=_ Auction is played by four persons, and the table is complete with that number. When there are more than four candidates for play, the selection of the four is made by cutting. These cut again for partners, and the choice of seats and cards. _=CUTTING.=_ The usual method of cutting for partners, etc., at auction, is to shuffle the cards thoroughly, and “spread” them face downwards on the table; each candidate drawing a card, and turning it face upwards in front of him. The four cutting the lowest cards playing the first game, or rubber. [Illustration: SPREADING THE PACK.] The four having been selected, the cards are again shuffled and spread, and partners are cut for; the two lowest pairing against the two highest; the lowest of the four is the dealer, and has the choice of cards and seats. _=TIES.
_=CARDS.=_ Poker 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 or lowest in play, according to the wish of the holder, but ranking below the deuce in cutting. In some localities a special pack of sixty cards is used, the eight extra cards being elevens and twelves in each suit, which rank above the ten, and below the Jack. It is very unusual to play Poker with two packs. [Illustration: 11♣ 12♣] _=COUNTERS, or CHIPS.=_ Although not absolutely necessary, counters are much more convenient than money. The most common are red, white, and blue circular chips, which should “stack up” accurately, so that equal numbers may be measured without counting them. The red are usually worth five whites, and the blue worth five reds, or twenty-five whites. At the beginning of the game one player should act as banker, and be responsible for all counters at the table. It is usual for each player to purchase, at the beginning of the game, the equivalent of 100 white counters in white, red, and blue.
14. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | ⛂ | | ⛀ | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | ⛀ | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | ⛀ | | ⛀ | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ ] In Diagram No. 13, if White moves 24 19 he loses, because Black goes to 11, and as the tailors advance to head him off, he goes back to 15 and 18, and then gets round by going to 14. White’s proper play is 22 18, after which 26 22 will reform his line. In Diagram No. 14, if White moves 26 22, or 19 15, he loses immediately. In the first case Black will run to 15 and 11, and either get round or double back to 18. In the second case Black will get round by way of 7, or get through. CHECKER LAWS. _=1.
Without lifting or looking at any of these twenty-two cards, each player places eleven of them in two rows, face down, and then the other eleven on the top of the first, but face up. This gives each player eleven cards face up on the table, covering eleven face down under them, and a separate hand of four cards. The dealer looks at his four cards, without showing them to his adversary, and after due consideration of what he sees on the table, declares. His adversary can double if he likes, or he can simply play a card. Tricks and honours count as in the ordinary rubber. The declaration made, the non-dealer leads any card he pleases, from the four in his hand or from the eleven face up on the table, and the dealer must follow suit if he can, either from his hand or from the table. The moment a card is played from the table, the card under it must be turned face up, and becomes playable; but no card which is on the top of another card can be shifted, so that the card under it cannot be turned up until its covering card is legitimately played away. The second player having played to the trick, the original leader must play to it in his turn, and then his adversary plays the fourth card, completing the trick. The winner of the trick takes it in, turns it down, and leads for the next trick, and so on until all thirteen tricks have been played. The winner of the rubber scores 100 points extra.
In England, they count a point containing the 7 8 and 9 as worth one less than the number of cards. This is a modern invention, unknown to the older writers on the game, and not always played. _=Sequence.=_ 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.
Directly behind the farm in the line of vision is another outbuilding. This is more distinctly seen in other photographs. Behind, the chalk back line is clear. Red has won the toss, both for the choice of a side and, after making that choice, for first move, and his force is already put out upon the back line. For the sake of picturesqueness, the men are not put exactly on the line, but each will have his next move measured from that line. Red has broken his force into two, a fatal error, as we shall see, in view of the wide space of open ground between the farm and the church. He has 1 gun, 5 cavalry, and 13 infantry on his left, who are evidently to take up a strong position by the church and enfilade Blue s position; Red s right, of 2 guns, 20 cavalry, and 37 infantry aim at the seizure of the farm. Figure 2 is a near view of Blue s side, with his force put down. He has grasped the strategic mistake of Red, and is going to fling every man at the farm. His right, of 5 cavalry and 16 infantry, will get up as soon as possible to the woods near the centre of the field (whence the fire of their gun will be able to cut off the two portions of Red s force from each other), and then, leaving the gun there with sufficient men to serve it, the rest of this party will push on to co-operate with the main force of their comrades in the inevitable scrimmage for the farm.
