Skin Games, those in which a player cannot possibly win. Skunked, whitewashed, schwartz, beaten without having been able to score a single point. Slam, winning all the tricks. Little Slam, winning 12 out of 13 possible. Sleeper, a bet left or placed on a dead card at Faro. Sneak, a singleton which is led for the especial purpose of ruffing the second round of the suit. Snowing the Cards, milking or fuzzing them. Soda, the first card at Faro, exposed face upward in the box before any bets are made. Splits, two cards of the same denomination coming on the same turn at Faro. Spot Stroke, a series of winning hazards with the red ball at English billiards.
[24] A declaration (other than passing) out of turn must stand;[25] as a penalty, the adversaries score 50 honour points in their honour column and the partner of the offending player cannot thereafter participate in the bidding of that deal. The penalty for the offence mentioned in Law 81 is 50 points in the adverse honour score. G. _Team Matches._ A match consists of any agreed number of deals, each of which is played once at each table. The contesting teams must be of equal size, but each may consist of any agreed number of pairs (not less than two). One half of each team, or as near thereto as possible, sits north and south; the other half east and west. In case the teams are composed of an odd number of pairs, each team, in making up its total score, adds, as though won by it, the average score of all pairs seated in the positions opposite to its odd pair. In making up averages, fractions are disregarded and the nearest whole numbers taken, unless it be necessary to take the fraction into account to avoid a tie, in which case the match is won “by the fraction of a point.” The team making the higher score wins the match.
I shook it with my left. That s why I hadn t done the cutting, too. There aren t any one-handed surgeons. My right arm looks fine. It just hasn t any strength. Old Maragon had told me once that my TK powers were a pure case of compensation for a useless arm. The surgeon dropped my hand. You re the best, Wally Bupp, he said. He s too good a friend of mine to call me Lefty and remind me that I m a cripple. It was Maragon who did that.
--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews). IX. Draw a bucket of water For the farmer s daughter; Give a gold ring and a silver watch, Pray, young lady, pop under. --Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews). X. Draw a bucket of water For my lady s daughter; A guinea gold ring And a silver pin, So pray, my young lady, pop under. --Haydon (Herbert Hardy). XI. Draw a bucket of water To wash my lady s garter; A guinea gold ring And a silver pin, Please, little girl, pop under. --Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).
Such a force can maneuver comfortably on a front of 4 or 5 feet. Most of our games have been played with about 80 infantry, 50 cavalry, 3 or 4 naval guns, and a field gun on either side, or with smaller proportional forces. We have played excellent games on an eighteen-foot battlefield with over two hundred men and six guns a side. A player may, of course, rearrange his forces to suit his own convenience; brigade all or most of his cavalry into a powerful striking force, or what not. But more guns proportionally lead to their being put out of action too early for want of men; a larger proportion of infantry makes the game sluggish, and more cavalry--because of the difficulty of keeping large bodies of this force under cover--leads simply to early heavy losses by gunfire and violent and disastrous charging. The composition of a force may, of course, be varied considerably. One good Fight to a Finish game we tried as follows: We made the Country, tossed for choice, and then drew curtains across the middle of the field. Each player then selected his force from the available soldiers in this way: he counted infantry as 1 each, cavalry as 1-1/2, and a gun as 10, and, taking whatever he liked in whatever position he liked, he made up a total of 150. He could, for instance, choose 100 infantry and 5 guns, or 100 cavalry and no guns, or 60 infantry, 40 cavalry, and 3 guns. In the result, a Boer-like cavalry force of 80 with 3 guns suffered defeat at the hands of 110 infantry with 4.
Should the dealer, under an impression that he has made a mistake, either count the cards on the table or the remainder of the pack. VI. Should the dealer deal two cards at once, or two cards to the same hand, and then deal a third; but if, prior to dealing that third card, the dealer can, by altering the position of one card only, rectify such error, he may do so, except as provided by the second paragraph of this Law. VII. Should the dealer omit to have the pack cut to him, and the adversaries discover the error, prior to the trump card being turned up, and before looking at their cards, but not after having done so. 45. A misdeal does not lose the deal if, during the dealing, either of the adversaries touch the cards prior to the dealer’s partner having done so; but should the latter have first interfered with the cards, notwithstanding either or both of the adversaries have subsequently done the same, the deal is lost. 46. Should three players have their right number of cards--the fourth have less than thirteen, and not discover such deficiency until he has played any of his cards, the deal stands good; should he have played, he is as answerable for any revoke he may have made as if the missing card, or cards, had been in his hand; he may search the other pack for it, or them. 47.
