Now what are the odds against your winning the pool? Suppose you hold tens, and draw three cards. Your chance of improving your hand is a little better than one in five. The opener of the jack pot has exactly the same chance, and if both of you draw cards a hundred times under those circumstances, he will beat you in the long run, to say nothing of the other players who may come in and beat both of you. It is therefore evident that in backing tens against openers, it is four to one against your beating the openers to begin with, and if you do beat them the odds are still against your winning the pot. If there were five players, and the jack pots were all equal in amount, you would have to win one pot out of five to make your investment pay. Can you make this average when your original pair will not beat openers? There are three principles with regard to the draw that should never be lost sight of: (1) An average go-in hand is a hand which will win its proportion of the pools, according to the number playing, taking all improvements and opposition into account. This can be demonstrated to be a pair of tens. (2) The draw is much more valuable to a weak hand than to a strong one, and weak hands will improve in much greater proportion than strong ones will. For instance: The chances for a player to improve by drawing to a pair of Queens are one in three and a half. He may make two pairs, or triplets, or a full hand, or four of a kind.
, my man John. Dibble the can, blow bellows, blow, Fire away, lads, for an hour or so. See Dish-a-loof, Sacks. Dumps A game at marbles or taw, played with holes scooped in the ground (Roxburgh, Jamieson). Grose gives _dump_ as signifying a deep hole of water (_Provincial Glossary_). Dust-point A game in which boys placed their points in a heap, and threw at them with a stone. Weber and Nares give wrong explanations. It is alluded to in Cotton s Works, 1734, p. 184. I ll venter on their heads my brindled cow, With any boy at dust-point they shall play.
They win the first seven tricks, which makes them game; but they do not cease playing. If they succeed in gaining eleven tricks out of the thirteen, they win a game of 9 points, instead of 5. As already observed, Vivant loses or gains double the value of the points in each hand. In the three-handed game this must be so; but in my opinion it would be a great improvement in the four-handed game to allow the player sitting out to share the fortunes of the Vivant, as in Bridge, and in many German games of cards, notably Skat. _=SLAMS.=_ The two great differences between French and English Dummy are that honours are not counted in Mort, and that a special value is attached to slams. A slam is made when one side takes the thirteen tricks. These must be actually won, and cannot be partly made up of tricks taken in penalty for revokes. Players cannot score a slam in a hand in which they have revoked. A slam counts 20 points to the side making it; but these 20 points have nothing to do with the game score.
The dealer plays a 3, also claiming a run of five, which he pegs, and as that is the last card to be played in that hand he also pegs one hole for _=last card=_. The total score of the dealer is now 10 points, and that of the pone is 15. The cards they held, and the order in which they were played is as follows:-- [Illustration: Pone:-- 🂤 🃃 🃕 🃔 Dealer:-- 🃂 🂱 🂲 🃓 ] _=SHOWING.=_ In order to illustrate the manner of counting the hands, which is called showing, let us suppose the starter to be a Queen, and that the pone discarded an Ace and a Ten for the crib, the dealer laying out two Jacks. The non-dealer always has the first show, as an offset to the advantage of the dealer’s crib. The pone therefore shows his hand, which, combined with the starter, is as follows:-- [Illustration: 🂭 🃃 🂤 🃔 🃕 ] This is worth 10 holes; the run of three with one duplicate is always worth 8, and the fifteen formed by the starter and the Five counts 2 more. This puts the pone’s total score to 25 points. The dealer then counts, showing his hand first. This, with the starter, is as follows:-- [Illustration: 🂭 🂱 🂲 🃂 🃓 ] This is worth 14 holes. In addition to the run of three with one duplicate, three fifteens can be formed by combining the starter and a Three with each of the deuces, and then taking the starter and the Ace with both the deuces together.
Where s my share? About the kite s neck. Where s the kite? Flown to the wood. Where s the wood? The fire has burned it. Where s the fire? The water s quenched it. Where s the water? The ox has drunk it. Where s the ox? The butcher has killed it. Where s the butcher? The rope has hanged him. Where s the rope? The rat has gnawed it. Where s the rat? The cat has killed it. Where s the cat? Behind the door, cracking pebble-stones and marrow-bones for yours and my supper, and the one who speaks first shall have a box on the ear.