13. _=Rouge=_ or _=Noir=_. Red or Black. The foregoing are the payments at Monte Carlo; but wheels with less numbers are scaled down accordingly. The players can bet on the zero if they choose, and they will be paid if it comes up, 35 for 1, but all other bets are lost. In wheels with two zeros, red and black, the bank wins on the colour which does not come, and the bets on the right colour are neither paid nor taken, but must remain until the next turn of the wheel. This is now the practice at Monte Carlo, with the single-zero wheels. _=Systems.=_ As at Faro, gamblers at Roulette are never tired of devising systems to beat the game; but none of them are of any further use than to afford a little passing amusement to their inventors. Persons who are interested in systems will find in the New York Sun, July 5, 1896, a very interesting tabulation of every roll of the ball at Monte Carlo for seven successive days, 4,012 in all, of which 120 were zeros.
CARDS. 11. There are thirty-two cards in the pack, the rank and value of which are as follows: Jack 2; ace 11; ten 10; king 4; queen 3; the nine, eight and seven having no counting value. 12. The suits shall always outrank one another in the same order; clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds. The four jacks, or Wenzels, which are always the four best trumps, shall outrank one another in the same order. 13. In Nullo, the cards rank: A K Q J 10 9 8 7, and the suits and jacks are all of equal rank. DEALING. 14.
| | Vivant. | +---------+ +---------+ 1 1 ] For the three succeeding games the arrangement would be:-- [Illustration: 1 2 3 +---------+ +---------+ +---------+ | Mort. | | Mort. | | Mort. | 3 | | 4 4 | | 1 1 | | 2 | Vivant. | | Vivant. | | Vivant. | +---------+ +---------+ +---------+ 2 3 4 ] It will be seen that each player, immediately after being Vivant, sits out, or takes Mort’s place, for the next game. _=DEALING.=_ It is usual for Vivant to deal the first hand for himself, as the disadvantage of exposing fourteen cards is more than compensated for in compelling the adversary to open the game by leading up to an unknown hand.
Close attention to the score is an important factor in bridge which does not operate in auction, because in that game any previous score toward game is seldom of any use, eighteen out of every twenty deals being game hands or nothing, and the dealer having no more advantage in the selection of the trump than any other player. In bridge, one always calculates that the dealer will go out if he is 18 or 20 up on the score, as almost any suit will do. This prompts the side that has the deal, or a chance to go game, to lose no opportunity to win at once, before the other side gets a chance at it. ILLUSTRATIVE BRIDGE HANDS. The dealer is Z in both instances. In the first example, he makes it no-trump. In the second, Dummy, Y, makes it no-trump. A leads in both cases:-- ------------------------------+ +------------------------------ A Y B Z | | A Y B Z +------+------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+------+------+ | 7♢ | 3♢ | J♢ | _K♢_ | 1| ♡6 | _♡A_ | ♡7 | ♡3 | | ♣Q | ♣2 | _♣K_ | ♣J | 2| ♣5 | _♣K_ | ♣3 | ♣2 | | _A♢_ | 8♢ | 6♢ | 2♢ | 3| ♣8 | ♣10 | ♣7 | _♣J_ | | 4♢ | _Q♢_| 2♠ | 5♢ | 4| 5♢ | 3♢ | _♣A_ | ♣4 | | ♣4 | ♣3 | _♣A_ | ♣10 | 5| _♡K_ | ♡2 | ♡9 | ♡J | | ♡3 | ♡5 | ♡J | _♡A_ | 6| ♡5 | ♡4 | 6♢ | _♡Q_ | | 8♠ | _♣9_ | ♡2 | ♣8 | 7| 5♠ | 3♠ | 6♠ | _♣Q_ | | 9♠ | _♣7_ | 3♠ | ♡4 | 8| 7♢ | 4♠ | 8♠ | _♣9_ | | ♡6 | _♣6_ | 4♠ | ♡Q | 9| 9♢ | 4♢ | 10♠ | _♣6_ | | ♡9 | _♣5_ | ♡8 | 7♠ |10| _A♠_ | 9♠ | J♠ | 7♠ | | 9♢ | J♠ | 5♠ | _Q♠_ |11| _♡10_ | Q♠ | 8♢ | 2♠ | | 10♢ | ♡7 | 6♠ | _A♠_ |12| _♡8_ | K♠ | 10♢ | 2♢ | | ♡K | ♡10 | _K♠_ | 10♠ |13| K♢ | _A♢_ | Q♢ | J♢ | +------+------+-------+-------+--+-------+-------+------+------+ The first of these examples shows the importance of playing for the suit which is longest between the two hands. Observe that the dealer plays the high cards from the hand which is shorter in the suit, and on the second round of clubs is careful to give up the higher of two cards, so as to get out of Dummy’s way and clear, or establish, the suit. B, hoping to get his partner into the lead again, leads a heart up to Dummy’s weakness, and leads a heart which will beat Dummy’s best heart.
