or for the expenses of the table.
Knight Player, one who can give the odds of a Knight to weak
players, at Chess.
Last Trick, an expression used to distinguish the last trick
when all the cards are played from the last when all the cards are
not played, especially in Bézique and Sixty-six.
Last Turn, the three cards left in the box at the end of the deal
at Faro, the order of which may be bet upon.
Lead, to play the first card in any trick.
Levée, F., a trick. (Tric, is the odd trick.)
Liées, F., to play rubbers.
Limit, the amount by which one player may increase his bet
over that of another.
Long Cards, the dregs of a suit which has been led several
times, and exhausted in the hands of the other players.
Long Suits, those containing four or more cards, at Whist.
Lose Out, a card that loses four times in one deal, at Faro.
Losing Cards, those that would lose tricks if they were led.
Losing _Hazard_, pocketing the cue ball.
Losing Trump, one which is not the best, when only one or
two remain.
Love-all, nothing scored on either side.
Lurched, not half way toward game.
Main, F., with avoir this expression is indefinite, and may
refer to the deal or the lead. With être, to be in the lead. Dans
la main, applies to the possibilities of the hand. Placer la main,
to place the lead.
Make-up, to get the cards ready for the next deal.
Make the Pass, to put the two parts of the pack back as they
were before the cut.
Maldonne, F., misdeal.
Manche, F., one game of the rubber.
Manque, the numbers from 1 to 18 at Roulette. See Passe.
Marque, F., a score which is kept upon the table by means of
counters.
Martingale, any system which controls the amounts wagered on
a series of events. (See chapter on Chance and Probability.)
Massé, a shot made with the cue held nearly perpendicular.
Master Card, the best card remaining of a suit which has been
played.
Matsch, G., to win all the tricks, a slam.
Mechanic, a dealer who can make the cards come any way he
pleases at Faro.
Melden, G., to announce, claim, or show any counting combination
of cards.
Méler, F., to shuffle.
Memory Duplicate, playing over the same hands at the same
table; the players who held the N and S cards getting the E and
W for the overplay.
Menage, F., gathering and arranging the cards for the succeeding
deal when two packs are used.
Milking, taking a card from the bottom and the top of the pack
at the same time with the forefinger and thumb.
Mischen, G., to shuffle.
Misdeal, any failure to distribute the cards properly.
Mise, F., the layout, or the original pool.
Misère Ouverte. There is no such expression as this in French;
the proper term is Misère sur table. See Boston.
Mittelhand, G., the second player on the first trick, in Skat.
Mixed Pair, a lady and gentleman playing as partners.
Mort, F., the dummy hand at Whist or Bridge.
Mouth Bets, those made without putting up the money. One
who fails to pay mouth bets is a welcher.
Muggins, to take a score which has been overlooked by an adversary,
especially in Cribbage and Dominoes.
Natural, anything which wins the stake immediately; 7 or 11 at
Craps; 21 at Vingt-et-un; 8 or 9 at Baccara.
Natural Points, those which must be made every deal, such as
big and little cassino, high, low, etc.
Navette, F., a cross ruff.
Neben Farbe, G., plain suits.
Next, the suit of the same colour as the turned trump at Euchre.
Diamonds are “next” to hearts.
Nick, a natural at Craps; 7 or 11 on the first throw.
Nicknames for Cards: The ♢9 is the curse of Scotland; the ♣4
is the devil’s bedposts; the ♣A is the Puppy-foot; the Jack of
trumps at Spoil Five is the Playboy, and the Five of trumps is the
Five Fingers.
N. E. S. W., letters used to distinguish the players at Duplicate
Whist. N always leads, unless otherwise specified.
Nursing, keeping the balls together at Billiards, as distinguished
from gathering, which brings them together.
Odd Trick, the seventh won by the same partners at Whist.
Open Bets, bets at Faro which play cards to win.
Openers, cards which entitle a player to open a jack-pot.
Original Lead, the opening lead of a hand at Whist.
Pair, F., the even numbers at Roulette. See Impair.
Pairs, in Duplicate Whist, the partners sitting N and S, or E and
W. Any two cards of the same denomination.
Pairs Royal, any three cards of the same denomination.
Partie, F., a game which requires a number of deals to decide it.
Pass, to decline any undertaking in a game.
Passe, F., the numbers from 19 to 36 at Roulette.
