. Primitive attempts to realise the dream were interrupted by a great rustle and chattering of lady visitors. They regarded the objects upon the floor with the empty disdain of their sex for all imaginative things. But the writer had in those days a very dear friend, a man too ill for long excursions or vigorous sports (he has been dead now these six years), of a very sweet companionable disposition, a hearty jester and full of the spirit of play. To him the idea was broached more fruitfully. We got two forces of toy soldiers, set out a lumpish Encyclopaedic land upon the carpet, and began to play. We arranged to move in alternate moves: first one moved all his force and then the other; an infantry-man could move one foot at each move, a cavalry-man two, a gun two, and it might fire six shots; and if a man was moved up to touch another man, then we tossed up and decided which man was dead. So we made a game, which was not a good game, but which was very amusing once or twice. The men were packed under the lee of fat volumes, while the guns, animated by a spirit of their own, banged away at any exposed head, or prowled about in search of a shot. Occasionally men came into contact, with remarkable results.
L. Congress, July, 1904; Fifteenth Congress, July, 1905; Sixteenth Congress, July, 1906; Twentieth Congress, July 1910._ DEFINITIONS. The words and phrases used in these laws shall be construed in accordance with the following definitions unless such construction is inconsistent with the context: (a) The thirteen cards received by any one player are termed a “hand.” (b) The four hands into which a pack is distributed for play are termed a “deal;” the same term is also used to designate the act of distributing the cards to the players. (c) A “tray” is a device for retaining the hands of a deal and indicating the order of playing them. (d) The player who is entitled to the trump card is termed the “dealer,” whether the cards have or have not been dealt by him. (e) The first play of a deal is termed “the original play;” the second or any subsequent play of such deal, the “overplay.” (f) “Duplicate Whist” is that form of the game of whist in which each deal is played only once by each player, and in which each deal is so overplayed as to bring the play of teams, pairs of individuals into comparison. (g) A player “renounces” when he does not follow suit to the card led; he “renounces in error” when, although holding one or more cards of the suit led, he plays a card of a different suit; if such renounce in error is not lawfully corrected it constitutes a “revoke.
If more than 20 points are made, the excess goes on the third game, and so on. Another important point is the great value attached to honours, and the maker of the trump should never forget that he can better afford to risk his adversaries winning 2 by cards with a trump in which he has three honours, than he can to risk a trump in which they may have three honours, and he can probably win only the odd trick. A further element may enter into his calculations, the state of the score. Tricks count before honours, and if he feels certain of making, by cards, the few points necessary to win the rubber, he may entirely disregard the honours. With such a hand it would be better to play without a trump, and to announce a _=grand=_, in which there are neither trumps nor honours, and every trick over the book is multiplied by 8. Two by cards at grand is worth more than two by cards and two by honours with any trump but cayenne. There is still another resource, to announce _=nullo=_, in which there is no trump, and the object of the players is to take as few tricks as possible. In nullo, every trick over the book counts for the adversaries, and is multiplied by 8. A peculiarity of nullo is that the Ace of each suit ranks below the deuce, unless the player holding it wishes to declare it higher than the King. In the latter case he must announce it when he plays it, and before his left-hand adversary plays to the trick.
At the beginning of the game each player makes a cast, either with one die or with two, as may be agreed, and the higher throw has the first play. In some clubs the player making the higher throw is allowed the option of playing the first cast, or of throwing again; but the general practice is to insist that the first cast is simply for the privilege of playing first, and that the dice must be cast again for the first move. After each throw the dice must fall within the borders of the table on the caster’s right, and each die must rest fairly and squarely on one of its faces. If it is _=cocked=_ against a man, the edge of the board, or the other die, or if it jumps over the edge of the table in which it is thrown, both dice must be taken up and cast again. The caster must announce his throw as soon as made. _=The Moves.=_ As the men on each side are moved round the board in opposite directions to reach their respective homes, they are of course obliged to meet and pass a number of the adversary’s men, and they must pick their way among them by going to points which are unoccupied by the enemy; for if there are two or more of the enemy in possession of any point, that point is said to be _=covered=_, and must be jumped over. If only one adverse man occupies a point, it is called a _=blot=_, and the man may be captured, as will presently be explained. The numbers that appear on the upper faces of the two dice, when they are thrown, are the number of points that each of any two men, or that any one man may be moved at a time. If a player throws four-deuce, for instance, he may either move one man four points and another two; or he may move a single man four points and two points, or two points and four points.
