C. Howell was the first to attempt to set the short-suit game in order, but his methods have long since been superseded by more elastic tactics. The fundamental principle of the short-suit game, as first explained to the world by the New York _Sun_, is to use the original or opening lead to indicate the general character of the hand rather than any details of the individual suit. In the long-suit game the original leader is always assuming that his partner may have something or other, and playing on that supposition. The short-suit player indicates the system of play best adapted to his own hand, without the slightest regard to the possibilities of his partner. It is the duty of the partner to indicate his hand in turn, and to shape the policy of the play on the combined indications of the two. This does not mean that the player shall always lead a short suit, but that he should combine the best features of both systems, without slavish adherence to either. This idea has been brought to perfection in practice by the famous American Whist Club of Boston, and under the able leadership of its captain, Harry H. Ward, it has demonstrated that he can take any kind of a team and beat any of the old style long-suit players, no matter how skilful they may be. The following is a brief outline of the American game, as given by Captain Ward in _Whist_ for May, 1906:-- _=Five-trump Hands.
A child holding a handkerchief occupies the centre of the ring and sings: Wiskit-a-waskit, A green leather basket; I wrote a letter to my love, And on the way I lost it; Some of you have picked it up, And put it in your pocket. I have a little dog at home, And it shan t bite you, (Here the singer points to each child in turn) Nor you, nor you, nor you; But it shall bite _you_. Then she drops the handkerchief before her chosen playmate, who chases her in and out of the ring under the arms of the other children until she is captured. The captor afterwards takes the place in the centre, and the original singer becomes a member of the circle.--Miss M. Peacock. The Deptford version of the verse is as follows:-- I had a little dog whose name was Buff, I sent him up the street for a penny orth of snuff, He broke my box and spilt my snuff, I think my story is long enough-- Tain t you, and tain t you, and tis you! --Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase). A Staffordshire and Sharleston version gives some altogether different formulæ:-- What colour s the sky? Blue. Look up again. Like a W.
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. The descriptions of this game in the earliest Hoyles betray its French origin; particularly in the use of the piquet pack; the French custom of cutting to the left and dealing to the right; and the use of the words “brelan,” and “tricon.” In later descriptions of the “new form” of Commerce, about 1835, we find 52 cards are used, and dealt from left to right, and the names of the combinations are changed to “pairs-royal,” “sequences,” and “flushes.” There appears to be little or nothing modern in the game of Poker but the increased number of cards dealt to each player, which makes it possible for one to hold double combinations, such as two pairs, triplets with a pair, etc. The old games were all played with three cards only, and the “brelan-carré,” or four of a kind, could be made only by combining the three cards held by the player with the card which was sometimes turned up on the talon, or remainder of the pack. The blind, the straddle, the raise, the bluff, table stakes, and freeze-out, are all to be found in Bouillotte, which flourished in the time of the French Revolution, and the “draw” from the remainder of the pack existed in the old French game of Ambigu.
The manner in which a person must vary his play in accordance with these different objects will be discussed when we come to the suggestions for good play. In the meantime, it is necessary to bear in mind only the general principle that the object of the game is to avoid winning any tricks that contain hearts. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The cards dealt, the player to the left of the dealer begins by leading any card he pleases, and the others must follow suit if they can. The highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the trick. There is no trump suit. If a player has none of the suit led, he may discard anything he pleases. The winner of the trick takes it in and leads for the next trick, and so on until all the cards have been played. The tricks themselves have no value as such, and need not be kept separate. _=Irregularities in Play.
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. Let her be old or let her be young, For her beauty she must come.
The first player to win two games not only adds the 125 for the second game, but 250 more for winning the rubber. Honours are scored by each player separately, every honour being worth as much as a trick in that suit. Four or five in one hand count double. At no trump, the aces count for 10 each to the holders, four in one hand 100. The declarer scores his dummy’s honours. At the end of the rubber, each wins from or loses to each of the others. The score is usually made up in this way, the final amounts to the credit of each being shown in the top line: A, 240 B, 980 C, 456 ---------------------------- -740 +740 +215 -215 +524 -524 ---- ---- ---- -955 +1264 -309 _=DUPLICATE AUCTION.=_ This game may be played in any of the ways described for the movement of trays and players under the head of duplicate whist. Tricks and honours are scored as usual, but there are no games or rubbers. Should the declarer make 30 or more points on a single hand he gets 125 points bonus in the honour column.
