Deutsche Skatordnung, by K. Buhle. 1888. Scatspiel. (Anon.) Von Posert, Quedlinburg. 1879. Encyclopædia der Spiele, by Fr. Anton. 1889.
Your chance of improving your hand is a little better than one in five. The opener of the jack pot has exactly the same chance, and if both of you draw cards a hundred times under those circumstances, he will beat you in the long run, to say nothing of the other players who may come in and beat both of you. It is therefore evident that in backing tens against openers, it is four to one against your beating the openers to begin with, and if you do beat them the odds are still against your winning the pot. If there were five players, and the jack pots were all equal in amount, you would have to win one pot out of five to make your investment pay. Can you make this average when your original pair will not beat openers? There are three principles with regard to the draw that should never be lost sight of: (1) An average go-in hand is a hand which will win its proportion of the pools, according to the number playing, taking all improvements and opposition into account. This can be demonstrated to be a pair of tens. (2) The draw is much more valuable to a weak hand than to a strong one, and weak hands will improve in much greater proportion than strong ones will. For instance: The chances for a player to improve by drawing to a pair of Queens are one in three and a half. He may make two pairs, or triplets, or a full hand, or four of a kind. The chances of improvement for a player drawing to two pairs, say Eights up, are only one in thirteen.
Children. Seven. A good marriage. _=R.=_ Fair to middling. _=CLUBS.=_ Ace. Profits from business or gambling. King. A just man, who has taken a fancy to you.
--Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_. The editors of Jamieson s _Dictionary_ say that the name should be Headum and Corsum. Heads and Tails That plan for deciding matters by the birl o a bawbee. The one side cries Heads (when the piece is whirling in the air) and the other Tails, so whichever is uppermost when the piece alights that gains or settles the matter, heads standing for the King s head and tails for the figure who represents Britannia.--Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_. This is a general form of determining sides or beginning a game all over the country. Hecklebirnie A play among children in Aberdeenshire. Thirty or forty children in two rows, joining opposite hands, strike smartly with their hands thus joined on the head or shoulders of their companion as he runs the gauntlet through them. This is called passing through the mires of Hecklebirnie. --Jamieson.
, Nottingham, and North Staffs. have been selected to show the process of decadence in the game. Hopper has first become upper, and then other. Of the North Staffs. Potteries version Miss Keary says, How it ends I have never been able to make out; no one about here seems to know either. With the exception of these few variants, it is singular how stereotyped the words of the rhyme have become in this game. (_d_) This game may owe its origin to the fact of the miller in olden times paying himself in kind from the corn brought to him to be ground. The miller is a well-known object of satire in old ballads and mediaeval writers. It is, however, probable that the custom which formerly prevailed at some of the public festivals, of catching or grabbing for sweethearts and wives, is shown in this game. For instance, to account for a Scottish custom it is said that St.
The four cards remaining in the stock are then turned face up, and the single player may select from them as many cards as he has discarded; but he is not allowed to amend his discard in any way. The cards he does not take, if any, are turned down again, and are placed with his discards, forming a stock of four cards, which must not be seen or touched until the last card is played, when it becomes the property of the side that wins the last trick, and any counting cards it may contain are reckoned for that side. _=Playing.=_ The discards settled, the eldest hand leads any card he pleases, and the others must follow suit if they can, but no one is obliged to win a trick if he has a smaller card of the suit led, and does not want the lead. The two adversaries of the single player do their best to get him between them, and combine their forces to prevent him from winning tricks that contain counting cards, especially Aces. Whatever tricks they win are placed together, and the counting cards contained in them reckon for their joint account. The tricks have no value as such, except the last. _=Showing.=_ The winner of the last trick takes the stock, and each side then turns over its cards and counts the total value of the points won. The lower score is deducted from the higher, and the difference is the value of the game.
The keno roller calls each number distinctly, and the players who find it on their cards cover it with a button. The first player to get a horizontal row of five numbers covered in this manner, calls out “Keno!” or bangs the table with a card, and that stops the game. An assistant comes round to the table and calls out the number of the card; if it has been paid for and pegged, he proceeds to call the numbers forming the keno, and these are checked by the roller from the balls on the tray. If everything is correct, the player is given all the money paid by the other players for their cards, less the ten per cent which goes to the house. If two kenos are made on the same number, they divide the pool equally. As an illustration of the profitable nature of the game for the house, it may be remarked that if ten men were to play keno for a dollar a card, and each of them made keno ten times, they would all be “dead broke;” because on each of the hundred kenos at ten dollars each, the bank would have taken out its dollar percentage. CHUCK-LUCK. This game is sometimes called _=Sweat=_, and again, but erroneously, _=Hazard=_. It is played with three dice, which are usually thrown down a funnel in which several cross-bars are placed. The player is offered five different forms of betting, all of which appear on the _=Layout=_, and which cover all the combinations possible with three dice.
