When there is a choice of several ways of making a shot, the balls being wide apart, it will usually be found that one of them will bring the balls into better position than the others, and for that reason it is called a _=gathering shot=_. The expert tries to get the balls on the rail by a series of these gathering shots, and if any of the three positions shown in the diagram can be arrived at, a large run may be made by the _=rail nurse=_. When the balls are not left in one of these positions they are said to _=break=_, but there are several positions in which they may be recovered by a kiss or a massé shot. In No. 4, the player must be careful to come back on the proper side of the carrom ball, so as to get back to position 2, if possible. [Illustration] [Illustration] [Illustration] When the player reaches the corner, there are three principal positions for accomplishing the turn. In the first shown, the spot white must be touched very lightly on the left side, the cue ball going to the cushion with a strong English on the right side. In the second position, the red ball is barely touched. The third position is a light force shot but would be a half follow if the spot white were further out. BAULK-LINE BILLIARDS.
If the adversaries lead trumps, and the Ace wins the first round, a player holding the King second hand on the return, may finesse by holding it up, trusting his partner for the trick. In all cases that mark the best of the suit against a player, and on his left, he may finesse against the third best being there also. For instance: A player leads from K 10 x x x. Third Hand plays Queen and returns a small card. The Ten should be finessed, regardless of trump strength, as the Ace must be on the left, and the finesse is against the Jack being there also. Many varieties of this finesse occur. _=Placing the Lead.=_ This is usually a feature of the end-game A player may have an established suit, his adversary being the only person with any small cards of it. If the lead can be placed in the hand of this adversary, he must eventually lead the losing cards. A player begins with a weak suit of four cards, on the first round of which it is evident that his partner has no more, the adversaries having all the high cards.
Chairs formed the copper, and the ghost crouched down behind. The Mother was washing at a tub, also formed with two chairs. The eldest daughter was told she could not go to school to-day; she must stop at home and help hang up the clothes. The other children go to play. The Mother said, Here, Jane, take this (pretending to give her a garment out of the wash-tub) and put it in the copper, and push it down well with the stick. Jane goes to the copper and pretends to take off the lid. When she puts the washed garment in, and pokes down with the stick, the Ghost jumps up. She cries out as above, the Mother saying, Nonsense, child! it s only some of the boiling clothes. The child goes again, and the game proceeds as above. It is generally played now as Ghost.
Perhaps it was his nearly bald scalp, perhaps the thick, bookish glasses in heavy brown frames. What s that? he asked mildly, poking a finger at the dealer kneeling in the sawdust on the floor. My Blackout victim was reaching out, trying to find something he could use to raise himself to his feet. His face was frozen in a fierce, unseeing stare as he mentally screamed at his eyes to see, see, see! Blackout! one of the bouncers told the second stick-man in a muffled voice. Sharp eyes fired a quick, surprised look at me. Well, said the bald dealer. Good evening, Brother. I had a surge of relief. The strong-arm stuff was over. This was the casino s TK.
Bonnety. Booman. Boss-out. Boss and Span. Boys and Girls. Branks. Bridgeboard. Broken-down Tradesmen. Brother Ebenezer. Bubble-hole.
Any player who cannot continue the sequence in his turn must pass that round. As soon as one player gets rid of his last card the game is at an end and every player at the table must pay him a counter for each card held. The deal then passes to the left and the layout is dressed for the next hand. RANTER GO ROUND. This is a round game for any number of players who make up a pool or stake to be played for. A full pack of fifty-two cards is used and each player has three markers. The dealer gives one card to each, face down. This card is examined and if it is not satisfactory it is passed to the player on the left, the object being to avoid holding the lowest card at the table. If the player on the left holds any card but a king, he is obliged to exchange. If the one who is forced to exchange gives an ace or a deuce, he announces it; but the player who demands the exchange is not allowed to say what he gives, as the card may be passed on.
--Hampshire (Miss Mendham). VII. Draw a pail of water For a lady s daughter; Give a silver pin for a golden ring-- Oh pray, young lady, pop under. --Northants (Rev. W. D. Sweeting). VIII. Draw a bucket of water For my lady s daughter; One go rush, and the other go hush, Pretty young lady, bop under my bush. --Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).
The same penalty attaches to throwing off men while one is on the bar. RUSSIAN BACKGAMMON. In this variety of the game, no men are placed upon the board at starting, but each player enters his men by throws of the dice, and both players enter upon the same table, so that all the men on both sides move round the board in the same direction, and both players have the same home table, which is always the one opposite the entering table. After having entered two men on the first throw, the player is at liberty either to continue entering his men with any subsequent throws, or to play the men already entered. In moving or in entering a player may capture any blots left by his adversary; but he cannot enter upon a point covered by two or more of the adversary’s men. If a player cannot enter a fresh man with the throw made, he must play a man if he can. When a man is captured, he must be re-entered before any other man can be moved. Except on the first throw of the game, doublets give the player a great advantage. He can not only play the upper faces of the dice twice over, as in the ordinary game, but the faces opposite them also, and can then throw again before his adversary. Should he again throw doublets, he would play both faces of the dice, and throw again, and so on.
