Chapter V (26)

When a player succeeds in doing this, he reverses the colour of all the intervening men, turning them to his own side. A man placed at an angle may turn more than one line at a time. As soon as the board is filled, each man counts up his colour, and the one that has the majority wins the game.

HALMA.

This is played on a board with 256 squares, each player having nineteen men of distinguishing colours. At the start the men are placed in an enclosure at the corner of the board, called a “yard.” The object of the player is to get his men out of his own yard and into his adversary’s.

The men move one square at a time, like a king at chess, unless a man gets to the square adjoining that occupied by another man with a space beyond it. Whether the adjoining man is his own or his adversary’s, the player can hop over it into the vacant space beyond, and he can make as many hops as there are men and spaces. This being so, a player will try to make “ladders” with his own men, placing them in a line diagonally, with a space between each, and will then hop his men over them all. As soon as he gets all his men into his adversary’s yard the game is ended. Special directions always come with the apparatus.

GO-BANG.

This is played on a board of 361 squares. Each player has his own coloured counters, and they draw for the first move. Each places a man in turn, and the first to get five men in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, wins the game.

MORELLES, OR NINE MEN’S MORRIS.

This game, sometimes called _=The Mill=_, is played on a board ruled off into compartments, as follows:

+----------+----------+
| | |
| +------+------+ |
| | | | |
| | +--+--+ | |
| | | | | |
+---+---+ +---+---+
| | | | | |
| | +--+--+ | |
| | | | |
| +------+------+ |
| | |
+----------+----------+
]

Each player has nine men, of distinguishable colours. They draw for first move, and each in turn places a man on any one of the corners or intersections of the lines. As soon as either player gets three men in line, he can remove from the board any one of his adversaries’ pieces that he pleases, provided the piece is not one of three that are already in a line. If there are no other men on the board, he can remove one of a line.

After entering all nine of his men, the player can shift them about, one at a time, but no man can be moved farther than to the adjoining corner or intersection, and that must be vacant. As soon as a new line is formed in this way, an adverse man can be lifted. It is possible for one man to move back and forth in such a manner as to continually form and reform a line of three. When one player has only three men left, he can jump any of them to any vacant space on the board, no matter how far off. As soon as either player is reduced to two men, the game is over and he has lost.

DOMINOES.

Although properly a game for two persons, Dominoes is sometimes played by four, two being partners against the other two. There are also some round games in which any number from three to six may play, each for himself.

_=The Sets.=_ A set of dominoes is a number of pieces of bone, usually about 1½ inches by ¾, and ⅜ thick. These bones have upon their faces the permutations of the numbers from six to blank, taken two at a time. Some sets begin at double nine, and others at double twelve; but the standard set is double six, and is composed of twenty-eight pieces.

_=The Suits.=_ All the dominoes with the same number upon either end belong to the same suit; the seven bones with a 4 forming the 4 suit; those with a 6 the 6 suit, and so on. The number of pips in each suit may be easily remembered by observing that the ace suit has the same number of pips as the pieces in the set, 28; and that each suit above the ace has seven pips more than the number of pieces in the set, while the blank suit has seven pips less, so that each suit progresses in regular order, seven pips at a time, as shown in the margin.

Blank 21
Ace 28
Deuce 35
Trey 42
Four 49
Five 56
Six 63

_=Shuffling and Cutting.=_ Dominoes are provided with a small brass pin in the centre of the face, which enables one to spin them round, push them about on the table, and so to shuffle them thoroughly. There are three methods of determining who shall have the first play, or _=set=_, as it is called: _=1.=_ The player having the higher double; or, failing any double in either hand, the _=heavier=_ domino, that is, one with a greater number of pips on its face than any held by his adversary. _=2.=_ One player selects any two dominoes, face down, and pushes them toward his adversary, who chooses one. Both are then turned up, and whichever gets the lighter domino has the first set. _=3.=_ Each player draws a domino, face down, and the one getting the lower double sets first. If neither draws a double the lighter domino sets.

The dominoes are then shuffled again by both players, and each draws the number of pieces required by the game they are about to play. The dominoes remaining on the table are left face down, and form the _=stock=_ or _=bone-yard=_. Each player should sort his dominoes into suits, and either leave them standing on their edges on the table with their faces toward him, or hold them in his hand. Few persons can hold more than six dominoes in this way, so the seventh is left upon the table, or is the first one set.

_=Matching.=_ All games of dominoes are based upon the principle of matching, or following suit; which requires that each domino played shall belong to the same suit as one of the exposed ends of the line of dominoes already played, and exposed upon the table. In playing a domino, it must be so placed that the end of it shall match and adjoin the exposed end of the line; a six being played to a six, a four to a four, and so on. Each domino, as played, is laid face upward on the table, the ends abutting, and doublets being laid across, or at right angles to the line.

