Instead of turning the trump, a single suit may be declared trumps for the game. On the overplay, the cards may be gathered into tricks instead of playing them as required by law (Law VIII, Sec. 1). In case of the discovery of an irregularity in the hands, there must always be a new deal. MNEMONIC DUPLICATE FOR MORE THAN ONE TABLE. Except a contest played in comparison with a progressive match, the replaying of the cards by the same players--“up and back,” as it is sometimes called--is the only possible method of approximating to Duplicate Whist for one table; but where eight or more players participate, this form of the game is extremely undesirable, from the element of memory entering into the replay and destroying the integrity of the game and its value as a test of Whist skill. It has been well described as “a mongrel game--partly Whist and partly Dummy, but lacking in the best features of each.” In the early days of Duplicate Whist, Mnemonic Duplicate was, to some extent, played even when several tables of players were participating. It still survives in a few circles, chiefly where Duplicate Whist has never been tried. It can be played under any of the Duplicate Whist schedules by playing them through twice--the second time with the North and South hands given to the East and West players, and vice versa.
The bidder takes in all the tricks won by himself and his partners, and one of the adversaries should gather for that side. If a player on either side _=revokes=_, the adversaries score the number bid, and the hand is abandoned. _=Scoring.=_ If the bidder is successful in his undertaking, he and his partners, if any, are credited by the scorer with the number of points bid, but no more. Should a player bid five, and his side take seven, it would count them only five points. If the player making the trump fails to reach his bid, he is euchred, and the adversaries are credited with the number of points bid. _=Prizes.=_ It is usual to give two prizes for each table in play; one for the highest number of points won during the evening, and one for the smallest number; the latter being usually called the “booby” prize. _=Suggestions for Good Play.=_ It is very risky to bid seven without the Joker, the odds being 11 to 1 against finding it in the widow.
As a penalty he must put up an ante for each of the other players at the table for another Jack. _=45. Betting the Hands.=_ The opener makes the first bet; or, if he has withdrawn, the player next on his left. Should the opener decline to bet after the draw, he must show his openers before abandoning his hand. He need not show the cards he has drawn. If no bet is made, the last player holding cards takes the pool without showing his hand. If a bet is made, the game proceeds as in the ordinary pools. Should the opener retire during the betting, he must show his openers; if he is in the final call he must show his entire hand, whether it is the best or not. If he or any other player declines to show his hand when a call is made, he must ante for all the other players for another jack.
Addy in his _Sheffield Glossary_, and by Holland (_Cheshire Glossary_), Brogden (_Provincial Words, Lincolnshire_), Lowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_), Nares _Glossary_, and Baker s _Northants Glossary_. Miss Courtenay gives Scutter and Tic Tac Mollard as Cornish names for the game (_West Cornwall Glossary_). See also Halliwell s _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 139, and Strutt s _Sports and Pastimes_, p. 326. Butler, in his _Hudibras_ (p. ii. canto iii. l. 302), makes it one of the important qualifications of his conjurer to tell-- What figur d slates are best to make On wat ry surface _duck_ or _drake_.
Dealer:--♡ K Q; ♣ A K Q; ♢ A K Q J 7; ♠ K Q. The point is equal. The quatrième to the Jack is not good and the four Tens are not good; so elder hand leads a card, and counts, “One.” 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.
Newell, in his examination of the game, gives countenance to this theory, but he strangely connects it with other games which have a tug-of-war as the finish. Now in all the English examples it is remarkable that the tug-of-war does not appear to be a part of the game; and if this evidence be conclusive, it would appear that this incident got incorporated in America. It is this incident which Mr. Newell dwells upon in his ingenious explanation of the mythological interpretation of the game. But apart from this, the fact that the building of bridges was accompanied by the foundation sacrifice is a more likely origin for such a widespread game which is so intimately connected with a bridge. This view is confirmed by what may be called the literary history of the game. The verses, as belonging to a game, have only recently been recorded, and how far they go back into tradition it is impossible to say. Dr. Rimbault is probably right when he states that they have been formed by many fresh additions in a long series of years, and [the game] is perhaps almost interminable when received in all its different versions (_Notes and Queries_, ii. 338).
