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. It is not certain whether we have two independent games, or whether The Witch is this game, the incidents of pot-boiling and the fire-protection having been lost in its transmission to more modern notions. Although so closely allied, these games are not one at the present day, and are therefore treated separately. Newell (_Games_, p. 218) gives some versions of Witch which show a connection between that game and this. See Keeling the Pot, Witch. Mount the Tin One child throws a tin (any kind of tin will do) to some distance, and then walks towards it without looking round.
=_ If the striker, when in hand, plays from any position not within the six-inch radius. _=4.=_ If, in the act of striking, he has not at least one foot _touching_ the floor. _=5.=_ If he strikes while a ball is in motion, unless it has come to a rest, as provided in Sec. 10 on Foul Strokes. _=6.=_ If he plays with the wrong ball, except as provided in foregoing Law 10. _=7.=_ If the player touches the cue-ball more than once in any way, or hinders or accelerates it in any other way than by a legitimate stroke of the cue; or if, during a stroke or after it, he in any way touches, hinders, or accelerates an object-ball, except by the one stroke of the cue-ball to which he is entitled.
... pearl. | -- | -- | | 17.|.....
The chances of improving a pair by drawing three cards, are one in three; and by drawing two cards only, one in four. The difference is worth the moral effect of the variation in the play. _=PROBABILITIES.=_ The endless poker statistics that have been published are of little or no value to the practical player, and there are only a few figures that are worth remembering. It is a general law in all games of chance that you should never do a thing which you would not be willing to repeat under the same circumstances a hundred times. The best example of the application of this law is in drawing to bobtails. If you have a four-card flush to draw to, the odds against getting it are about four to one; and unless you can obtain the privilege of drawing to it by paying not more than one-fifth of the amount in the pool, you will lose by it in the long run. The best players never draw to four-card flushes except when they have the age, and the ante has not been raised. There are some players who pretend to be so guided by probabilities that they never go into a pool unless the chances in favour of their having a good hand after the draw are at least equal to the odds they have to bet by going into the pool. This is all nonsense; for no player knows when he goes into a pool how much it will cost him to get out, and the value of his individual hand is an unknown quantity at the best, because it cannot be compared to the others.
_=THE LEADER’S PARTNER=_, or the Third Hand, has several conventional plays to remember; the most important of which are the following: _=When Partner Leads High Cards=_, the Third Hand has usually little to do but to play his lowest of the suit. The exceptions are: If he holds A J alone, on a King led, the Ace should be played. If he holds A Q alone on a Ten led, the Ace should be played. With A Q x, the Ten should be passed. With Ace and small cards, the Ace should be played on the Ten. With Queen and small cards the Ten should be passed. When Third Hand plays Queen on a Ten led, it should be a certainty that he has no more of the suit. If he holds A K and only one small card, the King should be played on a Queen led. If he holds Ace and only one small card, the Ace should be played on the Jack led. If Third Hand has four trumps and a card of re-entry, the Ace should be played on Jack led, regardless of number, in older to lead trumps at once, to defend the suit.
The divisions are as follows:-- The heavy faced type indicates the black numbers: [Illustration: +------+ | 0 | +--------+------+------+------+--------+ | | 1 | =2= | 3 | | | +------+------+------+ | | | =4= | 5 | =6= | | | Passe +------+------+------+ Manque | | | 7 | =8= | 9 | | | +------+------+------+ | | | =10= | =11= | 12 | | +--------+------+------+------+--------+ | | =13= | 14 | =15= | | | +------+------+------+ | | | 16 | =17= | 18 | | | Pair +------+------+------+ Impair | | | 19 | =20= | 21 | | | +------+------+------+ | | | =22= | 23 | =24= | | +--------+------+------+------+--------+ | | 25 | =26= | 27 | | | +------+------+------+ | | | =28= | =29= | 30 | | | Noir +------+------+------+ Rouge | | | =31= | 32 | =33= | | | +------+------+------+ | | | 34 | =35= | 36 | | +--+--+--+------+------+------+--+--+--+ | P| M| D| | | | P| M| D| |12|12|12| | | |12|12|12| +--+--+--+------+------+------+--+--+--+ ] Bets may be made on the following chances: 1. _=En plein.=_ Flat upon any number, which pays 35 for 1. The betting limit at Monte Carlo is 180 francs. 2. _=A cheval=_, on the line between two numbers, which pays 17 for 1. Betting limit on this chance is 360 francs. 3. _=Un carré=_, on a cross line, taking in four numbers. This pays 8 for 1.
=_ Beginning on the dealer’s left, each player in turn bids for the privilege of naming the trump suit, stating the number of tricks he proposes to win, playing single-handed against the three other players, and leading a trump for the first trick. In bidding, the trump suit is not named, only the number of tricks. If a player proposes to win all five tricks he bids _=nap=_, which is the highest bid possible, and precludes any further bidding, except in some of the variations which will be described later on. If a player will not make a bid, he says “_=I pass=_,” A bid having been made, any following player must either increase it or pass. If all pass until it comes to the dealer, he is bound to bid at least one trick, and either play or pay. The hands are never abandoned except in case of a misdeal. In some places a _=misère=_ bid is allowed, which outranks a bid of three tricks, and is beaten by one of four. There is no trump suit in misère, but the bidder, if successful, must lead for the first trick. Any bid once made can neither be amended nor recalled, and there is no second bid. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.
It began with a boy taking a handkerchief and dancing before the girls, singing the first verse (fig. 1). Selecting one of the girls, he threw the handkerchief into her lap, or put it round her neck, holding both ends himself. Some spread the handkerchief on the floor at the feet of the girl. The object in either case was to secure a kiss, which, however, was not given without a struggle, the girls cheering their companion at every unsuccessful attempt which the boy made (fig. 2). A girl then took the handkerchief, singing the next verse (fig. 3), and having thrown the handkerchief to one of the boys, she went off to her own side among the girls, and was pursued by the chosen boy (fig. 4). When all were thus paired, they formed into line, facing each other, and danced somewhat like the country dance of Sir Roger.