Red s cavalry on his right have taken his two guns well forward into a position to sweep either side of the farm, and his left gun is now well placed to pound Blue s infantry centre. His infantry continue to press forward, but Blue, for his second move, has already opened fire from the woods with his right gun, and killed three of Red s men. His infantry have now come up to serve this gun, and the cavalry who brought it into position at the first move have now left it to them in order to gallop over to join the force attacking the farm. Undismayed by Red s guns, Blue has brought his other two guns and his men as close to the farm as they can go. His leftmost gun stares Red s in the face, and prevents any effective fire, his middle gun faces Red s middle gun. Some of his cavalry are exposed to the right of the farm, but most are completely covered now by the farm from Red s fire. Red has now to move. The nature of his position is becoming apparent to him. His right gun is ineffective, his left and his centre guns cannot kill more than seven or eight men between them; and at the next move, unless he can silence them, Blue s guns will be mowing his exposed cavalry down from the security of the farm. He is in a fix.
I suppose that a decent walk would have given her _some_ charm--most of these hustlers have a regular Swiss Movement. But this thing had a gait that tied in with the slack way her skirt hung across her pelvic bones and hollered White Trash! at you. I wasn t much flattered that she had tried to pick me up. People have a pretty accurate way of measuring their social station. And she thought she was what I d go for. Well, I guess I don t look like so much, either. I d missed my share of meals when they might have put some height on me. My long, freckled face ends in a chin as sharp and pointed as her nose. And there s always something about a cripple, even if my powerless right arm doesn t exactly show. My days on the Crap Patrol came back to me.
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. _=When Partner Leads Low Cards=_, the Third Hand should do his best to secure the trick. If he has several cards of equal trick-taking value, such as A K Q, or K Q J, he should win the trick as cheaply as possible. The only _=finesse=_ permitted to the Third Hand in his partner’s suit, is the play of the Queen, when he holds A Q and others; the odds being against Fourth Hand having the King. _=Foster’s Eleven Rule.=_ By deducting from eleven the number of pips on any low card led, the Third Hand may ascertain how far his partner’s suit is from being established. For instance: if the card led is the Seven, Second Hand playing the Eight, and Third Hand holding A J 6 3, from which he plays Ace, Fourth Hand playing the Five; the only card against the leader must be the King or Queen; he cannot have both, or he would have led one. If the Second Hand has not the missing card, he has no more of the suit. The number of inferences which may be made in this manner by observant players is astonishing. A great many examples and exercises in them are given in _=Foster’s Whist Manual=_.
If the dealer bids a winning suit, second and third hands passing, make any sound declaration. If the dealer starts with no trumps, show any suit that might save the game if led at once by your partner. _=Subsequent Bids.=_ Any suit bid on the second round but not on the first, shows length without the tops. When a winning suit is taken out by the partner, a losing suit bid on the second round shows tops in it. Any suit rebid on the second round, without waiting for the partner’s assistance, shows six or seven sure tricks in hand. Never bid a hand twice, unless its strength is greater than indicated by the first bid. Having bid a club on ace king alone, that is the end of it. If you have an outside ace, which the club bid did not show, you can assist your partner once on that trick, but no more. Having assisted your partner’s suit bid with three tricks, do not bid again unless you have a fourth trick in hand, but if he rebids his suit without waiting for you, you may assist on one trick, especially a high honour in trumps.
The cards in one hand are:-- [Illustration: 🂻 🂱 🂺 🂡 🂮 ] and those in the other hand are;-- [Illustration: 🃋 🂾 🂽 🂹 🃑 ] If the player with the major tenace has to lead first, all he has to do is to force his adversary with the plain suit, spades. Whatever the adversary leads, the player with the major tenace simply wins it, and forces again. If the player with the four trumps has the first lead, it does not matter what card he plays; the player with the major tenace wins it, and forces with the plain suit. As long as the major tenace in trumps is not led away from, it must win three tricks in trumps. _=Leading Trumps.=_ With strong cards in plain suits, the eldest hand may often lead trumps to advantage if the dealer’s partner has assisted, especially if the turn-up trump is small. It is seldom right to lead trumps if the dealer has taken up the trump of his own accord; but an exception is usually made when the eldest hand holds three trumps, and two aces in plain suits. The best chance for a euchre is to exhaust the trumps, so as to make the aces good for tricks. If the pone has ordered up the trump, the eldest hand should lead trumps to him immediately; but the pone should not lead trumps to his partner if the eldest hand has ordered up at the bridge. If a bower is turned, the dealer’s partner should lead a small trump at the first opportunity.