The principal games are divided into two classes; those in which the object is to _=block=_ a player, so that he cannot follow suit, and those in which the object is to make the ends of the line some multiple of _=five=_ or _=three=_. The Block Game will be described first.

_=THE BLOCK GAME.=_ Each player draws seven dominoes, and the one whose turn it is to set lays down any domino he pleases. If a good player, he will select one of his longest suit, especially if he has three or more, and his object will be to get the line back to his suit as often as possible. If a player had to set with the hand of dominoes shown in the foregoing diagram, he would select the 5-0, because he has four of the 5 suit, and three of the 0 suit. This would compel his adversary to play some domino having upon it a 5 or a 0. Let us suppose this adversary to hold the following dominoes: 6-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0, 5-1, 5-0. He would of course play the 6-0, in order to bring the line round to his long suit of 6’s. As this would close the blank end of the line, the first player, whom we shall call A, would have to play on the 5 end, as he has no 6. In order to get the line back to his second longest suit, the blanks, he would play the 5-2, hoping to play 2-0 next time. His adversary, B, would play on this end if he could, but being unable to do so, he gets rid of his heaviest domino, playing the double six. A plays 2-0, and B should now bring in his suit of aces by playing 6-1, which would win the game; but for the sake of illustration we shall suppose that he foolishly plays 6-4. A plays his double four, and the dominoes on the table present the following appearance:--

B, having neither 4 nor 0 on any of his remaining dominoes, says: “_=Go=_,” which signifies that he is blocked, and cannot play. A can now play at either end, and with either of two dominoes; but it would be bad policy to play the 4-5, because his adversary might be able to play to the 5; but it is a certainty that he cannot play to either 0 or 4. If A plays the 4-5, B gets rid of all his dominoes before A can play again. If A plays the 4-0 on the blank end, he will have to play again with his 4-5; but if he plays it on the 4 end he blocks himself.

Whether to block the game or not depends on the probable comparative value of the dominoes held by A and B. If A blocks the game by making both ends blank, both players show their remaining dominoes, and the one with the greater number of pips loses as many points as he has pips in excess of the other player. In order to judge whether to block or play, it should be remembered that as there are 147 pips in the entire set, the average value of each domino will be 5¼. If A blocks the game, he will have 17 pips left in his hand, which is above the average value of two dominoes; but his adversary will have four dominoes to count, and it is probable that they will be worth about 21 points. The fact that the seven dominoes already played are 13 pips above the average will reduce the probable value of B’s dominoes to about 20. On the other hand, A knows that B has no blanks, which would slightly increase the weight of B’s dominoes.

If A blocks the game, as he should do with the odds in his favour, he will win 7 points, the difference between his 17 and B’s 24. If he does not block, he must follow the 4-0 with the 5-4. This will bring in B’s ace suit, bringing him back to his long suit of 6’s. When the 5-1 was played, A would have to say, “go,” and B would continue with 1-1, 1-6, 6-3, claiming _=domino=_, all his pieces being exhausted. Although A can now play, it is too late, for when one player makes domino he counts all the pips remaining in his adversary’s hand; in this case, 8 points for B.

Had B played properly, by putting down 6-1, instead of 6-4, A would have been compelled to play his 4-0, and B would have made both ends 6’s, A saying, “go.” By then playing his double ace, B would have made certain of domino next time by playing the 6-3, for even if A could play to the 3, he could not shut B out of the ace, and B’s 5-1 would make, him domino, winning 17 points.

The Block Game is sometimes played 50 or 100 points up, and at the end the winner takes the stakes, if any, or settles at so much a point for the difference between the scores.

In the _=Four-handed Block Game=_ the players cut for partners, the two lowest playing against the two highest, and the lowest cut having the first set. Each player draws four bones, and the play goes round from right to left. When any player is blocked, and says “go,” the one on his left must play or say “go,” also. The game is at an end when one player gets rid of all his dominoes, or all four players are blocked. The pips remaining in the hands of the partners are then reckoned, and the side having the lower number wins the difference.

Another variation is for each to play for himself, but instead of playing only one domino at a time in each round, a player may go on as long as he can follow suit to either end of the line.

_=DRAW GAME.=_ In this variation of the Block Game, each player has the option of drawing any number of dominoes from the bone-yard except the last two, which must always remain in stock. He may draw while he is still able to play, or not until he is blocked; but when he is blocked he is compelled to draw until he obtains a domino that can be played, or has drawn all but the last two in the bone-yard.

