If you ask for the heart Five, and miss it, the player with that card may draw all yours; but if you ask for the spade Five, and he gets into the ask, he will at once betray the fact that he holds the fourth Five by asking you for the club Five; but he will never think of asking you for the spade Five, because you asked for it yourself. If you can get into the ask again you can immediately make a trick in Fives. SPECULATION. Any number of persons less than ten can play, each contributing an agreed number of counters to the pool, the dealer paying double. The full pack of fifty-two cards is used, and the cards rank from the A K Q down to the 2. In _=dealing=_, the cards are distributed from left to right, one at a time, until each player has received three. The next card on the top of the pack is turned up, and the suit to which it belongs is the trump, and forms the basis of speculation for that deal. If the turn-up card is an ace, the dealer takes the pool immediately, and the deal passes to the left. If the turn-up is a K Q or J, the dealer offers it for sale, before a card is looked at, and he may accept or refuse the amount offered. Whether the card is sold or not, all the cards that have been dealt out are turned face up, and the highest card of the turn-up suit wins the pool.
There is still another resource, to announce _=nullo=_, in which there is no trump, and the object of the players is to take as few tricks as possible. In nullo, every trick over the book counts for the adversaries, and is multiplied by 8. A peculiarity of nullo is that the Ace of each suit ranks below the deuce, unless the player holding it wishes to declare it higher than the King. In the latter case he must announce it when he plays it, and before his left-hand adversary plays to the trick. If the dealer transfers the right of making the trump to his partner, he must use the phrase, “You make it, partner.” If a player makes the trump out of turn, his adversaries may consult as to the propriety of demanding a new deal. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The trump suit, grand, or nullo having been announced, the player on the dealer’s left begins by leading any card he pleases, and the others must all follow suit if they can. The penalty for a revoke is the loss of three tricks; or the value of three tricks in points; or the addition of a like amount to the adversaries’ score. The side making a revoke cannot win the game that hand, no matter what they score; but they may play the hand out, and count all they make to within one point of game, or 9.
If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: Vigorish Author: John Berryman Illustrator: Petrizzo Release date: January 21, 2008 [eBook #24382] Language: English Credits: Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VIGORISH *** Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net VIGORISH By WALTER BUPP Illustrated by Petrizzo [Transcriber s Note: This etext was produced from Astounding Science Fiction June 1960. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] _If it takes a thief to catch a thief .
In all other cases where opposition is implied, the term _=opponents=_ must be used. When necessary to distinguish the dealer from the first, second, or third hand, it is usual to add the letters employed for that purpose in whist; placing them inside the diagram of the table, thus:-- [Illustration: V +---------+ | z | L | b a | R | y | +---------+ M ] This diagram shows that Vivant dealt, and that the adversary on the Right of Mort had the original lead. _=With Three Players.=_ Vivant having selected his seat and cards, the adversaries may select their seats. It is usual for the strongest adversary to sit Right. _=With Four Players=_, we can best describe the arrangement by numbering them 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, the lowest number, 1, having cut the lowest card, and the others having the right to play Vivant in their numerical order. The initial arrangement would be as follows:-- [Illustration: 4 4 +---------+ +---------+ | Mort. | | Mort. | 2 | | 3 or this:-- 3 | | 2 | Vivant. | | Vivant.
Also called Tip and Go or Tip and Slash. --Robinson s _Whitby Glossary_. See Cudgel. Cogger A striped snail shell. It is a common boyish pastime to hold one of these shells between the last joints of the bent fingers, and forcibly press the apex against another held in a similar manner by an opponent, until one of them, by dint of persevering pressure, forces its way into the other; and the one which in these contests has gained the most victories is termed the Conqueror, and is highly valued (Northamptonshire, Baker s _Glossary_). The game is known as Fighting Cocks in Evans _Leicestershire Glossary_. In London it was played with walnut shells. Cogs The top stone of a pile is pelted by a stone flung from a given distance, and the more hits, or cogglings off, the greater the player s score.--Robinson s _Whitby Glossary_. Apparently the same game as Cockly-jock.
1; the E & W partners of the X team making 6. Each pair enters on its own score-card the number it makes. The E & W partners of the O team now come to table No. 1, and play the 26 cards which the other members of their team did not hold. They are not permitted to look at the score-card until the hand has been overplayed. Then they enter the result, which should be 6 tricks. If the total of the tricks taken by the same team on the N & S and the E & W hands is not 13, it must be a loss or a gain. At the end of the 24 hands, the result of the match can be immediately ascertained by laying side by side the score cards of the East and West hands played at the same table. The North and South scores are not compared, because the laws say they may be incorrect, but the East and West must be, officially, right. We give on the two preceding pages an illustration of the full score of a match.
