Part 74

Spares--A spare is credited whenever a player clears the alley with the first and second ball.

Breaks--A break is charged to a player at all times when neither a strike nor spare is made.

The Ball--The ball shall not exceed 5½ inches in diameter in any direction, but smaller balls may be used.

A FEW DON’TS.

Don’t try to learn in a day.

Don’t use too much speed at first.

Don’t grip the ball too tight.

Don’t loft the ball.

Don’t play the side ball until you have mastered the centre delivery.

Don’t swing the ball more than once before delivering it.

Don’t start with a jump; walk one and run two steps.

Don’t deliver the ball with the right foot in front.

Don’t step on or over the foul line.

Don’t think you can change the course of the ball after it has left your hand.

Don’t expect a “strike” every time you hit the head pin.

Don’t blame the pin boys if you get a split. They will spot any pin you call their attention to.

Don’t throw away a “spare” because you think you were entitled to a “strike.”

Don’t use any unnecessary motions.

Don’t exert yourself. Take it easy. A slow accurate ball is better than a swift wild one.

Don’t put your whole thumb in the finger hole. One joint is enough.

Don’t use a large finger hole. Big holes make a ball lop-sided.

Don’t roll a ball down the alley when there is a ball in the pit.

Don’t use a wide grip if you have a small hand, or two narrow for a big hand.

Don’t use chalk on your shoes. It not only cracks the leather, but leaves the runway in bad condition for whoever follows you.

Don’t think your wrist is gone if it hurts after bowling a few games. Change your grip and throw the strain somewhere else.

Don’t bend your back when delivering the ball. With your feet far apart and knees bent you can start the ball with little or no sound.

Don’t be superstitious--13 is a better start than 12.

Don’t think it necessary to be a Sandow. Many lightweights bowl well.

Don’t get discouraged, you can learn. Any able-bodied person, with ordinary nerve and a good eye, can become quite expert with little practice.

Don’t let an alley owner use pins that are worn out.

Don’t think you can sandpaper a ball without injuring it. It takes an expert mechanic to true up a lignum-vitæ ball.

Don’t lay a lignum-vitæ ball away DRY, if you don’t want it to crack.

GENERAL LAWS, FOR ALL CARD GAMES.

Very few games have their own code of laws, and only one or two of these have the stamp of any recognised authority. In minor games, questions are continually arising which could be easily settled if the players were familiar with a few general principles which are common to the laws of all games, and which might be considered as the basis of a general code of card laws. The most important of these principles are as follows:--

_=Players.=_ It is generally taken for granted that those first in the room have the preference, but if more than the necessary number assemble, the selection must be made by cutting. A second cut will then be required to decide the partnerships, if any, and the positions at the table, the latter being important only in games in which the deal, or some given position at the table, is an advantage or the reverse. The usual method of cutting is to spread the cards face downward on the table, each player drawing one. In some games the cards are thrown round by one of the players.

_=Shuffling, Cutting and Dealing.=_ In all games in which the cards are shuffled at all, each player has the right to shuffle, the dealer last. In English speaking countries the cards are always cut by the player on the dealer’s right, who is called the “pone.” In cutting to the dealer in any game there must be as many cards left in each packet as will form a trick; or, if the game is not one of tricks, as many cards as there will be in any player’s hand; four, for instance, at Whist, and five at Poker. The cards are always distributed to each player in rotation from left to right, and each must receive the same number of cards in the same round. In games in which the cards are dealt by two and threes, for instance, it is illegal to give one player two and another three in the same round.

_=Misdeals.=_ In all games in which the deal is an advantage, a misdeal loses the deal; but in all games in which the deal is a disadvantage, or some position is more advantageous than that of the dealer, such as the “age” at Poker, a misdeal does not lose the deal. The only exception to this rule is in Bridge, in which there are no misdeals, and Cribbage, which has a fixed penalty.

