DECLARING.
The cards having been dealt, and the trump card turned up, the player on the left of the dealer has the right to look at his cards, and declares his intention to stand, throw up, or take miss. He having decided, the player on his left does the same, and so on all round. Any player looking at his cards before it is his turn to do so, or declaring out of turn, or looking at the miss without taking it, or looking at either of the thrown up cards, or at any part of the undealt portion of the pack, is looed a single, and pays the penalty into the pool at once, but he is not debarred by any of these irregularities—except when he looks at either of the opponent’s hands—from taking part in the play of that deal. If he looks at the cards of any other player he is looed the full loo, and must throw up his own cards, unexposed, unless he has already declared to stand, or has taken the miss, in which case he has to play to the tricks, having first paid his loo into the pool; in the event of his cards securing either of the tricks the amount won is left in the pool for the next deal.
No player may make a second declaration, or alter one once made, and a player who decides to stand, or who takes the miss, must play his cards with the others interested in [25] the stakes; he not being permitted to stand out, lest his doing so should affect the others’ play.
PLAYING THE HANDS.
The players having decided whether they will stand or not, the leader plays his card. If he holds ace, or with ace turned up holds king, and fails to lead it, he is looed; similarly, with two or more trumps if he fails to lead the highest he is looed. Any player neglecting to follow the suit led, when he is able to do so; or omitting to trump a suit, when by so doing he can head the trick, is likewise looed; as also is any one playing out of turn, or exposing or mentioning the value of his own, or opponent’s unplayed cards, or of either of those in the miss, or among the undealt portion of the pack.
If the winner of the first trick remains with a trump, and fails to lead it; or having two trumps left fails to lead the highest, he is looed.
In all these cases the penalty is the amount of a full loo, and it is added to the pool for thenextdeal. The cards must he replayed in proper order, and if the player who transgressed wins either of the tricks his winnings must be left in the pool for the next deal.
______________________VARIATIONS.
As mentioned in the case of Nap, any divergence from the plain game must be carefully settled by the company before play is commenced, and failing any special agreement it is understood that the rules of the simple game are to be adhered to. [26]
CLUB LAW.
This is the most common variation, and its object is to force a number of loos, especially when a large number of players are engaged in the game. When it is adopted, all the players have to stand on their own cards, whenever the card turned up for trump proves to be a club. In that case the miss is withdrawn, and is added to the undealt portion of the pack without being exposed.
UNLIMITED LOO.
In this variation the penalty to be paid for a loo varies with the amount in the pool, and becomes the same as the total stakes of the previous deal. By the adoption of this variation a considerable sum may be lost in a very few minutes, and, in consequence, it is not often played outside the regular gambling clubs. Of course the amount goes on increasing by rapid strides until a single occurs, when a fresh start is made with only the stake of the dealer to fight for. At unlimited loo the amount payable for the deal remains unaltered, no matter how much was in the pool the previous round.
MIXED LOO.
This is played on the same lines as the unlimited variation, except that a limit is fixed, beyond which the loo does not go. For instance, suppose the original stakes to be 3d. for a deal, and 6d. for a loo—limited to 2s. 6d., a player would be looed the amount in the pool, up to the limit, but if the amount exceeded the 2s. 6d., he would not be called upon for a larger sum. [27]
FIVE-CARD LOO.
This is the old-fashioned game, and we may go back to old books for a description of it. It is said to be a much more amusing game than three-card loo for a company not inclined to play for high stakes, but is not suitable for more than six players, even if five should not be regarded as the limit. Each of those engaged in the game has five cards dealt him, either first three, and then two, or one at a time, the latter method being by far the best, and the following card is turned up for trump. There is no miss, but each player has the liberty of changing, for others from the pack, all or any of the five cards dealt him, or of throwing up the hand altogether. If he decides to change any of his cards, the player, whose turn it is to declare, places the cards he wishes exchanged, face downwards, on the table, and the dealer gives him a like number from the top of the pack. No second exchange is allowable, nor can a card once put out be taken back into the hand; neither may a player who makes an exchange afterwards throw up his cards; he must play them out. The knave of clubs generally, or sometimes the knave of the trump suit, as agreed upon, is the highest card, and is styledPam;the ace of trumps is next in value, and the rest in succession, as in the three card variation, where the cards rank in the ordinary way: ace, king, queen, knave, ten, nine,etc., down to the two. Those who play their cards, either with or without changing, and do not gain a trick, are looed. When a flush occurs, that is, five cards of the same suit, or four cards of a suit with Pam, the holder of the flush—who does not declare it until all the players have settled whether they will stand or not—besides taking the amount in the pool, [28] receives from each of the players, whether they stood or not, the amount of a loo, and the next deal becomes a single, there being no payments to the pool, beyond the dealer’s fee. A flush in trumps is superior to a flush in any other suit, but if there is more than one flush—neither of which is of the trump suit—then the flush which includes Pam wins, or if neither contains that card then the elder hand, that is, the player nearest the dealer’s left hand, scores the flush, and the holder of the other flush takes nothing; he, however, is exempt from the loo, which is payable by the other players. When the ace of trumps is led it is usual for the player of it to say, “Pam, be civil,” in which case the holder of Pam must pass the trick, if he can do so without revoking; but if he has no trump he may win the trick with Pam.
