The game may go on for any length of time.--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor). At Barnes this game is called Gap. It is known as French Tag in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews), and Tap-back at Bitterne, Hants (Mrs. Adam). French and English The children choose sides under a leader, and a boundary line is made in the middle of the ground dividing the French and English territory. A handkerchief is then placed in the back part of each territory to represent a flag. The object is to obtain as many flags from the opposite side as possible.
For playing two moves in succession, the adversary may elect which move shall stand. For touching an adversary’s man, when it cannot be captured, the offender must move his King. If the King cannot move, no other penalty can be enforced. But if the man touched can be legally taken, it must be captured. For playing a man to a square to which it cannot be legally moved, the adversary, at his option, may require him to move the man legally, or to move the King. For illegally capturing an adversary’s man, the offender must move his King, or legally capture the man, as his opponent may elect. For attempting to Castle illegally, the player doing so must move either the King or Rook, as his adversary may dictate. For touching more than one of the player’s own men, he must move either man that his opponent may name. For touching more than one of the adversary’s men, the offender must capture the one named by his opponent, or if _either_ cannot be captured, he may be required to move the King or capture the man which can be taken, at the adversary’s option; or, if _neither_ can be captured, then the King must be moved. A player moving into check may be required, by the opposing player, either to move the King elsewhere, or replace the King and make some other move--but such other move shall not be selected by the player imposing the penalty.
Crooky An old game called Crooky was formerly played at Portarlington, Queen s co., and Kilkee, co. Clare. Fifty years ago it was played with wooden crooks and balls, but about twenty-five years ago, or a little more, mallets were introduced at Kilkee; while subsequently the name was changed to Croquet. I have heard it stated that this game was introduced by the French refugees that settled at Portarlington.--G. H. Kinahan (_Folk-lore Journal_, ii. 265). Cross and Pile The game now called Heads and Tails (Halliwell s _Dictionary_).
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 better average can usually be obtained when the pack is run off three at a time with the privilege of running through again and again as long as any card can be used. FORTUNE TELLING. Whatever the arrangement employed for laying out the tableau in fortune telling, the result of the reading will always be dependent on the person’s ability to string together in a connected story the meanings which are attached to the various cards. According to Eittella, the father of all fortune telling, only 32 cards should be used, and it is essential that they should be single heads, because a court card standing firmly on its feet is a very different thing from one standing on its head. If single-head cards are not at hand, the lower part of the double-head cards must be cancelled in some manner. The following are the interpretations of the various cards, the initial _=R=_ meaning that the card is reversed, or standing on its head. _=HEARTS.=_ Ace.
If eight successive events go against your “system,” which they will do about once in 255 times, your next bet will be beyond the limit, and the banker will not accept it. At Monte Carlo the smallest bet is a dollar, and the limit is $2,400. They roll about 4,000 coups a week, and if you were to bet on every one of them, doubling up, you would win about $1,865, one dollar at a time, and would lose $4,092 simply through being unable to follow your system beyond the limit of the game during the two or three occasions, in the 4,000 coups, that your system would go against you for eleven or more coups in succession. It is useless to say it would not go against you so often, for probabilities teach us that it would be more wonderful if it did not than if it did. It must never be forgotten that the most wonderful things that happen are not more wonderful than those that don’t happen. If you tossed a coin a thousand times, and did not once toss heads eight times in succession, it would be four times more surprising than if you tossed heads ten times in succession. Bets Won. Lost. 10 - 9 - 8 - - 7 - 8 9 - - 8 - 9 10 - - 9 ---------- 46 41 _=Progression.=_ This is a favourite martingale with those who have not the courage or the money to double up.
FROG. This is a very popular game in Mexico, and seems to be an elementary form of Skat, which it resembles in many ways. Even the name may be a corruption of the simple game in Skat, which is called “frage.” The chief differences are that there are four cards added to the pack for frog, and that the players win or lose according to the number of points they get above or below 61, instead of computing the value of the game by matadores. _=Players.=_ Three, four, or five can play; but only three are active in each deal. If four play, the dealer takes no cards. If five play, he gives cards to the two on his left and one on his right. _=Cards.=_ There are thirty-six cards in the pack, which rank: A 10 K Q J 9 8 7 6.