If he succeeds in catching them, they all with the Fox try to dodge the Hen, who makes an effort to regain them. It is known at Winterton under the name of Pins and Needles. The players stand in a row, one behind another, with one of the party as their Leader. Another player, called Outsider, pretends to scratch the ground. The Leader asks, the questions, and the Outsider replies-- What are you scratching for? Pins and needles. What do you want your pins and needles for? To mend my poke. What do you want your poke for? To put some sand in. What do you want your sand for? To sharpen knives with. What do you want your knives for? To cut all the little chickens heads off with. Here the Outsider tries to dodge past the Leader to catch one of the children at the further end of the row, the Leader meanwhile attempting to bar her progress.
He scores 5 times 20 toward game, aces as held, and then 150 in penalties, 50 of which is for fulfilling his contract and twice 50 for the two tricks over his contract. _=KEEPING SCORE.=_ Two styles of score-pad are now in general use. In one the tricks and honours are entered in the same vertical column, one above the other, and are all added in one sum at the end. In the other style of pad the tricks are in one column and the honours and penalties in another, so that four additions are required to find the value of the rubber, which is always the difference between the total scores after giving the winners of two games 250 points. The following illustration will show both styles of pad: WE ||THEY || 36 || 30 18 || 100 16 || ====++==== 8 || || 40 ----++---- || 36 ----++---- || 250 ----++---- 42 || 492 || 42 |+---- || 450 WE || THEY 8 | 16 || | | 18 || | 100 | || 40 | 30 ----+----++----+----- | || 36 | 36 ----+----++----+----- 8 | 34 || 76 | 166 | 8 || | 76 +----+| | 250 | 42 || +----- | || | 492 | || | 42 | || +----- | || | 450 The scoring on which this rubber is won and lost was as follows: WE started with a contract to win one heart and made it, with simple honours, scoring 8 toward game and 16 above for honours. Then THEY set a contract for two tricks, getting 100 in penalties, against simple honours in royals, scored as 18 above for WE and 100 for THEY. Then THEY made four odd at no trump and 30 aces, winning the first game, under which a line is drawn. On the next deal THEY made four odd in royals, with four honours, 36 each way, winning the second game and also the rubber, for which they add 250 points. Both scores are now added up and the lower deducted from the higher, showing that THEY win 450 points on the balance.
[Illustration: 11♣ 12♣] _=COUNTERS, or CHIPS.=_ Although not absolutely necessary, counters are much more convenient than money. The most common are red, white, and blue circular chips, which should “stack up” accurately, so that equal numbers may be measured without counting them. The red are usually worth five whites, and the blue worth five reds, or twenty-five whites. At the beginning of the game one player should act as banker, and be responsible for all counters at the table. It is usual for each player to purchase, at the beginning of the game, the equivalent of 100 white counters in white, red, and blue. _=PLAYERS.=_ Poker may be played by any number of persons from two to seven. When there are more than seven candidates for play, two tables should be formed, unless the majority vote against it. In some localities it is the custom for the dealer to take no cards when there are eight players, which is thought to make a better game than two tables of only four players each.