chino, with 62 cards, and by the Venetian game of Trappola, with 40 cards. Frusso (Flush), Bassetta, and Primiera, were also other early Italian games. Primiera, called in Spain and England Primero, and in France Prime and Ambigu, was the ancestor of our Brag and Poker. In Germany, one of the earliest games played was Landsknechtspiel (Footsoldiers'-game), called in French Lansquenet. The oldest Spanish game is probably Ombre (Hombre, man), called Omber in England, where, as well as in France, it was using animals, flowers, fruit, etc. followed by the Florentine game of One old German set has for suit Minchiata, played with 97 cards; marks dogs, falcons, stags, and by the Bolognese game of Tarocducks; another, rabbits, parroquets, pinks, and columbines; and a third, lions, monkeys, parrots, and peacocks. In 1862, during the Civil War in the United States, cards were printed in New York with eagles, shields, flags, and stars for suit marks, and a colonel, the Goddess of Liberty, and a major, for King, Queen, and Knave. The English seem to have adopted all the French suit marks together with the French names for the two red suits, but to have taken the Italian or Spanish names for the two black suits, calling tréfles clubs, a translation of the Italian bastoni or the Spanish bastos; and piques spades, which is derived from spade or espadas, the Italian and Spanish words for swords. Cards were at first made much larger than now, some of the early German ones being seven by four inches. They were, too, sometimes made square, and sometimes circular. Hindoo and Persian cards are often circular, about 2 inches in diameter, though those used in Teheran are generally of the European size and shape. Hindoo cards are sometimes of eight suits of twelve each and sometimes of ten suits of twelve each. The suit marks are birds, swords, suns, moons, etc. (21, 22, 23, 34). Persian cards have generally 96 in the pack, with suns, moons, harps, sabres, etc., for suit marks. Chinese cards are long and narrow, from 2 to 2 inches long by I to wide (25, 26). They are printed with black ink on thin white cardboard, and the backs are black, red, or plain white. Japanese cards are much like the Chinese, differing only in their marks. The earliest card game played is supposed to have been Tarocchi, invented at Venice, played with 78 cards, called from it Tarocchi cards, or, in French, Tarots. This was 25. Court Card. 26. Pip Card. Chinese Cards. once much played. There were many modifications of it, among them Quadrille and Solitaire. England has no national game of cards, unless Whist may be so considered, the games played there being derived from Italy, Spain, or France. Primero, one of the earliest, was fashionable from the reign of Henry VIII. to that of James I. It was succeeded by a game called Mauve; then came Gleek, Omber, Quadrille, Reversis, and Bassett; and finally Ruff, and Honors, which, about 1650, led to Whist. The card games usually played now are described in special articles in this book. CASINO, or Cassino, a game of CARDS played best by four persons, but sometimes by two, three, five, six, or even more. The players may be divided into two sides, or play each for himself. The dealer deals from a full pack four cards, one at a time, to each player and lays four more face upward on the table, either as he deals or all at once. When the players' cards are gone, four more are dealt to each one until the pack is used up, but none are put on the table except at the first deal. The leader (or elder hand) can take not only all cards of the same value, among those on the table, but also any cards the number of whose spots, added together, equals his. Thus a Nine will take not only all other Nines on the table, but at the same time a Five and a Four; a Six and a Three; a Seven and a Two: an Eight and an Ace; a Four, a Three, and a Two; or any other cards which will make nine when their spots are added. Face cards can take only corresponding face cards. If the leader has no card that will take anything, he must lay some card on the table, but if he has left in his hand a card that will take the card laid down, in connection with others on the table, he can make a pile of the cards he is able to take, at the same time announcing to the other players with what card he means to take them at a subsequent time, though not necessarily his next turn. If the cards so piled form a single group it is called "building,' if several groups, it is "calling," or duplicating. Thus if a player combine a Six from his hand with a Two and an Ace on the table, and say "Nine," it is only a "build," but if he include in the pile a Nine-spot on the table or another group the sum of whose spots is nine, he must say "Nines" (using the plural) and it is a " call." The cards of neither a build nor a call can be taken separ ately by pairing, but an adversary may raise a build in amount by the addition of another card, while a call cannot be raised. A call must be taken by the card it represents, either alone or with other similar piles. The second player may likewise take what he can with his card, or build, or call, remembering in either case that a build can always be treated like a single card, while a call cannot. If he can do none of these things he must lay down a card with the others. The players in turn have the same choice till the pack is exhausted. When the pack has been played, he who takes the last trick takes also the rest of the cards on the table. Each player then counts his points according to the table given below: Big Casino (the Ten of Diamonds) Besides this, when a player has taken all the cards on the board at once (except at the end of the game) it is called a sweep, and counts 1. A sweep is generally marked by facing or turning over one of the cards in the pile of tricks belonging to the player who makes it, so that, when the points are counted at the end of the hand, there is no trouble in remembering it. The person or side first making ten points usually wins the game; but when only two persons or sides are playing, the count is sometimes made by giving to him who makes the greatest number of points in a hand