In some parts of Yorkshire it is customary to say no-horned lady instead of genteel lady at the beginning of the game. When we played this game we said always genteel after genteel lady, and varied the formula. For instance, the first player would say, I, a genteel lady, always genteel, come from a genteel lady, always genteel, to say she lives in a house with twelve windows, or words were used beginning with the letter A. Each player must repeat this, and add something else in keeping with a house; or sentences had to be made in which words beginning with the letter A must be said, the other players doing the same alphabetically.--London (A. B. Gomme). Mr. Newell, in writing of this game, says that the lamp-lighter or spill was lighted when placed in the hair of the players who made mistakes. He does not mention forfeits being exacted.
Great importance is attached to the score for the go at five-card Cribbage, because so little is made in play that every point counts. _=The Crib.=_ This is the most important thing in the five-card game, and it is much more important to baulk your adversary’s crib than to preserve your own hand. The best baulking cards are a King with a 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 or A. Never lay out a Jack, nor two cards which form a five, nor any pair, nor any two close cards. In laying out for your own crib, Fives, Sevens and Eights are the best. Any pair, any two cards that make five or fifteen, and any close cards are also good. Keep pairs royal and runs in your hand, and do not forget that a flush of three counts in the hand; but the starter must agree to make a flush in the crib. _=Playing Off and On.=_ The pegging in play is usually small; 2 for the dealer, and an average of 1½ for the non-dealer, hence the importance of the go.
4. _=Transversale=_, at the end of any three numbers, and taking them in horizontally. Pays 11 for 1. Limit is 560 francs. 5. _=Transversale Six=_, placed on the line at the end, taking in the three numbers horizontally above and below. This pays 5 for 1. Limit is 1,200 francs. 6. _=Bas.
(_b_) The children dance round, singing the first three lines, turning round and clapping hands for the fourth line. They curtsey while saying, This is the way the lady goes, and again turn round and clap hands for the last line. The same process is followed in every verse, only varying what they act--thus, in the third verse, they bow for the gentleman--and so the amusement is protracted _ad libitum_, with shoemaking, washing clothes, ironing, churning, milking, making up butter, &c, &c. (_c_) This game is practically the same as the Mulberry Bush. The action is carried on in the same way, except that the children clap their hands at the fourth line, instead of each turning themselves round, as in Mulberry Bush. The High, ho, ham! termination may be the same as the I, O, OM of Mr. Addy s version of Milking Pails. See Mulberry Bush, When I was a Young Girl. New Squat A ring is made by marking the ground, and a tin placed in the middle of it. One boy acts as keeper of the tin, the other players also stand outside the ring.
| 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 65 | 105 | 170 | If the caller fails in his undertaking, he must pay each adversary according to the number of tricks by which he failed to reach his bid. For instance: A player bidding eight, and taking only seven, is said to be “_=put in for=_” one trick, and he would have to pay each adversary 23 white counters. These payments are shown in this table:-- -----------+--------------------------------------------------- Tricks bid | Number of tricks by which the player falls short by the | of his declaration. player. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13 -----------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- Five | 11| 21| 31| 41| 50| | | | | | | | Six | 15| 24| 35| 45| 55| 66| | | | | | | Seven | 19| 29| 40| 50| 60| 72| 82| | | | | | Eight | 23| 34| 46| 56| 67| 78| 89|110| | | | | Nine | 33| 44| 57| 68| 82| 92|103|115|127| | | | Ten | 44| 56| 70| 82| 94|107|119|132|145|157| | | Eleven | 67| 80| 95|109|123|138|151|165|180|194|208| | Twelve |113|130|148|165|182|200|217|234|252|270|286|304| Thirteen |177|198|222|241|262|284|305|326|348|369|390|412|433 -----------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--- We give the same table reduced to the American decimal system, in which form it is commonly found in the clubs. It may be remarked in passing that the table is very illogical and inconsistent, the payments bearing no relation to the probabilities of the events. Some of them provide for impossibilities, unless the player has miscalled the trump suit, and is held to it, but we have no authority to change them. --------+---------------------------------------------------- | Number of tricks bidder is “put in for.” Tricks +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---- bid. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13 --------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---- Five | 10| 20| 30| 40| 50| | | | | | | | Six | 15| 25| 35| 45| 55| 65| | | | | | | Seven | 20| 30| 40| 50| 60| 70| 80| | | | | | Eight | 25| 35| 45| 55| 70| 85|100|115| | | | | Nine | 35| 45| 55| 65| 80| 95|110|125|140| | | | Ten | 45| 55| 70| 80| 95|110|125|140|155|170| | | Eleven | 70| 80| 95|110|125|140|155|170|185|200|220| | Twelve |120|130|145|160|180|200|220|240|260|280|300|320| Thirteen|180|200|220|240|260|280|300|320|340|360|390|420|450 --------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---- If a misère is bid, the caller wins from, or loses to each adversary according to the following table, there being no over-tricks:-- Little Misère, 20 white counters.