IRISH LOO.
This is virtually the same as the five-card variety, except that three cards only are dealt to each player, and Pam is unknown.
THIRTY-TWO CARD PACKS.
As described in connection with Nap, Piquet or Bézique cards may be used for Loo, but in that case the number of players must, of necessity, be more limited, only 32 cards being available. In all other respects the rules applicable to the full packs apply.
__________ [29]HINTS TO PLAYERS.I.—Declaring.
In deciding whether to stand on one’s own cards, or whether to take the miss, the amount in the pool is a matter for special consideration. With a heavy stake to fight for, a player will run greater risks than when a small amount is available. Therefore, the first question to decide should be the amount per trick in the pool, as compared with the amount to be paid if one is looed.
It is unwise to stand on any hand that does not contain a trump; but if the cards are very high ones, and the amount in the pool warrants it, the risk may be taken.
With very few exceptions a player should stand on two trumps, however small, but the first player should have a tolerably high card, in addition to two small trumps, other wise the hand is a risky one.
An honour in trumps and high cards in other suits are generally safe, especially for the player who has to lead; indeed, the first player may stand on almost any single trump, if his other cards are high ones of different suits—queens at least.
King of trumps with small cards in other suits is generally safe, although cautious players throw up such a hand. Very much depends on the amount in the pool, although we should not reject such cards under any conditions.
Queen or knave of trumps with small cards of other suits are matters which must be left to individual opinion—based on the number of players and the stake to be played for. They are undoubtedly risky hands, but if one only stands on certainties half the amusement and all the excitement vanishes.
After a few rounds have been played, a fair opinion can [30] be formed as to what cards are likely to make a trick, and if the sum in the pool is considerable, risky cards may be kept, or the miss taken at an early stage, although it must not be overlooked that the other players will likewise stand on risky hands, and, as a consequence, there will be more competition, with fewer chances of securing a trick.
The first hand should seldom take the miss, nor should either of the other players if each of those in front of him has decided to stand on his own cards, as it may be assumed that in such cases there is strength. With five playing, two of whom have thrown up, miss may be taken, but with three players standing on their own cards, miss should not be attempted.
II.—Playing.
The laws of the game define what shall be led with two or three trumps, or with ace only (or king only, if ace is turned up), and therefore the only hints necessary are when the leader has but one trump.
With one trump and high cards of other suits, the trump should be led if several players remain in, but if only two or three are standing, either of the others should be led, the higher of the two for preference.
With one high trump and small other cards, we prefer leading the smallest, relying on the second and third tricks for opportunities of making our single trump. [31]
¯¯¯¯¯¯DESCRIPTION.
The game of Poker is played with an ordinary pack of fifty-two cards.
The number of players is limited only by the number of cards, but in practice it is found better to limit each table to five, or at most six, players.
The cards have the same values as at Whist,i.e. ace is the highest in each suit; then follow king, queen, knave, ten,etc., down to two.
In “sequences,” however, the ace is the lowest card, and the king the highest.
The suit of hearts,ceteris paribus, takes precedence of other suits.
Before beginning play, it is customary and advisable to agree upon a sum (technically called the “limit” or “rise”) which shall be the maximum stake permitted to be made by a player at one time; or, in other words, which shall be the greatest sum by which he may increase the stake at any one time.
The “limit,” of course, does not refer to the total amount of a player’s stakes, and it is understood that a player may stakelessthan the limit at any time, but notmore.