If the adversaries of a nullo revoke, the declarer can give them three of his tricks, or take 100 in honours as penalty. If he revokes, they take 100 penalty as usual. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR BIDDING.=_ The dealer should never bid a nullo originally, as it gives his partner no information as to the distribution of the suits. When any player has one long suit good for either no trumps or nullos, such as A K Q 6 4 2, he should “shout,” bidding a trick more than necessary. Singletons and missing suits are valuable parts of a nullo hand, as they afford opportunities for discards. It is always dangerous to bid a nullo without the deuce of the longest suit. If the dealer bids a spade, his partner may safely bid one nullo, because the contract is seldom or never obtained for less than two or three, but he should not persist in the nullo if his partner does not assist it. The greater the opposition from a no-trumper, the more probable that the nullo will succeed, but it is a dangerous declaration in any case. The player with aces and kings is sure to win tricks, regardless of his partner’s hand, but deuces and treys are not sure to lose, as the partner may have all high cards, although not the tops.
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 ..
=_ As the tricks are taken, they should be neatly laid one upon the other in such a manner that any player at the table can count them at a glance. There are several methods of stacking tricks; the first shown being probably the best. [Illustration] When six have been taken by one side they are usually gathered together to form a _=book=_; any subsequently taken being laid apart, as they are the only ones that count. It is customary for the partner of the player winning the first trick on each side to gather the tricks for that deal. In some places it is the custom for the partner of the winner of each trick to gather it, so that at the end of the hand each player has tricks in front of him. Although this method saves time, the practice is not to be recommended, as it hinders the players in counting the tricks already gained by each side. Immediately upon the completion of the play of a hand, the score should be claimed and marked. Any discussion of the play should be postponed until this has been attended to. The adversaries must detect and claim revokes before the cards are cut for the following deal. The laws of whist should be carefully studied.
75). Fool, Fool, come to School This game is played under the name of Foolie, Foolie at Duthil, Strathspey. The players are placed in a row, either standing or sitting. Two are chosen, the one as Namer and the other as Foolie. Foolie withdraws, if not out of sight, at least out of range of hearing. The Namer then gives a name secretly to each player. When this is done, he calls on Foolie--Foolie, Foolie, come to your schoolie. Foolie pays no attention to this call. It is again repeated, but with the same results. This goes on for several times.
The different orders or arrangements must be taken from the hands of one player by another without disturbing the arrangement.--A. B. Gomme. (_b_) Nares suggests that the proper name is Cratch Cradle, and is derived from the archaic word _cratch_, meaning a manger. He gives several authorities for its use. The first-made form is not unlike a manger. Moor (_Suffolk Words_) gives the names as cat s cradle, barn-doors, bowling-green, hour-glass, pound, net, diamonds, fish-pond, fiddle. A supposed resemblance originated them. Britton (_Beauties of Wiltshire_, Glossary) says the game in London schools is called Scratch-scratch or Scratch-cradle.
_ In Duplicate Auction there are neither games nor rubbers. Each deal is scored just as in Auction, with the addition that whenever a pair makes 30 or more for tricks as the score of one deal, it adds as a premium 125 points in its honour column. B. _Irregularities in the Hands._ If a player have either more or less than his correct number of cards, the course to be pursued is determined by the time of the discovery of the irregularity. (1) When the irregularity is discovered before or during the original play: There must be a new deal. (2) When the irregularity is discovered at the time the cards are taken up for overplay and before such overplay has begun: It must be sent back to the table from which it came, and the error be there rectified. (3) When the irregularity is not discovered until after the overplay has begun: In two-table duplicate there must be a new deal; but in a game in which the same deals are played at more than two tables, the hands must be rectified as is provided above and then passed to the next table without overplay at the table at which the error was discovered; in which case, if a player have less than thirteen cards and his adversary the corresponding surplus, each pair takes the average score for that deal; if, however, his partner have the corresponding surplus, his pair is given the lowest score and his opponents the highest score made at any table for that deal. C. _Playing the cards.
The pinlighters threw the Partners--quite literally threw--by means of mind-to-firing relays direct at the Dragons. What seemed to be Dragons to the human mind appeared in the form of gigantic Rats in the minds of the Partners. Out in the pitiless nothingness of space, the Partners minds responded to an instinct as old as life. The Partners attacked, striking with a speed faster than Man s, going from attack to attack until the Rats or themselves were destroyed. Almost all the time, it was the Partners who won. With the safety of the inter-stellar skip, skip, skip of the ships, commerce increased immensely, the population of all the colonies went up, and the demand for trained Partners increased. Underhill and Woodley were a part of the third generation of pinlighters and yet, to them, it seemed as though their craft had endured forever. [Illustration] Gearing space into minds by means of the pin-set, adding the Partners to those minds, keying up the mind for the tension of a fight on which all depended--this was more than human synapses could stand for long. Underhill needed his two months rest after half an hour of fighting. Woodley needed his retirement after ten years of service.