Half-a-crown we cannot pay, Cannot pay, Half-a-crown we cannot pay, My fair lady. Off to prison you must go, You must go, Off to prison you must go, My fair lady. --Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase). II. Here are the robbers coming through, Coming through, coming through, Here are the robbers coming through, My fair lady. What will the robbers do to you, Do to you, do to you, What will the robbers do to you, My fair lady? Steal your watch and break your chain, Break your chain, break your chain, Steal your watch and break your chain, My fair lady. Then they must go to jail, Go to jail, go to jail, Then they must go to jail, My fair lady. --Belfast (W. H. Patterson).
Yet the glutton was a glutton for danger as well as for fish. He had killed sixty-three Dragons, more than any other Partner in the service, and was quite literally worth his weight in gold. The little girl West came next. She drew Captain Wow. When she saw who it was, she smiled. I _like_ him, she said. He s such fun to fight with. He feels so nice and cuddly in my mind. Cuddly, hell, said Woodley. I ve been in his mind, too.
In Limited Loo the penalty is always three or six red counters. In Unlimited Loo, it is the same for irregularities, and for infraction of the rules; but any player failing in his undertaking must put up for the next pool an amount equal to that in the current pool. When two or more fail on successive deals the pool increases with surprising rapidity. A player at twenty-five cent Loo has been known to lose $320 in three consecutive deals. _=DEALING.=_ The pack having been properly shuffled and cut, the dealer gives three cards to each player, one at a time in rotation, beginning on his left. The first deal, and every deal in which the pool contains only the three red counters put up by the dealer, is known as a _=simple=_, and no trump card is turned up until one or two tricks have been played to. If there are more than three red counters in the pool, it is known as a _=double=_, and an extra hand must be dealt for the _=widow=_, and after all have been helped, the next card in the pack is turned up for a trump. The dealer gives cards to the widow just before helping himself in each round. _=Irregularities in the Deal.
The ring of children say the first, third, and every alternate verse. The child in the centre says the second, fourth, and alternate verses, and the game is played as above, except that when the Mother has said the last verse the children call out, Good job, too, and run off, the Mother chasing them as above. The game does not appear to be sung. (_c_) This game is somewhat of a cumulative story, having for its finish the making angry and tormenting of a mother. All the versions point to this. One interesting point, that of milk-pails, is, it will be seen, gradually losing ground in the rhymes. Milk-pails were pails of wood suspended from a yoke worn on the milkmaid s shoulders, and these have been giving place to present-day milk-cans. Consequently we find in the rhymes only four versions in which milk-pails are used. In two versions even the sense of milking-can has been lost, and the South Shields version, sent me by little Miss Blair, has degenerated into male-scales, a thoroughly meaningless phrase. The Cowes version (Miss Smith) has arrived at wash-pan.