After being seated, the players cut for the deal, and the player who cuts the lowest card deals first. If two or more players cut equal lowest cards, these players must cut again for the deal. [32]
The duty of dealing in each game after the first, devolves upon the player to the left of the previous dealer.
Before beginning play, every player has a right to shuffle the pack; the dealer has a right to the last shuffle. After being shuffled, the pack must be cut by the player to the right of the dealer.
The player to the left of the dealer then stakes a certain fixed sum (generally small in comparison with the limit) which is called the “ante.” This initial stake must in every game be laid by the player to the left of the dealer, before the cards are dealt. He is, in fact, identified with this initial stake, and is known as “ante” throughout the game.
After “ante” has staked, the player to his left, who is called No. 1, has the option of “straddling,”i.e. of staking a sum double that of the ante. If No. 1 does not straddle the ante, no other player may do so, and the dealer proceeds to deal the cards.
If No. 1 straddle the ante, the player to his left has the same option, and may increase the straddle by the amount of the ante. This may go on round the table, each player in turn having the right to increase the straddle before the deal; but the ante may not be increased by any straddle, or by successive straddles, to an amount exceeding one-half of the limit.
To illustrate this, let us suppose the limit be two shillings and the ante be one penny. This latter sum is staked (i.e. placed in the middle of the table before him) by the player on the left of the dealer. No. 1 then has the right to straddle the ante, and he may stake two pence. No. 2 then has the same option, and may, if he wish, increase the straddle by one penny. When the sum staked in this way by successive players reaches one shilling (half the limit), the straddling must cease, and the cards must be dealt. [33] It should be fully understood that if No. 1 does not exercise his right to straddle, no other player may do so.
The dealer, beginning with the player at his left hand, then deals one card, face downwards, to each player (himself included) in succession, until every player has received five cards.¹¹ These five cards constitute the “hand,” and in no case may a player have a greater or less number of cards than five.He then places the remainder of the pack before him on the table, face downwards. After the cards have been dealt the betting before the draw begins.
If the ante has not been straddled, the player to the left of ante has the “say,” and may begin the betting before the draw.
He looks at his cards, and may either—
If (a) he reject his cards, he throws them, face downwards, on the table, and is out of the game until the next deal.
If (b) he accept his cards, he must stake a sum at least twice the amount of ante. He may, of course, increase the ante by any sum not exceeding the limit; but it is not usual or advisable to do more than double the ante.
No. 2, who is the player on the left of No. 1, has now the same option. He looks at his cards, and may reject them without staking (throwing them, in this case, face downwards, on the table), or he may accept them and elect to take part in the game. In this latter case he must stake a sum equal to that staked by his predecessor, or he may increase this sum by an amount not exceeding the limit.
Each succeeding player, including and ending with the [34] dealer, has, in his turn, the same privilege. He must either reject his cards and not play until the next deal, or accept them and stake a sum at least equal to that staked by his predecessor.
It is not advisable for any player to increase the stake on this first round, since to do so would probably cause succeeding players with moderate hands to reject their cards and not stake. The dealer or last player frequently, however, raises the stake with the object of inducing ante, who may hold a weak hand, to relinquish his initial stake.
Ante is the last to look at his cards, or in other words, has the last say.
If he pass,i.e. elect not to play, he throws his cards, face downwards, on the table, and retires from the game until the next deal, losing his original stake. If he accept his cards and elect to play, he must make his stake at least equal to that of the player on his right.
If the ante has been straddled, the player to the left of the straddler (or of the last straddler, if there be more than one) has the say,i.e. has the option of beginning the betting before the draw. He may, after looking at his cards, either
If he open the game, he must stake a sum at least equal to double the ante and straddles together, and he may also, if he choose, stake a further sum not exceeding the limit. Whichever he elect to do, the say afterwards passes to the player at his left hand, who has a similar option; and so on round the table. The last straddler has thus the last say.
Beginning with ante, or with the first player on the left of the dealer, each player may then exchange all or any number of the cards he holds for others from the remainder [35] of the pack. He must first throw on the table, face downwards, the number of cards he wishes to exchange (this is called “discarding"), and the dealer then gives him an equal number from the top of the pack. Before exchanging any of his cards, however, each player must make his stake equal to that of ante, or of the last player.
It is not compulsory for a player to exchange all or any of his cards; but he must exercise or relinquish the privilege of doing so when his turn comes, once for all; and he cannot afterwards modify his choice, nor take back any card or cards he may have discarded.
