_=THE SLAM.=_ This feature of Solo Whist is even rarer than the _grand coup_ at Whist. It is not very marvellous for an abundance player to make twelve or thirteen tricks; but to announce thirteen tricks before a card is played is something phenomenal. All the adversaries can do against such a call is to show each other, by their discards, in which of the suits they have a possible trick. It is very annoying to have a player succeed in making a slam just because two of his adversaries keep the same suit. SOLO WHIST FOR THREE PLAYERS. The best arrangement is to play with a pack of forty cards, deleting the 2, 3, and 4 of each suit. The last card is turned up to determine the trump, but it is not used in play. There is no proposal and acceptance, solo being the lowest call. If all three players pass, the trump card is turned down, and each player in turn has the option of calling a six-trick abundance, naming his own trump suit.
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3. Any card named by the player holding it. The adversary on the right of an exposed card must call it before he plays himself. If it will be the turn of the player holding the exposed card to lead for the next trick, the card, if wanted, must be called before the current trick is turned and quitted. Should a player having the lead, and an exposed card in front of him, play before the previous trick is turned and quitted, the card so led may also be claimed as exposed. If a trump is exposed after the trump suit has been named, the adversaries may prevent the playing of such a card; but the holder of it is not liable to any penalty for a revoke under such circumstances. _=Leading Out of Turn.=_ If a player leads when it was his partner’s turn, the partner may be called upon by his right-hand adversary to lead or not to lead a trump; but a specified plain suit cannot be called. If it was the turn of neither of the side in error to lead, the card played in error is simply exposed. If all have played to the false lead, the error cannot be rectified.
I won t rise up upon my feet, To see my mother go through the street. [Then follow verses for sister, brother, and lover. When this last is sung, she says--] I will rise up upon my feet, To see my lover go through the street. --Ninfield, Sussex, about sixty years ago (Charles Wise). III. Rise daughter, rise daughter, off of your poor feet, To see your dear mother lie dead at your feet. I won t rise, I won t rise off of my poor feet, To see my dear mother lie dead at my feet. Rise daughter, rise daughter, off of your poor feet, To see your poor father lie dead at your feet. I won t rise, I won t rise off of my poor feet, To see my poor father lie dead at my feet. Rise daughter, rise daughter, off of your poor feet, To see your dear sister lie dead at your feet.
_=3.=_ A ball forced off the table is put back on its proper spot. Should the player’s ball jump off the table after counting, the count is good, the ball is spotted, and the player plays from the spot. _=4.=_ If in playing a shot the cue is not withdrawn from the cue-ball before the cue-ball comes in contact with the object-ball, the shot is foul, the player loses his count, and his hand is out. _=5.=_ If the balls are disturbed accidentally through the medium of any agency other than the player himself, they must be replaced and the player allowed to proceed. _=6.=_ If in the act of playing the player disturbs any ball other than his own, he cannot make a counting stroke, but he may play for safety. Should he disturb a ball after having played successfully, he loses his count on that shot; his hand is out, and the ball so disturbed is placed back as nearly as possible in the position which it formerly occupied on the table, the other balls remaining where they stop.
See Hare and Hounds. Hunt the Slipper [Music] --Lancashire (Mrs. Harley). All the players but one sit on the floor in a circle with their legs crossed (Turkish fashion), one acting as Chief, all pretending to work at making or mending shoes. The other player brings a slipper to the Chief Cobbler, and desires it to be mended, saying-- Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe, Get it done by half-past two. The child walks away, and returns in a few moments and asks whether the shoe is ready. The Cobbler says, Not quite; call again in an hour s time, or makes any other excuse which occurs to him. When the child calls again, she is told it has been sent home. After several pretences the child declares an intention to search for it. The Cobblers in the ring then all place their hands under their knees, and pass the slipper secretly from one to another in such a way as to prevent the owner of the shoe getting it for some time.
Other formulæ for games of this kind are, As round as the moon, has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. These words are said while drawing on a table with the forefinger of the _left_ hand an imaginary face, making eyes, nose, and mouth when saying the words. The fun is caused through those players who are unacquainted with the game drawing the imaginary face with the right hand instead of the left. Another formula is to touch each finger of the right hand with the forefinger of the left hand, saying to each finger in succession, Big Tom, Little Tom, Tommy, Tom, Tom. The secret in this case is to say, Look here! before commencing the formula. It is the business of those players who know the game to say the words in such a way that the uninitiated imagine the saying of the words correctly with particular accents on particular words to be where the difficulty lies. If this is well done, it diverts suspicion from the real object of these games.--A. B. Gomme.
