| | 21.| -- | -- | -- | | 22.| -- | -- | -- | | 23.| -- |All sorts of colours | -- | | | |lying by his side. | | |[8.]|We ll all go roving. | -- | -- | | 24.| -- | -- |You shall have a young| | | | |man. | | 25.| -- | -- | -- | | 26.
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. Do not double unless you have a certainty and are not afraid of a shift. Do not give up a fair chance for going game yourself just to double an adversary, unless you are sure of 200 in penalties at least, and do not give up the rubber game for less than 300. Always remember that a double may enable an adversary to go game, and will often show the declarer which hand to finesse against. _=Free Doubles=_ are opportunities to double when the declarer will go game anyhow if he makes his contract, but they should never be made if there is any chance that he may shift.
BAULK-LINE BILLIARDS. Professionals became so skilful in rail nursing that the baulk-line was introduced to keep the balls away from the rail. This is a chalk line, 10, 12, 14, or 18 inches from the cushions, according to agreement, dividing the table into eight baulk spaces, as shown in the diagram. [Illustration] It is foul if more than two successive shots are made on balls both of which are within any one of the eight interdicted spaces. Both balls being within the space, the striker can play on them once without sending either out; his next stroke must send at least one out. Should it return, and both balls be again inside, he can play one shot, as before, without sending either out. This process may be repeated _ad libitum_. Should the second stroke fail to send a ball out it does not count, the striker’s hand is out, and the next striker plays at the balls as he finds them. [Illustration] The great art in baulk-line nursing is to get the object and carrom balls astride the line, and then to follow the principle of the rail nurse. The _=anchor=_ shot is now barred in championship games.
=_ The four players at the bridge table are indicated by letters; A and B are partners against Y and Z; Z always represents the dealer, who always makes the first bid, A being the second bidder, Y the third and B the fourth. [Illustration: +-----+ | Y | |A B| | Z | +-----+ ] _=DEALING.=_ The cards having been properly shuffled the dealer, Z, presents them to the pone, B, to be cut. At least four cards must be left in each packet. Beginning at his left, the dealer distributes the cards one at a time in rotation until the pack is exhausted. When two packs are used, the dealer’s partner shuffles one while the other is dealt, and the deal passes in regular rotation to the left until the rubber is finished. _=IRREGULARITIES IN THE DEAL.=_ If any card is found faced in the pack, or if the pack is incorrect or imperfect, the dealer must deal again. If any card is found faced in the pack, or is exposed in any manner; or if more than thirteen cards are dealt to any player, or if the last card does not come in its regular order to the dealer, or if the pack has not been cut, there must be a new deal. Attention must be called to a deal out of turn, or with the wrong cards, before the last card is dealt, or the deal stands.
Y. Globe, the N.Y. Evening Mail, and the Chicago Journal. A number of the weekly magazines offer similar competitions in England, but as a rule the problems in that country are of very poor quality. About 1910 it became the fashion not to play spades, it being considered a waste of time to play a hand for such a small amount as 2 points a trick, so the dealer was allowed to score 2 for the odd and 4 for honours, regardless of how the cards were distributed, the hand being abandoned. The objection to this practice was that many hands were worth much more than 2 points, and in some cases the spade make would have gone game at the score. This led to the practice of playing “royal spades,” which were played at 10 and then at 9 a trick, sometimes with a penalty of 20 if the declarer failed to make the odd. Shortly after this, later in 1910, there developed a decided rebellion against the dealer’s monopoly of the make, and in order to allow any player at the table who held good cards to get the benefit of them, whether he was the dealer or not, bidding for the privilege of making the trump came into vogue. This was the starting point of auction, its chief difference from the older game being that only the side that made the highest bid for the declaration could score toward game.
To find the probability of getting a given total on the faces of two or three dice we must find the number of ways that the desired number can come. In the 36 possible throws with two dice there are 6 which will show a total of seven pips. The probability of throwing seven is therefore 6/36, or 5 to 1 against it. A complete list of the combinations with two dice were given in connection with Craps. _=Poker.=_ In calculating the probability of certain conflicting events, both of which cannot occur, but either of which would be favourable, we must make the denominator of our fraction equal in both cases, which will, of course, necessitate a proportionate change in our numerator. Suppose a poker player has three of a kind, and intends to draw one card only, the odds against his getting a full hand are 1/16; against getting four of a kind, 1/48. To find the total probability of improvement, we must make the first fraction proportionate to the last, which we can do by multiplying it by 3. The result will be 3/48 + 1/48 = 4/48; showing that the total chance of improvement is 1 in 12, or 11 to 1 against it. _=Whist.
