are several methods, but the follow-hand, if no raise was made), who ing is the simplest : At the beginning of the game, the counters are divided equally among the players. Each, before looking at his hand, must put in the middle of the table a number of counters, agreed 。 BEATS on beforehand, and which is the same for each hand during the game. This is called the "ante" (Latin ante, before), and the antes together form the pool. When the drawing is finished, the eldest hand may either say, "I stay out," in which case he takes no further part in the hand, or he may place any number of counters, up to a limit agreed on before the game commences, in the pool; more or less according to the strength of his hand. This is called his "bet." The player at his left may stay out, or he may place in the pool the same number of chips as his neighbor (which is called BEATS see A pair of Tens. A pair of Kings. ing"), or he may put in more (which is called "raising" or "going better"). The third player may stay out, see, or raise the second player, and so on, with each in turn, one or more times around, either till all but one of the players stay out, when that one takes the pool without showing his hand, or till all the players in the game have "seen" the one that raised last. In the latter case, they are said to "call" the player that made the last raise (or the eldest must then show his hand. If none of the others has a better hand, they let him take the pool without showing their hands; otherwise the higher hands are shown and the winner takes the pool. The game may be played a certain length of time, and when it is over he wins that has most counters. Sometimes they who wish cards in the beginning of the game are required to add to their antes. Sometimes the players also make bets before they have drawn. Sometimes the ante is large or small, as the eldest hand chooses. A common method is to require each to ante twice as much as the eldest hand, who makes good the rest of the ante at his next turn, unless he stays out. " A player often bets high on a weak hand, in hope that the others. thinking he has a strong one, will prefer to stay out. This is called bluffing.' It is often possible to detect a bluff by watching a player's expression, unless he be very skillful The at concealing his thoughts. only part of Poker in which skill can be shown is in discarding. If a pair is dealt to a player, he should generally discard the other three cards, hoping to draw another of the same kind. If he hold four of a suit, he should often discard the fifth, hoping for a Flush. By noticing how many cards a player calls for, some idea may often be gained of the strength of his hand. RULES OF THE GAME. 1. If any player be given more or less than five cards there must be a new deal, provided the mistake is noticed before that player looks at his hand; otherwise, the deal is good, and the player whose hand is wrong must stay out. 2. All the players must discard before cards are given to any one. 3. Discarded cards must be piled face downward in front of the next dealer, and must not be touched. 4. If any player be given more cards than he asked for, the dealer must draw one of them and return it to the stock; but if the player look at his hand before noticing the mistake, he must stay out. History. Poker is derived from Primero or Prime, one of the oldest card games, which was a favorite as early as 1500. It was played in various ways, but generally four cards were dealt to each player, and the principal groups were Flush, Prime, and Point. Flush was the same as in Poker, Prime was one card of each suit, and Point was reckoned as in PIQUET, but with different values for the cards. When a player "raised the ante" he was said to "vye." Shakespeare represents King Henry VIII. as playing Primero with the Duke of Suffolk. Primero was elaborated in France, in the 17th century, into Ambigu, in which the Straight, the Straight Flush, Four of a kind, and Three of a kind, were introduced. About this time a game called Post and Pair, derived from Primero, was played in the west of England, and from this came Brag, on which Hoyle wrote a treatise in 1751. In the game of Brag each player said "I brag," as he raised another player. Our Poker is simply the English Brag with variations. DRIVING. The beginner should practice with a single horse. The driver in America sits on the right side of the vehicle, and if entering from the left should get in before his companion to avoid passing over or under the reins, which should always be in some one's hands unless an attendant be at the horse's head. The horse should always be restrained from moving off until the driver gives him an indication to start. Many horses acquire the habit of starting when they hear any one get into the vehicle, from being struck with the whip by the driver as soon as he starts. The horse, expecting the lash, starts up to avoid it. To drive in the English style the driver should hold the reins in his left hand, leaving the right free to hold the whip or to assist in turning or guiding the horse, or when a strong pull is necessary. The right rein, D, should be held between the first and second, or second and third fingers, and the left, N, between the forefinger and thumb, the ends passing through the palm of the hand under the fingers. (See Fig. 1.) The knuckles of the hand should be turned to the left. The horse is guided by pulling the rein on the side toward which he is to turn, which may be done by twisting the hand up or down, or by pulling the required rein with the right hand. The reins should be held short enough to enable the driver to check the horse quickly without leaning far back or taking a fresh hold, but not so short that he is obliged to lean too far forward or extend his arm awkwardly. The left elbow should be held well back and low down and the arm allowed to play lightly from the shoulder. The right hand is used to hold the whip and to steady and guide the horse. It is best for the driver to sit high, for this enables him to give a steady pull on the reins when necessary. To make the horse go faster, he should be encouraged with the voice, the whip being used only when necessary. The use of the whip depends a great deal on the horse; some animals will not bear it at all, while others can scarcely be made to go without it. Some horses will go best with a tight rein, and some with a loose one; but the driver should always "feel" the horse's mouth. To stop a horse the word "whoa!" is generally used, the driver at the same time pulling steadily on the reins. All sudden starts and stops should be avoided, as the result is to give those in the vehicle an unpleasant jerk. who sits on the right a full view of the vehicle he passes, so as to avoid collision. It may be that the opposite rule was adopted in America because when the country was newly settled, the roads were narrow and poor, so that it was more necessary for the driver to see to his outer wheels than his inner. It is