six players, it may be previously agreed that three _put outs_ shall end the innings. Another mode of putting out is to throw the Cat home, after being struck, and placing or pitching it into an unoccupied hole, while the in-party are running. A certain number of misses (not striking the Cat) may be agreed on to be equivalent to a put out. The game may be played by two, placed as at cricket, or by four, or I believe more.
| | | |36.| -- |Set a dog to bark all | -- | | | |night. | | |37.| -- |If the dog should meet| -- | | | |a bone. | | |38.| -- | -- | -- | |39.| -- |Set a cock to crow | -- | | | |all night. | | |40.| -- |If the cock should | -- | | | |meet a hen. | | |41.
London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady. Build it up with mortar and bricks, Mortar and bricks, mortar and bricks, Build it up with mortar and bricks, My fair lady. [Then follow verses in the same style and with the same refrain, beginning with--] Bring some water, we ll wash it away. Build it up with silver and gold. Silver and gold will be stolen away. We ll set a man to watch at night. Suppose the man should fall asleep? Give him a pipe of tobacco to smoke. Suppose the pipe should fall and break? We ll give him a bag of nuts to crack. Suppose the nuts were rotten and bad? We ll give him a horse to gallop around, &c. --Enborne School, Berks (M.
At first it was played either by two persons, or by two pairs of partners. If one side had bad cards, they could offer to abandon the hand, and allow the adversaries to count a point without playing. If the adversaries refused, they were obliged to win all five tricks or lose two points. It was compulsory to win the trick if possible, and to trump, over-trump, or under-trump if the player had none of the suit led. This peculiarity survives in the games of Rams and Loo, which also belong to the euchre family. After a time we find a variation introduced in which any number from two to six could play, each for himself, and the player first winning two tricks out of the five marked the point. Later still we find the ace ranking above the King, thus becoming the best trump. If the ace was turned up, the dealer had the privilege of robbing it, or the holder of the ace of trumps could rob the turn-up, discarding any card he pleased, just as in Spoil Five. But in Triomphe the dealer turned up another card, and if that was of the trump suit the holder of the ace could rob that also, and so on until he turned a card of a different suit. This did not alter the trump, but merely stopped the robbing process.
Above all it should be insisted that any player who has once put counters in the pool, and taken his hand from them, should not again take them down. _=The Age=_ is the most valuable position at the table, but it is seldom fully taken advantage of. The age should never look at his hand until it is his turn to make good his blind. 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.
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[Illustration: 🃅 🂥 🃕 🂽 🂭] 693 to 1 _=Fours.=_ Four cards of one kind, and one useless card. [Illustration: 🃆 🂦 🃖 🂶 🂾*] 4164 to 1 _=Straight flush.=_ Five cards of the same suit, in sequence with one another. [Illustration: 🃈 🃇 🃆 🃅 🃄] 72192 to 1 _=Royal Flush.=_ A straight flush which is ace high. [Illustration: 🃑 🃞 🃝 🃛 🃚] 649739 to 1 When hands are of the same rank, their relative value is determined by the denomination of the cards they contain. For instance: A hand without a pair, sequence, or flush is called by its highest card; “ace high,” or “Jack high,” as the case may be. As between two such hands, the one containing the highest card would be the better, but either would be outclassed by a hand with a pair in it, however small. A hand with a pair of nines in it would outrank one with a pair of sevens, even though the cards accompanying the nines were only a deuce, three and four, while those with the sevens were an ace, King and Queen.
Green. Another correspondent to this magazine, in the same volume, p. 507, observes that the ballad concerning London Bridge formed, in my remembrance, part of a Christmas Carol, and commenced thus-- Dame, get up and bake your pies, On Christmas-day in the morning. The requisition goes on to the dame to prepare for the feast, and her answer is-- London Bridge is fallen down, On Christ-mas day in the morning, &c. 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.
SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY. A good player, after sorting his hand, carefully estimates its possibilities. The hand may be such that it is evidently impossible to avoid taking some hearts. The player must then decide whether he will play to give each of the others hearts, or will take them all himself. If he succeeds in either object he has a chance to win back his money in the ensuing Jack. In deciding on his chances to get clear without taking a single heart, the player must first consider the advisability of beginning with a heart, or with a plain suit. If hearts, he should know the probability of the heart he leads not winning the trick; if a plain suit, he should know the probability of the suit going round one or more times without hearts being discarded on it, especially if he intends to lead high cards. These chances must then be balanced one against the other and the more favourable selected. _=LEADING HEARTS ORIGINALLY.=_ When your hearts are so small as to be absolutely safe, such as the 7 5 3 2, it might be supposed that the best play would be to lead them at once, in order to get a large number of hearts out of your way.