At the end of the dialogue the Fox tries to get hold of one of the chickens. If he succeeds in catching them, they all with the Fox try to dodge the Hen, who makes an effort to regain them. It is known at Winterton under the name of Pins and Needles. The players stand in a row, one behind another, with one of the party as their Leader. Another player, called Outsider, pretends to scratch the ground. The Leader asks, the questions, and the Outsider replies-- What are you scratching for? Pins and needles. What do you want your pins and needles for? To mend my poke. What do you want your poke for? To put some sand in. What do you want your sand for? To sharpen knives with. What do you want your knives for? To cut all the little chickens heads off with.
) The presence of the devotee at the sacred bush. All these are incidents of primitive well-worship (see Gomme s _Ethnology and Folk-lore_, pp. 82-103). Garland dressing is very general; cakes were eaten at Rorrington well, Shropshire (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 433); pins and portions of the dress are very general offerings; silence is strictly enforced in many instances, and a sacred tree or bush is very frequently found near the well. The tune of the Hampshire game (Miss Mendham s version) is practically the same as that of the Mulberry Bush. Newell (_Games of American Children_, p. 90) gives a version of this game. Drawing Dun out of the Mire Brand, quoting from an old collection of satires, epigrams, &c., says this game is enumerated among other pastimes: At shove-groat, venter-point, or crosse and pile, At leaping o er a Midsummer bone-fier, Or at _the drawing Dun out of the myer_.
He acts as leader, and always had the fiddle as his instrument, though he now usually plays the pianoforte as his first instrument. The other children choose any instrument they like. Holy Gabriel pretends to play the fiddle, and all the other children play their own instruments until Holy Gabriel changes his to one of theirs, when that one must immediately begin to play the fiddle, and continue until Holy Gabriel takes another instrument or returns to the fiddle. This is done in vigorous pantomime. In the Luton variant the children sit in a semicircle, the Drummer faces them. He plays the drum; all the other children play on any other instrument they like. If the other players do not at once change their instrument, or neglect to sing the lines, a forfeit is demanded. (_c_) Mr. Hardy says some sing this game, Follow my game an holy man. Mr.
At first, this bid was largely used simply as an additional game-going declaration, and was strongly objected to by many leading players. But as its true place as a defensive bid became better understood it soon came into favour. In the nullo there are no honours, and the declarer scores the tricks over the book made by his opponents, which he forces them to take. Many interesting card problems have been built upon the nullo. Toward the end of 1913 still another change seems to have suggested itself to some of the English players who were familiar with the Russian game of vint, and that is to play auction just as it is played up to the point of the lead to the first trick, but that no dummy is exposed, the four players holding up their cards and following suit just as they would at whist. Whether or not this game will ever become as popular as the combination of dealer and dummy, it is difficult to say, but appearances are against it. There seems to be a growing tendency in America to adopt the English rule of cutting out the spade suit at 2 a trick, and making it always a royal spade, worth 9. The dealer is allowed to pass without making a bid, the lowest call being one club. If all pass, the deal goes to the left. BRIDGE.
Board’s the Play, a card once played cannot be taken back. Bobtail, a four-card flush or straight, which is accompanied by a worthless card. Bone-yard, the stock at dominoes. Book, the first six tricks taken by either side at Whist which do not count toward game. Both Ends against the Middle, a system of trimming cards for dealing a brace game of Faro. Brace Game, a conspiracy between the dealer and the case-keeper at Faro, so that cards improperly taken from the dealing box shall be properly marked by the case-keeper. Break. In Billiards, a succession of counting shots made by one player, usually called a “run” in America. In Ten Pins, a break is a failure to make either a strike or a spare. Break Even, a system of playing Faro, betting each card to win or lose an even number of times.