=_ The bridge player’s first consideration should be the state of the score, which will show how many points he needs to win the game. Let us suppose this number to be 12, he having already scored 18. These 12 points can be made by winning six by cards with spades for trumps; three by cards with clubs; or two by cards with diamonds or hearts. But if the hand can be played without a trump, the odd trick wins the game. It is hardly necessary to say that a player would be very foolish to engage himself to win six by cards if the odd trick would equally answer his purpose; nor would he undertake to win three by cards with clubs for trumps, if he had as good a chance of making two by cards with diamonds or hearts. In other words, the player should not make the trump which promises the greatest number of tricks, but should select that which will yield the largest number of points. It is for this reason that every good player first considers the advisability of making it “no-trump,” and if he thinks that injudicious, hearts or diamonds, leaving the black suits as a last resort. It is the custom invariably to make it no-trump with three Aces, unless the hand is strong enough for a heart make, or holds great honour value in red. In estimating the probabilities of trick-taking, it is usual to count the partner for three tricks on the average. Conservative players do not depend on him for more than two.
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.=_ If any player omits to play to a trick, and plays to a following one, he is not allowed to correct his error, but is compelled to take the thirteenth or last trick, with whatever hearts it may contain. If a player is found, during or at the end of a hand, to be a card short, all others at the table having their right number, and all having played to the first trick, the player with the short hand is compelled to take the last trick, with whatever hearts it may contain. _=Exposed Cards.=_ Should a person lead or play two cards to one trick, he is allowed to indicate the one intended; but he must leave the other face upward on the table.
On the layout, build in descending sequence, red on black, black on red, turning up the top card when any pile is left without a faced card upon it. If there is more than one card face up on any pile, they must be removed together or not at all. Spaces may be filled only with kings. The stock is run off three cards at a time, and any card showing can be used. The pack can be run through in this manner until no cards showing can be used, but there must be no shuffling or rearrangement of the cards. Sometimes it is the rule to run through the pack once only, turning up one card at a time. The object of the game is to see how many cards can be built on the ace row. A better average can usually be obtained when the pack is run off three at a time with the privilege of running through again and again as long as any card can be used. FORTUNE TELLING. Whatever the arrangement employed for laying out the tableau in fortune telling, the result of the reading will always be dependent on the person’s ability to string together in a connected story the meanings which are attached to the various cards.
The birds will sing, the bells will ring, And we ll all clap hands together. --Congleton Workhouse School (Miss A. E. Tremlow). (_c_) The popular version of this game is played by the greater number of the children forming a line on one side with joined hands, and one child (sometimes two or more) facing them, advancing and retiring while singing the verses. When he asks the question, Will you come? one girl on the opposite side answers No! and afterwards Yes! When this is said, she goes to the opposite side, and the two dance round together while singing the next verse. The game begins again by the two singing the verses, and thus getting a third child to join them, when the game proceeds for a fourth, and so on. The Congleton and London versions are played by two lines of children of about equal numbers. In the Lincolnshire version the above description answers, except that when the last line is sung every one claps hands. In the Sussex version the child at the end of the line is taken over by the child who sings the verses, and they lock their little fingers together while singing the remainder.
All exposed cards are liable to be called, and must be left on the table; but a card is not an exposed card when dropped on the floor, or elsewhere below the table. The following are exposed cards:-- I. Two or more cards played at once. II. Any card dropped with its face upward, or in any way exposed on or above the table, even though snatched up so quickly that no one can name it. 57. If any one play to an imperfect trick the best card on the table, or lead one which is a winning card as against his adversaries, and then lead again, or play several such winning cards, one after the other, without waiting for his partner to play, the latter may be called on to win, if he can, the first or any other of those tricks, and the other cards thus improperly played are exposed cards. 58. If a player, or players, under the impression that the game is lost--or won--or for other reasons--throw his or their cards on the table face upward, such cards are exposed, and liable to be called, each player’s by the adversary; but should one player alone retain his hand, he cannot be forced to abandon it. 59.