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If the player with the four trumps has the first lead, it does not matter what card he plays; the player with the major tenace wins it, and forces with the plain suit. As long as the major tenace in trumps is not led away from, it must win three tricks in trumps. _=Leading Trumps.=_ With strong cards in plain suits, the eldest hand may often lead trumps to advantage if the dealer’s partner has assisted, especially if the turn-up trump is small. It is seldom right to lead trumps if the dealer has taken up the trump of his own accord; but an exception is usually made when the eldest hand holds three trumps, and two aces in plain suits. The best chance for a euchre is to exhaust the trumps, so as to make the aces good for tricks. If the pone has ordered up the trump, the eldest hand should lead trumps to him immediately; but the pone should not lead trumps to his partner if the eldest hand has ordered up at the bridge. If a bower is turned, the dealer’s partner should lead a small trump at the first opportunity. In playing against a lone hand the best cards in plain suits should always be led, trumps never. In playing alone, it is best to lead winning trumps as long as they last, so as to force discards, which will often leave intermediate cards in plain suits good for tricks.
35. When a player, whose duty it is to cut, has once separated the pack, he cannot alter his intention; he can neither reshuffle nor recut the cards. 36. When the pack is cut, should the dealer shuffle the cards, he loses his deal. A NEW DEAL. 37. There must be a new deal-- I. If during a deal, or during the play of a hand, the pack be proved incorrect or imperfect. II. If any card, excepting the last, be faced in the pack.
(_c_) The other variants which follow the Halliwell version are limited to the first verse only, as the remainder of the lines are practically the same as those given in Miss Fowler s version which is written at length, and three or four of these apparently retain only the verse given. A London version, collected by myself, is nearly identical with that of Miss Fowler, except that the third line is Shake your ---- a little, a little, instead of as printed. This is sung to the tune given. The incidents in this game are the same throughout. The only difference in all the versions I have collected being in the number of the different positions to be performed, most of them being for right hands, left hands, right feet, left feet, and heads; others, probably older forms, having ears, yourselves, &c. One version, from Eckington, Derbyshire, curiously begins with washing hands and face, combing hair, &c., and then continuing with the Looby game, an apparent mix-up of Mulberry Bush and Looby. Three more versions, Sporle, Cornwall, and Dorsetshire, also have different beginnings, one (Dorsetshire) having the apparently unmeaning I love Antimacassar. (_d_) The origin and meaning of this game appears somewhat doubtful. It is a choral dance, and it may owe its origin to a custom of wild antic dancing in celebration of the rites of some deity in which animal postures were assumed.
He leaves the five and rolls the other die again, getting another five. That is a _=spare=_, and the total pips on his first throw on the next frame will count on the spare. If he does not get a spare, it is a _=break=_, and the total pips on his two dice at the end of his third throw are scored. It is usual to take up anything but fives on the first throw, on the chance of getting a spare. If a spare is not thrown on the second throw, most players leave anything as good as threes, and always leave fours; but ace and treys are always thrown again. BASE BALL WITH DICE. There are two forms of this game. In the simpler any number of persons may play, and three dice are used. Each player throws in turn, the three dice representing his three strikes. Nothing but aces count, but each of them is a run; and as long as a player makes runs he goes on throwing.
=_ The general rules of play are the same as in the three-handed game; players being obliged to follow suit and to win the trick if able to do so. The fourth player must win his partner’s trick if he can, and any player who cannot follow suit to a trick that is already trumped must under-trump if he is unable to over-trump. _=Scoring.=_ There are three ways to score: In the first, each player must individually win a trick in order to score his melds. In the second, when either partner wins a trick, the melds in both hands may be scored. In both these the melds are kept separate. In the third, when a player wins a trick he may combine his melds with those of his partner to form fresh combinations, and the scores are made as if the melds of the two partners were in one hand; but cards previously played to the tricks cannot be used in these fresh combinations. The cards must still be on the table, unplayed. For this reason, in this style of game the melds are not taken up until one of the partners wins a trick. AUCTION BINOCLE.