The side first reaching 10 points wins a _=quadruple=_, or game of 4, if their adversaries have not scored; a _=triple=_, or game of 3, if their adversaries have not reached 4; a _=double=_, or game of 2, if the adversaries have not reached 7; and a _=single=_, or game of 1, if their adversaries are 8 or 9 up. These game points are put down on the score-sheet, and all the points on the _=adversaries’=_ marker are then turned down. If the winners make any points in excess of 10, such points are left to their credit on the marker, and count toward the next game. For instance: The score is A-B, 6; and Y-Z, 8; shown on the markers thus:-- [Illustration: A-B 6 POINTS. Y-Z 8 POINTS.] Let us suppose that Z announces cayenne, and makes 2 by cards; A-B claiming two by honours. 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.
=_ It requires more than ordinary skill to judge when a false card will do less harm to the partner than to the adversaries. There are some occasions for false-card play about which there is little question. Having a sequence in the adverse suit, the Second or Fourth Hand may win with the highest card, especially if the intention is to lead trumps. Holding K Q only, Second Hand may play the King, especially in trumps. Holding A K x, the Fourth Hand should play Ace on a Queen led by an American leader. With such a suit as K J 10 x, after trumps have been exhausted, the Ten is not a safe lead; Jack or fourth-best is better. Holding up the small cards of adverse suits is a common stratagem; and it is legitimate to use any system of false-carding in trumps if it will prevent the adversaries who have led them from counting them accurately. _=Playing to the Score.=_ The play must often be varied on account of the state of the score, either to save or win the game in the hand. If the adversaries appear to be very strong, and likely to go out on the deal, all conventionalities should be disregarded until the game is saved; finesses should be refused, and winning cards played Second Hand on the first round.
To win 9 of the 13 tricks against the three other players combined; the single player to name the trump suit. This is called _=Abundance=_. 5th. To win 9 of the 13 tricks against the three other players combined, with the trump suit that is turned up. This is called _=Abundance in Trumps=_. 6th. To take no tricks, there being no trump suit, and the three other players being opposed; the single player’s cards being exposed face up on the table after the first trick is complete. This is called Misère sur table, or _=A Spread=_. 7th. To win all 13 tricks against the three other players combined; the single player to name the trump suit, and to have the original lead whether eldest hand or not.
--Earls Heaton, Yorkshire (Herbert Hardy). (_b_) One set of children stand against a wall, another set stand opposite, facing them. The first set sing the first line, the others replying with the second line, and so with the third and fourth lines. The two sides then rush over to each other, and the second set are caught. The child who is caught last becomes one of the first set for another game. This is the Earls Heaton version. The Lancashire game, as described by Miss Dendy, is: One child stands opposite a row of children, and the row run over to the opposite side, when the one child tries to catch them. The prisoners made, join the one child, and assist her in the process of catching the others. The rhyme is repeated in each case until all are caught, the last one out becoming Blackthorn for a new game. Harland and Wilkinson describe the game somewhat differently.
The striker who forces his own ball off the table without hitting another ball forfeits _three_ points, and if he does so after making a carrom or pocket he loses as many points as he would otherwise have gained. The rules of the American Carrom Game, except where they conflict with the foregoing rules, govern this game also. BOTTLE POOL. The game of Bottle Pool is played on a pool table with one white ball, the 1 and 2 ball, and pool-bottle. The 1 and 2 balls must be spotted, respectively, at the foot of the table, at the left and right diamond nearest each pocket, and the pool-bottle is placed standing on its neck on the spot in the centre of the table, and when it falls it must be set up, if possible, where it rests. Carrom on the two object-balls counts 1 point; Pocketing the 1 ball counts 1 point; Pocketing the 2 ball counts 2 points; Carrom from ball and upsetting bottle counts 5 points. The game consists of 31 points. The player having the least number of points at the finish of the game shall be adjudged the loser. Any number of persons can play, and the rotation of the players is decided as in ordinary pool. Player No.
_=Making the trump.=_ Each player in turn, beginning with the dealer, bids to make a certain number of tricks, from seven to thirteen, with a suit of his own choosing, which he names when he makes his bid. The suits outrank one another in the order of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, hearts being the best. No-trumps are higher than hearts. A bid of seven tricks is usually called “one” in hearts, or whatever the suit may be. A bid of “two” means to win eight tricks, or two over the book. _=Bidding.=_ If a player wishes to go over the first offer made, he must either bid the same number of tricks in a better suit, or he must increase the number of tricks. No player can increase his own bid unless he is overbid in the interval, but there is no limit to the number of times that players may outbid one another. Observe that the dealer may bid or pass, and each player after him in turn may bid or pass.