=_ _=SCORING.=_ A game consists of five points. If the players making the trump win all five tricks, they count _=two=_ points towards game; if they win three or four tricks, they count _=one=_ point; if they fail to win three tricks, their adversaries count _=two=_ points. _=2.=_ If the player making the trump plays _=alone=_, and makes five tricks, he counts as many points as there are players in the game: Two, if two play; three if three play; four if four play, etc. If he wins three or four tricks only, he counts one; if he fails to win three tricks, his adversaries count two. _=3.=_ _=The Rubber=_ is the best of three games. If the first two are won by the same players, the third game is not played. The winners gain a _=triple=_, or three points, if their adversaries have not scored; a _=double=_, or two points, if their adversaries are less than three scored; a _=single=_, or one point, if their adversaries have scored three or four.
The game is generally arranged for a certain number of tours or deals, at the end of which the scores are balanced and settled for. RUBICON PIQUET, FOR TWO PLAYERS. The chief difference between this game and the usual form, Piquet au cent, is in the manner of declaring. The usual method in England and America is as follows:-- _=The Point=_ is scored by the player holding the greatest number of cards in the suit, and the pip value is resorted to only to decide ties. This is done in order to conceal, if possible, the nature of the cards held. When the numerical value is asked, only the last figure is given, “seven,” for instance, if the point is 47. If the point is good, the elder hand immediately names the suit. If it is not good, the suit is not named, and the elder hand proceeds to call his _=sequences=_. It they are good, the suits must be named; the same with quatorze and trio. _=Under-calling.
Hob-in-the-Hall An old game mentioned by Wycherley (_Plain Dealer_, 1677). Hockerty Cokerty The same game as Cockerty-hooie. Hockey This game is played with a solid indiarubber ball from two to two and a half inches in diameter. The players each have a bent or hooked stick or hockey. They take opposite sides. The object of the game is for each side to drive the ball through their opponents goal. The goals are each marked by two poles standing about eight to ten feet apart, and boundaries are marked at the sides. The ball is placed in the middle of the ground. It is started by two players who stand opposite each other, the ball lying between their two sticks. They first touch the ground with their hockey-sticks, then they touch or strike their opponents stick.
|You shall have a |You shall have a |Ye sall get a drake. | | |drake. |dragon. | | | 21.| -- | -- | -- | | 22.| -- | -- | -- | | 23.| -- | -- | -- | |[8.]| -- | -- | -- | | 24.|And ye shall get a |You shall have a nice |Ye sall get a bonny | | |young prince. |young man.
She tells her eldest daughter that she is going to wash, and that she expects her to take great care of her sisters, and to be sure and not let the old witch take them. She is also to look after the dinner, and be sure and not let the pot boil over. The Mother then departs, and stays at a little distance from the others. The eldest daughter pretends to be very busy putting the house to rights, sweeps the floor, and makes everything tidy; the younger children pretend to play, and get in the elder sister s way. She gets angry with them, and pretends to beat them. Now, the girl who personates the Witch comes and raps with her knuckles on a supposed door. The Witch stooped when walking, and had a stick to help her along. Come in, says the eldest sister. What do you want? Let me light my pipe at your fire? My fire s out. Yes! if you ll not dirty the hearth.
She flung Captain Wow at it. Underhill tried to keep his own mind clear. Watch out! he shouted telepathically at the others, trying to move the Lady May around. At one corner of the battle, he felt the lustful rage of Captain Wow as the big Persian tomcat detonated lights while he approached the streak of dust which threatened the ship and the people within. The lights scored near-misses. The dust flattened itself, changing from the shape of a sting-ray into the shape of a spear. Not three milliseconds had elapsed. * * * * * Father Moontree was talking human words and was saying in a voice that moved like cold molasses out of a heavy jar, C-A-P-T-A-I-N. Underhill knew that the sentence was going to be Captain, move fast! The battle would be fought and finished before Father Moontree got through talking. Now, fractions of a millisecond later, the Lady May was directly in line.