The counters have a money value, and three are given to each player. Three cards are dealt, face down, and one at a time. There is no widow. The eldest hand may then exchange one card with the player on his left, who must give his card before seeing the one he is to receive. The exchange goes round to the left. The moment any player finds himself with a flush, three cards of the same suit, regardless of their value, whether dealt to him, or made by exchange, he says: “My Ship Sails;” and all exchange is stopped, and the hands are shown. Should there be more than one flush, the pips win, counting ace for 11, and other court-cards for 10 each. If no player has secured a flush after two rounds of exchanges, the hands are shown, and the highest number of pips in the two-card flushes wins the pool. The elder hand wins ties. BOUILLOTTE, OR BRELAN.
The Ace is not in sequence with the King. _=Counters.=_ Each player should be supplied with at least ten counters, which may be used in settling at the end of each deal. _=Players.=_ Conquian is played by two persons, one of whom is known as the dealer, and the other as the pone. If there are three at the table, the dealer takes no cards, and has no part in the game for that hand. _=Cutting.=_ Seats and deal are cut for, the lowest cut having the choice, and dealing the first hand. The Ace is low, the King high. _=Stakes.
The fact that one or more players have already followed suit, and perhaps the cards they have played, may enable you to arrive at a still closer estimate of your chances. It is generally conceded, that the odds against a player who holds up on the first round are about 1 to 11. That is to say, in 12 pools, he will sacrifice his chances of one simply by holding up. After one or two tricks have been played, the conditions may be such that it becomes necessary to hold up, in order to win the second round. This is especially the case after you have been loaded, and are anxious to keep a certain player out of the lead. For an example see Illustrative Hand No. 4. in which Y holds up the ♢ King to keep A from getting in and leading another round of hearts. In the same hand Z tries hard to make the pool a Jack by holding up the ♣ Q. Had not A been entirely safe in diamonds the stratagem would have succeeded.
I came out, and tipped the dice to eleven. I kept the dice, but lost my chips, which is what I wanted. Throwing six more down on the Don t Pass side, I rattled the ivories in my left hand. Tears began to roll down her unhealthy cheeks. Lose! she cried nasally, and sniffled. Billy Joe! Listen to me, darlin Billy! You ll lose! Her eyes rolled up toward the top of her head as I ignored her and came out. Sniffles gasped, Hit s a seven! Well, that s the number I d tipped them to, but she called it before the dice stopped rolling. That left me thirteen chips. Half absent-mindedly, I put three of them on the Pass side of the line and tipped the dice to twelve. Mostly I was looking at this scarecrow beside me.
The first column of figures gives the number of times in 65,780 that there will be no proposal, so that the dealer has no choice but to play. The other columns give the number of times the dealer or the player will win if the player proposes and the dealer refuses. The first suit given in each instance is the trump. NO DEALER PLAYER PROPOSAL. WINS. WINS. 22 [Illustration: 🃗 🃘 🃙 🃇 🂧] 6,034 36,974 22,772 23 [Illustration: 🂷 🂸 🂡 🂨 🂧] 9,826 38,469 17,485 24 [Illustration: 🂧 🂨 🂾 🂷 🃗] 8,736 41,699 15,345 25 [Illustration: 🃇 🃈 🃝 🃗 🂷] 9,256 40,524 16,000 26 [Illustration: 🃗 🃘 🃇 🃈 🂭] 10,336 37,484 17,960 27 [Illustration: 🂷 🂸 🃘 🃙 🃋] 9,776 37,439 18,565 28 [Illustration: 🂧 🂨 🂹 🂺 🃚] 9,776 36,909 19,095 29 [Illustration: 🃇 🃈 🃗 🃁 🃈] 9,776 36,733 19,271 In giving cards, some judgment of human nature is necessary. Some players habitually propose on strong hands, and it is best to give to such pretty freely. _=DISCARDING.=_ The general principle of discarding is to keep trumps and Kings, and let everything else go.