only the difference between his points and those of his opponent, while the latter scores nothing; thus, if A has 8 and B has 5, A scores 3 and B nothing; while if they are equal, neither scores. If three play in this way, the two lowest add their points and subtract their sum from the highest, and no one scores when this sum equals or exceeds the highest. The game is made longer by counting thus, but it can hardly be done when more than three are playing separately, as usually no one could score. In playing Casino, when no card on the table can be taken it is best to lay down face cards. These are of the least use in one's own hand and the hardest to take on the table, since no combinations can be made with them. Care should be taken in laying down an ace, for in taking it with another ace your opponent wins two points for the final count at once, and it is also the easiest card to combine. It would be better even to lay down Big Casino, for that can be taken only by a ten. After the learner has played the game once or twice other suggestions will soon offer themselves. RULES OF THE GAME. 1. The tricks must not be examined nor counted before all the cards are played. 2. If the dealer show a card before any of the four in the middle are dealt, or if he dealt too many or too few cards to any one, he must deal again. History. The word casino is Italian and means little house. Club houses where people meet for amusement are often called casinos, and this game may have been so named because it was a favorite at such places. In Kapak, or Russian Casino. this form of the game the Knave counts 11, the Queen 12 and the King 13. There is no "building." Sweeps are called " Kapaks," and Big Casino and Little Casino are called respectively the "Good Ten and "Good Two." Clubs count instead of Spades, as in ordinary Casino, and the "Good Two" (Little Casino) is the Two of Clubs. In all other respects Kapak is played like ordinary Casino. called a Cat. The Cat is a piece of wood about six inches long and 11⁄2 or 2 inches thick, sharpened at both ends. If it is laid either on level ground or with one end projecting over a hole, and the end be struck down quickly with a bat, it will rise in the The Cat. air, twirling, and may then be struck away with the bat. The game may be played in various ways. In the simplest, a large ring is made and one player, standing within it, strikes the cat as described above. If it fall within the ring, he is out and another player takes his place. If it fall outside he guesses how many lengths of the stick it is from the center of the ring. The distance is then measured, and if it is less than his guess, he is out; but if not, he scores that number of points and has another turn. After as many rounds as have been agreed upon, the player scoring the most points wins. Another way of playing is to make as many holes in the ground as there are players on a side; the holes are made as nearly as possible in a circle and at equal distances. A player, with a bat, stands at each hole, and all the players on the other side stand ouside the circle. One of the batsmen strikes the Cat, and then all run around the circle. Every time they reach new holes the side scores one run. The next player in order then strikes the Cat, and so on. But if a player on the other side can throw the Cat between any two holes before the player who has left one of them reaches the other, the runner is out, and when one or more players are out (whichever has been agreed) the sides change places. When each side has been at the bat the number of times previously agreed upon, the game is ended, and the side that has made most runs wins. This game is very old. It was CAT, a game played by any num-known to the Venetians in the 16th ber of persons with a piece of wood century. It is a common sport also invent many of new figures to suit manner. When more than this numhimself. The different arrangements | ber play, each is dealt one hand, the are often called by special names. cards being divided evenly. In all In Germany some of them are The cases the last card is turned for Single Cross." "The Double Cross." "The Water" and "The Violin." History. This game, which is Fig. 7. probably of great antiquity, is found in nearly all parts of the world. The Dyaks, or natives of Borneo, are very skillful at it, making many kinds of puzzling figures, and the Maoris of New Zealand are also fond of it. The latter call it Mani, the name of Fig. 8. their national hero, by whom they say it was invented. Its various patterns represent incidents in Mani's life, and other events, forming a kind of pictorial history of the country. trump. Six persons may play in two take them as follows: Queen, II 4 3 It will thus be seen that the principal object of the game, aside from making tricks, is to take the one containing the Ten of Trumps, for the Knave, being the highest card, cannot be taken from its owner. Hence the name "Catch the Ten." He who has the Ten should try to save it by playing it on a trick already taken by his partner, or by trumping with it. If a player have the two highest trumps, he should lead them, in hope of catching the Ten, or of enabling his partner to save it. In are similar to those of Whist. If a player revoke, his side loses the game. CATCH THE TEN, or Scotch Whist, a game of CARDS played by two to eight persons with a pack from which the Twos, Threes, Fours, and Fives are omitted. If it is nec-other respects the rules for playing essary, one or more of the Sixes may also be left out, that the cards may be equally divided. The cards rank as in Whist, except in the trump suit, where the Knave is higher than the Ace. When two persons play, three hands of six cards are dealt to each, which must be kept separate and played in the order in which they are dealt. When three play, two hands are dealt to each in like CAYENNE, a game of CARDS, played by four persons, two against two, with a full pack. The cards are dealt as in WHIST, and the dealer. after turning the last as trump, decides which of four games shall be played. These are called respectively, "In Suits," "Grandissimo," "Cayenne,” and “Nullissimo." The |
