The simple rule to be remembered is that no combination of cards once announced, and left on the table, can be changed, except by the addition of a card from the hand of some player. _=Taking In.=_ Any player who has made a build is obliged either to win it, when it is next his turn to play, or to win something else, or to make another build. For instance: He has built a 5 into a 9 with a 4, and holds another 4; if another 5 appears on the table before it comes to his turn to play, he may build that into a 9 also, with his other 4, announcing, “Two Nines.” Or if some player should lay out a 4 he could pair it and take it in, leaving his 9 build until the next round. In the same way a player may increase or win another player’s build instead of taking in his own. An opponent’s build may be increased by cards from the hand only. In the four-handed game, partners may take in one another’s builds, or may make builds which can be won by the card declared in the partner’s hand. For instance; One player builds an 8, and his partner holds Little Cassino. If there is a 6 on the table, the Cassino can be built on it, and “two Eights,” called, although the player has no 8 in his own hand; the 8 already built by his partner is sufficient.
Deck-head, an Irish name for the turned trump at Spoil Five. Deadwood, the pins that fall on the alley, in bowling. Décavé, F., frozen out; the entire amount of the original stake being lost. Défausser, se, F., to discard. D’emblée, F., on the first deal; before the draw. Despatchers, dice which are not properly marked, having two faces alike, such as double fives. Devil’s bed posts, the four of clubs.
--Ritson (_Gammer Gurton s Garland_, 1783). Northall says this game is played after the manner of the Three Dukes (_Folk Rhymes_, p. 383). Halliwell (_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 98) has a version, and Rimbault (_Nursery Rhymes_) gives both words and tune. It is also contained in _The Merrie Heart_ (p. 47). See Jolly Hooper, Jolly Rover. Here comes One Virgin Here comes one Virgin on her knee, On her knee, on her knee, Here comes one Virgin on her knee, Pray what will you give her? When did you come? I came by night and I came by day, I came to steal poor Edie away. She is too old, she is too young, She hasn t learnt her virgin tongue.
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. If there are three players, three cards are left for the widow: two cards are left when five play, and four when six play. The player winning the first trick takes in the widow, with any hearts it may contain. He is entitled to look at these cards, but must not show or name them to any other player. The game then proceeds in the usual way. Payments are made to the pool for all hearts taken in, and the pool is then won, divided, or remains to form a Jack, just as at Sweepstake Hearts.
=_ Three, four, or five persons may play; but four is the proper number, and all descriptions of the game suppose it to be four-handed. _=Cutting.=_ To decide the positions of the players, a sequence of cards is sorted out, equal in number with the number of players. These cards are then shuffled, face downward, and each player draws one. The highest of the sequence has the choice of positions, and so on down until all are seated. The player who draws the King deals the first hand. _=Stakes.=_ Each player purchases an equal number of counters from the banker, usually 100. This original _=cave=_ cannot be added to or deducted from. As long as a single counter of it remains the player must call for a sight, just as in freeze-out or table stakes; and not until he is _=decavé=_, [has lost everything,] can he purchase another stake, the amount of which is usually at his own option.
” That is, the dealer has nothing to declare on the first round of the bidding. [See note at foot of page 58.] _=RANK OF THE BIDS.=_ In order to over-call a previous bid, whether of the partner or the opponent, the bidder must undertake to win the same number of tricks in a suit of higher value, or a greater number of tricks having the same aggregate value as the preceding bid. Players should restrict themselves to the same form of expression throughout, and all bids, even passing, must be made orally and not by gesture. Let us suppose this to be the bidding: The dealer, Z, begins with “One spade,” second player, A, says, “I pass,” or simply, “No.” Third bidder, Y, says, “One club,” fourth player, B, “No trump.” The dealer, starting on the second round, says, “Two clubs,” supporting his partner’s declaration. Next player, A, who passed the first time, says, “Two royals.” Both Y and B pass, but the dealer, Z, says, “Three clubs.