This does not call B, who has the privilege of raising the bet if he pleases. Suppose he raises, and D and A both meet it. On this second round, C having passed out, it is D’s turn to say whether or not he will raise. On the next round it will be A’s turn, and after that it will be B’s second turn, and so on. Should any player meet the bet but refuse to raise, although it is his turn, he still cannot call. If he does not avail himself of his privilege of raising, he must _=pass the word=_ to the player on his right; that is, transfer the privilege to him. If he declines, it is a call; if he raises, it goes on until every player has refused to avail himself of the privilege. If a player chooses to raise without waiting for his turn, of course he can do so. One of the fine points in the game is knowing when to raise the bet yourself, and when to pass the word. _=Rank of the Hands.
He cannot score both, or he will not be complying with the rule about the fresh card from the hand for every meld. That is why four Kings and four Queens are never worth 240, but only 220. A player cannot meld cards which have already been used to form higher combinations in the same class; but he may use cards melded in lower combinations to form more valuable ones in the same class, provided he adds at least one fresh card from his hand. The principle is that cards may be _=added=_ to melds already shown, but they cannot be _=taken away=_ to form other combinations in the same class. For example: Royal marriage has been melded and scored. The player may _=add=_ to this the Ace, Ten, and Jack of trumps to make the sequence, which is a more valuable combination in the same class. But if the first meld is the sequence, he cannot _=take away=_ from the sequence the card or cards to form a marriage. A new Queen added to the King already in the sequence will not make a marriage; because it is not the Queen that is added to the sequence, but the King that is taken away. The same rule applies to the binocles. If a player has scored double binocle, he can not afterward take away two cards to meld a single binocle; but if the single binocle has been melded and scored first, he may add two more cards, and score the double binocle.
In cutting, the ace is low. Each player is provided with a score card, to which the gold, red and green stars are attached as in Euchre. The gold stars are given to those at the head table who have the fewest hearts. Those moving from other tables receive red stars; and those taking in the most hearts at the booby table receive green stars. Prizes are given to the ladies and gentlemen having the greatest number of each variety of star; but the same player cannot win two prizes. If there is a tie in one class, the number of other stars must decide; equal numbers of gold being decided by the majority of red on the same card; red ties, by the greater number of gold; and green ties by the fewest number of gold stars. _=HEARTSETTE.=_ Heartsette differs from hearts only in the addition of a widow. When four play, the spade deuce is deleted; twelve cards are given to each player, and the three remaining form the widow, which is left face downward in the centre of the table. When any other number play, the full pack is used.
I won t rise up upon my feet, To see my father go through the street. Rise up, rise up, Betsy Brown, To see your mother go through the town. I won t rise up upon my feet, To see my mother go through the street. [Then follow verses for sister, brother, and lover. When this last is sung, she says--] I will rise up upon my feet, To see my lover go through the street. --Ninfield, Sussex, about sixty years ago (Charles Wise). III. Rise daughter, rise daughter, off of your poor feet, To see your dear mother lie dead at your feet. I won t rise, I won t rise off of my poor feet, To see my dear mother lie dead at my feet. Rise daughter, rise daughter, off of your poor feet, To see your poor father lie dead at your feet.
=_ Mort is played by three persons; but the table is usually composed of four. If there are more than four candidates, the methods described in connection with whist are adopted for deciding which four shall play the first tournée. The table being formed, the cards are again shuffled and spread to cut for partners and deal. _=TIES=_ are decided in the same manner as at whist. _=CUTTING.=_ If there are three players, the one cutting the lowest card takes dummy for the first game; he also has the choice of seats and cards, and may deal the first hand for himself or for Mort, as he pleases; but having once made his choice, he must abide by it. The player cutting the intermediate card takes dummy for the second game; and the player cutting the highest card takes it for the third game; each in turn having the choice of seats and cards. These three games finish the rubber or tournée, each having once had the advantage or disadvantage of playing with Mort. It is obligatory to finish the tournée, no player being allowed to withdraw and substitute another without the consent of the other players. In Mort it is very unusual for one person to take dummy continuously.