There are no partnerships; each plays for himself against the others. _=WHEN TWO PLAY=_, twelve cards are dealt to each player, and arranged face down; then twelve more, arranged face up, and then two down cards to each. It is usual to deal all the cards two at a time. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ Chinese Whist very closely resembles Dummy, and the chief element of success is the skilful use of tenace. Memory also plays an important part, it being especially necessary to remember what cards are still unplayed in each suit. While the down cards are held a player cannot be sure of taking a trick by leading a card higher than any his adversary has exposed, because one of the down cards may be better. If a player is short of trumps, but has as many and better than those of his adversary, it is often good play to lead and draw the weaker trumps before the adversary turns up higher ones to protect them. For instance: one player may have 10 8, and his adversary the 9 alone. If the 10 is led the 9 will probably be caught, unless one of the adverse down cards is better.
One stands at each hole with a club. A piece of wood about four inches long and one inch in diameter, called a Cat, is thrown from the one hole towards the other by a third person. The object is to prevent the Cat from getting into the hole. Every time that it enters the hole, he who has the club at that hole loses the club, and he who threw the Cat gets possession both of the club and of the hole, while the former possessor is obliged to take charge of the Cat. If the Cat be struck, he who strikes it changes places with the person who holds the other club; and as often as these positions are changed one is counted in the game by the two who hold the clubs, and who are viewed as partners.--Jamieson. (_b_) This is not unlike the Stool-Ball described by Strutt (_Sports and Pastimes_, p. 76), but it more nearly resembles Club-Ball, an ancient English game (ibid., p. 83).
All points count to the side winning them. Any trumps found among the discards at the end of the hand count for the side that made the trump. At the end of the hand, the number of points won by each side is added up, and the lower deducted from the higher, the difference being scored by the winners of the majority. If the result is a tie, neither scores. For instance: If A-B make 11, Y-Z must make the remaining 3, which deducted from 11 leaves 8 points for A-B to score. If the side naming the trump suit fails to make as many points as they bid, they score nothing for that deal, and the number bid is scored by the adversaries, in addition to any other points that the adversaries may have made in play. The number bid and the number actually won, must be compared before deducting the points made by the adversaries. The side first making fifty-one points wins the game. * * * * * _=Text Books.=_ There are two very good text-books on the game.
The card played in error then becomes an exposed card. Those who have played after him have the privilege of withdrawing their cards and substituting others, without penalty. Should the revoking player not discover his error in time, the hand must be played out, and if the revoke is detected and claimed the player in error must pay all the losses on that hand. Should the revoking player win the pool himself, he must pay the thirteen counters to the pool, and leave them for a _=Jack=_. Should he divide the pool with another player, he must pay his co-winner six counters, and put up the other seven for a Jack. If two or more players revoke in the same hand, each must pay the entire losses in that hand as if he were alone in error; so that if two should revoke and a third win the pool, the latter would receive twenty-six counters instead of thirteen. In Auction Hearts, the revoking player must also refund the amount put up by the bidder. A revoke must be claimed and proved before the pool is divided. Non-compliance with a performable penalty is the same as a revoke. _=SETTLING.
So on successively. After having thrown it into No. 5, begin to reverse by throwing stone into No. 1 while standing at No. 5--return with it on your thumb. Throw into No. 2--return with stone on your eye. Throw into No. 3--return with stone in your palm. Throw into No.
There are no honours, and the only factor in the count is the number of tricks actually taken. The highest card played of the suit led wins the trick, and trumps, if any, win against all other suits. _=METHOD OF DECLARING.=_ The eldest hand has the first say, and after examining his cards he may make any of the several propositions just enumerated. The smallest proposal he can make is to take 8 tricks with the assistance of a partner. To do this he should have four reasonably sure tricks in his own hand. Some players say he should be strong in trumps; while others claim that the eldest hand should propose only on general strength. The former is the better plan. No other player should propose on trumps alone. This announcement is made by saying “_=I propose=_.
