From: tao@ginger.princeton.edu (Terry Tao)
Subject: Cripple Mr Onion 1, again
Originator: news@nimaster
Keywords: Cripple Onion 
Organization: wish I had one..
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 20:20:03 GMT

Due to a couple of complaints about word wrap, I've re-posted this half of the
rules.  If there are any further problems, don't hesitate to ask (politely).

This is the first part of the Cripple Mr Onion game: the general purpose and the
 layout of the cards.

The object of the game is to create the highest scoring collection of
 card-groupings from the ten cards that the player is dealt during the course of
 the game.  Each of the ten cards can only be used in one particular
 card-grouping.

The game is a combination of poker and blackjack.  One player acts as a
 dealer-banker, chosen on the outcome of the previous game.  There are slight
advantages in being the dealer.

Procedures for the gambling and non-gambling versions will be given in a later
 section.  The gambling version is the one used by the Disc players, but the
 non-gambling version is easier.

Now to the scoring system.  The valuable card groupings are based around the
 concept of an "onion", which is a combination of two or more cards adding up to
 21.  Aces (A) are one or eleven, picture cards (P) and tens (T) score 10.  All
 others score their face value.

Incidentally, there are 104 cards: 8 of each type, as 8 is the magic number of
 the Disc.  On Earth this can be achieved by shuffling two identical decks
 together.  There are eight suits with the thirteen standard denominations, which
 we have called spades, hearts, clubs, diamonds, staves, cups, swords, coins. 
 Standard deck suits will do.  For most purposes there are only four suits:
 for the purposes of the straight flush and the flush, spades are the same as
 staves, etc.  The only difference is when the special cards for Luck, Fate, etc
 are used.  Thus, two English decks shuffled together is fine: the backs may be
 identical or non-identical, it doesn't really matter.

The groupings, in order of least scoring to highest scoring, are:

A. bagel: this consists of two cards adding up to 20, i.e. PP, TP, TT, 9A.
  Fairly frequently, more than one bagel is possible, giving a "double bagel",
 "triple bagel", "lesser bagel", and finally "great bagel" (all ten cards used
 up.)  All bagels are at the bottom of the list, hence even a great bagel is
 beaten by a two-card onion.  However, a Great bagel beats a lesser bagel, and
 so on.  Also, if the Fool (see section 2) is played, bagels switch places with
 Onions.

2. two card onion: Two cards which add up to 21, i.e. TA, PA.

3. broken flush: This consists of at least three cards, adding up to at least
 16, but no more than 21.  All except one of them is of the same suit.

4. three-card onion: Three cards which add up to 21, e.g. 47T, ATT.

5. flush: Just like the broken flush, except all cards must be of the same suit.

6. four-card onion: e.g. 4557, A46T.

7. broken Royal: a special case of the three card onion: the cards 678 of any
 suit.

8.  five-card onion: e.g. 23466, 2234P.

9.  Royal - another special case of the three-card onion: three 7's.

T.  six-card onion: e.g. A23456, 222555.

J.  Wild Royal (see additional rules): this slot not used at present.

Q.  seven-card onion: e.g. AA22456, A223445.  Note that there are no eight-card
 onions, eight being a very unlucky number.

K.  Onion: A pontoon or blackjack: PA.  However, this combination is only a
 two-card bagel unless there is more than one Onion, e.g. KAQA.  Thus, we have
 Double Onion (two Onions), Triple Onion, Lesser Onion, and Greater Onion
 (PAPAPAPAPA).  Greater Onion beats Lesser Onion, and so on.  The Greater Onion
 is almost unbeatable (see below).

There is one more type of card combination: the nine-card straight flush (e.g.
 23456789T) and the ten-card straight flush (e.g. 3456789TJQ).  These
 combinations are normally worthless, unless another player has a lesser or
 greater Onion, in which case the straight flush beats everybody (and a ten-card
 straight flush beats a nine-card straight flush).  This is called "Crippling Mr
 Onion", hence the name of the game.

Note also that Greater Onion requires five aces; thus, the two decks.

This ends part 1 of the rules of the game.

Andrew Millard, and Terry Tao.