This family includes three of our most popular games; Bézique itself, Binocle, and Sixty-Six. These are all comparatively modern games, but are descended from very old stock, the best known of the ancestors being Marriage, Matrimony, and Cinq-Cents. The etymology of the word Bézique is very much disputed. Some claim that it is from the Spanish basa, afterwards basico, a little kiss; referring to the union of the spade Queen and the diamond Jack, and the various marriages in the game. This was afterwards Basique, transformed by the French to Bésique, and by the English to Bézique. One English writer thinks the word is from bésaigne, the double-headed axe. Judging from the rank of the cards, which is peculiar to German games, Bézique may have originated in an attempt to play Binocle with a piquet pack, for Binocle seems to have been originally played with a full pack of fifty-two cards. One German writer says the game is of Swiss origin, and that they probably got it from Spain. In one writer’s opinion, the name Binocle, is derived from _bis_, until, and _knochle_, the knuckle, which would imply that the original meaning was, until some one knuckled; _i.e.
| | 5.|Huddles and cuddles, |Kisses and cuddles, |Huggled andguggled, | | |and sits on his knee. |and sits on his knee. |and took on his knee. | | 6.| -- | -- | -- | | 7.|Mutual expressions of |Mutual expressions of | -- | | |love. |love. | | | 8.| -- | -- |Asking to marry.
_=The Moves.=_ As the men on each side are moved round the board in opposite directions to reach their respective homes, they are of course obliged to meet and pass a number of the adversary’s men, and they must pick their way among them by going to points which are unoccupied by the enemy; for if there are two or more of the enemy in possession of any point, that point is said to be _=covered=_, and must be jumped over. If only one adverse man occupies a point, it is called a _=blot=_, and the man may be captured, as will presently be explained. The numbers that appear on the upper faces of the two dice, when they are thrown, are the number of points that each of any two men, or that any one man may be moved at a time. If a player throws four-deuce, for instance, he may either move one man four points and another two; or he may move a single man four points and two points, or two points and four points. He cannot lump the throw and call it six points, because if the fourth point from where the man stood was covered by two or more of the enemy, the four could not be played with that man. If the second point from where the man stood was also covered, he could not be moved at all, although the sixth point from where he stood might be unoccupied. If Black’s first throw is five-deuce, for instance, he cannot move one of the two men on his adversary’s ace point for the five, because the fifth point thence is covered. Neither could he move one of them two and then five, because the seventh point is covered also. If a player throws _=doublets=_, that is, the same number on each die, he plays the throw twice over.
, and Z. having the deal. Backgammon. If a player throws off all his men before his adversary has thrown off any, and while one or more of the adversary’s men are still on the side of the board next the winning player, it is a backgammon, or triple game. Bath Coup, holding up Ace Jack on a King led by an adversary. Battre, F., to shuffle. Bedienen, G., to follow suit. Bekommen, G.
-+ | | . | | . | | . | | . | +---+-.-+---+-.-+---+-.-+---+-.-+ | | . | | .
O. Addy). (_b_) In Sheffield a ring of young men and women is formed. A man goes inside the ring and walks round within it, whilst the others sing the verse. The young man then chooses a sweetheart, and the two walk round arm-in-arm within the ring, whilst the same verses are sung. When the singing is ended, the girl picks a young man, and so they all pair off. (_c_) Mr. Addy entitles this game Kiss in the Ring. It appears, however, from this description to lack the two principal elements of most kiss-in-the-ring games--the chase between pursued and pursuer, and the kissing in the ring when the capture is made. In the Hanging Heaton version two children kneel and kiss in the middle of the ring.
_=The Force Shot.=_ The beginner at billiards should strike his ball always exactly in the centre, until he learns the angles. With moderate strength the effect of the stroke is to cause the ball to roll naturally along the cloth until it reaches the object ball, after which it will be deflected from its original course according to the angle at which the object ball is struck. If the cue ball is struck very hard, however, and very slightly below the centre, it will slide for a certain distance before beginning to roll, and if it reaches the object ball before this sliding motion ceases it will simply come to a stop, or go off at a right angle if the object ball is not struck exactly in the centre. This method of forcing a ball to go off at a right angle is called “screwing” in England. [Illustration] _=The Follow Shot.=_ If the cue ball is struck above the centre, the rolling motion is set up at once, no matter how hard the ball is struck, and the effect of contact with the object ball is simply to check the motion for a moment, after which the cue ball rolls forward again, deflected only by the angle at which the object ball was struck. The great art in making follow shots is to let the cue follow the ball, the tip passing at least three inches beyond where the ball stood, as shown by the dotted lines in the diagram. When the balls are very close together the cue must be lifted, and the ball struck very much on one side, the cue being behind the centre, as shown in the third position in the diagram of pinch shots. [Illustration] _=The Draw Shot.