_=Bidding.=_ In all games in which there is any bidding for the privilege of playing or of making the trump, or any betting on the value of the hands, the privilege must be extended to each player in turn, beginning on the dealer’s left. Any bid or any bet once made can neither be taken back nor amended. If any bid is made out of turn in any partnership game, it must be assumed that undue information is conveyed, and the player in error, or his partner, must lose his bid. In round games there is no penalty.

_=Exposed Cards.=_ No player can exact a penalty for his own error, so that if an adversary of the dealer exposes one of his own cards he cannot claim a misdeal, but the dealer’s side may. There should be no penalty for a player’s having exposed a card unless he can derive some benefit from the exposure, such as from his partner’s having seen it. If there is no partner, there should be no penalty, because the player injures himself only. All exposed cards must be left on the table, and may be called upon by the adversaries to be led or played.

The same principles apply to _=Leading out of Turn=_. If the player in error has no partner, or his partner is a dummy, and the lead is taken back, no harm is done except to the player himself, and there should be no penalty. If the adversaries fail to observe that the lead was irregular, they are equally at fault with the player, who must be assumed to have erred unintentionally. In games in which a lead out of turn conveys information to a partner, the usual penalty is to call a suit.

If a player is led into error through a previous error on the part of an adversary, he should not suffer any penalty for it, but may take back his card. This is particularly true of following suit to erroneous leads, or playing after a revoke which is afterward amended.

_=Irregularities in the Hands.=_ In all games in which the player need not follow suit unless he chooses, such as Seven-up, there should be no penalty if the player has not his full complement of cards, because he cannot possibly gain anything by playing with a short hand. But in all such games as Whist, where the absence of a card in plain suits might enable a player to trump, a penalty must be enforced for playing with less than the proper number of cards. In all such games as Poker, it is only to the player’s own disadvantage to play with too few cards, provided he is not allowed to call four cards a flush or a straight, and there should be no objection to his playing with a short hand. Many good players “squeeze” their cards, and if they find a good pair in the first two, they put up the ante without looking further. It is manifestly unfair to bar them out of the pool because the dealer has given them only four cards, which gives them no possible advantage, but rather the reverse. This is in accordance with common sense, and is the law in Cribbage and Piquet.

_=Discrimination.=_ No person should be allowed any advantage over another which is not compensated for in some way. In Seven-up, for instance, the non-dealer counts game if it is a tie; an advantage which is offset by the dealer’s counting Jack if he turns it. In Auction Pitch the dealer has no such advantage, because no trump is turned, and therefore the non-dealer cannot count ties for game. It is a common error among Cassino players to hold that a player cannot build on his own build, but that his adversary may do so. A player holds two deuces, an Eight and a Ten, and builds a Six to an Eight. It is claimed that an adversary may increase this build to ten, but the original builder may not. This is manifestly unfair, because there is no compensating advantage to the player that is denied the privilege to justify its being allowed to his adversary.

_=Benefiting by Errors.=_ No player should be allowed to win a game by committing a breach of the laws. If a person revokes, for instance, there is a certain penalty, but in addition to the penalty it is always stipulated that the revoking player cannot win the game that hand.

_=Double Penalties.=_ No person can be subjected to two penalties for one offence. If a player leads out of turn, and a suit is called, the card played in error cannot be also claimed as exposed and liable to be called. If a player revokes, and his adversary wins ten tricks, the revoke penalty adds three tricks to the ten already won; but these thirteen tricks will not entitle the player to score any points for a slam, because that would be exacting a double penalty; the tricks for the revoke, and the points for the slam.

_=Intentional Error.=_ In all games it must be assumed that the player’s intentions are honest, and that any errors that arise are committed through inadvertence. Some of our law-makers have attempted so to adjust their codes as to provide against the manœuvres of the blackleg. This is simply impossible. Laws are made for gentlemen, and when it is obvious that a player does not belong to that class the remedy is not to appeal to the laws of the game for protection, but to decline to play with him.