This method of playing, announcing, and drawing from the talon is continued until the stock is exhausted. The A 10 K Q J of each suit have certain counting values, which will be described further on. All combinations announced and scored must be laid face upward on the table; but the cards still form part of the player’s hand, and may be led or played at any time, although they must not again be taken in hand until the stock is exhausted. _=Irregularities in Play.=_ If either player leads out of turn, and his adversary plays to the lead, whether intentionally or otherwise, the trick stands good. If the adversary calls attention to the error, the card may be taken back without penalty. If at any time it is discovered that a player has too many cards, his adversary may either claim a fresh deal, or may compel him to play without drawing from the talon until the number of his cards is reduced to twelve. The player with too many cards is not allowed to make or score any announcements until he has his right number of cards. If a player has too few cards, his adversary may either claim a fresh deal, or allow him to make good the deficiency by drawing from the stock. Any player looking at any but the last trick turned down, forfeits his entire score for “cards.
7. _=Bas à cheval=_, between any two of these columns. This pays ½ for 1. Limit is 3,000 francs. 8. _=Premier, Milieu, Dernier.=_ Bets placed in the spaces marked P 12, M 12, and D 12, are upon the first, middle and last twelve numbers; that is, from 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36 respectively. This pays 2 for 1. Limit is 3,000 francs. A cheval between any two of the last mentioned, pays ½ for 1.
It is very common for one player to claim that he will win a certain number of tricks, and for his adversary to admit it, and allow him to score them, without playing the hand out. _=LEADING OUT OF TURN.=_ Should either of the dummies or the players lead out of turn, the adversary may call a suit from the one that ought to have led; but if it was the turn of neither, there is no penalty. If all four have played to the trick, the error cannot be corrected, and no penalty remains. The methods of _=Taking Tricks=_; _=Scoring=_; _=Claiming and Counting Honours=_; _=Marking Rubber Points=_, etc., are the same as in whist, and the counters are used in the same manner. _=RUBBERS.=_ If the first two games are won by the same player and his dummy, the third is not played. Tournées are not played, and the completion of the rubber breaks up the table. _=CUTTING IN.
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Buckerels. Buckey-how. Buff. Buk-hid. Bull in the Park. Bulliheisle. Bummers. Bun-hole. Bunch of Ivy. Bung the Bucket.
Hoc, or Hockelty, the last card in the box at Faro. Honours, usually the highest cards in the suit, such as A K Q J, and sometimes the 10. In Calabrasella the 3 and 2 are honours, and in Impérial the lowest card is an honour. Horse and Horse, each player having one game to his credit when they are playing best two out of three. Hustling, inveigling persons into skin games. Impair, the odd numbers at Roulette. Impasse, F., to finesse. Imperfect Fourchette, two cards, one immediately above the one led, and the other one remove below it; such as K 10 second hand on a Q led. Imperfect Pack, one in which there are duplicate cards, missing cards, or cards so marked that they can be identified by the backs.
Backgammon is played by two persons, each of whom is provided with fifteen men, two dice, and a dice-box. The men on each side are of different colours, black and white, and the players are distinguished by the colour of the men with which they play. The board is divided into two tables, _=inner=_ and _=outer=_, and at the beginning of the game the men may be set up in either of the positions shown in the diagram. [Illustration: +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| |⛂| | | |⛀| ||⛀| | | | |⛂| |⛂| | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| |⛂| | | |⛀| ||⛀| | | | |⛂| | | | | | |⛀|| |⛀| | | |⛂| |⛂| | | |⛀| ||⛀| | | | | | | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | |⛂| |⛂| | | | | ||⛀| | | | | | | | | | | |⛀|| | | | | |⛂| |⛂| | | | | ||⛀| | | | | | LIGHT | INNER || OUTER | | OUTER || INNER | LIGHT | | | | | |⛂|| | | | | |⛀| |⛀| | | | | ||⛂| | | | | | | | | | | |⛂|| | | | | |⛀| |⛀| | | | | ||⛂| | | | | | | | | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | |⛂| ||⛂| | | | | | |⛀| | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | |⛂| ||⛂| | | | |⛀| |⛀| | | | |⛂|| |⛂| | | |⛀| |⛀| | | |⛂| ||⛂| | | | |⛀| +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+ ] It will be observed that the black men on any point have exactly the same number of white men standing opposite them. In one table there are only two upon one point, and in the other there are only three upon one point. The table with the two men is always the _=inner table=_ while the one with three is always the _=outer table=_. This distinction is important, and may be remembered by observing that the number of letters in the words _=in=_ and _=out=_ are two and three respectively. In setting up the men the inner table is always placed _=toward the light=_, whether it be a window or the gas. Each player must always have the majority of his men, five and three, on the side nearer him; and the minority, five and two, on the side farther from him. The side of the _=inner table=_ which is nearer the player will always be his _=home table=_.