_=MATADORE GAME.=_ This is another variety of the Block Game. Each player takes seven bones, and the highest double or the heaviest domino sets. The object is not to follow suit to the ends, but to play a number which will make the end and the number played to it equal _=seven=_. If the end is a 3, a 4 must be played; a 2 must be played to a 5, and an ace to a 6. Four dominoes in the set are trumps, or Matadores. These are the double blank, and the three dominoes that have seven on their faces; 6-1, 5-2, and 4-3. Any of these trumps may be played at any time on either of the ends, in order to prevent a block; but the following player, if he does not play a trump also, must play the complement of seven to whichever end of the matadore is left exposed. Doublets are not placed crosswise, and count only for the suit to which they belong; a double three cannot be played to an ace, because it counts as three only. The trumps are usually placed at right angles to the line. The game is decided and settled for as in the ordinary Block Game.

_=SEBASTOPOL.=_ In this variety of the Block Game, four persons play. Each takes seven bones, and the double six sets. Nothing but sixes can be played until both sides and both ends of the first set have been played to. When these five dominoes have been set, any of the four ends may be played to. Each player in turn must play or say, “go.” The game is decided and settled for as in the ordinary Block Game.

_=BERGEN GAME.=_ Two persons play, each of whom draws six bones. The highest double sets, and scores two points for the _=double header=_. Two points are scored by the player making both ends of the line the same. If there is a doublet at one end, and one of the same suit at the other, it is a triple header, and counts three. Fifteen points is game. In addition to the headers, domino counts one. If both players are blocked, the bones are shown, and the one having the smallest number of pips and no doublet counts one toward game. If he holds a doublet, his adversary scores one; but if both hold doublets, the lower number of pips wins the point.

_=DOMINO POOL.=_ Any number from three to six can play, and a pool is made up. They draw for the first set, and after shuffling again, each player takes such an equal number of bones as will leave at least eight in the stock. The leader plays anything he pleases for the first set, and each following player must follow suit if he can, to one end or the other. If a person cannot play, he says “go,” and the player on his left plays or passes also. When one makes domino he wins the pool. If all are blocked, the smallest number of pips left in hand wins; ties divide.

_=MUGGINS, OR ALL FIVES.=_ This is a game for two, three, or four players. The object is to make the two ends of the line some multiple of five, and for every five so made the player scores five points toward game, which is usually 100 up. If only one point is scored for each five, 20 or 21 may be game. Each player draws seven bones, and the highest double sets, each person afterward playing in turn. If double five is the first set it counts 10. The 5-0 played to this would count 10 for the second player, because one end of the line being 10 and the other 0, the total value of the two ends is still 10. Double blank played to this would count 10 more. If 5-6 is now played on one end, and 0-4 on the other, the count will be 10 again, as shown on the diagram. The figures show the order in which the dominoes were played.

The highest possible score is 20 points, made with the 4-4 and 6-6, at different ends. If either player makes a multiple of five without noticing or claiming it, his adversary says, “_=muggins=_,” and scores it himself. If a player makes an erroneous score, it must be taken down, and his adversary marks it as penalty.

When a player cannot follow suit, he must draw from the bone-yard until he gets a domino that can be played; but the last two in the stock must never be drawn. When one player gets rid of all his bones, he calls _=domino=_, and scores the nearest multiple of five that is found in the dominoes remaining in his adversary’s hand. Remainders of 3 or 4 count as 5; those of 1 or 2 as nothing; so that 12 pips would count as 10; but 13 would count as 15. The players usually settle at the end of the game for the difference between their scores.

Muggins is sometimes varied by playing from both ends of the first doublet set, as well as from the sides. It is not necessary to play on the ends of the first set until one cannot play on the line; but any of the four points may be played to at any time. The end of the first doublet does not count in making multiples of five, but the ends of any dominoes played to it must be counted. If only one end of the first doublet has been played to, there will be three ends to count to make multiples of five; and if both ends of the first doublet have been played to, there will be four ends. Every count must take in all the ends that are in play. The highest count possible is 35; all four lines open, with the 6-6, 4-4, 5-5, and 0-5 at the ends.

_=ALL THREES.=_ Muggins is sometimes played by making the object to get multiples of three at the ends, instead of multiples of five. Otherwise the game is the same as All Fives.

There are several _=card games=_ with dominoes, but they are little used, and hardly worth description in a work of this kind.

DICE.