_=Etiquette.=_ It should be quite unnecessary to legislate against acts which annoy or do injustice to individuals, but there should be some provision in the laws of every game which will secure to each individual equal rights with others in the enjoyment of the game. Some games are especially selfish; Boston, for instance, in which the four players originally forming the table may monopolise the game for the entire evening, without offering newcomers any chance to cut in. All such games should be limited to a certain number of tournées, at the conclusion of which fresh candidates should be allowed to cut into the table.

Technical Terms.

G. stands for German; F. for French.

Abnehmen or Abheben, G., to cut.

Abwerfen, G., to discard.

À cheval, across the line; betting on both sides at once.

Adversary, (G., Feind). In Mort or Bridge, those who play against the Dummy and his partner.

Affranchir, F., to establish a suit.

Age, the eldest hand; sometimes erroneously spelt Edge.

Albany Lead, a lead in Whist, to show four trumps and three of each plain suit.

American Leads, leads that show the number of cards in the suit led, at Whist.

Ames Ace, double aces thrown with dice.

Anchor Shot, getting the object balls against the cushion and astride the line at baulk-line billiards.

Ante, a bet made before playing, but after seeing the hand.

Antepenultimate, the lowest but two of a suit.

Après, the announcement of a refait at Rouge et Noir.

Arroser, F., to be compelled to play a trump which will not win the trick.

Ask for Trumps, playing an unnecessarily high card, when no attempt is made to win the trick.

Auf die Dörfer gehen, to run for home; to make all your aces and kings, instead of leading trumps.

A. Y. B. Z., the letters used to distinguish the positions of the four players at Whist; A-B being partners against Y-Z., and Z. having the deal.

Backgammon. If a player throws off all his men before his adversary has thrown off any, and while one or more of the adversary’s men are still on the side of the board next the winning player, it is a backgammon, or triple game.

Bath Coup, holding up Ace Jack on a King led by an adversary.

Battre, F., to shuffle.

Bedienen, G., to follow suit.

Bekommen, G., to win.

Bekennen, G., to follow suit.

Belle, F., the last game of the rubber.

Bidding to the Board, means that the points bid for a certain privilege are not to be credited to any player, but are simply the announcement of the value of an undertaking.

Biseautes (cartes) F., wedges or strippers.

Blätter, G., playing cards.

Blocking a Suit, keeping a high card of it, so that the player with a number of smaller cards cannot win tricks with them.

Blue Peter, the ask for trumps.

Blind, a bet made before seeing the cards.

Blinden, G., a widow, an extra hand dealt at any game.

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.

Brelan, F., three cards of the same denomination.

Brelan Carré, F., four cards of the same denomination.

Bringing in a Suit, making tricks in a plain suit after the adverse trumps are exhausted.

Brûler, F., to burn a card.

Bûche, F., cards that count for nothing, such as the tens and court cards in Baccara; equivalent to the G. Ladons, or Fehlkarten.

Bucking the Tiger, playing against the bank at Faro.

Bumblepuppy, playing Whist in ignorance or defiance of conventionality.

Bumper, a rubber of eight points at English Whist.

Burnt Cards, cards which are turned face upward on the bottom of the pack, usually in banking games.

Calling for Trumps, the ask for trumps.

Cannon, (Am. carrom,) a count made at billiards by causing the cue ball to touch two object balls.

Capot, F., winning all the tricks.

Cards, the number of tricks over six at Whist, such as “two by cards.” The majority of cards at Cassino.

Carrer, (se) to straddle the blind. Contre-carrer, to over-straddle.

Carrom, see cannon.

Cartes, F., playing cards.

Carte Blanche, a hand which does not contain K, Q or J.

Carte Roi, F., the best card remaining of a suit.

Cases, when three cards of one denomination have been withdrawn from the box at Faro, the fourth is a case.

Case-keeper, a board for recording the cards as they are withdrawn from the box at Faro. The word is sometimes applied to the person who keeps cases.

Cat-hop, two cards of the same denomination left in for the last turn at Faro.

