Pack of playing cards

“ When there are no more available cards to play, proceed to deal out the remainder of the pack, turning the cards one by one, playing all suitable ones on the foundations, or placing them on the sequences of the tableau. The cards that cannot be so employed are laid aside in one packet, forming the talon. ”

“ The cards in the other parcel are then sold by the dealer for a certain fixed price, perhaps a counter for each card, all payments being placed in different proportions on the prizes. Any cards that are left after all have been supplied are sold to any one wishing to purchase them. The players who have been fortunate enough to purchase cards corresponding with the prizes win the prizes, and also all the stakes that have been placed upon them.
Another way of playing after the counters have been distributed is for one pack of cards to be used as tickets and the other as lots or prizes. ”

“ In dealing, you may not play a card from any row until that row is complete. After dealing each row, pause and examine the tableau, playing and marrying all suitable cards, and refilling vacancies, both in the rivers and helps, with cards from the pack. In filling up vacancies in the rivers, those in the uppermost rows must first be refilled.
After the entire pack is exhausted, the skill of the player will be required. The four packets of help cards may now be increased to eight. ”

“ The following is the method adopted for playing the game:—
The ace is the highest card, and deuce is the lowest.
After having cut and shuffled a pack of fifty-two cards in the ordinary way, the dealer gives six to each player. If there be but two players, he turns up the thirteenth card; but if four players, he turns up the twenty-fifth card, the suit to which the turn-up belongs being trumps. Should the turn-up be a knave, the dealer scores one point. ”

“ In Germany, hearts, bells, leaves, and acorns were generally adopted; in Spain, swords, cups, batons, and coins prevailed as devices for cards.
Various materials have been adopted in the production of playing cards. At South Kensington Museum, besides cards printed from etched steel and copper-plates, wood blocks, and by lithography, we find a pack of silk embroidered cards. A pack of white metal engraved cards were shown at this institution, if we remember rightly, some year or so ago. ”

“ The playing cards represent the same identical four numbers, by the "four suits" of the pack, the "twelve face cards" of the pack, the "thirteen cards" in each of the "four suits," and the "fifty-two cards" composing the full pack.
It was in an early part of the twelfth century when mongrel Egyptians were first attracted by the same "four numbers," and with their native love for games, sports and amusements, sought to gratify their eager desires and bring them into use as the origin of future pastime recreations and social enjoyment. ”

“ These are among the more rare of old playing cards, and their gradual destruction when used as educational media will, as in the case of horn-books, and early children's books generally, account for this rarity. Perhaps the most interesting geographical playing cards which have survived this common fate, though they are the ultima rarissima of such cards, is the pack designed and engraved by H. Winstanley, "at Littlebury, in Essex," as we read on the Ace of Hearts. They appear to have been intended to afford instruction in geography and ethnology. ”

“ You must be careful to invite the different persons to call for their cards in the reverse order to that in which they are replaced in the pack. Thus, you first address the person who last returned his card, and then the last but one, and so on. You must tax your ingenuity for devices to take off the attention of the spectators from the pack at the moment when it is necessary to turn it over; and as each repetition of the process increases the chance of detection, it is well not to allow more than three or four cards to be drawn. ”

“ The dealer gives the cards out all round, one after another, face downwards, until the whole pack is exhausted, and the aim of each player must be to win from his friends the whole of the twenty cards. ”

“ If when so placed the whole pack is suddenly dropped out of the hand, the cards, all excepting the top card, will fall on their faces, while the projection of the top card, finding resistance in the air as it falls should, during its descent, turn over and fall face upwards. ”

“ There are card players, or ‘card sharps,’ as they are called, who can shuffle cards so adroitly as to ‘put up a hand’ right before your eyes, and you not know it. Even a ‘bungler’ can shuffle so as to give himself a ‘pair,’ or at least to have knowledge of what cards are left on the top or bottom of the pack, which knowledge he can make useful in many ways. For instance, after the deal, he finds in looking at his hand that he has a pair that match the card he knows is on the bottom of the pack. ”

“ It would have been a matter of regret if, because of any unfortunate association connected with the game, we should have been deprived of the benefit of it, for it is second to none in its power of affording amusement. It is easy to learn, and yet it is a scientific, clever game, and one that we can well imagine would be selected as a favourite among all other card games by proficient card-players.
It is played by two persons with a pack of thirty-two cards, all the twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes being thrown out in preparing the pack. ”

“ The pack may be moderately shuffled, with very little risk of the two cards being separated, the greater width of the long card tending to shelter the card beneath it, and making it very unlikely that that card will be displaced. If after the shuffle the long card does not happen to be tolerably high up in the pack, you should cut the cards in such manner as to make it so. ”

“ It is usual to deal these latter one at a time when going round with the regular hands, but they may be taken all at one time from the top of the pack, after the players have received their cards. The player on the left-hand side of the dealer then plays a card from his own hand, and takes with it every card of the same denomination among those exposed on the table, as well as all that will combine and make the same number. ”

“ The performer ensures the corresponding cards being drawn by using a forcing pack, made up of repetitions of the three cards in question, which we will suppose to be the queen of spades, the ten of hearts, and the seven of diamonds, with some other single card at the bottom. The tin case, in the original form of the trick, has two compartments—the one to the front being large enough to hold a complete pack, but the hinder one adapted to contain six or eight cards only. ”

“ Two players then take in their hands the two packs of cards, which must be shuffled, and each one cut by the left-hand neighbour. One of them then deals a card, face downwards, to each player, and these are called the lots. On each lot the players all place as many counters as they like, after which a card to every one is given from the other pack, and these second cards are called tickets. ”