Pat Hands, those which are played without discarding or exchanging
any of the cards originally dealt.
Pausirenden, G., one who shares in the fortunes of the game,
although not actually playing, as the dealer in four-handed Skat.
Paying in Cards. When the banker and the player’s point is
equal, the latter is said to “pay in cards.”
Penultimate, the lowest but one of a suit at Whist.
Phaser, F., to change the pack.
Philosopher, a card sharp.
Piano Hands, hands which run along smoothly at Whist, and
yield no opportunities for loss or gain.
Piking, making small bets all over the layout at Faro.
Playboy, the Jack of trumps at Spoil Five.
Plain Suits, those which are not trumps.
Point, F., the suit containing the greatest number of pips.
Pone, the player on the dealer’s right, who cuts the cards.
Ponte, F., one who plays against the banker.
Post Mortems, discussions as to what might have been at
Whist, sometimes called, “If you hads.”
Pot, strictly speaking, the amount to be played for when a pool
has exceeded a certain limit, especially in Spoil Five and Boston.
Premier en Cartes, F., the first to play.
Private Conventions, any system of giving information by the
play which could not be understood by a partner unless explained
to him.
Probabilities, the odds in favour of any event.
Progression, a martingale which increases a bet a certain amount
every time it is lost, and decreases it every time it is won.
Proil, or Prial, Pairs Royal.
Puits, F., only one to go, the whiskey hole.
Punters, those who play against the banker.
Puppy-foot, the ace of clubs.
Quart, the English equivalent of the French word quatrième, a
sequence of four cards.
Quart Major, A K Q J of any suit.
Quatorze, F., four cards of the same denomination.
Quatrième, F., a sequence of four cards.
Queue, F., the points added for winning the rubber.
Quinte, F., a sequence of five cards.
Quitted. A trick is quitted when the fingers are removed from it
after it is turned down. In Duplicate, a trick is not quitted until
all four players have removed their fingers from it. A score is
quitted when the fingers are removed from the counters, the peg,
or the pencil.
Raffles, the same number appearing on all the dice thrown.
Ranche, leaving the black pin standing alone at Pin Pool.
Re-entry Cards, cards in other suits which bring in long suits at
Whist.
Reizen, G., to draw a person on; to irritate or provoke him to
bidding more than he should.
Rejoué, duplicate whist.
Renege, failure to follow suit, having none. See Revoke.
Renounce, same as renege.
Rentrant, F., the player who takes the place of the loser in a
previous game.
Renvier, F., to raise the bet, to improve.
Retourne, F., any card turned on the talon, or for a trump.
Revoke, failure to follow suit when able to do so, as distinguished
from a renounce or renege.
Ring In, to exchange any unfair for fair gambling implements
during the progress of the game. See Cold Deck.
Robbing, exchanging a card in the hand for the turn-up trump,
or discarding several for the trumps remaining in the pack. See
Cinch and Spoil Five.
Rooking, hustling, inveigling a person into a game for the purpose
of cheating him.
Round, a round is complete when each player has had equal
advantages with regard to deal, dummy, etc.
Round Games, those which do not admit of partnerships.
Rubber, winning two out of three games. F., Robre.
Rubiconed, lurched, defeated before getting half way.
Ruffing, trumping a suit.
Run, a succession of counting shots at Billiards.
Schnitt, G., a finesse.
Schneiden, G., to finesse. Schinden is sometimes used.
Scratch, a fluke, a score which was not played for.
Screw Shot, a force shot at Billiards.
Second Dealing, dealing the second card from the top of the
pack, keeping back the top card until it can be dealt to yourself or
your partner.
See Saw, a cross ruff.
Sequence, three or more cards next in value to one another.
The word is sometimes used for two cards only.
Short-card Player, a poker player; usually a sharper also.
Short Suits, those containing less than four cards.
Short-stop Billiards. Short-stop players are those who are good
enough to play in halls hired for the purpose, but who stop short
of the championship class.
Shuffling, any method of disarranging the cards so that no trace
remains of their order during the previous deal or play.
Sights, the diamonds on the rail of an American billiard table.
Signalling for Trumps, playing a higher card before a lower in a
plain suit, when no attempt is made to win the trick.
Singleton, one card only of any suit.
Skin Games, those in which a player cannot possibly win.
Skunked, whitewashed, schwartz, beaten without having been
able to score a single point.