Cave, F., the amount a player places in front of him at the beginning of play; table stakes.

Checks, the counters at Poker are checks; at Faro they are chips.

Chelem, F., a slam.

Chip Along, to bet a single counter and wait for developments.

Chouette, à la, taking all the bets.

Close Cards, those which are not likely to form sequences with others, especially at Cribbage.

Club Stakes, the usual amount bet on any game in the club.

Cogging Dice, turning one over with the finger after they have been fairly thrown.

Cold Deck, a pack of cards which has been pre-arranged, and is surreptitiously exchanged for the one in play.

Colours, a system of playing Faro according to the colour of the first winner or loser in each deal.

Command, the best card of a suit, usually applied to suits which the adversary is trying to establish.

Couper, F., to cut the cards; also to ruff a suit.

Couleur, F., a suit of cards, such as hearts or clubs.

Coup, a master stroke or brilliant play; a single roll of the wheel at Roulette, or a deal at Rouge et Noir.

Compass Whist, arranging players according to the points of the compass at Duplicate Whist, and always retaining them in their original positions.

Conventional Play, any method of conveying information, such as the trump signal, which is not based on the principles of the game.

Coppered Bets, bets that have a copper or checker placed upon them at Faro, to show that they play the card to lose.

Court Cards, the K, Q and J; the ace is not a court card.

Covering, playing a higher card second hand than the one led, but not necessarily the best of the suit.

Créve, F., one who is temporarily out of the game, such as one who has overdrawn his hand at Vingt-et-un; as distinguished from one who has lost all his money. The latter would be spoken of as décavé.

Crossing the Suit, changing the trump from the suit turned up to one of a different colour, especially in Euchre.

Cross-ruff, two partners alternately trumping a different suit.

Cul levé, (jouer à) playing one after another, by taking the place of the loser. A vulgar expression.

Cutting, dividing the pack when presented by the dealer; or drawing lots for choice of seats and deal.

Cutting In and Out, deciding by cutting which players shall give way to fresh candidates.

Curse of Scotland, the nine of diamonds.

Cut Shots, very fine winning hazards.

Dealing Off, the same dealer dealing again.

Deck-head, an Irish name for the turned trump at Spoil Five.

Deadwood, the pins that fall on the alley, in bowling.

Décavé, F., frozen out; the entire amount of the original stake being lost.

Défausser, se, F., to discard.

D’emblée, F., on the first deal; before the draw.

Despatchers, dice which are not properly marked, having two faces alike, such as double fives.

Devil’s bed posts, the four of clubs.

Discarding, getting rid of a card in plain suits when unable to follow suit and unwilling to trump.

Donne, (avoir la) to have the deal. Donne, the time occupied in playing the cards distributed during a deal, but “coup” is the term generally used.

Double Pairs Royal, four cards of the same denomination.

Doubleton, two cards only of a suit.

Doubling Up, betting twice the amount of a lost wager.

Doubtful Card, a card led by the player on your right, which your partner may be able to win.

Draw Shot, any shot which makes the ball return toward the cue; in English, a “screw-back.”

Duffer, one who is not well up in the principles of the game he is playing.

Dummy, the exposed hand in Dummy Whist, Bridge, or Mort.

Duplicate Whist, a form of Whist in which the same hands are played by both sides, and as nearly as possible under the same conditions.

Dutch It, to cross the suit at Euchre.

Ecarter, F., to discard.

Echoing, showing the number of trumps held when partner leads or calls; in plain suits, showing the number held when a high card is led.

Edge, a corruption of the word “age,” the eldest hand.

Eldest Hand, the first player to the left of the dealer in all English games; to his right in France.

Encaisser, F., to hand the stakes to the banker.

Entamer, F., to lead.

Established Suits, a suit is established when you or your partner can take every trick in it, no matter who leads it.

Étaler, F., to expose a card.

Exposed Cards, cards played in error, or dropped face upward on the table, or held so that the partner can see them.

Face Cards, K, Q and J.