The deal passes to the left, each player dealing in turn until the game is finished. The general rules with regard to irregularities in the deal are the same as at Whist. _=STAKES.=_ When stakes are played for, they are for so much a game. Rubbers are not played. It is usual to form a pool, each player depositing the stake agreed upon, and the winner taking all. In partnership games, each losing player pays the successful adversary who sits to his right. If three pairs were engaged, and A-A won, C and B would each pay the A sitting next him. Before play begins, it should be understood who pays for revokes; the side or the player. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.
If the pone holds it, he must _=announce=_ and mark it before he plays a card. If he leads the King for the first trick, he must still announce it by saying distinctly: “I mark the King;” and unless this announcement is made before the King touches the table, it cannot be marked. So important is this rule that in some European Casinos it is found printed on the card tables. Having properly announced the King, it may be actually marked with the counters at any time before the trump is turned for the following game. If the dealer holds the King he must announce it before his adversary leads for the first trick. It is in order that there may be no surprises in this respect that the elder hand is required to say distinctly: “I play,” before he leads a card. The dealer must then reply: “I mark the King,” if he has it; if not, he should say: “Play.” A player is not compelled to announce or mark the King if he does not choose to do so. If a player announces and marks the King when he does not hold it, his adversary can take down the point erroneously marked, and mark one himself, for penalty. This does not prevent him from marking an additional point for the King if he holds it himself.
=_ A sufficient number of tables to accommodate the assembled players are arranged in order, and numbered consecutively; No. 1 being called _=the head table=_, and the lowest of the series _=the booby table=_. Each player is provided with a blank card, to which the various coloured stars may be attached as they accrue in the course of play. These stars are usually of three colours; red, green, and gold. The head table is provided with a bell, and each table is supplied with one pack of cards only. It is usual to sort out the thirty-two cards used in play, and the four small cards for markers, before the arrival of the guests. _=Drawing for Positions.=_ Two packs of differently coloured cards are used, and from the two black suits in each a sequence of cards is sorted out, equal in length to the number of tables in play. For instance: If there are sixteen ladies and sixteen gentlemen, or thirty-two players in all, they will fill eight tables, and all the clubs and spades from the ace to the eight inclusive should be sorted out. These are then thoroughly shuffled and presented, face down, to the players to draw from.
--London (G. L. Gomme). Leap-frog is known in Cornwall as Leap the Long-mare (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 60), and in Antrim and Down as Leap the Bullock (Patterson s _Glossary_). See Accroshay, Loup the Bullocks, Spanish Fly. Leap the Bullock See Leap-frog, Loup the Bullocks. Leaves are Green The leaves are green, the nuts are brown, They hang so high they will not come down; Leave them alone till frosty weather, Then they will all come down together. --Berkshire (Miss Thoyts, _Antiquary_, xxvii. 254).
In both cases the transition is due to traditional circumstances, and not to any formal arrangements. All invented games of skill are therefore excluded from this collection, but it includes both indoor and outdoor games, and those played by both girls and boys. The bulk of the collection has been made by myself, greatly through the kindness of many correspondents, to whom I cannot be sufficiently grateful. In every case I have acknowledged my indebtedness, which, besides being an act of justice, is a guarantee of the genuineness of the collection. I have appended to this preface a list of the collectors, together with the counties to which the games belong; but I must particularly thank the Rev. W. Gregor, Mr. S. O. Addy, and Miss Fowler, who very generously placed collections at my disposal, which had been prepared before they knew of my project; also Miss Burne, Miss L.
The probability of tricks in several suits is better than a certainty in one suit; but if one strong suit is accompanied by a card of re-entry, or by four trumps, it should prove very strong, particularly in partnership with the eldest hand. When the partners will sit next each other, proposals may be accepted on slightly weaker hands than would be considered safe otherwise. _=Playing Proposals and Acceptances.=_ If the eldest hand has proposed, and his partner sits next him on the left, the commanding trumps should be first led, in order to secure as many rounds as possible. If the eldest hand has no high-card combination in trumps, it is sometimes better to lead a small card from a weak suit, hoping to put the partner in. If successful, the partner will first show his suit, and then lead trumps through the adversaries. If the acceptor sits on the right of the proposing eldest hand, trumps should be led immediately, and the highest of them first, no matter what they are. The Q or J at the head of five trumps may be of great use to a partner with an honour. When the eldest hand has proposed, and his partner sits opposite him, trumps should be led at once, and all combinations played as at Whist. The foregoing principles equally apply when the eldest hand has accepted a proposal, if the player can be depended on to have proposed on general strength.
for French. Abnehmen or Abheben, G., to cut. Abwerfen, G., to discard. À cheval, across the line; betting on both sides at once. Adversary, (G., Feind). In Mort or Bridge, those who play against the Dummy and his partner. Affranchir, F.
| Shropshire. | Kent. | +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ | 1.|Where are these great | -- | -- | | |baa-lambs going? | | | | 2.|My fair lady. | -- | -- | | 3.|We are going to L. B. | -- | -- | | 4.| -- |Over L.