Slam, winning all the tricks. Little Slam, winning 12 out of 13
possible.
Sleeper, a bet left or placed on a dead card at Faro.
Sneak, a singleton which is led for the especial purpose of ruffing
the second round of the suit.
Snowing the Cards, milking or fuzzing them.
Soda, the first card at Faro, exposed face upward in the box before
any bets are made.
Splits, two cards of the same denomination coming on the same
turn at Faro.
Spot Stroke, a series of winning hazards with the red ball at
English billiards.
Square Game, one in which the cards are perfectly square, and
have not been trimmed for wedges, strippers, etc.
Squeezers, cards with indicators on the edges.
Stack of Chips, twenty. A “stack of whites” is $5.
Starter, the cut card at Cribbage.
Stechen, G., to trump.
Still Pack, the one not in play when two are used.
Stock, cards left after the deal is complete, but which are to be
used in the following play.
Stool Pigeon, a hustler.
Straight Whist, playing a hand and immediately shuffling the
cards for another deal, as distinguished from Duplicate.
Strength in Trumps, enough to justify a player in passing a
doubtful trick; usually four or five at least.
Strengthening Cards, those which are of no practical trick-taking
value to the leader, but which may be useful to the partner;
usually restricted to Q J 10 9.
String Bets, those that take all the odd or all the even cards to
play one way, win or lose, at Faro.
Strippers, cards trimmed so that certain ones may be pulled out
of the pack at will.
Strohman, G., the dummy at Whist or Bridge.
Strong Suits, those in which a number of tricks can be made
after the adverse trumps are out of the way.
Sub Echo, a trump signal in a plain suit, made after partner has
led trumps, and the player has not echoed on the trump lead.
Sub-sneak, a two-card suit which is led for the sole purpose of
getting a ruff on the third round.
Sweating Out, winning a game without taking any risks, by
waiting for the trifling points that fall to your share.
Systems, any guide that keeps a player from guessing in the
distribution of his bets; as distinguished from a martingale, which
controls the amount of the wager itself.
Table Games, Chess, Checkers, and Backgammon.
Tables, the ancient name for Backgammon.
Taille, F., a number of packs shuffled together, which are not to
be reshuffled or cut until all have been used.
Talon, the same as Stock.
Team Playing, requiring every member of a team to play with
every other an equal number of times, at Whist.
Tenace. The major tenace is the best and third best cards remaining,
or unplayed, in any suit, such as A Q. The minor tenace
is the second and fourth best, such as K J.
Têtes, Kings, Queens and Jacks.
Three-card Monte. A game in which three cards are dexterously
thrown on the table by a gambler, and the victim is induced
to bet that he can pick out one which has been previously
named and shown.
Three-echo, an echo on a trump lead when holding three only.
Three-on-a-side, a system of playing Faro, in which cards are
bet to win or lose an odd number of times.
Tournée, F., see Round.
Trailing, playing a card which accomplishes nothing.
Trash, to discard.
Tric, F., the odd trick at Whist or Mort.
Tricon, F., three cards of the same denomination.
Tric-Trac, the European name for Backgammon.
Trump-showing Leads, a system of private conventionalities in
leading plain suits at Whist, to show the number of trumps held
by the leader.
Unblocking, getting out of your partner’s way when he has
more cards of the suit than you have.
Underplay, leading a card which is not the best of a suit, when
the best would naturally be led; or holding up the best card to let
another player win the trick.
Vade, F., the pool to be played for.
Vergeben, G., misdeal.
Verleugnen, or Verläugnen, G., to revoke.
Vivant, F., Dummy’s partner.
Vole, F., winning all the tricks, a slam.
Vorhand, G., the eldest hand, at Skat.
Vorwerfen, G., to play out of turn.
Weak Trumps, not enough to justify a player in passing a
doubtful trick.
Wedges, cards trimmed to taper toward one end, so that if
certain ones are reversed they can be easily pulled out.
Welcher, one who makes mouth bets, and afterward fails to pay.
Whipsawed, losing two different bets on the same turn.
Whiskey Hole, only one to go.
Whitewashed, defeated without having scored a point.
Wide Balls, those which are near the corner of the table, and
are almost sure to be hit by a ball coming from either cushion.
Wide Cards, those which are too far apart to be likely to form
sequences. See Close Cards.