For instance: A calls seven diamonds, and asks for a partner. Y accepts him, and the pair win only nine tricks. Each pays 135 counters to the adversary sitting next him, and then they make up 135 more between them for the pool. Asking for a partner is not a popular variation of the game, and is seldom resorted to unless the successful bid is very low, or has been made on a black suit. If the adversaries of the caller declare to pay, before playing to the second trick, they can save nothing but possible over-tricks. The pool goes with every successful play. If the single player is unsuccessful, he does not double the pool, as in Boston, but pays into it the same amount that he loses to each adversary, over-tricks and all; so that he really loses four times the amount shown in the table. At the end of the game, or on the twelfth hand, if the caller does not succeed, he pays the pool as usual, and his adversaries then divide it amongst themselves. The _=Suggestions for Good Play=_, etc., are given in connection with Solo Whist and need no further amplification for Boston de Fontainbleau.
_=20. Winning the Antes.=_ Should any player have put up an amount which no other player will equal, he takes whatever counters are then in the pool, without showing his hand, and the deal passes to the next player on the dealer’s left. Should only one player come in, and the age decline to make good his ante, the player who has come in wins the blind, unless jack pots are played. Should any player have straddled the blind, or raised the ante, there can be no jack pot. _=21. Making Jacks.=_ If no player will come in, it is a Natural Jack, and all the hands must be abandoned, each player putting up for the ensuing deal the amount agreed upon. If no one has straddled the blind, or raised the ante, and only one player has come in, the age may do one of four things: He may forfeit his blind; or he may make the ante good; or he may raise it; or he may demand that the single player who has come in shall take down his ante, the age putting up twice the amount agreed upon for jack pots; once for himself, and once for the player who came in. All the other players must then put up for the ensuing deal.
HUMBUG WHIST. This is a variation on double dummy, in which two players sit opposite each other. The deal and seats are cut for in the usual manner; four hands of thirteen cards each are dealt, and the last card is turned for trump. Each player examines the hand dealt to him, without touching those to his right or left. If he is content with his hand, he announces it, if not, he may exchange it for the one on his right. In case of exchange, the discarded hand is placed on the table face down; and the other taken up and played. If a player retains the hand originally dealt him, he must not look at the others. If the dealer exchanges, he loses the turn-up card, but the trump suit remains the same. Each player deals for himself in turn, there being no deal for the dead hands. Whist laws govern the deal and its errors.
F. Foster, 1914. Auction Developments, by Milton Work, 1914. Whitehead’s Conventions of Auction Bridge, by Wilbur C. Whitehead, 1914. WHIST. _=CARDS.=_ Whist is played with a full pack of fifty-two cards, ranking A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2; the Ace being the highest in play, but ranking below the deuce in cutting. Two packs are generally used, the one being shuffled while the other is dealt. _=MARKERS=_ are necessary to keep the score.
Any lower bid does not entitle him to the pool, unless the other players compel him to play the hand out. In order to save the pool, it is usual for the adversaries, before playing to the second trick, to say: “_=I pay.=_” If all agree to pay, the bidder must accept the amount of his bid without any over-tricks, and the pool is not touched. If a player has made a pool bid, and the adversaries, before playing to the second trick, agree to pay, they cannot prevent the caller from taking the pool; but they save possible over-tricks. The agreement of the adversaries to pay must be unanimous. Misère Partout does not touch the pool. If the hand is played out, and the caller fails, he must double the pool, whether he has made a pool bid or not. If there is more than one pool, he must double the first one, which will of course contain the limit. This will simply have the effect of forming an additional pool to be played for. When there are several pools on the table, a successful caller takes any of those that contain the limit.
We abolished altogether that magical freedom of an unassisted gun to move two feet. And on such rules as these we fought a number of battles. They were interesting, but not entirely satisfactory. We took no prisoners--a feature at once barbaric and unconvincing. The battles lingered on a long time, because we shot with extreme care and deliberation, and they were hard to bring to a decisive finish. The guns were altogether too predominant. They prevented attacks getting home, and they made it possible for a timid player to put all his soldiers out of sight behind hills and houses, and bang away if his opponent showed as much as the tip of a bayonet. Monsieur Bloch seemed vindicated, and Little War had become impossible. And there was something a little absurd, too, in the spectacle of a solitary drummer-boy, for example, marching off with a gun. But as there was nevertheless much that seemed to us extremely pretty and picturesque about the game, we set to work--and here a certain Mr M.