_=CHEATING.=_ The methods of cheating at Écarté would fill a volume. There are many tricks which, while not exactly fraudulent, are certainly questionable. For instance: A player asks the gallery whether or not he should stand, and finally concludes to propose, fully intending all the time to draw five cards. Another will handle his counters as if about to mark the King; will then affect to hesitate, and finally re-adjust them, and ask for cards, probably taking four or five, having absolutely nothing in his hand. The pone will ask the dealer how many points he has marked, knowing perfectly well that the number is three. On being so informed, he concludes to ask for cards, as if he were not quite strong enough to risk the game by standing; when as a matter of fact he wants five cards, and is afraid of the vole being made against him. There are many simple little tricks practiced by the would-be sharper, such as watching how many cards a player habitually cuts, and then getting the four Kings close together in such a position in the pack that one of them is almost certain to be turned. Telegraphic signals between persons on opposite sides of the gallery who are nevertheless in partnership, are often translated into advice to the player, to his great benefit. Besides these, all the machinery of marked cards, reflectors, shifted cuts, wedges, strippers, and false shuffles are at the command of the philosopher, who can always handle a small pack of cards with greater freedom, and to whom the fashion of dealing in twos and threes is always welcome.
What shall we build it up withal? Build it up with iron and steel, Iron and steel will bend and break. Build it up with wood and stone, Wood and stone will fall away. Build it up with silver and gold, Silver and gold will be stolen away. Then we must set a man to watch, Suppose the man should fall asleep? Then we must put a pipe in his mouth, Suppose the pipe should fall and break? Then we must set a dog to watch, Suppose the dog should run away? Then we must chain him to a post. The two lines in _italic_ are all regularly repeated after each line.--M. Green. Another correspondent to this magazine, in the same volume, p. 507, observes that the ballad concerning London Bridge formed, in my remembrance, part of a Christmas Carol, and commenced thus-- Dame, get up and bake your pies, On Christmas-day in the morning. The requisition goes on to the dame to prepare for the feast, and her answer is-- London Bridge is fallen down, On Christ-mas day in the morning, &c.
30 25 23-18 10 6 18-14 6 1 26-30 25 21 30-25 1 5 25-22 5 1 22-18 1 5 18-15 5 1 15-10 1 5 10- 6 5 1 14-10 1 5 6- 1 5 9 10-15 B 9 5 15-18 5 9 1- 5 9 6 18-15 21 17 5- 1 6 9 15-18 9 5 18-22 17 14 1- 6 5 1 6- 2 1 5 22-17 14 9 B wins ------ Var B. 9 14 1- 5 21 17 5- 1 17 13 1- 5 14 17 15-10 B wins _=Second Position.=_ 1- 5 8 11 5- 9 11 15 9-14 15 11 14-18 11 16 18-15 16 20 15-11 20 24 3- 7 24 19 7-10 19 23 10-15 23 27 15-19 27 32 19-24 32 28 24-27 28 32 27-31 32 28 31-27 28 32 27-23 32 28 23-18 28 24 18-14 24 19 6-10 19 23 10-15 23 27 15-19 27 32 19-24 32 28 24-27 28 24 27-32 24 28 32-27 28 32 27-24 32 28 24-19 28 32 19-15 32 28 15-10 28 24 10- 6 24 19 14-10 19 24 10-15 24 28 15-19 28 32 19-24 32 28 11-16 28 19 16-23 12 8 23-18 8 4 18-14 4 8 6- 1 8 11 14- 9 13 6 1-10 11 16 10-15 16 20 15-19 B wins _=Third Position.=_ White to move 18 15 A 6- 1 14 9 24-28 23 19 1- 5 9 6 B 28-32 19 24 5- 1 24 19 W wins ----- Var A. 24-28 23 27 6- 1 14 10 28-32 27 24 1- 5 10 6 W wins ------ Var B. 5- 1 6 10 W wins ------ Black to move 6- 1 18 15 C 1- 6 14 10 6- 9 23 19 24-27 15 18 D 27-32 19 24 9- 5 10 14 32-28 24 27 W wins ------ Var C. 1- 5 14 10 24-28 23 19 28-32 15 18 32-27 10 6 27-32 19 23 5- 1 6 9 W wins ------ Var D. 9- 5 10 6 27-32 19 23 5- 1 6 9 32-28 23 27 W wins _=Fourth Position.=_ Black to play 28-24 32 28 24-20 28 32 22-18 31 27 23-19 27 31 19-24 32 27 24-28 27 32 18-22 31 27 22-26 30 23 28-24 B wins ----- White to play 31 27 23-19 27 31 19-24 32 27 24-20 27 32 22-18 31 27 28-24 27 31 18-23 31 26 Drawn _=Traps.=_ The beginner should be on his guard against being caught, “two for one,” especially in such positions as those shown in Diagrams Nos.
Jib-Job-Jeremiah. Jiddy-cum-jiddy. Jingle-the-bonnet. Jingo-ring. Jinkie. Jock and Jock s Man. Jockie Blind-man. Joggle along. Johnny Rover. Jolly Fishermen.
