A player dealing out of turn may be penalized 10 points. ERRORS IN DEALING. 21. There are no misdeals. No matter what happens, the same dealer must deal again if it was his proper turn to deal. 22. If a card is exposed by the dealer during the deal, there must be a new deal; or if the cards of the players become confused, so that the dealer cannot separate them. 23. If the dealer gives too many or too few cards to any player, or neglects to lay out the skat cards in their proper turn, or does not give the right number of cards in each round, or gives three to one player and four to another, or fails to present the pack to be cut, there must be a new deal, and the dealer is charged 10 points for the error. THE SKAT CARDS.
Y-Z multiply by 4, making them 8, and bringing their total score on the marker to 16; that is, a game, and 6 points to their credit on the second game. This must now be put down on the score-sheet. A-B’s honours not counting, as Y-Z went out by cards, the game is a double; A-B not having reached 7 points. The score and markers now stand:-- A-B | 0 | | | | | | | Score: | | | | | | | | Y-Z | 2 | | | | | | | [Illustration: A-B’S, NOTHING. Y-Z’S, 1 GAME, 6 POINTS.] Let us suppose A-B to announce grand on their deal, and to make four by cards, which, multiplied by 8, gives them 32 points; that is, three games, and 2 points to their credit on the marker. The first of these games is a double, Y-Z having 6 points up. The two others are quadruples, put down on the score-sheet thus:-- A-B | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | | | | Score: | | | | | | | | Y-Z | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | [Illustration: A-B’S, 3 GAMES, 2 POINTS. Y-Z’S, 1 GAME, 0 POINTS.] In the next hand let us suppose clubs to be cayenne.
The last one at the end of the tail may, if she has no other chance of escape, try and place herself before the Deer or Hen. She is then no longer to be hunted; all the others must then follow her example until the deer becomes the last of the line. The game then terminates by exacting a forfeit for each lady whom the Wolf has suffered to escape his clutches (pp. 64, 65). See Gled Wylie, Hen and Chickens, Old Dame. Fox and Geese (2) A game known by this name is played with marbles or pegs on a board on which are thirty-three holes, or on the pavement, with holes scraped out of the stones. To play this game there are seventeen pieces called Geese, and another one either larger or distinguished from the Geese by its colour, which is called the Fox. The Fox occupies the centre hole, and the Geese occupy nine holes in front, and four on each side of him. The vacant holes behind are for the Geese and Fox to move in. The game is for the Geese to shut up the Fox so that he cannot move.
_=CHEATING.=_ As in all games in which the cards are dealt in groups, the greek will find many opportunities in Skat. The clumsiest shuffler can usually locate some of the Wenzels at the top or the bottom of the pack, before presenting it to be cut, and if the players do not insist on the cards being dealt always in the same manner, the sharper can secure to himself two or more Wenzels, either in his hand or in the Skat. Any person who deals the cards sometimes three at a time, and again five at a time, should be stopped immediately, and no such excuses as changing his luck should be listened to for a moment. Any person who habitually picks up the cards with their faces towards him, and straightens them by lifting them from their positions in the pack, should be stopped at once, and requested to straighten the cards face down. Dealing seconds is very difficult when the cards have to be “pinched” in threes and fours. A second dealer holding back a Wenzel on the top may give his adversary two underneath without knowing it. Marked cards are of advantage only when the dealer plays, and are of little use beyond telling him what he can turn up for a trump, or what he will find in the Skat. The rule for having four in the game, if possible, is one of the greatest safeguards, unless the dealer is in secret partnership with one of the players. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.