In _=Dom Pedro, or Snoozer=_, the Joker is added to the pack, and the Three, Five, and Nine of trumps count their pip value in scoring. The Joker, or Snoozer, counts fifteen, so that thirty-six points can be bid and made on one deal. The Joker is the lowest trump, so that the deuce of trumps will win it, but it will win any trick in plain suits. Fifty or a hundred points is the game. In counting out, the order of precedence is: High, Low, Jack, Ten (Game), Three, Five, Nine, Snoozer. CINCH, DOUBLE PEDRO, OR HIGH FIVE. This is now regarded as the most important variety of All Fours, and bids fair to supplant the parent game altogether. Properly speaking, Cinch is one of the pedro variations of Auction Pitch, the difference being that no one sells, and that there is added the always popular American feature of a draw to improve the hand. The derivation and meaning of the name, Cinch, seems to be very much misunderstood. Many persons assume it is simply a name for the Left Pedro, but such is not the case.
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. For instance: One player holds a quinte to the Jack in spades, a tierce to the Ten in hearts, and a tierce to the Nine in clubs; while the other holds a quatrième majeure (A K Q J) in hearts, diamonds, and clubs. None of the latter are of any value; but all those in the other hand are good. If the best sequence is a tie, no sequences can be scored by either player. The value of a sequence is ten more than the number of cards that go to form it, provided that number exceeds four. A tierce counts 3 only, and a quatrième 4 only; but a quinte is worth 15, a sixième 16, and so on.
The Ballynascaw version (Miss Patterson) is played in a similar way. One child sits on a bank, and the others come up to her in a long line. The old woman says the first five lines. No question is asked by the lady, she simply takes one child. The old woman shakes hands with this child, and says good-bye to her. When all the children have been taken in by the one who personates the lady, the old woman says the other three lines, and so one by one gets all the children back again. The Berkshire version (Miss Thoyts) is said, not sung, and is played with two leaders, old woman and lover. As the lover chooses a child, that one is sent behind him, holding round his waist. Each child as she goes says, Good-bye, mother, good-bye, and pretends to cry. Finally they all cry, and the game ends in a tug of war.
A player with a spade Solo, six Matadores, and schneider announced could offer only a spade Solo, without mentioning its value, and although his game was worth 99, he could be outbid by an offer of Nullo, which was then worth only 20. This is contrary to the spirit of the game, which requires that the person offering the game of the greatest value shall be the player. The rank of the bids in the old German game was as follows, beginning with the lowest:-- Frage, in the order of the suits. Tourné, in the order of the suits. Grand Tourné. Solo in diamonds, hearts and spades. Nullo, worth 20. Solo in clubs. Grand Solo, worth 16. Null ouvert, worth 40.
| +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+ | 1.|Draw a pail of water. |Draw a pail of water. |Draw, draw water. | | 2.| -- | -- | -- | | 3.| -- | -- | -- | | 4.|For my lady s |Send a lady a |For my lady s | | |daughter. |daughter. |daughter.
For instance: The sequence in spades has run to the Nine, and one player holds both spade Ten and diamond ace. If this player saw that another was very likely to win the game at any moment, and he had a pool card to play, he might stop the spade sequence by playing both the Ten and the diamond ace together, announcing _=Spin=_. He can then play a pool card, or begin a new sequence with the lowest of the suit in his hand. He cannot play the diamond ace unless he can play to the sequence first. _=SARATOGA.=_ This varies from Newmarket only in the method of making up the pool. Instead of leaving the players to distribute their stakes at pleasure, each is compelled to place an agreed amount on each of the pool cards, as at Pope Joan. POCHEN. This is a round game for any number of players from three to six, with a thirty-two-card pack. The layout has a centre division for pools and seven other divisions round it, marked, respectively, A, K, Q, J, 10, Marriage, Sequence.
474). III. We ve come to court Jinny jo, Jinny jo, Jinny jo, We ve come to court Jinny jo, Is she within? Jinny jo s washing clothes, Washing clothes, washing clothes, Jinny jo s washing clothes, You can t see her to-day. So fare ye well, ladies, O ladies, O ladies, So fare ye well, ladies And gentlemen too. [These verses are repeated for-- (1) drying clothes, (2) starching, (3) ironing, (4) ill, (5) dying. Then--] Jinny jo s lying dead, Lying dead, lying dead, Jinny jo s lying dead, You can t see her to-day. So turn again, ladies, Ladies, ladies, ladies, So turn again, ladies, And gentlemen too. What shall we dress her in? Dress her in, dress her in? What shall we dress her in? Shall it be red? Red s for the soldiers, The soldiers, the soldiers, Red s for the soldiers, And that will not do. [Various other colours are suggested in the same way, but are found unsuitable--black because black s for the mourners, green because green s for the croppies, and so on till at last white is named.] White s for the dead people, Dead people, the dead people, White s for the dead people, And that will just do.