Should the pairs tied both be made with a bragger, the highest bragger wins. Two odd cards, seven high, with the club Jack, would beat two cards seven high with the diamond nine. _=Three Stake Brag.=_ In this variation each player puts up three equal amounts to form three equal pools. These amounts must be invariable, and should be agreed upon before play begins. The dealer then gives two cards to each player, one at a time, face down; and then a third card to each, face up. The highest card turned up in this manner wins one of the pools, the ace being the highest and the deuce the lowest. The diamond ace, being a bragger, outranks any other ace; the club Jack any other Jack; and the diamond nine any other nine. Ties are decided in favour of the eldest hand, or the player nearest him on the left. The players then take up the other two cards, without showing them, and proceed to brag on their hands as in single stake Brag.
_=DICE BOXES.=_ Although the dice may be perfectly fair, the box may be “crooked.” A fair box may be of leather, perfectly smooth inside, or it may be of bone, ivory or wood, with the interior “screwed” or grooved. If the upper edge of the inside presents a sloping flat surface, slightly roughened with sand paper, it will be just as well to refuse to allow such a box to be used, as your adversary _is_ probably an expert at _=securing=_, which is a method of holding one of the dice securely against this upper edge while the others are shaken and rattled about in the usual manner. A person who is securing dice can be detected by the manner in which he holds the box, keeping his fingers, instead of his palm, over the mouth. When he turns the box face downward on the table, he will still have his fingers under it, and will withdraw them in regular order, the second and third fingers being first separated. _=THROWING DICE.=_ There are three methods of throwing dice: The first is to shake them in the box with the palm over the top, and then to shift the hold to the sides, completely exposing the mouth. The box is then turned mouth downward on the table, leaving all the dice completely covered. The box must be lifted by the person who is recording the throws, in a raffle, for instance, after the spectators have had time to assure themselves that all the dice are covered.
) which may be compared with the rhyme given by Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 136), and another version given by Halliwell, p. 229. If these rhymes belong to this game it would have probably been played by each child singing a verse descriptive of her own qualifications, and I have some recollection, although not perfect, of having played a game like this in London, where each child stated her ability to either brew, bake, or churn. It is worth noting that the Forest of Dean and Berkshire versions have absorbed one of the selection verses of the love-games. Mr. Halliwell, in recording the _Nursery Rhymes_, Nos. cccxliii. and cccxliv., as quoted above, says, They are fragments of a game called The Lady of the Land, a complete version of which has not fallen in my way.
What shall we dress her in, Dress her in, dress her in? What shall we dress her in, Dress her in black? Black s what the mourners wear, The mourners wear, the mourners wear; Black s what the mourners wear, And that won t do. What shall we dress her in, Dress her in, dress her in? What shall we dress her in, Dress her in white? White s what the dead wear, The dead wear, the dead wear; White s what the dead wear, And that will do. --Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler). XV. Come to see Jinny Jones, Jinny Jones Come to see Jinny Jones, And where is she now? Jinny is washing, is washing, Jinny is washing, And you can t see her now. Very well, very well, lady, lady, Very well, lady, That will do. [Then follow-- (1) starching, (2) ironing, (3) dying, (4) dead.] What shall we follow in, follow in? What shall we follow in? We ll follow in blue. Blue is for sailors, for sailors, Blue is for sailors, And that won t do. [_or_, You can t follow her so.
| | | |14.|Please, little girl, |To see a fine lady pop|Lady, come under the | | |pop under. |under a bush. |corner bush. | |15.| -- | -- | -- | |16.| -- | -- | -- | |17.| -- | -- | -- | |18.| -- | -- | -- | +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ |No.| Belfast.
If the Aces are a tie, the side that wins the most tricks scores them. Suppose the bidder has three honours and two Aces. He scores five honours if he wins the odd trick; otherwise he scores one only, the Aces being a tie and he having only one more honour than his adversaries. In no-trump hands, the honours are worth 25 times the value of the tricks. If Aces are easy, neither side scores. If one has three Aces, they are all scored. Suppose the bid to have been “two at no-trumps,” then the Aces are worth 25 times 20, and three of them are worth 1,500 points. _=Coronets.=_ A sequence of three or more cards in any suit, trumps or plain, held by an individual player, is a coronet. Three or four Aces in one hand is also a coronet.