Widow, any extra hand dealt in any game.
Wimmeln, G., to bunch the points together; to fatten a trick
for the partner.
Wimmelfinte, G., leading a card which is calculated to induce
the second hand to fatten the trick for his partner.
Winning Hazards, pocketing the object ball.
Winning Out, a card that wins four times in the same deal at
Faro.
Yarborough, a hand at Whist containing no card higher than
a Nine; the odds against it are 1827 to 1.
Younger Hand, the one not the leader in two-handed games.
Zange, G., a fourchette or tenace.
Zwickmuhle, G., a cross ruff.
DRIVE WHIST.
There are several methods of playing Drive Whist; the most popular
being to fill as many tables as possible with the players that present
themselves, regardless of any order further than that partners should
sit opposite each other. The players may select their own partners, or
they may be determined by lot, according to the decision of the hostess.
Straight whist is played; the cards being shuffled and cut afresh for
every hand. Each deal is a game in itself.
_=Drawing for Partners.=_ If there is an equal number of ladies
and gentlemen, and the number is less than fifty-two, a sufficient
number of red and black cards should be sorted out, and the ladies
asked to draw from the red, the men from the black; those getting the
same denominations being partners. For instance: 16 couples present
themselves for play. The thirteen Hearts and the A 2 3 of Diamonds
should be put into one hat for the ladies; the thirteen Clubs, and A
2 3 of Spades being put into another for the men. Those drawing the
same denomination of Hearts and Clubs, or of Spades and Diamonds are
partners.
Before play begins, the number of hands which it is proposed to play
should be announced, or a time set for adjournment.
_=Driving.=_ There is no rank attached to the tables, but they should
be arranged in such a manner that players may know which table to go
to next. The partners seat themselves wherever they please, and at the
tap of the bell at the head of the table the deal is cut for, and play
begins. The winners of the majority of the thirteen tricks at each
table go to the next table. Here they may either continue to play as
partners, or may divide, which ever has been the style of play decided
upon by the hostess. When the partnerships have been drawn for, it is
usual to preserve them for the evening.
The losing gentleman at each table has the deal for the next hand.
_=Scoring.=_ Every hand must be played out for all it is worth, both
winners and losers scoring all the tricks they take. If the same
partners play together throughout the evening, one score-card will
do for the couple. If they divide, each individual must have his or
her own score-card. The winners are those who have taken the greatest
number of tricks in the agreed number of hands, or during the time
limit. When partners divide as they drive on, there should be two
prizes, one for ladies, and one for gentlemen.
BID WHIST.
This is a popular game on trains, or wherever it may be necessary to
stop at the end of a deal without finishing the game. Thirteen cards
are dealt to each player, one at a time, but no trump is turned.
Partners sit opposite each other, and the player to the left of the
dealer makes the first bid.
_=BIDDING.=_ The bidding goes round until no one will go any higher.
The eldest hand starts by naming the number of points he will make if
allowed to name the trump and lead to the first trick, but he does not
name the suit he purposes picking out. It is not necessary to lead a
trump.
There are two ways to bid. In some places there are seventeen points
to be played for in each deal; one for each trick of the thirteen and
one for each of the four honours, ace king queen and jack, in the trump
suit. Honours count to the side winning them, and not to the original
holders, so that a player holding the four top honours in any suit
could safely bid eight; four tricks and four honors being a certainty,
but if that was all he made he would lose on the deal, as the other
side would score nine points out of the seventeen.
In other places, it is the rule that the bidder must make the odd
trick or he cannot count honours or anything else. There are then only
eleven points to be played for in each deal; seven odd tricks and four
honours. Any player bidding four would have to win the odd and three
honors, or two odd and two honours, or something to make up his bid.
_=SCORING.=_ No matter how many more than his bid he makes, he can
score it all. If he fails, he is set back the amount of his bid. If his
adversaries win the odd trick or more, they count one point for each
trick over the book in addition to the amount by which they set the
bidder back.
When there are seventeen points in play each deal, it is usual to take
the lower score from the higher and score the difference only, but when
the bidder fails, he is not set back, but simply gets nothing at all,
while his opponents score all they make, without any deductions.
NORWEGIAN WHIST.
_=CARDS.=_ This variety of whist is played with a full pack of
fifty-two cards, which rank from the A K Q down to the deuce. In
cutting, the ace is low.