Dice are probably the oldest gambling instruments in the world. Chatto thinks that man acquired the passion for gambling as soon as he could distinguish odd from even, or a short straw from a shorter. Simple gambling instruments were probably very early articles of manufacture, and Chatto says that it is not unlikely that after a simple dinner of mutton some enterprising gamester may have taken the small bones from between the shank and the foot, and after burning spots in them to distinguish one from the other, put them into _a_ cow’s horn and shaken them up, afterward rolling them upon the ground. From some such beginning Astragali was developed, a game which Dr. Thomas Hyde thinks was known at the time of the Deluge. Later on, other instruments were used in connection with dice, and so the earliest forms of Backgammon were developed.

Dice are still the favourite implements for deciding any matters of pure chance, such as raffling off a horse or a gold watch; but the rules governing such lotteries are but imperfectly understood by people in general. There are also a number of smaller matters, such as the payment for refreshments or cigars, which are settled by thousands of persons every day, simply by throwing dice. The various methods of throwing, and the rules governing all such games are as follows:--

_=THE DICE.=_ Although dice may be of any size, the standard pattern are half an inch square, of ivory or bone, with black spots one tenth of an inch in diameter. The opposite sides of the die always equal seven, and if the die is placed upon the table with the ace uppermost and the deuce nearest you, the four will be on the left and the three on the right. The positions of the three and four are sometimes reversed to enable sharpers to distinguish fair dice from those which have been doctored.

At the beginning of any dice game, it is quite unnecessary to examine the dice to be used, because they are always fair. Crooked dice are _=rung in=_ during the game, and the player should make it a point to examine the dice frequently if he has any suspicions. First see that each die has all six figures upon it, for some dice are _=dispatchers=_, made with double numbers, so as to secure higher throws than the natural average. Double fives are great favourites with backgammon sharps. The next thing is to place the dice together in pairs, to be sure that they are exactly the same height each way. If dice are not square they can be made to roll over and over on the same faces. The faces should then be tested to see that they are not convex, even in the slightest degree. Shaped dice are usually flat on the ace and six faces, especially in crap shooting. Each die should be held between the thumb and forefinger at its longest diameter, to see if it has any tendency to swing on a pivot, for if it does it is loaded. Even if the dice are transparent, it is no guarantee that they are not loaded in the spots. Loaded ivory dice soon get discoloured, and the presence of any darkness in the corners is usually a sign of the presence of mercury. It is a mistake to suppose that loaded dice will always throw high or low; all they will do is to beat averages. Finally, the dice should be tested with a magnet, as they are sometimes made to work in connection with a battery concealed under the table.

_=DICE BOXES.=_ Although the dice may be perfectly fair, the box may be “crooked.” A fair box may be of leather, perfectly smooth inside, or it may be of bone, ivory or wood, with the interior “screwed” or grooved. If the upper edge of the inside presents a sloping flat surface, slightly roughened with sand paper, it will be just as well to refuse to allow such a box to be used, as your adversary _is_ probably an expert at _=securing=_, which is a method of holding one of the dice securely against this upper edge while the others are shaken and rattled about in the usual manner. A person who is securing dice can be detected by the manner in which he holds the box, keeping his fingers, instead of his palm, over the mouth. When he turns the box face downward on the table, he will still have his fingers under it, and will withdraw them in regular order, the second and third fingers being first separated.

_=THROWING DICE.=_ There are three methods of throwing dice: The first is to shake them in the box with the palm over the top, and then to shift the hold to the sides, completely exposing the mouth. The box is then turned mouth downward on the table, leaving all the dice completely covered. The box must be lifted by the person who is recording the throws, in a raffle, for instance, after the spectators have had time to assure themselves that all the dice are covered. If the caster has his fingers over the mouth of the box when he turns it over, or lifts the box himself, the throw is foul.

The second method is known as rolling, or the _=long gallery=_, and is generally used in poker dice and such games. After the box has been shaken, the caster holds it by the side, and gives it a twist and a push, which causes the dice to pour out, and roll along the table.

The third method is called _=shooting=_, and is always employed in craps. No box is used, the dice being held in the hand and rolled along the table or the ground. The crap shooter is obliged to shake the dice in his hand to show that he is not holding them with certain faces together, which is a common way of preventing or getting certain throws, especially with shaped dice.

Whichever method is employed, each die must lie flat upon one of its own faces after the throw, neither resting upon nor _=cocked=_ against any other die or any obstruction upon the table or the ground. If any of the dice are cocked, all of them must be taken up and thrown again.

RAFFLING.

In a raffle for prizes of any kind, each player has three throws with three dice. The rules already given for throwing dice from a box must be followed, the scorer placing the dice in the box before each throw, and lifting the box after it. The total of the three throws is recorded opposite the name of each player, and the highest throw wins. The odds against throwing a certain number or higher are shown in the margin.