They were not brought back, and the owner had to catch and bring back each one. When sold, the honey pot is taken to the other side, or home of the purchaser. The game goes on till all the honey pots are sold.--London (A. B. Gomme). In Sporle, a girl clasps her hands under her legs to form a seat, and two others swing her by the arms, saying-- Honey pot, honey pot, over the river; When the old cat dies you shall have the liver. --Miss Matthews. In a version sent by Miss Chase, and told her by a London maidservant, the children sit as in Hunt the Slipper. One steps in a corner out of earshot; the rest are named Gooseberry Tart, Cherry Tart, &c.
14. When four or more play at the same table, the dealer takes no cards, but gives cards to the two sitting immediately on his left and to the one next him on his right. 15. When only three play, Hinterhand shall deal the cards. 16. The deal passes in regular order to the left. 17. After being thoroughly shuffled, the pack must be presented to the pone (the player sitting on the dealer’s right) to be cut, and at least three cards must be left in each packet. Any player may demand a right to shuffle the cards before they are dealt, but the dealer shall have the last shuffle before presenting the cards to be cut. If any card is exposed in cutting, there must be a new cut.
(Écarté Laws in appendix.) POOL ÉCARTÉ. Pool Écarté is played by three persons, each of whom contributes an agreed sum, which is called a _=stake=_, to form a pool. They then cut to decide which shall play the first game, the lowest écarté card going out. The players then cut for the first deal, choice of seats and cards, etc., exactly as in the ordinary game. The winner of the first game retains his seat; the loser pays into the pool another stake, equal to the first, and retires in favour of the third player, who is called the _=rentrant=_. The rentrant takes the loser’s seat and cards, and cuts with the successful player for the first deal. The loser of the second game adds another stake to the pool, and retires in favour of the waiting player. The pool is won by any player winning two games in succession.
These will either give his partners discards, or allow them to over-trump the bidder. In playing misères, it is better to begin with a singleton, or the lowest of a safe suit. An ace or King two or three times guarded is very safe for a misère, as it is very improbable that any player will be able to lead the suit more than twice; and if the bidder’s missing suit is led, the high card can be got rid of at once. In playing against a misère, discards are important, and the first should be from the shortest suit, and always the highest card of it. A suit in which the bidder is long should be continued, in order to give partners discards. More money is lost at Napoleon by playing imperfect misères than in any other way. _=Variations.=_ The foregoing description applies to the regular four-handed game; but there are several variations in common use. Better bids than “nap” are sometimes allowed, on the understanding that the bidder will pay double or treble stakes if he fails, but will receive only the usual amount if successful. For instance: One player bids _=Nap=_, and another holds what he considers a certainty for five tricks.