Long experience with players who bid their hands correctly will give a player a very good idea of what the bidder has in his hand. To the partner this is a great point, for it enables him to judge when to give up points himself, and when to play for his partner to throw them to him. The number of cards asked for by each player should be very carefully noted; for it will frequently happen that the entire trump suit can be located by this means. It is useless to keep anything but trumps, for tricks, as such, have no value, and every card you draw increases your chances of getting another trump. The most important point in the game is to _=cinch=_ every trick in which an adversary plays after you; that is, to play some trump higher than a Pedro, if the Pedroes have not been played, and you do not hold them yourself. Examples of cinching will be found in the Illustrative Hands. If your partner leads a certain winning trump, such as the ace, or the King if the ace is gone, give him the best counting card you have; but if you have two, one of them being Low, give up the lower card first; you may catch something with the Jack or Ten. If your partner leads any trump higher than the Five, play your smallest trump unless second hand covers, in which case you must cinch the trick, to prevent the fourth hand from giving up a Pedro on his partner’s trick. If you are forced to win your partner’s first lead of trumps, return the best trump you have, unless it is the Jack or Ten, in which case you must be guided by the number of points you are playing for, and your chances of making them if you lose the card you lead. If your partner begins by leading a plain suit, you must cinch the trick if you can; if second hand follows suit, any trump better than the Five will do.
--Halliwell s _Dictionary_. Han -and-Hail A game common in Dumfries, thus described by Jamieson. Two goals called hails, or dules, are fixed on at about a distance of four hundred yards. The two parties then place themselves in the middle between the goals or dules, and one of the players, taking a soft elastic ball, about the size of a man s fist, tosses it into the air, and, as it falls, strikes it with his palm towards his antagonists. The object of the game is for either party to drive the ball beyond the goal which lies before them, while their opponents do all in their power to prevent this. As soon as the ball is gowf t, that is, struck away, the opposite party endeavour to intercept it in its fall. This is called keppan the ba . If they succeed in this attempt, the player who does so is entitled to throw the ball with all his might towards his antagonists. If he kep it in the first bound which it makes off the ground, called a stot, he is allowed to haunch, that is, to throw the ball by bringing his hand with a sweep past his thigh, to which he gives a stroke as his hand passes, and discharging the ball at the moment when the stroke is given. If the ball be caught in the second bounce, the catcher may hoch the ball, that is, throw it through below one of his houghs.
If he does not want it, he places it on the table between himself and his adversary, and if his adversary does not want it either, he turns it down and passes it to the pile of deadwood, turning up the top card of the stock again. In this manner it will be seen that each player has to decide on two cards in succession; the one drawn but not used by his adversary, and the one he draws himself. This is continued until the stock is exhausted, which ends the game. _=Discarding.=_ If a player uses any card drawn from the stock in this manner, it is obvious that he has too many cards, and in order to reduce his hand and show-downs to ten cards, he must discard something, unless he can show down everything remaining in his hand, in which case he would have eleven cards down, and win the game. In discarding, the card thrown out is placed at the disposal of the adversary, as if it were the card drawn from the stock, and if the adversary does not want it, he passes it and draws another. It should be observed that the player drawing the card from the stock always has the first refusal of it. This is sometimes very important, as both players often need the same card. In the foregoing example, the player’s best discard would be his ♢ K, which is too far removed from the others in the suit to make a run possible, and there is no mate to it with which to start a triplet. If the adversary could use this King, he would have to discard in his turn, and the card so thrown out would be at the disposal of the other player, just as if it had been drawn from the stock.
Bandy-wicket The game of Cricket, played with a bandy instead of a bat (Halliwell s _Dictionary_). Toone mentions it as played in Norfolk (_Dict._), and Moor as played in Suffolk with bricks usually, or, in their absence, with bats in place of bails or stumps (_Suffolk Words_). Banger Each boy provides himself with a button. One of the boys lays his button on the ground, near a wall. The other boys snap their buttons in turn against the wall. If the button drops within one span or hand-reach of the button laid down, it counts two (fig. 2); if within two spans, it counts one. When it hits the button and bounces within one span, it counts four (fig. 1); within two spans, three; and above three spans, one.