=_ If the striker’s ball touch the one he has to play at, he is at liberty either to play at it or at any other ball on the table, and such stroke is not to be considered foul; in such a case, however, the striker loses a life by running his ball into a pocket or forcing it over the table. _=20.=_ If, after making a hazard, the striker takes up his ball, or stops it before it has done running, he cannot claim the life for the ball pocketed. _=21.=_ If, before a star, two or more balls, each having one life, are pocketed by the same stroke, the owner of the first ball struck can star; but if he refuse, the other player whose ball was pocketed may star. _=22.=_ Should the striker’s ball stop on the place from which a ball has been taken up, the ball which has been removed must remain in hand until the spot is unoccupied, when it is to be replaced. _=23.=_ Should the striker’s ball miss the ball played at, no person except the striker is allowed to stop the ball till it has ceased running or struck another ball. _=24.
The dealer is also the banker. Each player is provided with a certain number of _=counters=_, usually 25 or 50, and a betting limit is agreed on before play begins. The players on the dealer’s right and left are known as the pone and the eldest hand respectively. The _=object=_ of the game is to get as near 21 as possible in the total pip value of the cards held. _=Stakes.=_ Before the cards are dealt, each player except the dealer places before him the amount he bets upon his chances for that deal. This amount may be either at the option of the player, within the betting limit, or it may be a fixed sum, such as one counter. In one variation each player is allowed to look at the first card dealt him before making his bet, and before receiving a second card. When it comes to the dealer’s turn, he does not stake anything upon his card, but he has the privilege of calling upon all the others to _=double=_ the amount they have placed on theirs. Any player refusing to double must pass over to the dealer the stake already put up, and stand out of the game for that hand.
For instance: Partner leads King, won by the ace second hand. Whatever this player leads, put in your Pedro, if you have one, your partner must have Queen of trumps. Playing to the score is very important. Do not attempt to get more than the number bid until that is assured. On the other hand, if it is certain that the adversary cannot make good his bid, do not let him get as close to it as possible, but play boldly to win all you can, for every point he makes is simply lost. Here are a few example hands, which will give a very good idea of some of the fine points in the game. _=No. 1.=_ | | _=No. 2.
As five points is the game, four of these counters are necessary for each player. _=PLAYERS.=_ Écarté is played by two persons, who sit opposite each other. One is known as the dealer, and the other as the pone, the adversary, the elder hand, the non-dealer, the leader, or the player. _=THE GALLERY.=_ In clubs that make a feature of Écarté, and in which there is a great deal of betting on the outside by the spectators, it is not usual to allow more than one game between the same players, the loser giving place to one of those who have been backing him, and who is called a _=rentrant=_. This is known as playing the _cul-levé_. Any person in the gallery is allowed to draw attention to errors in the score, and may advise the player he is backing, or even play out the game for him, if he resigns. The player need not take the advice given him, which must be offered without discussion, and by pointing only, not naming the suit or cards. If a player will not allow the gallery to back him, taking all bets himself, no one may overlook his hand nor advise him without his permission, and he need not retire if he loses the game.
_=Games.=_ These games are divided into two principal classes, those in which the player undertakes to win, and those in which he tries to lose. When he plays to lose, it is to lose every trick, there being no trump suit, and the cards in each suit ranking A K Q J 10 9 8 7. These games are called _=Null=_, or Nullo, and _=Null Ouvert=_, the latter being played with the successful bidder’s cards exposed face upward on the table, but not liable to be called. The moment he wins a trick in a Nullo, he loses his game. Nullos are quite foreign to Skat, and appear to have been introduced as a consolation for players who always hold bad cards. When _=Ramsch=_ is played, the object is to take less than either of the other players; but the cards rank as in the ordinary game, except that the four Jacks are the only trumps. In all other games the successful bidder undertakes to win; but his success does not depend on the number of tricks he takes in, but on the total value of the counting cards contained in those tricks. The total value of all the counting cards is 120 points, and to be successful, the single player must win at least 61. If he succeeds in winning 61 or more points, he wins his game, whatever it may be.
1). In case of the discovery of an irregularity in the hands, there must always be a new deal. MNEMONIC DUPLICATE FOR MORE THAN ONE TABLE. Except a contest played in comparison with a progressive match, the replaying of the cards by the same players--“up and back,” as it is sometimes called--is the only possible method of approximating to Duplicate Whist for one table; but where eight or more players participate, this form of the game is extremely undesirable, from the element of memory entering into the replay and destroying the integrity of the game and its value as a test of Whist skill. It has been well described as “a mongrel game--partly Whist and partly Dummy, but lacking in the best features of each.” In the early days of Duplicate Whist, Mnemonic Duplicate was, to some extent, played even when several tables of players were participating. It still survives in a few circles, chiefly where Duplicate Whist has never been tried. It can be played under any of the Duplicate Whist schedules by playing them through twice--the second time with the North and South hands given to the East and West players, and vice versa. As each deal is played twice by each pair, double the time is required to play the same number of deals, as at Duplicate Whist. Allowance must be made for this in fixing the number of deals to be played.