The rules for play are the same as in the ordinary three and four hand. If four play as partners, two against two, the eldest hand always leads for the first trick, no matter who the successful bidder may be. The bidder always has the first count at the end of the hand, and it is usual to play this game so many deals, instead of so many points. At the end of six deals, for instance, the highest score is the winner. Sometimes this game is played with a widow, three cards when three play, four when four play. Each player is allowed three bids, and the successful bidder turns the widow face up, so that all may see what it contained. He then takes the widow into his hand and discards what he pleases, face down, to reduce his hand to the same number of cards as the other players. The trump is not named until after this discard. The bidder has the first lead and also the first count. Six deals is a game.
Three balls (not exceeding 6 inches in size) are allowed in each inning. If the four back pins are bowled down and the head pin is left standing, the score is 2. If all the pins are bowled down, the score is 1. There are no penalties. The dead wood must be removed. Any pins knocked down through the dead wood remaining on the alleys cannot be placed to the credit of the player. Ten innings constitute a game. The maximum is 20. FOUR BACK. [Illustration: 4 3 2 1 O O O O ] The pins are spotted as above.
Sometimes the Tenter, instead of standing with one foot in the Den, stands as far off the prisoner as the prisoner can spit. The choosing of sides is done by tossing. Two boys are selected to toss. One of them throws up his cap, crying, Pot! or Lid! which is equivalent to Heads and Tails. If, when a prisoner is caught, he cries out Kings! or Kings to rest! he is allowed to escape. The game is a very rough one.--Addy s _Sheffield Glossary_. Beds Jamieson gives this as the Scottish name for Hopscotch; also Brockett, _North Country Words_. Bell-horses I. Bell-horses, bell-horses, what time of day? One o clock, two o clock, three, and away! Bell-horses, bell-horses, what time of day? Two o clock, three o clock, four, and away! Five o clock, six o clock, now time to stay! --Stanton Lacey (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p.
=_ The pone begins by leading any card he pleases. The second player in any trick is not obliged to follow suit, even in trumps; but may renounce or trump at pleasure until the players cease to draw from the stock. If the second player follows suit, the higher card wins the trick. Trumps win all other suits. _=Drawing.=_ The winner of the trick takes in the cards, turning them face down; but before he leads for the next trick he draws a card from the top of the stock, and places it in his hand without showing or naming it. His adversary then draws the next card, so that each restores the number of cards in his hand to six. _=The Trump.=_ If either player holds or draws the Nine of trumps, he may exchange it for the turn-up at any time, provided he has already won a trick. This need not be the trick immediately before exchanging, and he need not wait to get the lead before making the exchange.
=_ If a player makes more points than are necessary to win the game, the additional points are counted on the next game, so that there is always an inducement to play lone hands, even with 4 points up. _=Slams.=_ If one side reaches five points before the other has scored, it is a slam, and counts _=two games=_. When laps and slams are played, it is sometimes agreed that if a person plays alone without taking his partner’s best card, or the dealer plays alone without taking up the trump or asking for his partners best, and such a player succeeds in winning all five tricks with a pat hand, it counts _=five=_ points. If he fails to win all five tricks, the adversaries count _=one=_. If he is euchred, they count _=three=_; but they are not permitted to play alone against him. _=Jambone.=_ Any person playing a lone hand may announce Jambone, and expose his cards face up on the table. The adversaries then have me right to call any card they please, either for the lead, or in following suit; but they cannot make the player revoke, nor can they consult, or in any way expose their hands. If a lead is required, it must be called by the person on the jambone player’s left.
The boys at home then give chase, and when they succeed in catching an adversary, they bring him home, and there he stays until all on his side are caught, when they in turn become the chasers.--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 60). Buff 1st player, thumping the floor with a stick: Knock, knock! 2nd ditto: Who s there? 1st: Buff. 2nd: What says Buff? 1st: Buff says Buff to all his men, And I say Buff to you again! 2nd: Methinks Buff smiles? 1st: Buff neither laughs nor smiles, But looks in your face With a comical grace, And delivers the staff to you again (handing it over). --Shropshire (Burne s _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 526). Same verses as in Shropshire, except the last, which runs as follows:-- Buff neither laughs nor smiles, But strokes his face With a very good grace, And delivers his staff to you. --Cheltenham (Miss E. Mendham).