always better for a beginner to turn too soon rather than to wait, for sometimes the vehicles are approaching each other faster than he thinks. If one of the drivers sees that the spot where the vehicles are likely to meet is bad for passing, he should stop at the right Driving a Pair. The horse on the right is called the off horse and the one to the left the near horse. These terms arose from the custom of the driver's walking on the left hand side of his team, whence the left horse was near him and the right one farther off. Most of what has been said above applies also to driv-side of the road, and the other should ing a pair, but in addition the driver must see that each horse does his share of the work, as some horses have a habit of shirking. The driver should watch the traces, and, if he sees that one of the team keeps his side loose, while the other's are tight, the offender should be touched with the whip. Driving Tandem. Two or more horses are sometimes driven one in front of the other. The forward horse in this case is called the leader, and the one next the carriage the wheeler. A horse, to make a good leader, must be specially trained, otherwise he is apt to step over the traces or to turn around and face the wheel-horse. Tandem driving is the most difficult kind and should not be attempted by a beginner. Four-in-Hand. Fig. 2 shows the method of holding the reins in driving four-in-hand. N L is the near leader's rein, O L is the off leader's, N W the near wheeler's, and O W the off wheeler's. Directions for driving four-in-hand cannot easily be given in print, but showing the method of holding the reins may be worth while. The guiding and steadying is done with the right hand as in pair horse driving. Rule of the Road. When two vehicles meet, each turns to the right. In England the rule is to turn to the left, thus giving the driver then drive quickly past him, so that he will have to wait as short a time as possible. Care must be taken in turning corners, or in passing a crossroad, lest there be a collision. When a vehicle is overtaken, it should be passed to the left, unless it is a heavily laden wagon on the left of the road, and no other vehicle is approaching, when it may be passed on the right. If a vehicle overtake another in a narrow road, the forward one should either keep ahead, or, if the driver does not wish to do so, he should turn to the right and son, it is very likely that something is the matter with the harness. In such a case the driver should alight at once and see what the matter is. If the Fig. 4. harness breaks, it may usually be fastened with twine, so that it will hold till he can drive home, or if not to be had the check rein may be taken off and utilized, or the throat lash even may be useful. Figs. 3 and 4 show two curiosities of driving, the first a proposed vehicle where the horse is beneath the cart; the second a proposed chaise to be run by a spring or other motor attached to the rear wheels. DROP THE HANDKERCHIEF, a game played by any number of children, who stand in a ring, facing inward. One of the boys, chosen for the purpose, walks or runs around the outside of the ring, holding a handkerchief in his hand, which he drops behind some girl. As soon as she sees it, she must pick it up and run after him. If she catches him, they kiss, and she returns the handkerchief for him to drop again; but if he can make the circuit of the ring | persons, each with a stone, about the and stand in the space she left, she size of a man's two fists, called a must take his place. She then drops Duck. One of the players, chosen the handkerchief behind some boy, by lot, places his Duck on a stone who runs after her, and the game with a smooth top, and stands near goes on as before, a girl always drop-it, while the others take their position ping the handkerchief behind a boy, behind a line eight or ten yards disand a boy behind a girl. The player tant, and try to knock it off with who drops the handkerchief may run their Ducks, each in turn. As soon around the circle in either way, and as each has thrown his Duck, he the one behind whom it is dropped runs up to it and watches his chance must always follow in the same to carry it back to the line. If the direction. Sometimes a player does one whose Duck is on the rock can not see that the handkerchief is lying touch any of the others while carrybehind him, in which case the drop- ing back his Duck, before he reaches per simply runs around the circle, the line, the one so caught must take picks up the handkerchief, and hand- the catcher's place, putting his own ing it to him, takes his place. No Duck on the rock. But if the Duck player may tell another, by word or is knocked from the rock, its owner sign, that the handkerchief is lying must replace it before he can touch behind him. The player who drops any one. the handkerchief sometimes says, as he runs around the circle, "I dropped my handkerchief yesterday, I found it to-day, I threw it away.' DUCHESS OF LUYNES, a SOLITAIRE game of CARDS, played with two packs. The first four cards dealt from the pack are placed in a row, face upward, and the fifth and sixth are laid aside to form Stock. Four more are laid on the first four, and two more in the Stock, and so on till the pack is used. The player's object is to form eight piles of families, downward from four Kings, and upward from four Aces, following suit. For this purpose the top card of any pile may be used in course of play, or the top card of the Stock. But when the top card of a pile is used, its place is not supplied from the pack, the next card being placed where it would have been if the preceding had not been used. When the pack is exhausted, the Stock can twice be shuffled and relaid, and then Stock and piles can be shuffled and relaid in four piles, omitting the Stock. DUCK, or DUCK ON THE ROCK, a game played by any number of În playing this game, if the owner of the Duck on the rock is skillful, he can often keep three or four of the other players out of the game by preventing them from picking up their Ducks. In this case the only means of relief is for some one to strike the Duck from the rock, for then its owner is helpless till he has put it back. Emperor, a kind of Duck, in which a wooden figure called the Emperor is placed on the top of a post about 18 inches high. A player called the Prime Minister stands near it. The other players have each a wooden ball like a croquet ball. The game is played exactly like Duck, the players trying to knock the Emperor off his post by throwing or pitching balls at him. The game can be continued for a specified time, at the end of which he who has been Prime Minister the least number of times, or has hit the Emperor the greatest number of times, is victor. DUCK AND DRAKE, or Skipping Stones, a game played by any number of persons, each of whom throws a flat stone into the water so that it will rebound. He whose stone skips the greatest number of times is the winner. The stone should be held |