------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ The Bid. | ♠ | ♣ | ♢ | ♡ | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Five tricks alone, or partners’ 8 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | Three honours | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | Four honours | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | Each extra trick | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Six tricks, or petite independence | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Three honours | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | Four honours | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Each extra trick | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Eight tricks, or grand independence | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | Three honours | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Four honours | 8 | 16 | 24 | 32 | Each extra trick | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Petite misère | 16 | 32 | 48 | 64 | Grand misère | 32 | 64 | 96 | 128 | Misère de quatre as | 32 | 64 | 96 | 128 | Misère sur table | 64 | 128 | 192 | 256 | Slam à deux (partners) | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | Slam seul (alone) | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | Slam sur table | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | ------------------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+ RUSSIAN BOSTON. This is a variation of Boston de Fontainbleau. A player holding carte blanche declares it before playing, and receives ten counters from each of the other players. Carte blanche is the same thing as chicane in Bridge, no trump in the hand. But in Bridge the player is penalized for announcing it until after the hand is played. The order of the suits is the same as in American Boston de Fontainbleau: diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades. When a player bids six, seven, or eight tricks, he is supposed to be still willing to take a partner, unless he specifies solo. When a partner accepts him, the combination must make four tricks more than the original proposal. Four honours are paid for as four over-tricks; three honours as two over-tricks.
BID WHIST. This is a popular game on trains, or wherever it may be necessary to stop at the end of a deal without finishing the game. Thirteen cards are dealt to each player, one at a time, but no trump is turned. Partners sit opposite each other, and the player to the left of the dealer makes the first bid. _=BIDDING.=_ The bidding goes round until no one will go any higher. The eldest hand starts by naming the number of points he will make if allowed to name the trump and lead to the first trick, but he does not name the suit he purposes picking out. It is not necessary to lead a trump. There are two ways to bid. In some places there are seventeen points to be played for in each deal; one for each trick of the thirteen and one for each of the four honours, ace king queen and jack, in the trump suit.
| | . | | . | +---+-.-+---+-.-+---+-.-+---+-.-+ | | . | | . | | . | | .
Fig. 7. Fig. 8. Fig. 9. Fig. 10.] From Crockham Hill, Kent, Miss Chase sends four versions. In the first plan (fig.
Cobble. Cobbler s Hornpipe. Cob-nut. Cock. Cock-battler. Cock-fight. Cock-haw. Cock-stride. Cockertie-hooie. Cockle-bread.
There were more than twenty gamblers of both sexes pressed up against the green baize of the crap layout. Three stick-men in black aprons that marked them for dealers were working on the other side or the table. We had at least one dealer too many for the crowd. That screamed out loud the table was having trouble. Big gambling layouts know within minutes if a table is not making its vigorish. A Nevada crap layout, with moderately heavy play, should make six per cent of the amount gambled on every roll. That s its vigorish--its percentage. If the take falls below that, the suspicion is that the table is being taken to the cleaners by a crooked gambler, or cross-roader. The table I had picked was the only one in the Sky Hi Club s casino with more than one stick-man working it. The girl sniffled, and her long skinny arm reached around behind me to snag a couple sandwiches the size of postage stamps from a waiter s tray.
=_ Solo is played with a pack of thirty-two cards, which rank A K Q J 10 9 8 7. One suit is always first preference, or _=colour=_, and the suit usually selected is clubs. Any suit may be made the trump, but whatever the suit, the club Queen, _=Spadilla=_, is always the best trump; the Seven of the trump suit, _=Manilla=_, is always the second-best trump; and the spade Queen, _=Basta=_, is always the third-best trump. _=Players.=_ Solo is played by four persons, who throw round the cards for the first club turned up to deal eight cards to each player; 3-2-3 at a time. _=Objects.=_ The object of the game is to secure the privilege of naming the trump suit, and of playing, either alone or with a partner, to make five tricks, _=solo=_, or eight tricks, _=tout=_. If a partner is required, he is selected by the player asking for a certain ace, but the holder of the ace remains unknown until the ace falls, although from the first he must assist the player who has asked for it. If a player asks for an ace while holding it himself, he of course plays without a partner, unknown to the others however, until he plays the ace asked for. _=Bidding.
This is a very general game among schoolboys, but in Hereford it was a town custom occurring once in seven years on 11th October (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 75). Fool, Fool, come to School This game is played under the name of Foolie, Foolie at Duthil, Strathspey. The players are placed in a row, either standing or sitting. Two are chosen, the one as Namer and the other as Foolie. Foolie withdraws, if not out of sight, at least out of range of hearing. The Namer then gives a name secretly to each player. When this is done, he calls on Foolie--Foolie, Foolie, come to your schoolie. Foolie pays no attention to this call. It is again repeated, but with the same results.
