It is safer to make it next with a weak hand than to cross it on moderate strength, for the presumption is that neither the dealer nor his partner had a bower in the turn-down suit, and therefore have none in the next suit. Such being the case, it is very likely that one or both may be strong in the cross suits, and it is not considered good policy to cross the suit unless so strong in it as to be reasonably certain of three tricks. Some players invariably make it next, regardless of their hands, unless they can play alone in the cross suit. Such a habit exposes them to the common artifice of the dealer’s turning it down for a euchre. A dealer holding a bower and three cards of the next suit, will often turn it down, and trust to the eldest hand making it next, which will give the dealer four trumps instead of two. The eldest hand should be on his guard against this when the dealer’s side has 3 scored. The dealer’s partner, on the other hand, should cross the suit almost as invariably as the eldest hand should make it next; for if his partner cannot take up the trump, and the eldest hand cannot make it next, their hands must be weak, and if it is passed to the pone, he will probably turn out to have a lone hand. The best chance is to cross the suit, unless the player has three certain tricks in his own hand by making it next, such as five trumps to the ace, or four trumps and a plain-suit ace. With such cards he should play alone. The pone should never make the trump unless he has three certain tricks, and is willing to play a lone hand.
=_ Safford has an ingenious schedule for eight married couples, so arranged in two sets that no husband and wife are ever in the same set at the same time. When seven sets have been played, every lady will have overplayed four hands against every other lady and gentleman, including four held by her husband. The same will be true of every man. Indicators are placed on the tables to show players their successive positions. The numbers represent the husbands, and the letters the wives, the couples being a-1, b-2, etc. The couple a-1 always sit still; the ladies go to the next higher letter of the alphabet, and the men to the next higher number; _=h=_ going to _=b=_, as _=a=_ sits still; and 8 to 2. [Illustration: N N N N +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ | 6 | | 3 | | f | | c | W|a 1 2|E W|d 2 8|E W|1 3 b|E W|4 4 h|E | g | | e | | 6 | | 5 | +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ +-----+ S S S S ] One hand is dealt at each table, and overplayed at each of the others. A different point of the compass should deal at each table, in order to equalise the lead. _=Scoring.=_ The score of each four hands should be added up by each individual player, and the results tabulated at the end of every four hands, in the manner described for eight individuals.
When the original lead is a trump, it should be returned in every case, either immediately, or as soon as the player can obtain the lead. The same reasons for changing suits as those given for the original leader will apply to the Third Hand. _=RULES FOR RETURNING PARTNER’S SUITS.=_ When the original leader’s suit is returned by his partner, either immediately or upon his regaining the lead, it is usual to show, if possible, how many cards remain in the Third Hand, so that by adding them to his own, the leader may estimate the number held by his adversaries. This consideration is secondary to the return of the best, or one of the second and third best; but in the absence of such cards, the Third Hand should always return the higher of only two remaining, and the lowest of three or more, regardless of their value. In addition to the foregoing conventionalities, which are proper to the leader of a suit and his partner, there are two usages which apply equally to any player at the table. These are discarding and forcing. _=Discarding.=_ When a player cannot follow suit, and does not wish to trump, his safest play is to discard whatever seems of least use to him. It is not considered good play to unguard a King or to leave an Ace alone; but this may be done if the partner is leading trumps, and there is a good established suit to keep.
If he has not seen it, he may put it back without penalty. If he draws out of turn, he must restore the card improperly drawn, and if it belongs to his adversary, the player in error must show his own card. If both draw the wrong cards there is no remedy, and each must keep what he gets. If the loser of any trick draws and looks at two cards from the stock, his adversary may look at both cards of the following draw, and may select either for himself. If he chooses the second card, which his adversary has not seen, he need not show it. If, on account of some undetected irregularity, an even number of cards remain in the stock, the last card must not be drawn. The winner of the trick takes the last but one, and the loser takes the trump card. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ The aim of each player is to reach 1000 points before his adversary, and the one first reaching that number, and announcing it, wins the game. Points are scored for _=dix=_, _=melds=_, the _=last trick=_, and for _=cards=_, which are the counting cards in tricks won.
| Kent. | +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ | 1.|Where are these great | -- | -- | | |baa-lambs going? | | | | 2.|My fair lady. | -- | -- | | 3.|We are going to L. B. | -- | -- | | 4.| -- |Over L. B.
