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Five Card Game Rules

 
CARD GAMES

BLACKJACK        This is the American version of the original French game of vingt et un, popularly known as pontoon.  Any number can play; a banker is chosen by lot until a player gets a pontoon and takes over the bank.  Cards count their face value, 10, J, Q, K count 10, ace counts one or eleven.  To win, a punters cards must total more than the banker, but not over 21, when he is ‘bust’.  Banker only shuffles cards before first play and after pontoon.  Banker deals one card face down to each player including himself and all except the banker inspect their card.  Each punter bets one or more chips (up to an agreed maximum) on his card.  Banker then deals one more card face down to each player, still not looking at his cards.  Any punter with pontoon (ace + 10 value card) turns the ace face up.  If he has 2 cards of the same value, he may split them and play each hand in turn.  Other punters in turn from bankers left, can either:  1.  stick, if their hand totals 16 or more or 2.  buy, increase his stake and request another card face down.  He can repeat buy, but each buy must be at least for the original bet, but not more than the total staked so far or 3. twist, receive a further card or cards free (he may not subsequently buy).  Any player who ‘busts’ loses his stake to the banker.  When all content, banker turns his 2 cards face up.  A pontoon beats all and is paid double by all except punters pontoons, otherwise he twists cards to a minimum of 16 total value, and like the punters, sticks when desired.  He pays each punter his stake if the punter has a higher score than the bank and double for a punters pontoon, a 6,7,8 or a 5 carder ie: a total of 21 or less with 5 cards.  He pays triple for 3 sevens and quadruple for a 6 carder. The above describes the popular domestic blackjack or pontoon; for casino play, the following variations normally apply : Before dealing second cards, the banker may look at his card and call for double stakes, which is obligatory if a punter wishes to continue his hand.  If a punters first 2 cards total eleven he may turn one car face up, double his stake and receive one more card face down.  There is no buying, cards are twisted as desired until a punter sticks or busts.

NAP            4 or 5 players are recommended, but more or less are possible.  5 cards are dealt to each player, the deal passing to the left each hand.  Bidding, play and trick making etc is similar to whist.  Eldest (or dealers left) bids or passes first, subsequent players increasing the bid or passing.  When all done, the highest bidder must make the number of tricks bid and leads first, indicating his trump suit (except mizere which has no trumps).  Bids in order of preference, are two, three, mizere (lose every trick), four, Nap (five), Wellington (five for double stakes and Blucher (five for redoubled stakes).  Wellington may only follow Nap and Blucher follow Wellington.  Players must follow suit if possible, winner of a trick leading to the next.  If successful the bidder wins from each opponent 2-4 units for bids of 2-4 respectively, 3 for mizere, 10 for Nap, 20 for Wellington and 40 for Blucher.  If unsuccessful each opponent receives the same amount.
SLIPPERY SAM    A simple gambling game which the punter should win but seldom does.  Banker deals 3 cards face down to each player, from a pack placed on the table, after putting in as many chips as he likes to form a bank.  Each player, in turn, inspects their cards and the first player either passes or bets all or part of the banks value that one of his cards will beat the present top card of the pack in the same suit as that card.  The banker turns the top card up and pays out the amount of the bet or receives the bet into the bank pool.  This proceeds clockwise with a new top card for each punter.  As soon as the pool is empty the bank passes to the player on the bankers left and in any case after 3 deals.
HEARTS        Similar in play to whist, with 4 players.  There is no bidding, no trumps, no partners and the aim is to avoid collecting heart cards in any trick won.  Eldest hand leads and suit must be followed if possible.  Trick winner leads for next trick as at whist.  At the end of the hand each player pays one chip into the pool for each heart in his hand.  A revoking player, (not following suit when able to) pays an agreed amount into the pool, usually 10 chips.  The pool is won when a player takes no hearts in a hand, otherwise the pool can grow quite rapidly.  To adapt the game to 3 – 6 players, deal the cards out equally, the few remaining to become a ‘widow’ to be added to the last trick won.
GERMAN WHIST    An excellent adaptation of whist for 2 players.  Using a full pack, deal 13 cards each, the 27th being turned up from the talon and being trumps for the game.  Now dealer leads in usual way, suit being followed if possible.  Trick winner adds the trumps card to his hand and his opponent the next card (concealed).  Trick winner then turns up the next card on the talon and leads as usual to the next trick.  This proceeds until talon is exhausted, by which time players should know most of their opponents cards.  Payment is normally for so much a trick for tricks won over an opponents total.