=_ Three or more cards of the same suit, if next in value to one another, form a sequence. The French terms are generally used to designate the number of cards in the sequence: Tierce, Quatrième, Quinte, Sixième, Septième, Huitième. Many English works on cards erroneously spell quinte without the “e,” and give “quart” for a sequence of four. If one is going to use the French language at all, it may as well be used correctly. Sequences outrank one another according to the best card, if they are of equal length; so that a quinte to a King would be better than a quinte to a Queen; but a longer sequence always outranks a shorter one, regardless of the high cards. The player holding the best sequence is entitled to score it, together with any inferior sequences he may hold in other suits. Should his adversary hold intermediate sequences, they are of no value. For instance: One player holds a quinte to the Jack in spades, a tierce to the Ten in hearts, and a tierce to the Nine in clubs; while the other holds a quatrième majeure (A K Q J) in hearts, diamonds, and clubs. None of the latter are of any value; but all those in the other hand are good. If the best sequence is a tie, no sequences can be scored by either player.
If any cards have been played after an erroneous announcement of the King, such cards can be taken back by the adversary of the player in error, and the hand played over again. _=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The elder hand begins by leading any card he pleases, at the same time announcing the suit; “hearts;” “spades;” or whatever it may be. This announcement must be continued at every trick. If a player announces one suit and leads another, his adversary may demand that he take back the card played, and lead the suit announced. If he has none of the announced suit, the adversary may call a suit. If the adversary is satisfied with the card led, but improperly announced, he may demand that it remain as played. _=RENOUNCING.=_ When a card is led the adversary must not only follow suit, but must win the trick if he can. If he can neither follow suit nor trump, he may discard any card he pleases.
=_ _=Y=_ gets rid of another winning card; _=B=_ keeping a small card to avoid the lead. _=Trick 3.=_ _=A=_ returns the Club, reading _=B=_ for the Q or no more. _=B=_ still avoids the lead, and _=Z=_ is marked as not having the trump Ten, or he would have saved it. _=Trick 4.=_ _=Z=_ plays to win what cards he can. _=Trick 5.=_ _=B=_ throws ♢A to avoid the lead, knowing _=Y=_ has the trump Ten; for _=A=_ would have made it on the second round of Spades. _=A=_ also marks it with _=Y=_, as _=B=_ does not save it. _=Trick 6.
If the dealer exposes a card in dealing, or turns up a trump by mistake, the adversaries may elect to have a new deal by the same dealer, or to let the deal stand. If the dealer gives too many or too few cards to any player, or fails to give the same number of cards in each round, it is a misdeal, and the deal passes to the next player on the left. Any player dealing out of turn, or with the wrong cards, may be stopped before the last three cards are dealt; but after that the deal stands good. If a misdeal is not discovered until after a bid has been made, the deal stands good if three players have their right number of cards. The deal passes in regular rotation to the left. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ The game is fifty-one points, and the side first pegging that number, or getting rid of its fifty-one counters is the winner. Fourteen points are made on every deal, as follows:-- 1 For _=High=_, the ace of trumps. 1 For _=Low=_, the deuce of trumps. 1 For the _=Jack=_ of trumps.
| -- | | 2.|Stepping up the green | | |grass. | | 3.|Thus, and thus, and | | |thus. | | 4.| -- | | 5.| -- | | 6.|Will you let one of | | |your fair maids. | | 7.|Come and play with us.
If a player demand that the cards be placed, he should do so for his own information and not to call his partner’s attention to any card or play. 4. An opponent of the declarer should not lead until the preceding trick has been turned and quitted; nor, after having led a winning card, should he draw another from his hand before his partner has played to the current trick. 5. A card should not be played with such emphasis as to draw attention to it, nor should a player detach one card from his hand and subsequently play another. 6. A player should not purposely incur a penalty because he is willing to pay it, nor should he make a second revoke to conceal a first. 7. Conversation during the play should be avoided, as it may annoy players at the table or at other tables in the room. 8.
