Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-12-06
Strange Hands ~ Cards.

| One recorded example of strange
hands at cards was testified in a very
complete way, to remove all doubts of
the good faith of the narrator. Thir-
teen years ago, in the military canton
ment at Jubbulpore, in the East Indies,
five officers of her Majesty's Ninety
first Foot assembled, four playing at
whist and ore looking on. A brief mar
rative wrs written in the names of and
signed by all five officers-comprising
the lieutenant colonel, two captains,
and two ensigns of the regiment, and
transmitted to the editor of a London
weekly newspaper. The cards used on
this occasion had been played with be-
fore and were shuffled and cut in the usu-
al way. When all the fifty-two cards
had been dealt out, and the hands were
looked at, the combinations were such
as might well astonish the players.
The dealer was found to have all the
thirteen trumps (spades); his partner
had eleven clubs; his antagonist op the
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the right had twelve diamonds! In so
far as the dealers hand contained all
the thirteen trumps, We have already
noticed an instance of this kind; but
the extraordinary thing is that each of
the other three hands was made up so
very nearly of one suit only. There
was fair probability, for example, that
the dealers partner (all the spades be-
ing held by the dealer himself) would
have nearly equal numbers of clubs,
hearts and diamonds, four or five of
each but that he should have 80 many
as eleven of one suit was certainly not
to be expected. And so of the other
two hands; there was a combination of
improbabilities so extraordinary as to
make the odds enormous against such
a phenomenon occurring in actual play.
The number of strange and exceptional
hands at cards which have actually been
held is very large; but comparatively
few Of them are publicly known, either
because the players do not deem it worth
while to put them IN print, or because
they lie buried in publications, having
a relatively small circulation. One is
known as the scarborough hand" The
(Or an Earl of Marlborough once held
hand containing no card above nine,
and had reason to remember it on ac-
count of some heavy betting that was
going on. Ever after that he held him
self ready to bet one thousand guineas
to one guinea against such hand being
held again. A practical arithmetician
calculated that the real odds are some-
what larger than the Earl supposed and
yet the hand has been held sufficiently
often to obtain for it distinctive name.
One whist player noted that he held the
king of hearts six times running, or
in six successive deals. The odds against
such coincidence can be exactly cal
culated, but We have not the figures at
hand. Another recorded instance re-
lates to the game of bezigue, not to
whist; but it serves equally well as an
illustration. Two players, cutting for
deal, both cut aces; they tried again
and both cut kings; they cut again a
third time, and here appeared two
knaves. As a bezique pack consists on
ly of thirty-two cards-all the twos, !
threes, fours. fives, and skies being re-
jected-the improbabiliy of such CO.
incidence is not so great as in a whist |
pack of fifty-two cards; nevertheless |
the odds are calculated to be five thou |
sand to one against the occurrence of
this particular event. A whist-player |
would sometimes give much to know |
how many honors are held by his part
ner; fact which, of course, in honor
able contest, he can only guess approx
imately by the course of the play. Never
theless, calculators. especially the math-
Demoivre, have estimated
probabilities in connection
with four honOrs of each suit. Such |
questions as these have been answered:
''What are the odds against the dealer
and his partner having all the honors
between them:" "And what against
their holding the three honors, but not
the fourth ~ "What are the odds
against the other two players holding
four, and against holding three?" With
out going into particulars, we may say
that the odds in these supposed instan-
ces range from thirteen against seven
up to twenty-three against one.-IAU
the Year Round.