The next player on the left must then continue the sequence in the same suit if he can, but he may play either up or down, laying the card on the right or left of the starter. If a Five is led, he may play a Four or a Six. Only one card is played at a time by each person in turn. Any person not being able to continue the sequence may start another if he has another Five, but he cannot start one with a Nine unless the first starter in the game was a Nine. He is also at liberty to start a new sequence with a Five or Nine instead of continuing the old, but he must play if he can, one or the other. If he is unable to play, he must pay one counter into the pool, which is won by the first player who gets rid of all his cards. The winner is also paid a counter for every card held by the other players. FAN TAN. This is the simplest form of Stops, and requires no layout. Any number of players can take part, and a full pack of fifty-two cards is used.
Coup, a master stroke or brilliant play; a single roll of the wheel at Roulette, or a deal at Rouge et Noir. Compass Whist, arranging players according to the points of the compass at Duplicate Whist, and always retaining them in their original positions. Conventional Play, any method of conveying information, such as the trump signal, which is not based on the principles of the game. Coppered Bets, bets that have a copper or checker placed upon them at Faro, to show that they play the card to lose. Court Cards, the K, Q and J; the ace is not a court card. Covering, playing a higher card second hand than the one led, but not necessarily the best of the suit. Créve, F., one who is temporarily out of the game, such as one who has overdrawn his hand at Vingt-et-un; as distinguished from one who has lost all his money. The latter would be spoken of as décavé. Crossing the Suit, changing the trump from the suit turned up to one of a different colour, especially in Euchre.
In this case A wins on account of his position, so clubs is the winning suit, and A has the best card of it. But he can win from C and D only the amount for which he called a sight, _i.e._ 35 counters. He therefore takes down 105 as his share of the pool, leaving 170 to be decided between C and D. Now, although C has a better point than D, it is one of the principles of the game that the suit that wins cannot lose at the same time; and as D has a card of the winning suit, while C has not, D wins the remainder of the pool. If neither C nor D had a card of the winning suit, C would win from D on account of his better point. If we transposed the club ace and spade ace, spades would be the winning suit, because the elder hand, A, had the best card of it; but C would take the remainder of the pool, because he held a spade, while D did not. As it is, C is decavé, and must purchase another stake, or retire from the game. If C had lost this pool with a brelan in his hand, he would not be decavé; because after losing the pool, and all he had staked therein, B, who had passed out, would have to pay him for the brelan, and with this one white counter he would have to call for a sight in the next pool he entered.
=_ Although not yet in the official laws of the game, this bid seems to be a popular one with many players. It is a contract to lose tricks instead of winning them, and is primarily a defence against overwhelmingly strong no-trumpers. A bid of three nullos means that the declarer will force his opponents to win nine tricks, he winning four only, so that each trick _=under=_ seven counts for the nullo player on his side. _=SCORING.=_ There is some difference of opinion as to the proper value for the nullo, but the general verdict seems to be to put it just below the no-trumper at 10 a trick, no honours. Two no-trumps will outbid two nullos. 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.
He acts as leader, and always had the fiddle as his instrument, though he now usually plays the pianoforte as his first instrument. The other children choose any instrument they like. Holy Gabriel pretends to play the fiddle, and all the other children play their own instruments until Holy Gabriel changes his to one of theirs, when that one must immediately begin to play the fiddle, and continue until Holy Gabriel takes another instrument or returns to the fiddle. This is done in vigorous pantomime. In the Luton variant the children sit in a semicircle, the Drummer faces them. He plays the drum; all the other children play on any other instrument they like. If the other players do not at once change their instrument, or neglect to sing the lines, a forfeit is demanded. (_c_) Mr. Hardy says some sing this game, Follow my game an holy man. Mr.
If both players have more than their right number of cards, the deal is void. If either has less than his proper number, his adversary having the right number, the deal stands good, and there is no penalty except that the player with the right number of cards wins and scores for the last trick. If both have less than the right number, the deal stands good, and the actual winner of the last trick scores it. It will be observed that these rules are quite different from the French rules, which have been given in connection with the ordinary game of Bézique. In France, it is always the custom to establish the _status quo_, if possible, and to assume that the error was quite unintentional. In England, all laws are based on the assumption that your adversary is a rogue, and the penalties are absurdly severe, but we have no authority to change them. _=Irregularities in Drawing.=_ If a player has forgotten to take his card from the talon, and has played to the next trick, the English laws compel him to play the remainder of the hand with eight cards; the French laws give his adversary the option of calling the deal void, or allowing the player in error to draw two cards from the stock next time. If a player draws two cards from the stock, instead of one, he must show the second one to his adversary if he has seen it himself. If it was his adversary’s card, he must show his own card also.