_ |QR |QKt|QB | Q | K |KB |KKt|KR | Black. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 8 | ♜ | ♞ | ♝ | ♛ | ♚ | ♝ | ♞ | ♜ | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 7 | ♟ | ♟ | ♟ | ♟ | | ♟ | ♟ | ♟ | 2 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 6 | | | | | | | | | 3 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 5 | | | | | ♟ | | | | 4 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 4 | | | | | ♙ | | | | 5 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 3 | | | | | | ♘ | | | 6 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 2 | ♙ | ♙ | ♙ | ♙ | | ♙ | ♙ | ♙ | 7 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | ♖ | ♘ | ♗ | ♕ | ♔ | ♗ | | ♖ | 8 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ White. |QR |QKt|QB | Q | K |KB |KKt|KR | ] In Diagram No. 12, for instance, both the Pawns that have been moved would be spoken of as on K 4. The Knight that has been moved is on K B 3, because it is a white Knight. If it was a black Knight it would be on K B 6, reckoning from the black side of the board for the black pieces. In order to test your understanding of this system of notation, which is very important in following published games or problems, take the board and men, white side next you, and set up the following position, remembering that when no number is given, the piece stands upon the square originally occupied by the piece which gives its name to the file:-- Black men;--King on Q R’s; Queen on Q Kt’s; Pawns on Q R 2, and Q Kt, 3; Rook on Q R 3. White men;--King on Q Kt 5; Queen on Q B 6. Now look at Diagram No 11, and see if you have it right. In addition to the notation of position, there is that of action.
One ace having been drawn, 3 remain in 51 cards, so the probability of getting the second is 3/51, or 1/17. Before a card was drawn, the probability of getting two aces in succession was the product of these fractions; 1/13 × 1/17 = 1/221. On the same principle the odds against two players cutting cards that are a tie, such as two Fours, are not 220 to 1, unless it is specified that the first card shall be a Four. The first player having cut, the odds against the second cutting a card of equal value are only 16 to 1. _=Dice.=_ In calculating the probabilities of throws with two or more dice, we must multiply together the total number of throws possible with each die separately, and then find the number of throws that will give the result required. Suppose two dice are used. Six different throws may be made with each, therefore 6 × 6 = 36 different throws are possible with the two dice together. What are the odds against one of these dice being an ace? A person unfamiliar with the science of probabilities would say that as two numbers must come up, and there are only six numbers altogether, the probability is 2/6, or exactly 2 to 1 against an ace being thrown. But this is not correct, as will be immediately apparent if we write out all the 36 possible throws with two dice; for we shall find that only 11 of the 36 contain an ace, and 25 do not.
--Jamieson. The editors of Jamieson append a lengthy note connecting the name of this game with the northern belief that the wicked were condemned to suffer eternal punishment in Hecla, the volcanic mountain in Iceland. See Namers and Guessers. Hen and Chicken Chickery, chickery, cranny crow, I went to the well to wash my toe, When I got back a chicken was dead. This verse is said by the Hen to her Chickens, after which they all go with the Hen to search for the dead Chicken. On their way they meet the Fox. The following dialogue between the Fox and Hen ensues, the Hen beginning:-- What are you doing? Picking up sticks. What for? To make a fire. What s the fire for? To boil some water. What s the water for? To boil some chickens in.
The four who cut the lowest cards play first, and cut again to decide on partners; the two lowest play against the two highest; the lowest is the dealer, who has choice of cards and seats, and, having once made his selection, must abide by it. 17. 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.
A variation is sometimes made by the dealer announcing a trump suit after he has examined his hand, instead of turning up the last card. His adversary then has the right either to play his hand, or to exchange it for the one on his right; but the dealer must play the hand dealt to him. THIRTEEN AND THE ODD. This is Humbug Whist without the discard. The dealer gives thirteen cards to his adversary and to himself, one at a time, and turns up the next for the trump. The trump card belongs to neither player. The winner of the odd trick scores a point. Five points is game. MORT. WHIST À TROIS; OR FRENCH DUMMY.