The various counting combinations in Cribbage may arise in two ways. They may be formed by combining the cards played by one person with those played by his adversary; or they may be found in the individual hand or crib after the play is over. In the latter case the starter is considered as part of each hand and crib, increasing each of them to five available counting cards. _=Pairs.=_ A pair is any two cards of the same denomination, such as two Fives or two Queens, and its counting value is always the same, 2 points. _=Triplets=_, usually called Pairs Royal, Proils, or Prials, are any three cards of the same denomination, such as three Nines. Their value is the number of separate pairs that can be formed with the three cards, which is three, and the combination is therefore always worth 6 points. The different pairs that can be formed with three Nines, for instance, would be as follows:-- [Illustration: 🂹 🃙 🂹 🂩 🃙 🂩 ] _=Fours=_, sometimes called Double Pairs Royal, or Deproils, are any four cards of the same denomination, such as four Fours, and their counting value is the number of separate pairs that can be formed with the four cards, which is six. The combination is therefore always worth 12 points. The different combinations of four cards, arranged in pairs, is as follows:-- [Illustration: 🂴 🃔 🂴 🂤 🂴 🃄 🃔 🂤 🃔 🃄 🂤 🃄 ] Whether the foregoing combinations are formed during the play of the hand, or found in the hand or crib after the play is over, their counting value is exactly the same.
” The dealer then claims repic, 95 points, which is good, although the elder hand had an equal point. _=PIC.=_ If either player can reach 30 in hand and play combined, before his adversary scores anything, 30 are added for the pic. Pic can never be made by the dealer unless the elder hand leads a card smaller than a Nine; he must make repic if anything. To make pic the elder hand must reach 30 in the regular order of scoring. Suppose holds these cards:-- ♡ A 9; ♣ A K Q J; ♢ K Q J 10 9; ♠ K. If the dealer acknowledges the point to be good, everything else in the hand must be good also. This will give the elder hand 27 before playing a card; 5 for the point, 15 and 4 for the sequences, and 3 for the Kings. By leading out the A K and Q, 3 more points are secured, the dealer having nothing to score, and so the elder hand reaches 30 and makes the pic, counting 60, and still having the lead. Equalities do not save pic.
] In the seven point game, the score is continued by placing one counter above, and to the right or left of the other three, to indicate five points; and above and between them to indicate six. [Illustration: Five. Or this. Six.] When counters are not used, one of the standard forms of whist-marker is employed, the most legible and convenient being the “Foster Whist Marker,” in which the counting keys are always level with the surface and can be seen equally well from any position at the table. [Illustration: The Foster Whist Marker.] The four large keys on one side are used to count single points, the single large key on the opposite side being reckoned as five. The three small keys are used for counting rubber points, or games. In ten point games, the scoring to four points is the same; but beyond four, a single counter placed _=below=_ two or more others, is reckoned as three; and _=above=_ two or more others, as five. [Illustration: Five.
The rules for drawing, etc., are more fully described in connection with the very similar game of Baccara. MACAO. In this variety of Vingt-et-un only one card is dealt to each player; court cards and tens count nothing, and the Ace is always worth one. The number to be reached is 9, instead of 21, and if a player has a 9 natural, he receives from the banker three times his stake; if an 8 natural, he receives double, and for a 7 natural, he is paid. If the banker has an equal number of points natural, it is a tie; and if the banker has a 7, 8, or 9 natural he receives from each of the others once, twice, or three times the amount of their stakes. If none of these naturals are shown, the players draw in turn, as at Vingt-et-un, and the dealer receives from those who have less points than he, or who are créve, and pays those who have more, but have not passed 9. FARMER. Any number of persons may play. All the 8’s and all the 6’s but the ♡6 are discarded from a pack of fifty-two cards.
When this comes into play on the next deal, he will follow every cut, and finally cut for himself so that the desired distribution of the suits shall come about. Even if he fails to secure an invincible hand for bidding on himself, he knows so nearly the contents of the other hands that he can bid them up, and afterwards play against them to great advantage. It is unnecessary to say that if a greek can mark the cards, the game becomes a walkover, even if he can recollect only the hand on his left. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ Boston so closely resembles Solo Whist in such matters as bidding, and playing single-handed against three others, that the reader may be referred to that game for the outlines of the principles that should guide him in estimating the probable value of his hand, playing for tricks or for misères, and combining forces with his partners for the purpose of defeating the single player. For laws, see Whist Family Laws. BOSTON DE FONTAINEBLEAU. This game is sometimes, but incorrectly, called French Boston. The latter will be described in its proper place. _=CARDS.
=_ The chief points for the beginner are good discarding, and taking advantage of tenace positions in the play, so as to secure the count for cards, which is often important. _=Elder Hand.=_ In discarding, the pone should consider what there may be against him. If it is unlikely that he will lose a pic or repic, he should try for the _=point=_, which very often carries with it the sequence. It must be remembered that there are only eight cards in each suit, and by comparing those that you hold with those that your adversary may hold it is comparatively easy, in the majority of hands, to estimate the possible scores against you. Next to the point, the most important thing is the score for _=cards=_. The point will save pic and repic, but the cards will make the greatest difference in the score in the long run. Sequences are always valuable, especially those that are Ace high in the elder hand, because they enable him to win a succession of tricks in play. The elder hand should risk a good deal if he has a fair chance to make a pic or repic, which will often settle the game. If there is any choice as to what to keep of two nearly equal chances, always preserve the combination that will be most likely to secure the count for cards.