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If a card of a missing suit is drawn, it is usually best to lead it at once, so as to keep the suit clear; but in so doing, be careful first to place the card among the others in the hand, or your adversary will detect that it is a missing suit. The lead is a disadvantage if you have safe hearts; but toward the end of the stock, from which cards are drawn, it is an advantage to have commanding cards, with which you can assume the lead if necessary. There is some finesse in determining whether or not to change the suit often in the leads. If you have a better memory than your adversary, it may be well to change often; but if not, it may assist you to keep at one suit until afraid to lead it again. In Two-Handed Hearts, keeping count of the cards is the most important matter, because the real play comes after the stock is exhausted, and the moment that occurs you should know every card in your adversary’s hand. The exact number of each suit should be a certainty, if not the exact rank of the cards. Until you can depend on yourself for this, you are not a good player. The last thirteen tricks are usually a problem in double-dummy; but the advantage will always be found to be with the player who has carefully prepared himself for the final struggle by preserving certain safe suits, and getting rid of those in which it became evident that his adversary had the small and safe cards. Some very pretty positions arise in the end game, it being often possible to foresee that four or five tricks must be played in a certain manner in order to ensure the lead being properly placed at the end, so that the odd hearts may be avoided. _=AUCTION HEARTS.
Continue this until you have seven cards face up, which will give you twenty-eight cards in your layout. Take out any aces showing, and place them in a row by themselves for “foundations.” Build up on these aces in sequence and suit to kings. On the layout, build in descending sequence, red on black, black on red, turning up the top card when any pile is left without a faced card upon it. If there is more than one card face up on any pile, they must be removed together or not at all. Spaces may be filled only with kings. The stock is run off three cards at a time, and any card showing can be used. The pack can be run through in this manner until no cards showing can be used, but there must be no shuffling or rearrangement of the cards. Sometimes it is the rule to run through the pack once only, turning up one card at a time. The object of the game is to see how many cards can be built on the ace row.
A bet placed on any of the corners takes in the number it is placed upon and the next higher also; so that a bet upon the corner 1 would be upon the numbers 1 and 2; upon 2 it would be upon 2 and 3; and upon 4 it would be upon 4 and 1. [Illustration: +---------------+X |3 2| | | |4 1| +---------------+ ] In the illustration the bet would be upon 2 and 3. If the bet is placed upon the edge of the card, it takes in the next higher number only. [Illustration: +---------------+ |3 2| | |X |4 1| +---------------+ ] In the illustration the bet is upon the number 2, and no other. After all the bets have been placed, the banker takes a large handful of the beans or counters from the bowl, and places them on the table, counting them off rapidly into fours. The number of odd counters remaining decides which number wins; if none remain, 4 wins. If there were 2 or 3 counters over, the banker would pay all bets on the corners 1 and 2, even money. If there were 2 over, he would pay all bets on the edge of the card between 1 and 2 at the rate of three for one, and so on. The counters are then returned to the bowl, and bets are placed for another coup. Sometimes the banker will draw a handful of beans from the bowl and place them upon the table, covering them with a saucer or with his cap.
=_ All cards led out of turn, played in error, or two or more played to a trick, or dropped face upward on the table, are called _=exposed cards=_, and must be left face up on the table. These must be played when called by the adversaries, unless compliance with the demand would make the player revoke; but the fact of their being exposed does not prevent their being got rid of in the course of play if the opportunity offers. Some persons imagine that the adversaries can prevent an exposed card from being played; but such is not the case in Euchre. A person playing a lone hand is not liable to any penalty for exposing his cards, nor for leading out of turn, for he has no partner to derive any benefit from the information conveyed. _=Leading Out of Turn.=_ Should any person, not playing alone, lead out of turn, the adversaries may call a suit from the player in error, or from his partner, when it is next the turn of either of them to lead. The demand must be made by the person who will be the last player on the trick in which the suit is called. If all have played to the lead before discovering the error, it cannot be rectified; but if all have not played, those who have followed the false lead must take back their cards, which are not liable to be called. Any player may ask the others to _=draw cards=_ in any trick, provided he does so before the cards are touched for the purpose of gathering them. In answer to this demand, each player should indicate which card of those on the table he played.
_=When four play=_, if the player who makes the trump declares to play _=alone=_, that is, without any assistance from his partner, who must lay down his cards, the maker of the trump scores four points if he succeeds in winning all five tricks, and one point if he wins three or four tricks. But if he fails to win three tricks, he is euchred, and the adversaries score two points. _=When three play=_, a lone hand counts three if the player wins all five tricks. _=When two play=_, five tricks is simply a march, and counts two points. _=When five or seven play=_, there are special scores for lone hands. When all five tricks are taken by one side, but not by an individual playing a lone hand, it is simply a march, and counts two points, no matter how many are playing. When two or three are playing, a march must of course be a lone hand, as there are no partnerships. As we shall see later, there are some varieties of Euchre in which a lone hand may play against a lone hand, but this is not permitted in the ordinary game. No one but the individual player who makes the trump can play alone. Except in five and seven-handed Euchre, the player or side first reaching five points wins the game.