All those following him must meet the total sum put up by any individual player, increase it, or pass out. In this respect Brag is precisely similar to the betting after the draw at Poker. If no one will see the dealer’s ante, he must be paid one white counter by each of the other players, and the deal passes to the left. Should any player bet an amount which no other player will meet, he takes the pool without showing his hand. Should a call be made, all the hands must be shown, and the best brag hand wins. Pairs and triplets are the only combinations of any value, and of course three aces is the best hand; two aces and the club Jack being the next best. If none of the hands shown contains either a natural pair or a bragger, the highest card wins, the ace ranking above the King. In case of equal natural pairs, the highest card outside the pair wins. 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.
In cutting, the ace is low. _=PLAYERS.=_ Four persons cut for partners, the two highest playing against the two lowest, the lowest cut having the choice of seats and cards and dealing the first hand. _=DEALING.=_ The cards shuffled and cut, thirteen are given to each player, one at a time in rotation to the left. No trump is turned, as every hand is played without a trump. _=MISDEALING.=_ In case of any irregularity in the deal, the same dealer must deal again. The laws governing misdeals are the same as at whist or bridge. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.
_=Objects of the Game.=_ The object of the game, as its name implies, is to count sixty-six. If a player can get sixty-six before his adversary, he counts one point toward game. If he gets sixty-six before his opponent gets thirty-three, which is called _=schneider=_, he counts two. If he gets sixty-six before his adversary wins a trick, which is called _=schwartz=_, he counts three. The player first making seven points in this manner wins the game. A player may reach sixty-six by winning tricks containing certain counting cards; by holding and announcing marriages, which are the King and Queen of any suit; and by winning the last trick. The various counts for these are as follows:-- For King and Queen of trumps, _=Royal Marriage=_, 40 For King and Queen of any plain suit, _=Marriage=_, 20 For the Ace of any suit, 11 For the Ten of any suit, 10 For the King of any suit, 4 For the Queen of any suit, 3 For the Jack of any suit, 2 For the last or twelfth trick, 10 The marriages count for the player holding and announcing them; all other points for the player actually winning them. The last trick does not count unless it is the twelfth; that is, not unless every card is played. _=Method of Playing.
It is a waste of time to put down both losses and gains, and all that is necessary is to call the top score zero, and charge all players with the loss of as many tricks as their total is short of the top score. In this case we charge _=e=_ and _=g=_ with a loss of 4 each. It must be obvious that _=f=_ and _=h=_ have also made 4 more tricks than _=b=_ and _=d=_; and that the latter must be charged with a loss of 4 on the same hands that _=e=_ and _=g=_ lose on. We give as an illustration a sheet balanced in this way, showing the losses of the various players. The totals at the end of the match show that _c_ is the winner, losing less tricks than any other player. [Illustration: +-------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ |Players| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | |-------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ |Set 1 | - | 4 | - | 4 | 4 | - | 4 | - | | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | 3 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 5 | 5 | | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | 4 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | 5 | - | - | 3 | 3 | - | - | 3 | 3 | | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | 6 | - | - | - | - | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | 7 | 4 | - | - | 4 | - | 4 | 4 | - | +-------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ |Totals | 10 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 14 | +-------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ ] _=Large Numbers of Individuals.=_ Several ingenious methods have been devised for handling large numbers of players, especially in domestic parties; Safford and Mitchell having both distinguished themselves in this line. The simplest form has been suggested by Mitchell, and is especially adapted for social gatherings of ladies and gentlemen. As many tables as possible are filled; all the ladies sitting N & E; the gentlemen S and W. [Illustration: LADY L +---------+ +---------+ | N | | N | GENTLEMAN|W E|LADY G|W E|L | S | | S | +---------+ +---------+ GENTLEMAN G ] The number of hands dealt at each table must be adjusted to the number of tables filled, and the time to be devoted to play.