Whether he exchange any of his cards, or whether he retains the hand first dealt out to him, each player must make his stake equal to that of ante, or of the last player, so that when all players have been supplied with, or refused, new cards, the stakes are all equal, and are all placed in the pool.
_______
To give a practical illustration of this process, let us suppose that there are five players taking part in the game, that the ante is fixed at threepence, and the limit at a shilling. The players cut for deal, and the deal falls toA.
(No.1) C
(Ante) B
D (No.2)
E (No.3)
Bthen is ante,CNo. 1,etc.
B(ante) stakes threepence. [36]
C, who has the right to straddle the ante does not do so, so no other player may.
Athen deals five rounds of one card each to each player, beginning withB, and then puts the remainder of the pack on the table.
C(No. 1) then looks at his cards, elects to play, and stakes sixpence (double ante’s stake).
D(No. 2) looks at his cards, rejects them, throwing them face downwards on the table, and retiring from the game until the next deal.
E(No. 3) looks at his cards, elects to play, and stakes sixpence.
A(dealer) looks at his cards, elects to play, and stakes one shilling and sixpence (he must stake sixpence, but he raises the stakes by the maximum amount allowed).
B(ante) looks at his cards, elects to play, and stakes one shilling and threepence, making his stake equal toA’s.Bthen discards two of his cards, places them face downwards on the table, and receives fromAtwo in their place.
C(No. 1) adds a shilling to his stake, making it equal toA’sandB’s, and throws down all his cards, receiving five new ones in their place.
E(No. 3), rather than increase his stake to one shilling and sixpence, relinquishes his hand, throwing down his cards, and losing the sixpence he has already staked.
A(dealer), who has already staked one shilling and sixpence, throws down one card and takes another in its place from the top of the pack.
There are now three players,A,B, andC, each of whom has staked one shilling and sixpence on his hand, and there is a sum of five shillings, includingE’sfirst stake in the pool.
No. 1 then begins play by betting a sum not exceeding [37] the limit. He may, if he choose, “stand,” decline to bet until the next round, or he may throw his cards face downwards on the table and retire from the game, losing the money he has already staked. The turn then passes to No. 2. Let us suppose, in the first place, that he does bet.
If No. 1 had “stood,”i.e. not bet when it was first his turn to play, he would have to do so when the turn came round to him again, or else relinquish his cards and his stake.
When all the stakes are equal, each player throws his cards face upwards on the table, and the player with the best hand takes the pool and all the stakes.
It will be seen thus that there is no play of the cards in Poker, as in most other card games. The best hand exposed wins the game and takes the stakes; and the play of the game consists in estimating the probable value of the opponents’ hands as compared with the player’s own hand. [38]
To resume our illustration (page 36).
Cbegins play by betting sixpence.
Aalso bets sixpence, making his stake equal toC’s, and by doing so is said to callC.
Bbets one shilling and sixpence,i.e. raisesCa shilling. He makes his stake equal toC’sandA’s, and has exercised his right to increase it by a sum not exceeding the limit.
C, whose turn it now is again, adds two shillings to his stake, raisingBa shilling.
Awill not stake more, so relinquishes the game and his stake, placing his cards face downwards on the table.
Badds one shilling to his stake, making it equal toC’s, andCis therefore compelled to show his hand. It happens to be better thanB’s, soCclaimsB’sstake (two shillings and sixpence) and the pool (five shillings and sixpence); and the game is over.
VALUE OF THE“HANDS.”
The “hands” at Poker are as follows, in order of value:—
No. 1.Sequence Flush, orStraight Flush.—A sequence of five cards of the same suit. In sequences the ace is the lowest card, and therefore ace to five is the lowest possible sequence. Nine to king is the highest possible sequence, and if a “flush,”i.e. all the cards of the same suit, is the best possible hand in Poker.
No. 2.Fours, orFour of a kind.—Four cards of equal value, and one other card of no value. Four aces take precedence, then four kings,etc.
No. 3.Full Hand.—Three cards of equal value, and two [39] cards of equal value (for instance, three queens and two aces). The relative values of two or more “full hands” are fixed by the threes they contain, the highest three taking precedence, without regard to the value of the other two cards. Thus, a “full hand” consisting of three tens and two fours, is better than a “full hand” consisting of three nines and two kings.