He saw himself very far away and he saw himself as she hated him. She hated him in the secrecy of her own mind. She hated him because he was--she thought--proud, and strange, and rich, better and more beautiful than people like her. He cut off the sight of her mind and, as he buried his face in the pillow, he caught an image of the Lady May. She _is_ a cat, he thought. That s all she is--a _cat_! But that was not how his mind saw her--quick beyond all dreams of speed, sharp, clever, unbelievably graceful, beautiful, wordless and undemanding. Where would he ever find a woman who could compare with her? --CORDWAINER SMITH [Illustration] * * * * * End of Project Gutenberg s The Game of Rat and Dragon, by Cordwainer Smith *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GAME OF RAT AND DRAGON *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties.
_=Rules for Leading Second Round.=_ On the second round of any suit, the player holding the best card should play it; or having several equally the best, one of them. If he is Fourth Hand, he may be able to win the trick more cheaply. If the original leader has several cards, equally the best, such as A Q J remaining after having led the King, he should continue with the lowest card that will win the trick. This should be an indication to his partner that the card led is as good as the best, and that therefore the leader must have the intermediate cards. _=Following King=_, which has been led from these combinations:-- [Illustration: 🂡 🂮 🂭 🂫 | 🂱 🂾 🂻 🂷 🃁 🃎 🃍 🃆 | 🃑 🃞 🃔 🃓 ] Leading the Jack on the second round would show both Ace and Queen remaining. Leading Queen would show Ace, but not the Jack. Leading Ace would show that the leader had not the Queen. In combinations which do not contain the best card, the lead may be varied in some cases to show the number remaining in the leader’s hand, or to indicate cards not shown by the first lead. _=Following King=_, which has been led from these combinations:-- [Illustration: 🃎 🃍 🃋 🃊 | 🃞 🃝 🃛 🃖 ] Leading the Ten on the second round would show both Queen and Jack remaining.
_=Bidding.=_ If a player wishes to go over the first offer made, he must either bid the same number of tricks in a better suit, or he must increase the number of tricks. No player can increase his own bid unless he is overbid in the interval, but there is no limit to the number of times that players may outbid one another. Observe that the dealer may bid or pass, and each player after him in turn may bid or pass. The highest bidder must abide by his announcement both as to the number of tricks and the suit. _=The Play.=_ No matter who dealt the cards, the player to the left of the highest bidder always leads for the first trick. Each player in turn must follow suit if he can, and the highest card played, if of the suit led, wins the trick, trumps winning all other suits. The winner of one trick leads for the next, and so on. There is no Dummy hand as in bridge.
Gomme). Strutt describes this game, and gives an illustration from a fourteenth century MS. which is here reproduced from the original (_Sports_, p. 303). Newell (_Games of American Children_, p. 171) also mentions it, and gives the rhyme as-- Frog in the sea, can t catch me! Gap The same as French Jackie. This game is called Tap-back or Tat-back at Bitterne, Hants. Garden Gate Children join hands and form a ring. One child stands inside the ring; this child walks round and asks one of the circle, called the Keeper-- Have you the key of the garden gate? Open and let me go through. The Keeper replies-- My next-door neighbour s got the key; Ask him and he ll give it to you.
When this amount is reached it is useless to place further bets, as they may not be paid. For this reason Baccara is a very slow game when there is not much money in the bank. After all the players have made what bets they wish, outsiders may place bets on the result if they choose to do so. Either the players or the gallery may bet on either side of the table, which is divided down the middle by a line dividing it into two parts, right and left; hence the name, Baccara a deux tableaux. A person wishing to bet on both sides at once places his money _=à cheval=_; that is, across the line. If one side wins and the other loses, a bet placed in this manner is a stand-off; if both sides lose, the bet is lost, and if both win the bet is won. A common form of dishonesty at Baccara, and one for which a distinguished Englishman was recently tried, is to place a stake very close to the line, and if it is seen that the side on which it is placed has probably lost, to push the stake onto the line, so that it may be saved if the other side wins. The Englishman in question worked this little game on the Prince of Wales for some time before he was detected. When the banker loses, he pays the players in their order, right and left alternately, beginning with those who hold cards, until his capital is exhausted. Any further bets are disregarded.