The pot boils over directly a child is taken away, and appears to cease doing this when the Mother comes in. It is remarkable, too, that the Witch should want to borrow a light from the fire; the objection to the giving of fire out of the house is a well-known and widely-diffused superstition, the possession of a brand from the house-fire giving power to the possessor over the inmates of a house. The mention of the spitting on the hearth in the Sheffield version, and dirtying the hearth in the London version, give confirmation to the theory that the desecration of the fire or hearth is the cause of the pot boiling over, and that the spirit of the hearth or fire is offended at the sacrilege. The Witch, too, may be unable to get possession of a child until she has something belonging to the house. The journey of the Mother to the Witch s house in search of her children, the obstacles put in her path, and the mention of the spilling of blood on the threshold, are incidents which have great significance. Why the keeling or skimming of the contents of the pot should be so difficult a task for the eldest daughter that the Mother is obliged to come herself, is not so clear; the skimming is of course to prevent the pot boiling over, and the pot may be supposed to take the place of the Mother or Guardian of the hearth, and tell when misfortune or trouble is at hand. Or the boiling over (which, if continued, would extinguish the fire and sully the stone) may be an offence to the hearth spirit, who ceases then to protect the inmates of the house. Fairies are said to have power over the inmates of a house when the threshold and kitchen utensils are left dirty and uncared for. Thus on the theories accompanying the ancient house ritual, this extraordinary game assumes a rational aspect, and it is not too much to suggest that this explanation is the correct one. In the game of Witch practically the same incidents occur, and nearly the same dialogue, but the significant elements of pot-boiling and fire-protection do not appear in that game.
When there are more than six candidates, those who cut the two next lowest cards belong to the table, which is complete with six players; on the retirement of one of those six players, the candidate who cut the next lowest card has a prior right to any aftercomer to enter the table. CUTTING CARDS OF EQUAL VALUE. 18. Two players cutting cards of equal value, unless such cards are the two highest, cut again; should they be the two lowest, a fresh cut is necessary to decide which of those two deals. 19. Three players cutting cards of equal value cut again; should the fourth (or remaining) card be the highest, the two lowest of the new cut are partners, the lower of those two the dealer; should the fourth card be the lowest, the two highest are partners, the original lowest the dealer. CUTTING OUT. 20. At the end of a rubber, should admission be claimed by any one, or by two candidates, he who has, or they who have, played a greater number of consecutive rubbers than the others is, or are, out; but when all have played the same number, they must cut to decide upon the outgoers; the highest are out. ENTRY AND RE-ENTRY.
In case of ties for low, they divide the losses of the others. POKER GIN. This is a variety of poker rum in which the deadwood must not exceed ten points and each player is allowed not only to put aside his own combinations after the call for a show-down comes, but may add any of his odd cards to the combinations laid out by the one who calls for a show-down. Suppose that in the example given for poker rum, the caller showing 6 7 8 9 of hearts, J Q K of clubs, and nine in his deadwood, another player has in his ten cards the 7 8 9 of diamonds; 6 7 8 of spades, two fours and the tens of clubs and hearts. When the show-down is called for, he has twenty-eight points in his deadwood; but by adding his club ten to the caller’s sequence of J Q K, and the heart ten to the caller’s 6 7 8 9 in that suit, he reduces his deadwood to eight points, the pair of fours, and beats the caller out by a point. _=PENALTIES.=_ If any player turns out to have less in his deadwood than the caller, as in the example just given, the caller forfeits ten points to him, in addition to having to pay for the difference. Should a player call for a show-down when he has more than ten in his deadwood, he loses five points to each of the others at the table and takes up his cards again. DOUBLE-PACK RUM. _=CARDS.
I can make diet bread Thick and thin, I can make diet bread Fit for the king; (No. cccxliv.) which may be compared with the rhyme given by Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 136), and another version given by Halliwell, p. 229. If these rhymes belong to this game it would have probably been played by each child singing a verse descriptive of her own qualifications, and I have some recollection, although not perfect, of having played a game like this in London, where each child stated her ability to either brew, bake, or churn. It is worth noting that the Forest of Dean and Berkshire versions have absorbed one of the selection verses of the love-games. Mr. Halliwell, in recording the _Nursery Rhymes_, Nos. cccxliii.
Bar To play at Bar, a species of game anciently used in Scotland.--Jamieson. This game had in ancient times in England been simply denominated Bars, or, as in an Act of James IV., 1491, edit. 1814, p. 227: That na induellare within burgh . . . play at bar, playing at Bars. See Prisoner s Base.