No. 4.Flush.—Five cards of one suit. The relative values of two or more “flush” hands depend upon the value of the cards they comprise,—the highest card taking precedence.
No. 5.Sequence, orStraight.—A sequence in value of cards, not being all of one suit. Nine to king is the highest sequence, and wins, of course, against any lower sequence.
No. 6.Triplets, orThrees.—Three cards of the same value, and two other cards which are of no value. Three aces are highest, then three kings, three queens,etc.
No. 7.Two Pairs.—Two sets of two cards each, of equal value (i.e. 2 knaves and 2 fours for instance), and one card of no value. The relative values of two or more “two pair” hands is decided by the highest pair. If two hands have equally high pairs, the value is decided by the second pair.
No. 8.A Pair.—Two cards of equal value, and three of no value. Two aces are the highest pair.
If, when the cards are exposed after a game, no player holds any of the foregoing “hands,” the player whose hand contains the card highest in value wins the stakes. If two or more players hold cards equally high in value, the player who holds the next highest card wins. [40]
THE JACK-POT.
If all the players reject their cards, declining to play, ante’s stake remains in the pool; and the deal passes to him. Before he deals, however, he and every other player must put into the pool a sum equal to the ante. The next hand is called a Jack-pot, and the game cannot be opened by any player unless he has at least a pair of knaves in his hand. Any better hand entitles him to open the game of course, but he must have at least two knaves. If there be no players in a Jack-pot, the stakes still remain in the pool, every player again puts in a sum equal to the ante, and the deal passes on as before. In this second Jack-pot, however, two queens is the lowest hand with which the game may be opened. If there are again no players, the pool is again replenished, and the next game cannot be opened with anything less than two kings; then the Jack-pot comes down to two knaves again, and continues the same series of minimum hands—2 knaves, 2 queens, 2 kings—until the game is opened by a player holding the requisite or a better hand. A Jack-pot having been opened, the winner takes the accumulated pool, and the succeeding game reverts to the ordinary conditions,i.e. may be opened by any player in his turn and without reference to his hand. If a player open a Jack-pot, and all the other players pass, he must, before he can claim the pool, show, by laying his cards face upwards on the table, that he really does possess the minimum hand necessary to open the game with. If he have the minimum hand, or better, he takes the pool; but if he have not, the next game is a Jack-pot, just as if the previous game had not been opened, and the player who opened the game improperly must pay a sum double that of the ante into the pool as a penalty. [41]
MODIFICATIONS.
Modifications of the game have been from time to time introduced, but few have any claim to permanence or popularity. The best known in this country are the Blaze and the Joker.
The Blazeis an additional hand which consists of five court cards. It takes precedence of two pairs, but is beaten by triplets. The relative values of two or more blaze hands are fixed by the highest card, a hand containing ace or aces being best.
The Jokeris an additional card, sometimes included in the pack, and to which any value may be given by the player holding it. If for instance, a player hold king, queen, knave, and ten of hearts, and the joker, he may call the joker ace of hearts, and so claim a sequence flush. The joker is a higher card, moreover, than the actual card whose name it takes,i.e. a joker which is called the king of spades is better than the real king of spades.
TECHNICAL TERMS.
For convenience of reference we annex explanations of the few technical terms used in Poker.
Age.—The eldest hand,i.e. the player to the left of the dealer. Generally called the ante-man or “ante.”
Ante.—The first stake in the game. It must be made before the cards have been dealt, by the player on the left of the dealer. It is the only compulsory stake, and for this reason the amount is fixed, and is generally small. It must not exceed one half the limit.
The player to the left of the dealer is identified with his stake, and is familiarly called ante. [42]
Bluff.—To stake an unwarrantable sum on a weak hand for the purpose of inducing the other players to relinquish their stakes rather than continue betting. To pretend to have a good hand.
Blaze.—A hand consisting of five court cards (see p. 41).
Chips.—Counters. An American term, little used by English players.To chipmeans to stake chips, to bet.
Call.—To call the preceding player is to stake an amount equal to his stake (see p. 37).
Discard.—To throw away cards so as to receive others in exchange for them (see p. 35).
Draw.—To receive cards from the dealer in exchange for an equal number discarded.
Eldest Hand.—The player to the left of the dealer. SeeAnte.
Foul Hand.—A hand containing more or less than five cards. Such hand must be relinquished, and the owner must retire from that game, losing any sum he may have staked.
Go Better.—SeeRaise.