There was a strained moment of silence, and then they all laughed. She d been a sight, all right. Simonetti came back alive with that one. His husky voice cut in on the laughter. Where does that bag fit? he demanded. No idea, I said truthfully. A random factor. I don t think she fits. _Something_ has to fit! he yelled in his oversized whisper. How about the way our losses follow Curley Smythe around from table to table? This was something.
You can wash them by the river side. But what if I should fall in? We ll get a rope and pull you out, To me, I, O, OM. --Sheffield (S. O. Addy). V. Mother, come buy me two milking-pails, Two milking-pails, two milking-pails, Mother, come buy me two milking-pails, O sweet mother o mine. [Then verses beginning with the following lines--] Where shall I get my money from, O sweet daughter o mine? Sell my father s feather beds. Where shall your father sleep? Sleep in the servant s bed. Where shall the servant sleep? Sleep in the washing-tub.
--Raunds (_Northants Notes and Queries_, i. 232). V. Here come three jolly, jolly, jolly boys As lately come from shore; We will spend our time on a moonlight night As we have done before. We will have a round, a round, a round, We will have a round, a round, a round; Let the lad that delights in a bonny, bonny lass, Let him kiss her on the ground. --Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy). VI. Here comes three jolly, jolly sailors, Just arrived on shore; We ll spend our money like merry, merry men, And then we ll work for more. Hurrah for the round, round ring, Hurrah for the round, round ring; And he that loves a pretty, pretty girl, Let him call her from the ring.
Taking up, or “robbing” the turn-up trump, is another trait common to both Spoil Five and Euchre. Spoil Five and Triomphe are mentioned in the earliest works on card games. Triomphe can be traced to 1520, when it was popular in Spain; and the origin of Maw, the parent of Spoil Five, is lost in the mists of Irish antiquity. It was the fashionable game during the reign of James I. The old Spanish game of Triomphe, now obsolete, seems to have undergone several changes after its introduction to France. 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.
(2) Men may be moved up into virtual contact (one-eighth of an inch or closer) with men of the opposite side. They must then be left until the end of the move. (3) At the end of the move, if there are men of the side that has just moved in contact with any men of the other side, they constitute a melee. All the men in contact, and any other men within six inches of the men in contact, measuring from any point of their persons, weapons, or horses, are supposed to take part in the melee. At the end of the move the two players examine the melee and dispose of the men concerned according to the following rules:-- Either the numbers taking part in the melee on each side are equal or unequal. (a) If they are equal, all the men on both sides are killed. (b) If they are unequal, then the inferior force is either isolated or (measuring from the points of contact) not isolated. (i) If it is isolated (see (1) above), then as many men become prisoners as the inferior force is less in numbers than the superior force, and the rest kill each a man and are killed. Thus nine against eleven have two taken prisoners, and each side seven men dead. Four of the eleven remain with two prisoners.
526-27. (_c_) Halliwell gives, in his _Nursery Rhymes_, pp. 324-26, some curious verses, recorded for the first time by Dr. Kenrick in his Review of Dr. Johnson s Shakespeare, 1765, on rules for seemly behaviour, in which the forfeits imposed by barbers as penalties for handling razors, &c, are set forth. Although barbers forfeits are not of the same nature as the nursery forfeits, it is possible that this general custom among so important a class of the community in early times as barbers may have suggested the game. Both Forby in his _Vocabulary of East Anglia_ and Moor in his _Suffolk Words_ bear testimony to the general prevalence of barbers forfeits, and it must be borne in mind that barbers were also surgeons in early days. A curious custom is also recorded in another East Anglian word-list, which may throw light upon the origin of the game from popular custom. A forfeit is incurred by using the word water in a brew-house, where you must say liquor; or by using the word grease in a chandlery, where it is stuff or metal. The forfeit is to propitiate the offended _genius loci_ (Spurden s _East Anglian Vocabulary_).