Backs in and heads out, Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. A feet in and nae feet out, Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. Shake hands a , shake hands a , Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. Good night a , good night a , Hinkumbooby round about; Fal de ral la, &c. --Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, pp. 137-139). IV. This is the way we wash our hands, Wash our hands, wash our hands, To come to school in the morning. This is the way we wash our face, Wash our face, wash our face, To come to school in the morning. Here we come dancing looby, Lewby, lewby, li.
His sharp, dried-out features repelled me twice as much as they had ten years before. That hatchet face of his was gashed with what he thought was a smile. I ve seen sharks with a pleasanter gape. Naturally, I didn t take his hand. Hi, Peno, I said. He jerked his hand back and straightened up. He snapped the hole in his face shut. My partner, he said, waving his hand at the dark-skinned gent standing over against one of the fumed oak desks. Sime, meet Lefty Bupp, the hottest TK artist with dice in the whole damned country! Simonetti leaned against the desk. He drew a zipper open in his fancy blouse, dragged out the Bull Durham and started to roll his own.
If a grand slam, 13 tricks, is made but not bid, it is worth 2,000 honour points. If a little slam is bid and a grand slam made, it is worth 7,000 altogether. If a grand slam is bid and made, it is worth 12,000 altogether. _=Lost Games.=_ If the bidder fails to make good, his adversaries score 100 times the value of the tricks as penalty, in the honour column; the scores for the tricks actually won standing at their regular value below the line. Suppose the bid to be three in diamonds, making the tricks worth 30 each, and that the bidder’s side get the odd trick only. Although the bidder has failed to make good, he scores below the line for the seven tricks he took, at 30 each, and the adversaries score for the six they took, also at 30 each. Then, as the bidder fell short by two tricks of making good, his adversaries score these two tricks at 3,000 points each, penalty, in the honour column. _=Honours.=_ The honours are the A K Q J 10 of trumps and the four Aces, the Aces being always honours; but when there is a no-trump declaration they are the only honours.
Following is a list of less trivial references. The game Stag is often referred to as Stag Warning, but occasionally they are listed as thought they were separate games. Volume I. Page 51: reference to Wind Up Jack: this game is not mentioned separately, but under Wind Up the Bush Faggot. Page 120: reference to Wind up the Watch, which is not listed as a separate game, but as a local name for Wind up the Bush Faggot. Page 137: reference to Crosspurposes: according to the description and Vol. II, this could be Cross-questions. Page 300: reference to How many miles to Barley Bridge?, which is not listed as a separate game; the phrase occurs in some of the versions of How many miles to Babylon? Page 318, section (c): The author refers to the Belfast version, but describes the Isle of Man version. This has not been changed. Page 328: reference to the game Spanish Fly, which does not occur in either volume (nor does the phrase).
If any card is found exposed in the pack, there must be a new deal. If a card faced in the stock is not discovered until the first trick has been played to by the dealer, the exposed card must be turned face down, without disturbing its position. If the pack is found to be imperfect, the deal in which it is discovered is void; but all previous scores and cuts made with that pack stand good. In all misdeals the same dealer deals again. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ After the trump is turned, the pone begins by leading any card he pleases. The second player is not obliged to follow suit, nor to trump; but may renounce or trump at pleasure until the stock is exhausted, after which the method of play undergoes a change. If the second player follows suit in any trick, the higher card wins. Trumps win plain suits. If identical cards are played to the same trick, such as two club Jacks, the leader wins.
_=The Play.=_ No matter who dealt the cards, the player to the left of the highest bidder always leads for the first trick. Each player in turn must follow suit if he can, and the highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the trick, trumps winning all other suits. The winner of one trick leads for the next, and so on. There is no Dummy hand as in bridge. _=Scoring.=_ Although the bidding is for so many “odd” tricks, or tricks over the book, every trick taken is counted when it comes to the scoring; but it is the number of tricks bid, and not the rank of the suit, that determines the value. Every trick won by the same partners-- In a bid of “one” is worth 10 In a bid of “two” is worth 20 In a bid of “three” is worth 30 In a bid of “four” is worth 40 In a bid of “five” is worth 50 In a bid of “six” is worth 60 In a bid of “seven” is worth 70 Both sides score. If the highest bid was “two in diamonds,” and the bidder’s side won nine tricks, they would score 9 times 20, or 180; while their adversaries would score 4 times 20, or 80. As soon as either side reaches 500, they win the game, even if it is in the middle of a hand; but the hand must be played out in order to see how many points are won by each side.