Go in.—To stake a sum equal to double the ante and any straddles or raises which may have been added to it, in order to qualify for drawing and playing for the pool.
Hand.—The five cards held by any player.
Jack-pot.—The game which follows an unopened game,i.e. which follows a game in which every player had rejected his cards (see p. 40).
Joker.—An extra card, to which any value may be assigned by the player holding it (see p. 41).
Kitty.—A portion of the stakes set aside in every game, either to defray the expenses of the table, or as a reward for some specially good hand.
Limit.—The maximum amount by which stakes may be [43] increased at one time. The limit, which has a tendency to prevent wild and unreasonable betting, is generally fixed before play begins.
Make Good.—To make good is really the same as to call, but a player may make good his previous bet,i.e. may make it equal to that of the previous player, and may afterwards raise.
No. 1.—The player to the left of ante—the next player is No. 2, and so on round to the dealer.
Pass.—To give up the game. To throw the cards, face downwards, on the table, and cease playing until the next deal. The player who passes loses any sum he may have staked.
Pat.—A term used in reference to the hand originally dealt to each player in a game. To play pat is to bet on the hand originally dealt, without drawing. A pat hand is a hand of high value, which has been dealt to the player, a hand which he cannot hope to improve by drawing.
Player.—This is not strictly a technical term, but the tyro should note that the persons seated at the table are not necessarily all players. One or more may retire from the game, and on doing so forfeit all their interest, and cease to be players in that game. There are seldom more than two or three players remaining at the end of a game.
Pool.—The whole of the stakes in a game.
Pot.—The pool.
Raise.—To raise the preceding player is to stake a sum in excess of that staked by him.
Rise.—SeeLimit.
Say.—The option, which comes to each player in turn, of playing, and therefore betting, or of passing,i.e. throwing down his cards and resigning the game.
See.—To see or call your opponent is to make your [44] stake equal to his. If the stake be not then raised by succeeding players, every hand must be exposed (see p. 37).
Show.—The exposure of a hand or hands at the end of the game.
Skip Straight or Skip Sequence.—A sequence of alternate cards—two, four, six, eight, ten, for instance. This hand is sometimes introduced, and takes precedence oftriplets. It is beaten by an ordinary sequence.
Straddle.—To raise the ante. To double the initial stake made by ante in every game before the cards are dealt. Straddling the ante gives the straddler (or the last straddler, if there be more than one) the advantage of the last say before the draw.
Straight.—A sequence, a series of five cards in regular order (see p. 38).
THE STAKES.
As before stated, the ante and limit should be fixed before play begins, and once fixed should not be altered in any circumstances. Players who have lost sometimes apply to have the limit raised. This should be refused.
The ante should be a small sum, the smaller the better. It must not exceed half the limit, and for general play a much lower proportion is desirable. If the limit be one shilling, the ante may be fixed at one penny.
Counters are desirable for play in all cases; they are in every way more convenient, and avoid the constant trouble of giving change. They should be circular in form, and all of one size, but of three values, represented by different colours:—
1, say Red; the value of ante.
2, say White; treble the value of ante.
3, say Blue; the value of the limit. [45]The counters should be sold to each player before the game begins, and be bought back at the same rate after play.
HINTS TO PLAYERS.
A few words of advice to the tyro may not, in conclusion, be out of place. They will not make him into a good player—practice and experience alone can do that,—but they may prevent him paying for his experience more than is necessary:—
Do not play with folk you do not know.
Never play with a man you cannot implicitly trust. The game needs all your attention, and it becomes a toil instead of a pleasure if you have to be on the watch for unfair play.
Never play for a stake you are not prepared to lose.
Fix a limit to your losses and cease play at once when they reach it. The temptation to continue is greater when losing than when winning.
Fix a time to cease play—and keep to it.
Perfect self-control is, it is needless to say, essential to successful play.
The man whose losses make him ill-tempered, must not play at all. He certainly cannot win, since loss of temper involves loss of judgment. A game like Poker, which it must be confessed is not calculated to rouse the finer feelings of humanity, is only tolerable when played under the severest self-imposed restraint.
Avoid playing, moreover, with an opponent who cannot keep his temper. You will beat him, no doubt, but anger is infectious, and, unless you are blessed with extraordinary self-command, the risk of catching it is too great.
Neither voice, manner, nor features should give the [46] slightest clue to your hand. One or other will do so at first inevitably, and all will need a constant effort to control. The perfect Poker player sits like an automaton, and his face is a mask.