+--------------------------------+
|IT IS ABOUT AGAINST THROWING|
+---------------------+----------+
| Even |32 or more|
| 9 to 7 |33 ” |
| 11 to 6 |34 ” |
| 28 to 11 |35 ” |
| 3 to 1 |36 ” |
| 5 to 1 |37 ” |
| 7 to 1 |38 ” |
| 10 to 1 |39 ” |
| 16 to 1 |40 ” |
| 24 to 1 |41 ” |
| 39 to 1 |42 ” |
| 66 to 1 |43 ” |
| 116 to 1 |44 ” |
| 215 to 1 |45 ” |
| 422 to 1 |46 ” |
| 886 to 1 |47 ” |
| 2016 to 1 |48 ” |
| 5032 to 1 |49 ” |
| 14093 to 1 |50 ” |
| 45809 to 1 |51 ” |
| 183229 to 1 |52 ” |
| 1007768 to 1 |53 ” |
| 10077695 to 1 |54 |
+---------------------+----------+

Suppose the prize in a raffle is a horse which would be worth a hundred dollars to you. The highest throw so far is 42, and there are only twenty more chances to be thrown. It is 2 to 1 that 42 is not beaten or equalled because it is 39 to 1 that 42 is not thrown, and there are only 20 more chances to throw it. If 45 had been thrown, and there were still 21 chances to be thrown, you would be safe in paying liberally for the 45 chance. The great mistake that people make in buying or selling chances on throws already made in raffles is in thinking that because a certain number has not been thrown, that therefore it is likely to be. If there are 116 chances, they argue that 44 or better should be thrown, because that number or higher should come once in 116 times. This is quite right at the beginning of the raffle, but it is not right to assume that because 100 of the 116 chances have been thrown without reaching 44, that the odds are only 15 to 1 that 44 will not be thrown in the remaining 16 chances. The odds are still 116 to 1 against 44, just as they were before the raffle began. If you are going back to take into account the previous throws of the dice, you should know the 100 throws that were made with those dice before the raffle began.

CRAP SHOOTING.

This game is a simple form of Hazard, and when played “on the square,” is one of the fairest of all games, the percentage in favour of either side being very small. It is rapidly replacing Faro as the gambling game of America.

Any number of persons may play, and any one may be the caster for the first throw. Two dice are used. The players bet a certain amount of money, and the caster covers it, or as much of it as he can. If the caster does not take all the bets offered, players may back him against the other players. The bets made, the caster shoots. If the total of the two dice on the first throw is seven or eleven, it is called a _=nick=_, or _=natural=_, and the caster immediately wins the stakes. If the first throw is two, three or twelve, it is a _=crap=_, and the caster immediately loses. If the caster throws any number, 4, 5, _6_, 8, 9, or 10, that number is his _=point=_, and he must continue throwing until he throws the same number again, in which case he wins; or throws a seven, in which case he loses.

Two dice may come up in thirty-six different ways, each of which will produce one or more of eleven possible throws, running from 2 to 12. The most common throw is seven, because there are six ways that the two dice may come that will make seven; 6-1, 5-2, 4-3, 3-4, 2-5 and 1-6. The most uncommon are two and twelve, because there is only one way for each of them to come; double aces or double sixes. The numbers of different ways in which each throw may come are as follows:--

7 may come 6 different ways.
6 or 8 may come 5 different ways.
5 or 9 may come 4 different ways.
4 or 10 may come 3 different ways.
3 or 11 may come 2 different ways.
2 or 12 can come 1 way only.

When the caster makes his first throw, he has 8 chances out of 36 to get 7 or 11, which will win for him; and 4 chances out of 36 to throw 2, 3 or 12, which will lose for him. It does not follow from this that the odds are 2 to 1 in favour of the caster, because there are only 12 throws out of the 36 possible that will bring any “action” on the bets; so that the odds are 2 to 1 that the first throw will not settle the bets either way. After the first throw, the caster’s chances vary according to his point. If his point was six, he would have 5 chances out of 36 to throw it again, while the players would have 6 chances out of 36 to get a seven. If the player’s point is four or ten, the odds will be 6 to 3 against him; because there are only three ways to get his point, while there are six ways to get a seven.

If the caster wins he shoots again, but when he loses he passes the dice to the next player in turn.

The old game of Hazard was a very complicated affair compared to modern craps, an intimate knowledge of odds and probabilities being requisite for success. The game was generally against the caster, and certain throws were barred when a certain number was the point. Those interested in the subject will find it exhaustively treated in George Lowbut’s “Game of Hazard Investigated.”

POKER DICE.