Pins are hid with fingers in the palms of the hands; the same number is laid alongside them, and either Headim or Corsim called out by those who do so. When the fingers are lifted, if the heads of the pins hid and those beside them be lying one way when the crier cried Headim, then that player wins; but if Corsim, the one who hid the pins wins. This is the king of all the games at the preens.--Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_. The editors of Jamieson s _Dictionary_ say that the name should be Headum and Corsum. Heads and Tails That plan for deciding matters by the birl o a bawbee. The one side cries Heads (when the piece is whirling in the air) and the other Tails, so whichever is uppermost when the piece alights that gains or settles the matter, heads standing for the King s head and tails for the figure who represents Britannia.--Mactaggart s _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_. This is a general form of determining sides or beginning a game all over the country. Hecklebirnie A play among children in Aberdeenshire.
The child who is pulled over the handkerchief becomes the captured nut, and joins the side of her capturers. Then the game begins again by the second line singing the first, third, and fifth verses, while advancing to gather or capture the nuts, the first line responding with the second and fourth verses, and the same finish as before. Then the first line begins the game, and so on until all the children are in this way matched one against the other. (_c_) Other versions have been sent me, with slight variations: NUTS IN MAY, with the verses ending, On a fine summer morning, from Lincoln and Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock); So early in the morning, Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews); Six o clock in the morning, Nottingham (Miss Wenfield); On a cold and frosty morning, East Kirkby, Lincolnshire (Miss K. Maughan); Barnes (A. B. Gomme), Colchester (Miss G. M. Frances).
To take no tricks, there being no trump suit, and the three other players being opposed. This is called _=Misère=_, or Nullo. 4th. 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.
In the case mentioned in connection with Sweepstake Hearts, in which one player lost 46 counters while another won 46, in 60 deals, the result at Howell’s Settling would have been that the player who took in only 58 hearts would be 548 counters ahead instead of losing 46; while the one who took in 500 hearts would lose 1220 counters, instead of winning 46. _=METHODS OF CHEATING.=_ Under the rule for dealing the cards one at a time, the greek must be very skilful to secure any advantage at Hearts. But when it is the practice to deal the cards three at a time, and four on the last round, it is an easy matter to get four small hearts together on the bottom of the pack. Any person who is observed to hold three or four small hearts every time he deals, should be carefully watched, and it will usually be found that he gathers the small hearts from the hands of the other players while the pool is being divided. Marked cards are of little use to the greek at hearts, because so much depends on what a player holds, and so little on his play. VARIETIES OF HEARTS. Before proceeding to suggestions for good play, it will be better to describe some of the variations of the game in common use, because what would be good play in one variation would not be in another. _=TWO-HANDED HEARTS.=_ The two players having cut for the deal, thirteen cards are given to each, one at a time, and the remainder of the pack is left on the table, face down.
It is also a great exposer of false cards. _=Discard Signalling=_ is another method of indicating plain suits. When a player is known to have no trumps, and therefore cannot be calling for them, he may use the trump signal in any plain suit which he wishes led to him. As a general rule, a player should not use this signal unless he has a certain trick in the suit in which he signals. Some players use what is called the reverse discard; a signal in one suit meaning weakness in it, and an invitation to lead another. This avoids the necessity for using the good suit for signalling purposes. _=Unblocking.=_ When the original leader shows a suit of five cards, and the Third Hand has four exactly, the latter should keep his lowest card, not for the purpose of echoing, but in order to retain a small card which will not block the holder of the longer suit. If the Third Hand has three cards of the suit led, and among them a card which may block his partner, he should give it up on the second round. For instance: Holding K 4 3, and partner showing a five-card suit by leading Ace then Jack, Third Hand should give up the King on the second round.
The Eckington (Derbyshire) version is played as follows:--A number of young women form a ring. A man stands within the ring, and they sing the words. He then makes choice of a girl, who takes his arm. They both walk round the circle while the others sing the same lines again. The girl who has been chosen makes choice of a young man in the ring, who in his turn chooses another girl, and so on till they have all paired off. (_c_) The first verse of the Shropshire version is also sung at Metheringham, near Lincoln (C. C. Bell), and Cowes, I. W. (Miss E.