Study your opponents, their features and manner, in success and failure. To an accurate observer they will generally betray themselves. An American authority says, “the study of my adversaries is, of more value than the study of my cards.”
Bluffing is at best a very dangerous game, seldom worth the risk, and it involves, even for its occasional success, a very just estimate of your opponents. Remember that you cannot bluff even a tyro out of “fours.”
If you do bluff, bluff when you are winning, and have established a fear of your hands in the minds of your opponents.
To bluff when losing is insanity.
In actual play there are few maxims which hold good for all cases. All depends on what is termed luck, and nearly every Poker player recognises luck, whatever that may be, as an important factor in the game—one they often allow to override calculable chances. Some players seem to have almost persistent good luck, and win with comparatively poor hands. Others are just as unlucky, losing with high cards.
With a pair, if you decide to play, discard the remaining three cards. You have then three chances of triplets.
With triplets discard one, your chance of getting fours is remote, and you leave your opponents in doubt as to whether you are not trying for a flush.
With triplets you may generally riskseeingyour opponent.
Never try for the completing card of a sequence. If, for instance, you have 3, 4, 6, 7 and king, do not play—[47] discarding the king on the chance of receiving a 5. Throw up your hand. With a sequence you may generally wait till your opponents think fit to see you.
With fours, discard the odd card, in order to mislead your opponents. This hand, or anything better, so seldom comes to a player, that he is justified in staking as much as possible upon it.
Be content to pass sometimes with the better hand. The best players do so, since it costs less than the habit of calling.
Neither borrow nor lend a penny at the table.
RULES OF THE GAME.The Deal.
1. The cards shall be the ordinary pack of fifty-two cards.
2. The players, after being seated, shall each draw a card from the pack, face downwards, and the player drawing the card lowest in value (ace being lowest), shall deal in the first game. If two or more players draw cards of equal value, such cards being the lowest, such players only shall draw again for the deal.
3. Any player may demand to shuffle the cards, but the dealer shall have a right to the last shuffle before the cards are cut.
4. The pack shall be shuffled by the dealer, and cut by the player on the right of the dealer, before every deal.
5. The cards shall be shuffled, face downwards, above the table.
6. The cards shall be dealt, face downwards, so that their faces cannot be seen; and they must be placed by the dealer on the table in front of the players to whom they are severally dealt. [48]
7. The dealer shall give one card from the top of the pack to each player in turn from right to left, beginning with the player at his left hand, and in this order shall give to each player five cards.
8. If the cards be dealt without the pack having been cut, and if the fact be pointed out to the dealer before the deal is finished, it is a misdeal, and there shall be a new deal by the same dealer.
9. If the fact that the cards have been dealt without the pack having been cut for such deal be not pointed out to the dealer before such deal is finished, the deal shall stand.
10. If a card be found face upwards in the pack before the deal is finished, it is a misdeal, and there shall be a new deal by the same dealer.
11. If the dealer, while dealing, accidentally expose a card, such card shall be accepted by the player to whom it is dealt, as though it had not been exposed, and the dealer shall not, nor shall any player, exchange such exposed card for another, except in the regular course of discarding after the deal is completed.
12. If any player have more or less than five cards dealt to him, and if such player, or any player, announce the fact before the cards are raised from the table, it is a misdeal, and there shall be a new deal by the same dealer.
13. If any player have more or less than five cards dealt to him, and if the fact be not announced before any portion of the hand is raised from the table, such hand is a foul hand, and the player to whom it is dealt shall place his cards, face downwards, on the table, and retire from the game, and shall forfeit his stake in that game.
14. If a player be compelled to retire from the game in consequence of having a foul hand dealt to him, his stake, [49] if he has staked, shall remain in the pool, and the dealer shall refund such player the amount of his ante or straddle only in that game.
15. No player shall speak to the dealer while the cards are being dealt..
16. If any player speak to the dealer, or distract him by noise or gesture, while the cards are being dealt, such player, and not the dealer, shall refund, as provided by Rule 14, the ante or straddle of any player to whom a foul hand is dealt in that deal.
17. The deal shall be finished when every player has received five cards.
18. The duty of dealing shall devolve upon each player in turn, from right to left; the player to the left of the last dealer shall be the dealer in the next game. If the dealer in a game pass and retire, he shall continue his duty as dealer in that game.