_=PLAYERS.=_ Four persons cut for partners, the two highest playing
against the two lowest, the lowest cut having the choice of seats and
cards and dealing the first hand.
_=DEALING.=_ The cards shuffled and cut, thirteen are given to each
player, one at a time in rotation to the left. No trump is turned, as
every hand is played without a trump.
_=MISDEALING.=_ In case of any irregularity in the deal, the same
dealer must deal again. The laws governing misdeals are the same as at
whist or bridge.
_=OBJECTS OF THE GAME.=_ The play is for tricks alone, but whether the
players try to win them or to lose them depends on the declaration. In
Grands it is to win; in Nullos, it is to lose.
_=BIDDING.=_ The player to the left of the dealer makes the first bid.
He may offer to play grand or nullo or he may pass. The moment either
grand or nullo is named, the bidding ends. If the first player passes,
the next to the left must declare himself. If all pass without a bid,
the hand is played as a nullo. Any player bidding out of turn loses 20
points, and is barred from bidding on that deal.
_=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ If the game is grand, the player to the _right_
of the bidder leads any card he pleases. If the game is nullo, the
player to the _left_ of the bidder leads. If no bid is made, the player
to the left of the dealer leads. Either partner may take in the tricks
won by his side, keeping them separate, so that they may be easily
counted.
_=SCORING.=_ The game is 50 points. Each trick over the first six
counts four in grands, but in some places only two in nullos. This
must be agreed upon before play. Tricks over the book count for the
bidder’s side in grands, but against him in nullos. If the bidder and
his partner fail to get the odd trick in a grand, his opponents count
double for each trick they win over the book, but in nullos there is no
double value.
_=PENALTIES.=_ In case of a revoke, the side in fault gives three
tricks to its opponents in grands, or receives three if it is a nullo.
The penalty for a lead out of turn is to call a suit.
RUM.
There are several varieties of this game, and quite a number of ways of
playing them, but the standard method, as adopted by the best clubs, is
that here given. The principal divisions of the game are those played
with the single pack, and those played with the double pack and two
jokers.
SINGLE-PACK RUM.
_=CARDS.=_ The full pack of fifty-two cards is used, ranking from the K
Q J down to the ace, the suits having no rank. The ace may also be used
in sequence with the king as the top of a sequence.
_=PLAYERS.=_ Any number from two to six may play, but four or five
makes the best game.
_=CUTTING.=_ The cards are spread and drawn for choice of seats and
first deal. The lowest cut has first choice, the next lowest sitting on
his left and so on round the table.
_=DEALING.=_ When two play, ten cards are given to each. When three
play, seven to each. When four play, six to each. The cards are dealt
one at a time until all are helped and the next card is turned face
up on the table as a starter for the discard pile. The stock is left
beside this card, face down.
_=OBJECT OF THE GAME.=_ The aim of the players is to get rid of the
cards dealt them and those they draw from the stock by laying face
upward on the table any combinations of three of a kind, or three in
sequence and suit.
_=METHOD OF PLAYING.=_ The player to the left of the dealer begins by
taking into his hand the card that is face up, if it suits him, or the
top card of the stock. If he takes the top of the stock, he puts it
into his hand without showing it. He may then lay out any combination
of three cards that he holds, but he is not obliged to do so. Whether
he lays out anything or not, he must discard a card, face up, to take
the place of the one drawn. This discard is always placed beside the
stock, and of course covers up any card already there.
_=LAYING OUT.=_ After drawing from the stock and before discarding,
a player may lay out any three cards, but no more than three at one
time. Or he may add one card from his hand to any combination already
laid out by another player, but he cannot add more than one card in
this way. He may add a card to a combination laid out by himself if he
wishes to.
_=CALLING OUT.=_ Each player in turn to the left draws, lays out and
discards in this manner until some player gets rid of his last card,
when he calls out, and the game comes to an end. The last card in a
player’s hand may be got rid of by laying it out in combination, or by
discarding it if it is the only card left.
_=SCORING.=_ As soon as any player calls out it is too late for any
other player to lay down any combinations he may hold. Each player in
turn to the left shows his hand and the winner gets credit for the pip
value of his cards, jacks being worth 11, queens 12, kings 13.
It sometimes happens that the stock is exhausted before any player
calls out. In this case the discards are turned face down without
shuffling them and the pile drawn from as if it were the stock.