During her absence the Gipsy comes in, entices a child away, and hides her. This process is repeated till all the children are hidden, when the mother has to find them.--Halliwell (_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 228). See Mother, Mother, the Pot Boils Over, Witch. Gled-wylie The name of a singular game played at country schools. One of the largest of the boys steals away from his comrades, in an angry-like mood, to some dykeside or sequestered nook, and there begins to work as if putting a pot on a fire. The others seem alarmed at his manner, and gather round him, when the following dialogue takes place:-- They say first to him-- What are ye for wi the pot, gudeman? Say what are ye for wi the pot? We dinna like to see ye, gudeman, Sae thrang about this spot. We dinna like ye ava, gudeman, We dinna like ye ava. Are ye gaun to grow a gled, gudeman? And our necks draw and thraw? He answers-- Your minnie, burdies, ye maun lae; Ten to my nocket I maun hae; Ten to my e enshanks, and or I gae lye, In my wame I ll lay twa dizzen o ye by.
213). VII. I sent a letter to my love, I carried water in my glove, And by the way I dropped it. I did so! I did so! I had a little dog that said Bow! wow! I had a little cat that said Meow! meow! Shan t bite you--shan t bite you-- Shall bite you. --Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 52). VIII. I sent a letter to my love, I carried water in my glove, I dript it, I dropped it, and by the way I lost it. --Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 87).
4 would count 1, and No. 6 would count 2 points toward game. PASSE DIX. Any player can be the banker for the first round, and he holds his position as long as he wins. When he loses, he passes the box to the player on his left hand. He has three dice, which he throws in one cast, after the players have made their bets. If he gets ten or more, he wins. If he gets less than ten, he loses. His advantage lies in winning when he gets ten exactly; because that gives him nine throws that win for him out of the sixteen possible with three dice. SHUFFLE BOARD.
We always open a long suit from three-trump hands if the suit is a good one, such as A K and others, K Q and others, or even Q J and others. But without such strength in the long suit, we let it severely alone, and develop the hand with a short-suit or “gambit” opening. With three trumps and a five-card suit containing two honors not in sequence, we still open the long suit if we have a sure re-entry in another suit. This, for example, hearts trumps:-- ♡ K 6 2 ♣ 8 6 2 ♢ A Q 6 4 3 ♠ A 10 The trey of diamonds is the best opening. If there were no re-entry, such as only 10 2 of spades instead of A 10, we should open the 10 of spades. Although we open a great many short suits, we avoid weak three-card suits except in rare instances. While our system, like all others, entails losses at times, it seems to avoid many of the pitfalls that confront the player who always opens his long suit, regardless of the possibilities of ever bringing it in. In many instances we find he places himself in the worst possible position for any chance to make even one trick in the suit he opens. We admit that if a team adopts straight American leads, it is much easier for them to count the partner’s hand accurately; but it seems to me that this advantage is more than overcome by the fact that in our openings we have a clear idea as to the general character of the partner’s hand while there is still time to take advantage of the knowledge. In the long-suit game this element is entirely wanting.
Both balls being within the space, the striker can play on them once without sending either out; his next stroke must send at least one out. Should it return, and both balls be again inside, he can play one shot, as before, without sending either out. This process may be repeated _ad libitum_. Should the second stroke fail to send a ball out it does not count, the striker’s hand is out, and the next striker plays at the balls as he finds them. [Illustration] The great art in baulk-line nursing is to get the object and carrom balls astride the line, and then to follow the principle of the rail nurse. The _=anchor=_ shot is now barred in championship games. It consisted in getting two balls frozen to the cushion astride of one end of a line, and then just rubbing their faces with the cue ball. In the baulk-line nurse there are three principal positions, and two turns, as shown in the diagram. In No. 3 the red ball must be driven to the rail and back with great accuracy, leaving the balls in position No.
Durfey s _Collin s Walk through London_, 1690, p. 192, says: Hurling is an ancient sport us d to this day in the countys of Cornwall and Devon, when once a year the hardy young fellows of each county meet; and a cork ball thinly plated with silver being thrown up between em, they run, bustle, and fight for it, to the witty dislocating of many a shrew d neck, or for the sport of telling how bravely their arms or legs came to be broke, when they got home. It is fully described by Carew in his _Survey of Cornwall_, 1602, p. 73. It is also a very ancient Irish game, and Mr. Kinahan says: Many places are called after it: such as, Killahurla, the hurlers church; Gortnahurla, the field of the hurlers; Greenanahurla, the sunny place of the hurlers; this, however, is now generally corrupted into hurling-green. The hurling-green where the famous match was played by the people of Wexford against those of Cather (now divided into the counties of Carlow and Wicklow), and where the former got the name of yellow bellies, from the colour of the scarfs they wore round their waist, is a sunny flat on the western side of North Wicklow Gap, on the road from Gorey to Trinnahely. There are also many other different names that record the game. --_Folk-lore Journal_, ii. 266.