BRAG            Brag can be played by any number of players, each claiming to have (or ‘brag’ that he has), the highest ranked hand.  3 cards are dealt to each player in 1’s face down.  Eldest (on dealers left) bets or passes, each player in turn ‘staying in’ or ‘dropping out’ of the betting.  Any player may raise the bet which then becomes the minimum bet for subsequent players.  When the last two players are left in, (all others having dropped out), each may continue to stake (or raise) or one may drop out and allow his opponent to take the kitty, or he may pay double the current stake into the kitty to see his opponents cards, when best hand wins.  Any player may choose at the outset to bet ‘blind’ ie. not inspecting his cards.  His bets are then half the existing rate until he looks at his cards.  Cards rank 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A – lowest to highest.  Hands rank:   Pair – 2 cards of the same rank, third unmatched,  Flush – 3 non consecutive cards of the same suit,  Run – 3 consecutive cards, not the same suit.  Ace, 2, 3 beats A,K,Q,  Running Flush – 3 consecutive cards of same suit.  Again, Ace 2,3 is best,  Prial – 3 cards of the same rank.  Three 3’s beats 3 Aces!  In similar hands the highest combination of numbers wins.  The deal passes each hand to the left.  Used cards are placed on the bottom of the pack, cards are only shuffled after a prial.
SLOBBERHANNES         An excellent 4 handed game based on whist.  The 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and 6’s are removed and not used.  If 5 or 6 play remove the black 7’s.  There are no partners and no trumps.  Players cut for lead, player on winners right dealing, and deal and lead passing to the left each hand.  The aim is to avoid taking the first or last trick or the queen of clubs.  Each one taken loses a point and another if all three taken by the same player.  Player losing least points when first player reaches 10 points lost, is the winner.  Alternatively, to play with chips, each player can start with 10 chips and pay the appropriate penalty in the pool when incurred.  When one player goes broke, pool can be won by the winning player or divided amongst the other players, as agreed.
FAN TAN        A simple but absorbing family game for 3 to 8 players.  The cards are dealt out.  Each player starts with an equal number of chips, and begins by placing one chip in the pool.  However, a player with a lesser number of cards puts in 2 chips.  Eldest plays first by laying down a seven or, if unable to do so, passes and forfeits another chip to the pool.  This continues and, after the first seven is laid, the next player may play a 6 or 8 of the same suit, to the 7’s left or right, or lay another 7 below the first 7.  Next player then plays, building to the left or right (or laying another 7) and so on.  Any pass necessitates the forfeit of a further chip.  If a player misses playing a card when able to, he pays 3 chips into the pool.  If he omits to play a 7 when able to, he pays 5 chips to the holders of the 6 and 8 of that suit.  First to go out wins the pool, plus one chip for each card each player still has in their hands.
              
MATRIMONY    A simple old family gambling game, for any number of players, starting with an equal number if chips each.  A large sheet of paper is marked out with 5 squares labelled Matrimony, Intrigue, Confederacy, Pair, Best.  Matrimony is any King and Queen, Intrigue any Queen and Jack, Confederacy any King and Jack, 2 cards the same a Pair and Ace of Diamonds is best.  The deal passes to the left each hand.  Dealer stakes at least 2 chips on each square and each player stakes an equal total number of chips, placing them on the 5 squares of his choice.  He then deals 2 cards to each player, the first face down, the second face up.  If any face up card is the Ace of Diamonds, that player wins the complete pool.  Otherwise, starting from dealers left, players turn up their face down card and win the appropriate pool if applicable.  Any pool not won remains for the next round.  Ace of Diamonds cannot be part of a pair.

SNIP SNAP SNORUM    Another popular children’s or family game from times past, for any number of players, each starting with an equal number of chips or counters.  Cards are dealt out as far as they will go, the deal passing to the left each hand.  Eldest plays first, any card of his choice and play continues clockwise.  Next player must play a card of the same denomination or pass.  The first to match rank calls ‘snip’, the second ‘snap’ and the third ‘snorum’.  The 4 cards are discarded by the last player, who plays the next card.  Any player who passes pays one chip to the player who played the last card.  When matching cards are played consecutively, ‘snip’ is called by the 2nd player and the first pays a chip into the pool.  Likewise a 3rd or 4th card played consecutively results in ‘snap’ or ‘snorum’ being called and the 2nd or 3rd player paying 2 or 3 chips respectively into the pool, the 4 cards then being discarded by the 4th player who leads again.  The pool is won by the first to play out all his cards and he also receives one chip from each player for each card left in the players hand.