This is repeated until the handkerchief is stealthily dropped immediately behind one of the players, who should be on the alert to follow as quickly as possible the one who has dropped it, who at once increases her speed and endeavours to take the place left vacant by her pursuer. Should she be caught before she can succeed in doing this she is compelled to take the handkerchief a second time. But if, as it more usually happens, she is successful in accomplishing this, the pursuer in turn takes the handkerchief, and the game proceeds as before.--Symondsbury (_Folk-lore Journal_, vi. 212). Jack lost his supper last night, And the night before; if he does again to-night, He never will no more--more--more--more. I wrote a letter to my love, And on the way I dropt it; Some of you have picked it up, And got it in your pocket--pocket--pocket--pocket. I have a little dog, it won t bite you-- It won t bite you--it won t bite you-- It _will_ bite you. --Leicestershire (Miss Ellis). The Forest of Dean version is the same as the Dorsetshire, except that the child who is unsuccessful in gaining the vacant place has to stand in the middle of the ring until the same thing happens to another child.
| -- | -- | -- | |25.| -- | -- | -- | |26.| -- | -- | -- | |27.| -- | -- | -- | |28.| -- | -- | -- | |29.| -- | -- | -- | |30.| -- | -- | -- | |31.| -- | -- | -- | +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ |No.| Wales. | Isle of Wight.
If all three pass, the deal is void, and passes to the next player on the left. If any player stands, he asks for the 3 of any suit he pleases, and if either adversary holds it, he must give it up. If it is in the stock, the player cannot ask for any other card. If he has all four 3’s in his hand he may ask for a 2, but for no lower card. The adversary giving the card asked for must receive a card in exchange from the hand of the single player, but this card must not be shown to the other adversary. _=Discarding.=_ Having given a card in exchange for the 3 asked for, the single player must discard at least one more card, face downward on the table, and he may discard as many as four. The four cards remaining in the stock are then turned face up, and the single player may select from them as many cards as he has discarded; but he is not allowed to amend his discard in any way. The cards he does not take, if any, are turned down again, and are placed with his discards, forming a stock of four cards, which must not be seen or touched until the last card is played, when it becomes the property of the side that wins the last trick, and any counting cards it may contain are reckoned for that side. _=Playing.
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[Illustration: 🂹 🃙 🃆 🂶 ] If the duplicates are of two different cards, the combination is still worth 12, because four different fifteens can be formed by combining each Nine with each Six separately, and there are two single pairs. [Illustration: 🃙 🃆 🂶 🃖 🂦 🂹 🂩 🃉 🃖 🂦 ] The same is true of any combinations of two-card fifteens in which all five cards are of value; they are both of the same pegging value, 20 points. If there are three duplicates of one card in the original fifteen, the four separate fifteens will be worth 8, and the double pair royal 12. If there are two duplicates of one card, and one of the other, six separate fifteens can be formed by combining each Nine with each Six, pegging 12; and the pair royal of one card with the single pair of the other will add 8 more. _=Three-card Fifteens=_ may be formed in fifteen different ways, ranging from 10 4 A, to 5 5 5. If you hold any of these combinations, and have a fourth card which is a duplicate of any of the three forming the fifteen, the value of the combination will depend on how many cards you can replace with the duplicate card. [Illustration: 🂾 🃞 🃔 🂡 ] If you have an extra tenth card, you can replace the other tenth card once only, and the total value of the combination is therefore 6 points, which is expressed by the formula; “Fifteen-two, fifteen-four, and a pair.” [Illustration: 🃙 🂳 🃓 🂣 ] If your combination was 9 3 3, and you had another 9, the same thing would be true; but if your duplicate is a Three, there are two cards which can be replaced, and the combination is therefore worth 12; 6 for the three fifteens, and 6 more for the pair royal. [Illustration: 🂵 🃕 🃅 🂥 ] If your combination is one in which all three cards can be replaced with the duplicate, making three extra fifteens, it must be worth 20 altogether; 8 for the four fifteens, and 12 for the double pair royal. [Illustration: 🂢 🃖 🂷 🂧 🃇 ] If you have two duplicates of any one card in the original combination, there are only two extra fifteens, and the combination will be worth 12; 6 for the three fifteens, and 6 more for the pair royal.
| -- |..... anything. | -- | | 18.| -- | -- | -- | | 19.| -- |For a pretty lass. | -- | | 20.
Let s make sense, he said quietly. We watched you on the TV monitor from the time you came in. Sure, I said. What about it? he demanded. I shrugged. I had my way with the dice, Peno. I dropped nine yards as fast as I could, then won it back. The spots came up for me every single roll but two, when I had my eye on something else. He snickered. We saw her, he said.
In case of _=ties=_ which cannot be decided by the pip values, the elder hand wins. Even if a player has lost his entire stake in the pool, he must pay the various combinations shown, and it is usual to reserve about ten counters for this purpose. _=Betting the Hands.=_ After the last cards have been drawn, the players proceed to bet upon their hands precisely as at Poker. If a player makes a bet or raise which no one will call, he takes the pool, and then shows his hand and demands payment for the combination he holds. It is very unusual for a player to stifle a hand at Ambigu, as he would at Bouillotte. If a call is made, the players in the call show and compare their cards, and the best hand wins the pool. Only the player who wins the pool can demand payment for combinations held. TEXT-BOOKS ON POKER. Draw Poker, by John W.