No player should in any manner whatsoever give any intimation as to the state of his hand or of the game, or of approval or disapproval of a play. 3. No player should lead until the preceding trick is turned and quitted. 4. No player should, after having led a winning card, draw a card from his hand for another lead until his partner has played to the current trick. 5. No player should play a card in any manner so as to call particular attention to it, nor should he demand that the cards be placed in order to attract the attention of his partner. 6. No player should purposely incur a penalty because he is willing to pay it, nor should he make a second revoke in order to conceal one previously made. 7.
113, where Tusser is quoted in proof, that not only was the exercise manly and salutary, but good also for the _pightel_ or meadow: In meadow or pasture (to grow the more fine) Let campers be camping in any of thine; Which if ye do suffer when low is the spring, You gain to yourself a commodious thing. --P. 65. And he says, in p. 56: Get campers a ball, To camp therewithall. Ray says that the game prevails in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. The Rev. S. Arnot, in _Notes and Queries_, 8th series, vol. ii.
When piccolissimo is played, the moment the single player takes more than one trick the hands are thrown up, and the stakes paid. _=REVOKES.=_ The rules governing these and cards played in error, are the same as at Boston. In piccolissimo, the penalties are the same as in misère. _=PAYMENTS.=_ If the caller succeeds in winning the proposed number of tricks, he is paid by each of his adversaries according to the value of his bid, as shown in Table No. 1. Over-tricks if any, and honours, if played, are always paid at the uniform rate of five white counters each. If the caller fails, he must pay each adversary the amount he would have won if successful, with the addition of five white counters for every trick that he falls short of his proposal. For instance: He bids nine hearts, and wins six tricks only.
=_ Slobberhannes is played with a Euchre pack, thirty-two cards, all below the Seven being deleted. The cards rank: A K Q J 10 9 8 7, the ace being the highest both in cutting and in play. There is no trump suit. _=Counters.=_ Each player is provided with ten counters, and points are marked by placing these counters in the pool. The player who first loses his ten counters also loses the game. If stakes are played for, counters of a different colour must be provided, and the player losing the game must pay as many counters to each of the others as they have points still in front of them. One player is usually the banker, and sells and redeems all money counters. The others are redistributed at the end of each game. _=Players.
_=CARDS.=_ Whist is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards, ranking A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2; the Ace being the highest in play, but ranking below the deuce in cutting. Two packs are generally used, the one being shuffled while the other is dealt. _=MARKERS=_ are necessary to keep the score. The most common are red and white circular counters; the white being used for the points in each game, and the red for the games themselves, or for rubber points. It is better to have two sets, of different colours, each set consisting of four circular and three oblong counters, the latter being used for the rubber points, or for games. _=PLAYERS.=_ Whist is played by four persons. When there are more than four candidates for play, five or six may form a “table.” If more than six offer for play, the selection of the table is made by cutting.
If you can use one of those sequence cards in his hand to advantage, and can force him by giving him the fourth card of his triplet, which is of no use to you, you should do so; but you must remember that you cannot force except after using a card yourself, because you are not allowed to discard under any other circumstances. If a player looks at any of the cards that have been passed and turned down, his adversary may take up and examine the remainder of the stock, but without disturbing the position of the cards therein, and without showing them. If a player looks at any of the cards in the stock except the one he draws, his adversary may look at all of them. If a player draws out of turn, his adversary simply claims the card. _=Showing.=_ After the last card is drawn from the stock and passed, each player shows the remainder of his hand, and as neither can combine his cards so as to get eleven down, it is a tableau, and each puts a counter in the pool for the next hand. The deal passes from one player to the other in rotation as long as they continue to play. _=Suggestions for Good Play.=_ Observation of the cards passed will usually show what the adversary is keeping, and what he has no chance for. Toward the end of the stock each player should know what the other holds in his hand by the cards which have not appeared in the drawing.
This game is played with a set of balls the same as used in Fifteen-Ball Pool. Any number of persons may play, the order of play being determined by the rolling of the small numbered balls. The fifteen-ball is High; the one-ball is Low; the nine-ball is Jack; and the highest aggregate is Game. Seven points generally constitute a game. In cases where players have one and two to go to finish game, the first balls holed count out first, be they High, Low, or Jack. In setting up the pyramid the three counting balls--High, Low, Jack--are placed in the centre, with High at the head of the three named balls, the other balls as in regular Fifteen-Ball Pool. When players have each one to go, instead of setting up an entire frame of pyramids, a ball is placed at the foot of the table, in direct line with the spots, and at a distance from the lower cushion equal to the diameter of another of the pool balls. This ball must be pocketed by banking it to one or more cushions. The player who pockets the ball wins the game. FORTY-ONE POOL.