A player throwing double four knows that he has four fours and four threes to play and will then get another throw. The upper faces of the dice must be played first, and if all four cannot be played the opposites and the second throw are lost. If the upper faces can be played, but not all the opposites, the second throw is lost. If the first throw of the game made by either player is a doublet, it is played as in the ordinary game, without playing the opposite faces or getting a second throw. The chief tactics of the game are in getting your men together in advance of your adversary, and covering as many consecutive points as possible, so that he cannot pass you except singly, and then only at the risk of being hit. After getting home, the men should be piled on the ace and deuce points unless there is very little time to waste in securing position. TEXT BOOKS. Backgammon, by Kenny Meadows, 1844. Backgammon and Draughts, by Berkeley. Pocket Guide to Backgammon, by “Cavendish.
=_ Three of one kind, and two useless cards. [Illustration: 🃉 🂹 🃙 🂭* 🂢*] 46 to 1 _=Straight.=_ All five cards in sequence, but of various suits. [Illustration: 🃉 🂸 🃗 🃆 🂥] 254 to 1 _=Flush.=_ All five cards of one suit, but not in sequence. [Illustration: 🂡 🂮 🂨 🂥 🂣] 508 to 1 _=Full Hand.=_ Three of one kind, and two of another kind; no useless cards. [Illustration: 🃅 🂥 🃕 🂽 🂭] 693 to 1 _=Fours.=_ Four cards of one kind, and one useless card. [Illustration: 🃆 🂦 🃖 🂶 🂾*] 4164 to 1 _=Straight flush.
=_ The great secret of success in auction lies in sound bidding, so that no bid shall have a double meaning and the partner may be able to rely absolutely on the information which the bid should convey. The complications of the situation are so numerous, owing to the variations introduced by each succeeding bid as the players over-call one another, that it would be impossible to cover them in a work of this kind, and the student would do well to consult some such work as “Whitehead’s Conventions,” which covers every situation that could possibly arise in the bidding. A few general hints may be of assistance in showing the principles that govern the more common situations. _=The Dealer’s Bids=_ may be divided into four parts; a spade, a losing suit, a winning suit, and no trumps. The one-spade bid simply means, “I pass,” but it does not signify that he will not be willing to bid on the second round. It has nothing whatever to do with the spade suit. The dealer should never call any suit on the first round of bids unless he has two sure tricks in it. If it is a losing suit, he may have just those two tricks and nothing else, and the shorter the suit the better, but the tricks must be A K, or K Q J, or A Q J. If it is a winning suit he must have at least five cards of it and a trick or two in some other suit to back it up. If the dealer bids two spades, he shows two sure tricks in a short spade suit and a sure trick outside.
=_ The score for tricks and for honours must be kept separate, usually above and below the line, as at bridge. All trick points, which are the only ones that count toward game, are placed below the line; the honour points above. For winning a game, 1,000 points are added in the honour column. The side that first wins two games of 500 points each adds 2,000 rubber points in the honour column. _=Slams.=_ If a little slam, 12 tricks, is made, but has not been bid, it is worth 1,000 points in honours. If a little slam, “six tricks,” has been bid and is made, it is worth 5,000 more for bidding it, or 6,000 altogether. If a grand slam, 13 tricks, is made but not bid, it is worth 2,000 honour points. If a little slam is bid and a grand slam made, it is worth 7,000 altogether. If a grand slam is bid and made, it is worth 12,000 altogether.
[Illustration: 🂵 🃕 🃅 🂥 ] If your combination is one in which all three cards can be replaced with the duplicate, making three extra fifteens, it must be worth 20 altogether; 8 for the four fifteens, and 12 for the double pair royal. [Illustration: 🂢 🃖 🂷 🂧 🃇 ] If you have two duplicates of any one card in the original combination, there are only two extra fifteens, and the combination will be worth 12; 6 for the three fifteens, and 6 more for the pair royal. [Illustration: 🃒 🂦 🃖 🂷 🃗 ] If you have duplicates of two different cards you can form four fifteens; because you can replace the Seven first, and then the Six, and then put the first Seven back again with the new Six. 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.