If ordinary dice are used, the aces rank above the sixes, the deuces being the lowest. Any number of persons may play, and five dice are used. Each in turn takes the box and has three throws, the first being made with all five dice. After the first throw the caster may lay aside any of the five dice he chooses, putting the others back in the box for a second throw. The same process of selection is allowed for the third throw, any or all five of the dice being available for the last throw. The second and third throws have the same effect as the draw at Poker, except that the dice player may draw twice if he wishes to, and may put back all or any of the dice that he kept on the first or second throws, or he may stand pat on any throw.

The object of the game is to secure pairs, triplets, full hands, and four or five of a kind. Straights do not count in Poker Dice. Suppose the player’s first throw to be a pair of sixes. He places them on one side, and picks up the three other dice, throwing them over again. If the second throw produced another six, it would be placed with the first pair, making a triplet, and the two remaining dice would be thrown again. Whatever they produced would be the final value of his hand. The player is not obliged to throw again, if he is satisfied with his first or second throw; neither is he obliged to leave any pairs or triplets. A player getting two small pairs on the first throw may put either or both of them back in the box again if he chooses.

In throwing for drinks or cigars, it is usual to throw _=horse and horse=_; that is, if several persons are in the game the highest man on each round goes out, ties shake it off immediately, one hand each. After it gets down to two men, they shake for the best two out of three hands, and if each wins a hand they are horse and horse, and throw a third to decide it. The last person to throw on each round follows his lead, throwing the first hand on the next round.

TEN PINS WITH DICE.

Any number can play, and the score sheet is ruled off for ten frames, just as in ten pins. Only two dice are used, and they are rolled from a box. Sixes count nothing, and are “off the alley.” Each player has three balls or rolls, and he can leave either one or both dice at the end of any throw. If he leaves one he picks up the other and throws it again, but he must abide by the figures appearing on the two dice at the end of his third throw. Suppose he throws double fives on his first throw; that is a _=strike=_, and is so scored, and the total pips appearing on the two dice at the end of his second throw on the next frame will count on the strike. Suppose he rolls five-deuce the first time. He leaves the five and rolls the other die again, getting another five. That is a _=spare=_, and the total pips on his first throw on the next frame will count on the spare. If he does not get a spare, it is a _=break=_, and the total pips on his two dice at the end of his third throw are scored.

It is usual to take up anything but fives on the first throw, on the chance of getting a spare. If a spare is not thrown on the second throw, most players leave anything as good as threes, and always leave fours; but ace and treys are always thrown again.

BASE BALL WITH DICE.

There are two forms of this game. In the simpler any number of persons may play, and three dice are used. Each player throws in turn, the three dice representing his three strikes. Nothing but aces count, but each of them is a run; and as long as a player makes runs he goes on throwing. When each player has had nine innings the game is ended, and the highest score wins.

The more complicated form of the game is to have a rough diagram of a base-ball diamond. The players take sides, and each is provided with three markers of different colours, such as red and white poker chips. Only one die is used, and it is thrown from a box. The captains of the teams throw for the first time at the bat, the higher throw winning the choice. Each player in turn of the side at the bat has one throw, and a marker is placed on the base he reaches. Ace, deuce, and trey count for first, second, and third bases respectively; four is a home run. When a five or six is thrown, the result depends on the number of men on bases, but the striker is always out. If there are no men on bases, or if all the bases are full, the player is out if he throws five or six. If there is only one man on the bases and a five is thrown, the striker is _=caught out=_, and the man on the base is also caught. If six is thrown, only the striker is caught out, and the man holds his base. If there are two men on bases, they must be in one of three positions: on first and second; on first and third; or on second and third. In any position, only the striker is out on six thrown. In the last position, if five is thrown, the striker only is out, as the men cannot run. If there are men on first and second, and five is thrown, the striker is out, and the man on second is caught trying to steal third; while the man on first holds his base. If five is thrown when there are men on first and third, the striker is out, and the man on third is safe, but the man on first is caught trying to steal second.

When bases are thrown, they are safe hits, and all the men on bases are advanced as many as the man at the bat throws. As soon as three men on each side have struck or been caught out by throwing five or six, the side is out, and all men left on bases count for nothing. As long as three men are not out, the side continues to send its men to the bat in regular order.

GOING TO BOSTON.

This game is known in the colonies as Yankee Grab, or Newmarket. Each player has three throws with three dice, and the highest die in each throw is laid aside. If two are equally high, only one is retained. The others are returned to the box and thrown again. The higher of these two is retained, and the third die is thrown again. The final total of the three dice is the player’s score, and the highest wins. In the colonies the ace counts as seven. The game is usually played for a pool.

ACE IN THE POT.