The last card that falls to the dealer is turned up for the trump, and the remainder of the pack is placed in the centre of the table as a stock to draw from. The eldest hand leads for the first trick, and the others must follow suit if they can. The highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the trick, and trumps win all other suits. The winner of each trick draws the top card from the talon, and leads again. When any player’s cards are exhausted he withdraws from the game, and the others continue. The player who remains to the end, having a card when his adversary has none, wins the pool. If two players remain with a card each, the winner of the trick draws from the stock, and the card so drawn wins the game, his adversary having none. EARL OF COVENTRY. This game is sometimes called Snip Snap Snorem, by those who are not of a poetical turn of mind. Any number of persons may play, and a full pack of cards is dealt out, one at a time.
=_ Many gamblers believe that as the science of probabilities teaches us that events will equalise themselves in time, all that is necessary is to devise some system that will keep a person from guessing, so that he may catch the pendulum as it swings; and to add to it some system of betting, so that he will have the best of it in the long run. Some content themselves with playing a “system” against banking games, which is merely a guide to the placing of the bets, the simplest example of which would be to bet always on heads if a coin was tossed a thousand times, or to bet on nothing but red at Roulette. Others depend more on martingales, which are guides to the amount of the bets themselves, irrespective of what they are placed on. The most common form of martingale is called _=doubling up=_, which proceeds upon the theory that if you lose the first time and bet double the amount the next time, and continue to double until you win, you must eventually win the original amount staked. If there was no end to your capital, and no betting limit to the game, this would be an easy way to make money; but all banking games have studied these systems, and have so arranged matters that they can extend their heartiest welcome to those who play them. In the first place, by simply doubling up you are giving the bank the best of it, because you are not getting the proper odds. If you double up five times you are betting 16 to 1; but the odds against five successive events are 31 to 1, as we have already seen, and the bank should pay you 31 instead of 16. You should not only double, but add the original amount of the stake each time, betting 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, and so on. If you do this, you will win the amount of your original stake for every bet you make, instead of only for every time you win. This looks well, but as a matter of fact doubling up is only another way of borrowing small sums which will have to be paid back in one large sum when you can probably least afford it.
Hope). III. I sell my bat, I sell my ball, I sell my spinning-wheel and all; And I ll do all that ever I can To follow the eyes of the drummer man. --Luton, Bedfordshire (Mrs. Ashdown). (_b_) In the Yorkshire version a ring is formed with one child in the middle as the Oary Man. Whatever he, or she, does, all in the ring must mimic, going round and singing at the same time. Any one found late in changing the action or idle in obeying the caperings of the central child becomes the Oary Man in place of the child taking that part. Both girls and boys play. In the Redhill version, Holy Gabriel kneels in the middle of the circle.
Never play with a man who cuts the pack with both hands, watches the cards closely as he deals, or looks intently at the top of the stock before he plays to the current trick. Players who have a nervous affection which makes them pass over too many counters at once will also bear watching. Colour blindness may lead them to take over a blue instead of a white in a close game. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ The general principles of play are much the same in all the Bézique family of games. It is usually best to give your adversary the deal, because the first lead is often an advantage, especially if the turn-up is valuable, and you have a dix, or if you want to make the trump in Rubicon Bézique. It is seldom right to make the trump unless you have one or two of the sequence cards with the marriage. _=The Lead=_ is a disadvantage unless you have something to declare, or there is a brisque in the trick, or you can get home the Ten of a plain suit. The Tens are of no value in plain suits except as brisques, for they enter into no combination with other cards except in Penchant, Cinq-cents, and Rubicon. If the trick is of no value, or you have nothing important to declare, get rid of your small cards, and lead them when you do not want to retain the lead.