” B then bids seven tricks, and if A will not risk seven tricks in hearts, B will be the successful bidder. If A should bid seven tricks by keeping over B, the latter must know that it is useless for him to bid again unless he can make more tricks in diamonds than A can in hearts; for A’s bid, being in first preference, will always outrank B’s for the same number of tricks. A player once having passed cannot come into the bidding again, except to call one of the misères. In the example just given, either Y or Z, after having twice passed, might have outbid the seven tricks by calling a little misère. Such a bid can, of course, be entertained only when it outranks any bid already made. A player is not compelled to bid the full value of his hand; but it is to his interest to go as near to it as he can with safety; because, as we shall see presently, the more he bids the more he is paid. For instance: If he can make ten tricks, but bids seven only, he will be paid for the three over-tricks, if he makes them; but the payment for seven bid and ten taken, is only 22 counters; while the payment for ten bid and ten taken is 42. As he receives from each adversary, a player who underbid his hand in this manner would lose 60 counters by his timidity. It sometimes happens that no one will make a proposal of any sort. It is very unusual to pass the deal.
V. Arabella! Arabella! Arabella! Farewell! Last night when we parted I left you broken-hearted Down by the mill-side. Who ll you have, love? Who ll you have, love? Who ll you have, love? Farewell! Go to church, love, Go to church, love, Go to church, love, Farewell! Come back, love, Come back, love, Come back, love, Farewell! Shake hands, love, Shake hands, love, Shake hands, love, Farewell! Take a kiss, love, Take a kiss, love, Take a kiss, love, Farewell! --Platt School, near Wrotham, Kent (Miss Burne). VI. Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, Farewell! Last night when we parted I left you broken-hearted, And on the green meadow You was standing alone. Choose a sweetheart, choose a sweetheart, Choose a sweetheart, fair maid. Take her hand, love, take her hand, love, Take her hand, love, fair maid. Kneel down, love, kneel down, love, Kneel down, love, fair maid. Take a kiss, love, take a kiss, love, Take a kiss, love, fair maid. Now you re married I wish you joy, First a girl and then a boy, Seven years after son and daughter; Pray, young couple, come kiss together.
If two players take no trick, the loss is 50 points. _=All Guckis lose double if they fail=_, so that if a player announces a Gucki Nullo and loses it, he will lose 30; but if he won it he would get 15 only. If a player has a Gucki Null Ouvert, he must announce that it is to be played open before he touches the skat cards. It is then worth 30 if won; 60 if lost. _=Passt-mir-nicht tournées all lose double if they fail=_, but win the usual number of points if they succeed. _=Multipliers.=_ The foregoing are simply the standard counting values of these various games. In calculating the actual value of a player’s game, in order to see how much he may safely offer in the bidding, and how much he would win if successful in his undertaking, these standard values are multiplied as follows:-- Five classes of games are recognized, beginning with the lowest, in which the player gets the necessary 61 points, but does not make his adversaries schneider. This is simply called “game,” and as it must always be either won or lost, it is a constant factor. The value of the game is 1, and each better game is numbered in regular order, the five varieties being as follows: The Game, 1.
.... brass. | | 15.|....
There should always be one chair less than the number of players.--A. B. Gomme. In Ellesmere, Miss Burne says, Snap-tongs, called in other circles Magic Music or Musical Chairs, is thus played. Five players take part; four chairs are set in the middle, and one of the players, who holds a pair of tongs, desires the others to dance round them till the clock strikes a certain hour, which is done by snapping the tongs together so many times. While they dance, a chair is taken away, and the player who cannot find a seat has to become the snap-tongs next time.--_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 525. Nacks A game in which pegs of wood play a similar part to the well-known object Aunt Sally.
What have this poor prisoner done, Prisoner done, prisoner done, What have this poor prisoner done? My fair lady. Stole my watch and lost my key, Lost my key, lost my key, Stole my watch and lost my key, My fair lady. Off to prison you must go, You must go, you must go, Off to prison you must go, My fair lady. --Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler). IV. Where are these great baa-lambs going, Baa-lambs going, baa-lambs going, Where are these great baa-lambs going? My fair lady. We are going to London Bridge, London Bridge, London Bridge, We are going to London Bridge, My fair lady. London Bridge is broken down, Broken down, broken down, London Bridge is broken down, My fair lady. [Then verses follow, sung in the same way and with the same refrain, beginning with--] Mend it up with penny loaves. Penny loaves will wash away.