When the sharper has the cut, he can of course uncover any card he pleases. With marked edges, the pone can cut down to a card of any desired denomination. Some audacious gamblers make it a rule to get a starter by simply removing the top card and turning up the next one. It is needless to say that the second card has been carefully pre-arranged. Any person who fingers the pack longer than necessary in cutting starters, or who cuts sometimes by the edge and sometimes by the side, will bear watching. Marked cards and second dealing are great weapons in a game where so much depends on a knowledge of the adversary’s hand, and on securing good counting cards for yourself. _=SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD PLAY.=_ In the six-card game the hand is more valuable than the crib, because you know what it contains, whereas the crib is largely speculative. In the five-card game, in which there are only three cards in the hand and four in the crib, it is usual to sacrifice the hand very largely for the possibilities of the crib, because of the much larger scores that can be made with five cards, the starter and four in the crib. _=Baulking.
What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in? What shall we dress her in? Shall it be red? Red for the soldiers, soldiers, soldiers, Red for the soldiers, and that shall not do. What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in? What shall we dress her in? Shall it be orange? Orange for the Orange-men, Orange-men, Orange-men, Orange for the Orange-men, and that shall not do. What shall we dress her in, dress her in, dress her in? What shall we dress her in? Shall it be white? White for the corpse, the corpse, the corpse, White for the corpse, and that will just do. We have lost a soldier, soldier, soldier, We have lost a soldier, and the Queen has lost a man. We will bury him in the bed of glory, glory, glory, We will bury him in the bed of glory, and we ll never see him any more. --Holywood, co. Down (Miss C. N. Patterson). V.
This will make the combination of the same value as if you had three duplicates of one card, 12 points; 8 for the four fifteens, and 4 for the two single pairs. _=Combinations.=_ The beginner’s greatest difficulty is in counting hands which contain all three varieties of counts; pairs, sequences, and fifteens. But if he is familiar with the values of the various combinations taken separately, he will have no difficulty in computing them when they are found together. Some regular order should be observed in going over the hands, so that nothing shall be forgotten. The majority of players begin with the fifteens, as they are more liable to be overlooked, and then reckon the value of the runs and pairs together. Take the following examples:-- No. 1. [Illustration: 🃕 🂵 🂥 🃖 🃇] No. 2.
(Miss E. Smith). The Staffordshire version of the words is sung in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews), West Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 58), Earls Heaton, Yorkshire (H. Hardy), Hexham, Northumberland (Miss Barker), Leicester (Miss Ellis). Miss Peacock says, A version is known in Lincolnshire. Tunes have also been sent from Tean, North Staffs. (Miss Keary), and Epworth, Doncaster (Mr. C. C.
(_i. e._, in the North of Scotland). One stack is fixed on as the _dule_ or goal; and one person is appointed to catch the rest of the company, who run out from the _dule_. He does not leave it till they are all out of sight. Then he sets off to catch them. Any one who is taken cannot run out again with his former associates, being accounted a prisoner; but is obliged to assist his captor in pursuing the rest. When all are taken the game is finished; and he who was first taken is bound to act as catcher in the next game. This innocent sport seems to be almost entirely forgotten in the South of Scotland. It is also falling into desuetude in the North.
In some clubs it is the rule to keep all the cards if only nine are in each hand, but to discard down to six if two or more rounds were dealt after turning the first trump. _=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ The object in Seven-up is to secure certain points which count towards game. As its name implies, the game is won when a player has put up seven of his counters, each of which represents a point. There are six different ways of making these points, and it is possible for one player to make five of them in one deal; but he cannot by any possibility make seven. The following count one point each: 1st. Turning up the _=Jack=_ of trumps. 2nd. Being _=given=_ a point by the dealer. 3rd.
, 1899. Foster’s Bridge Manual, by R.F. Foster, 1900. Foster on Bridge, by R.F. Foster, 1900. The Bridge Manual, by John Doe, 1900. Bridge Abridged, by W. Dalton, 1901.