“ The dealer having been decided upon, takes the pack of cards and shuffles them, after which he has the pack cut by the player on his right-hand side, and then proceeds to distribute one card, face downwards and unexposed, to each player, dealing in regular order from left to right. ”

“ The object is to make certain cards, not prepared, slip off easier than others in shuffling. You can part or break the deck to an ace or king, and easily 'put up threes,' no matter where they lay in the deck. This fine advantage works fine single handed, or when the left-hand man shuffles and offers the cards to be cut. These cards are ten times better than readers or strippers, and they get the money faster. Price $2 per pack by mail, $20 per dozen packs. ”

“ Beginning with his left-hand neighbour, the whole pack is then dealt out to the players one by one, faces downward, until the last one is arrived at, which, though the property of the dealer, is turned up, displaying the trump suit. If dealt properly, every player will hold in his hand thirteen cards, which he is now at liberty to look at and arrange in order, the owner of each hand being in honour bound not to look at any cards but his own. ”

“ There are fifty cards in the pack, composed of five different suits; namely, Faces, Flags, Eagles, Stars, and Shields, “the honour cards being called the upper ten.”
The directions for dealing, cutting, etc. are given, and are exactly the same as those in common use among all card-players, be they bent on gambling or only on innocent amusement.
The publisher goes on to state that “many things will serve for counters, as kernels of corn, or coffee, or old cards cut up. For those who prefer something better the publisher of these cards has provided an ample supply at a small expense.” ”

“ If you do not feel quite certain, please shuffle the cards once more.” Every one being fully satisfied that the card is completely lost in the pack, you continue, “Let me assure you that I do not know, any more than yourselves, whereabouts in the pack your card is at this moment. You can all see that I have no duplicate card concealed in my hands. I will now take the top card, whatever it may be, or, if you prefer it, any one may draw a card from any part of the pack, and I will at once change it to the card originally chosen.” ”

“ FIRST CARD GAME—AWAITING THE CARD
Five players take their places at the table; the cards are shuffled, and are cut into eight packs of fifteen each. Three dice are cast, and three of the packs are removed in the order designated by the numbers on the dice. A third cast of the dice determines who is to take the first of the five remaining packs. The player on the right takes the second, and so on. The three packs that were removed are placed in a box, and the bottom card of all is turned round and given to the happy possessor of the first pack. ”

“ Each person having replaced his card, you get each set shuffled. Then you take them in hand, and by running them over you easily find the red card amongst the black, and the black card amongst the red.
Of course you will have prepared the sets beforehand, and take care to alter the arrangement as soon as possible after the trick. But you can prepare the pack in the presence of others without their detecting it. Distribute the cards by dealing according to the two colours ”

“ Force that card upon some person, hand him the pack, and request him to be good enough to place the drawn card in any position in the pack he chooses, and to place the pack in his own coat pocket, promising that the card drawn shall be picked out of the pack while in his pocket. The sense of touch will render the trick perfectly simple, and easy to perform as promised. The same trick may be varied by placing the cards under a hat, in a basket, bag, or in any other convenient receptacle. ”

“ The principal thing against which a beginner must guard, is a tendency to offer the particular card a little too soon. When the cards are first presented to the drawer, the pack should be barely spread at all, and the card in question should be ten or fifteen cards off. The momentary hesitation of the drawer in making his choice will give time, by moving the cards quicker or slower, as may be necessary, to bring that card opposite his fingers at the right moment. ”

“ The more impossible a thing is, the more I want to do it. I will find out these cards or die! Don’t be alarmed, I don’t mean to die just yet; so I must do the other thing. It’s easy enough, if you know how to do it.
“In the first place I cut the pack into three portions.” (You cut three times, nipping the “long” corners between second finger and thumb, at each [80] of the drawn cards in succession, and placing the cards left at bottom on one or other of the three heaps; then solemnly rub your wand, without remark, with a silk handkerchief, and lay it across the tops of the three packets.) ”

“ The ordinary packs of fifty-two or thirty-two cards may be used, and the number of players who may take part in the game is practically unlimited within the range of the pack; but it will be found that not more than ten players are desirable with the fifty-two card pack, and not more than six with the thirty-two card one, as otherwise too great a proportion of the pack is brought into use each deal, and there is not much scope for speculation as to what remains in the undealt portion of the pack. ”

“ The dealer's left-hand player begins by playing any card he likes, choosing one, if possible, that is one of a sequence, so that he may have the opportunity of ridding himself of, perhaps, several cards at once. Any other player having the next higher card in sequence plays it, then another, until either a king, a seven of diamonds, or some other stop card is played. ”

“ The first important business requiring attention is the dressing of the board; and the fifteen counters necessary for this performance are either supplied by the dealer alone or are contributed by the company, according to arrangement. Six are given to pope, two to matrimony, two to intrigue, and [140] one each to ace, king, queen, knave, and game. The eight of diamonds being taken from the pack of cards, the rest are dealt out equally to all the players, face downwards, the last card deciding for trumps. ”

“ The above delusive offer to show “how it’s done” can be equally well adapted to many other tricks, and never fails to create amusement.
A Card having been thought of, to make such Card Vanish from the Pack, and be Discovered wherever the Performer pleases.—This trick should be performed with twenty-seven cards only. You deal the cards, face upwards, in three packs, requesting one of the company to note a card, and to remember in which heap it is. ”