Faire les Cartes, F., to shuffle; or to make the majority of cards or tricks in a game.

Fall of the Cards, the order in which they are played.

False Cards, cards played to deceive the adversary as to the true holding in the suit.

Fattening, discarding counting cards on partner’s tricks.

Feind, G., an adversary; Gegner is the more common word.

Figure, F., K, Q or J.

Fille, F., see Widow.

Finesse, any attempt to take a trick with a card which is not the best of the suit.

First, Second, or Third Hand, the positions of the players on any individual trick.

Five Fingers, the five of trumps at Spoil Five.

Flèches, the points upon a backgammon board.

Fluke, making a count that was not played for.

Flush, cards of the same suit.

Flux, F., only one suit in the player’s hand; a flush.

Force, to compel a player to trump a trick in order to win it.

Forced Leads, leads which are not desirable, but which are forced upon the player to avoid those which are still less advantageous.

Fordern, G., to lead trumps.

Fourchette, the two cards immediately above and below the one led, such as K J in the second hand on a Q led.

Four Signal, a method of showing four trumps, without asking for them; usually made by playing three small cards, such as 4 6 2, in that order.

Fourth-best, the fourth card of a suit, counting from the top. The modern substitute for the terms penultimate, and antepenultimate.

Front Stall, one who makes acquaintances for gamblers to fleece.

Frozen, balls touching at billiards.

Frozen Out, a player who has lost his original stake, and cannot continue in the game.

Fuzzing, milking the cards instead of shuffling them.

Gallery, the spectators who are betting on the game.

Gambling, risking more than one can well afford to lose on any game of chance.

Gambler’s Point, the count for “game” at Seven-up.

Gammon. When a player throws off all his men before his adversary throws off any, it is a gammon, or double game.

Gathering Shots, getting the balls together again after driving them round the table. See Nursing.

Geben, G., to deal the cards. Sometimes “Vertheilung der Karten” is used.

Gegner, G., the adversary.

Grand Coup, trumping a trick already won by partner; or playing a small trump on a trick which he has already trumped.

Greek, (grec) a card sharp.

Guarded Cards, cards which cannot be caught by higher cards unless they are led through.

Hand, the cards dealt to one player; the distribution of the cards in any one deal. A “remarkable hand” might be the play of an entire deal at Whist, for instance.

Heading a Trick, playing a better card than any already played to the trick, but not necessarily the best in the hand.

Heeled Bets, bets at Faro which play one card to win and another to lose, but do not win or lose double the amount if both events come on the same turn.

Hinterhand, G., the last player on the first trick, (Skat).

His Heels, the Jack turned up for a starter at Cribbage.

His Nobs, Jack of the same suit as the starter at Cribbage.

Hoc, or Hockelty, the last card in the box at Faro.

Honours, usually the highest cards in the suit, such as A K Q J, and sometimes the 10. In Calabrasella the 3 and 2 are honours, and in Impérial the lowest card is an honour.

Horse and Horse, each player having one game to his credit when they are playing best two out of three.

Hustling, inveigling persons into skin games.

Impair, the odd numbers at Roulette.

Impasse, F., to finesse.

Imperfect Fourchette, two cards, one immediately above the one led, and the other one remove below it; such as K 10 second hand on a Q led.

Imperfect Pack, one in which there are duplicate cards, missing cards, or cards so marked that they can be identified by the backs.

Indifferent Cards, cards of the same value, so far as trick taking is concerned, such as Q and J.

Inside Straights, sequences which are broken in the middle.

Intricate Shuffles, butting the two parts of the pack together at the ends, and forcing them into each other.

Invite, F., leading a small card of the long suit.

Irregular Leads, leads which are not made in accordance with the usual custom, as distinguished from forced leads.

Jack Strippers, two bowers, trimmed to pull out of the pack.

Jenny, a fine losing hazard, made off an object ball close to the cushion, between the side pocket and the baulk.

Jetons, F., the counters which represent money at any game.