Any number can play, and two dice are used. The game is for a pool, which is won by the final possessor of a single counter. At the beginning each player has two counters, and each in turn throws the two dice. If he throws an ace he pushes one of his counters into the pot; two aces gets rid of both. If he throws a six on either die, he passes a counter to his left-hand neighbour, who will have the next throw. Two sixes passes both counters if the caster still has so many. The players throw in turn until all the counters but one have been placed in the pot. If a player has no counters, the throw passes him to the next player on his left who has counters in front of him. The last counter of all cannot be put in the pot by throwing an ace; but it must be passed along to the left when a six is thrown. The player with the last counter in front of him must throw both dice three times in succession, and if he succeeds in avoiding a six, he keeps the counter and wins the pool. If he throws a six, the player who gets the counter must throw three times, and so on, until some one throws three times without getting a six. Instead of a pool, it is sometimes agreed that the final holder of the last counter shall pay for the refreshments.

MULTIPLICATION.

Any number can play, and three dice are used. Each player throws in turn, and the highest die is left on the table; if two are equally high, only one remains. The two other dice are thrown again, and the higher left. The sum of these two is then added together, and the third die is thrown as a multiplier, the result of the multiplication being the player’s score.

ROUND THE SPOT.

Any number can play, and three dice are used. Nothing counts but the spots that surround a centre one; so that ace, deuce, four, and six count as blanks. The trey counts as 2, and the five as 4. Each player has three throws with the three dice, and the highest total wins.

VINGT-ET-UN.

Any number of persons can play, making up a pool for the winner. A single die is used, and each player in turn throws as often as he pleases. The object is to get as near twenty-one as possible without passing it, and it is usually considered best to stand at 18, but to throw again at 17. If a player goes beyond 21, he is out of it. The one getting nearest 21 takes the pool; ties divide it.

CENTENNIAL.

Two persons or sides play with three dice. The object of the game is to secure pips on the dice, or multiples of pips, which will make the figures from 1 to 12 in numerical order, and afterward the numbers from 12 to 1 again. The first side to accomplish this wins the game. There must be an ace in the first throw or nothing counts; that obtained, any following numbers may be made singly, or by adding two or more together. Suppose the first throw is 4, 2, 1. The 1 and 2 will make 1, 2 and 3. Then the 4, 1, 2 will make 4, 5, 6 and 7. Each side continues to throw until it fails to score, when the box must be passed to the adversary. If a combination is overlooked by one side, the other may count it if it continues the sequence on their side.

HELP YOUR NEIGHBOUR.

Six persons play, with three dice, and five points is Game. Each player has a number, from 1 to 6, and is provided with five counters, and the first to get rid of them wins. Each player in rotation has one throw, and no matter what he throws, the player whose number appears on the upper face of any die thrown counts one point toward game. If No. 2 should throw a four and two sixes, for instance, he would count nothing himself, but No. 4 would count 1, and No. 6 would count 2 points toward game.

PASSE DIX.

Any player can be the banker for the first round, and he holds his position as long as he wins. When he loses, he passes the box to the player on his left hand. He has three dice, which he throws in one cast, after the players have made their bets. If he gets ten or more, he wins. If he gets less than ten, he loses. His advantage lies in winning when he gets ten exactly; because that gives him nine throws that win for him out of the sixteen possible with three dice.

SHUFFLE BOARD.

Shuffle Board is played on a table 30 feet long and 20 inches wide, with a gutter running all round it. The board is sprinkled with very fine sand. Four weights are used by each side, marked A and B to distinguish them. These weights are of iron or brass, 2½ inches in diameter, and ½ inch thick. Five inches from each end of the board and parallel with it is the deuce line.

The object of the game is to push the weights from one end of the board to the other, each side playing one weight alternately until all four weights on each side are played. All pieces over the deuce line count 2, but if a piece hangs over the end of the board it is a _=ship=_, and counts 3. If there are no ships or deuces, the weight lying nearest to the deuce line counts one point. Only one ship or deuce can be counted in each round, so that only one side can score. The ship that overhangs the most, or the deuce nearest the edge, counts. Twenty-one points is game. The sides play from each end alternately.

_=On ship board=_, the pieces are wooden disks, six inches in diameter, marked with oughts and crosses. These are pushed along the deck with long sticks that have enlarged and flattened ends to fit the pieces. The object is to get each piece to settle fairly and squarely within the borders of some one of a number of spaces which are chalked out on a diagram about 10 feet by 6, which is about 30 feet from the player. These spaces are numbered from 1 to 10, and some of them are marked “minus.” Each side has four shots with four separate pieces. Fifty points is game.

BILLIARDS.

_=THE TABLE.=_ The standard American billiard table for championship games is ten feet by five; but that in common use is nine by four and a half. The old tables for the four-ball game had only four pockets, but all modern pool tables have six. The English billiard tables are all twelve feet by six, with six pockets, which are used for both billiards and pool. The head of the table is the end from which the players make their opening shots, and the foot is that on which the red ball is spotted. The baulk is the space at the head of the table behind a line drawn from the second diamonds or “sights” through the white spot. The “D” is the semicircle on the baulk line on English tables.

American tables are made more difficult for championship games by drawing baulk lines 8 or 14 inches from the cushions, barring the rail nurse and the anchor shot. The English game is made difficult by making the cushions higher, the pockets narrower, and barring the spot stroke. The push shot is allowed in the English game, but in America it is permitted only in pool; never in the carrom game.

The American carrom game cannot be played on an English table on account of the pockets. If the English game is played on an American pool table the red spot should be only nine inches from the bottom rail, and the “D” should be drawn with a radius of eleven inches from the white spot on the baulk line. The D is never marked on an American table, but the opening shot in the three-ball game must be made from within a semicircle of six inch radius from the white spot. In the four-ball game, and in all forms of American Pool, the player may place his ball anywhere within the baulk line.

_=THE BALLS.=_ The American standard balls are 2⅜ inches in diameter, while the English are only 2-1/16. Billiard balls should be carefully protected from sudden changes in temperature by being laid away in bran or sawdust in cold weather. It is a mistake to soak the balls in oil; all they need is to be wiped off with a damp cloth, and polished with chamois skin. The three balls employed in both the English and American games are known as the _=red=_, _=white=_, and _=spot white.=_ In play they are distinguished as the _=cue ball=_, which is the one struck by the player; the _=object ball=_, which is the one that the cue ball first comes into contact with; and the _=carrom ball=_, which is the second ball struck by the cue ball in making a carrom.

_=THE SHOTS.=_ There are three shots common to billiards: The _=carrom=_ or _=cannon=_, in which a count is made by the cue ball striking both the other balls on the table. The _=winning hazard=_, in which the object or the carrom ball is driven into a pocket. The _=losing hazard=_, in which the cue ball goes into a pocket after contact with another ball. There are five ways of making the principal shots at billiards, and they should be thoroughly mastered by every player. These are: The force, the follow, the draw, the massé, and the side stroke.

The first great principle in billiards is that the cue ball will always travel in the _=direction=_ in which the cue is pointed. Holding the cue upward, downward or sidewise makes no difference; the line of travel will be a prolongation of the line of the cue. In the three ways of striking the cue ball shown in the diagram in the margin, the ball will go in the direction of the arrow in each instance.

If the cue is held nearly level with the surface of the table the ball will be pushed or rolled along; but if the cue is held perpendicularly, and the ball is struck directly on the top, the ball will be _=pinched=_ to the table, as in the first figure in the margin, and will not move. If the ball is struck off the centre, as in the second figure, it will travel only a short distance, as a result of the cue’s being forced past it toward the cloth, and will then return with a very strong retrograde motion after touching the object ball. If the cue strikes too near the top, the pinch will be too strong for the cue ball to reach the object ball, and if the cue is not held perpendicularly, the ball will not return. If the cue points toward the centre of the ball, as in the third figure, the ball will be driven forward, without any tendency to return after striking the object ball. The latter shot is useful in making a “close follow,” to avoid making a foul.

_=The Force Shot.=_ The beginner at billiards should strike his ball always exactly in the centre, until he learns the angles. With moderate strength the effect of the stroke is to cause the ball to roll naturally along the cloth until it reaches the object ball, after which it will be deflected from its original course according to the angle at which the object ball is struck. If the cue ball is struck very hard, however, and very slightly below the centre, it will slide for a certain distance before beginning to roll, and if it reaches the object ball before this sliding motion ceases it will simply come to a stop, or go off at a right angle if the object ball is not struck exactly in the centre. This method of forcing a ball to go off at a right angle is called “screwing” in England.

_=The Follow Shot.=_ If the cue ball is struck above the centre, the rolling motion is set up at once, no matter how hard the ball is struck, and the effect of contact with the object ball is simply to check the motion for a moment, after which the cue ball rolls forward again, deflected only by the angle at which the object ball was struck. The great art in making follow shots is to let the cue follow the ball, the tip passing at least three inches beyond where the ball stood, as shown by the dotted lines in the diagram. When the balls are very close together the cue must be lifted, and the ball struck very much on one side, the cue being behind the centre, as shown in the third position in the diagram of pinch shots.