The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-11-09


One recorded example Of strang
hands at cards was testified in a yer
complete way, to remove all doubt g
the good faith of the narrator. Thir
teen years ago, in the military canton
ment at Jubbulpore, in the East Indie
five officers of Her Majesty's Ninety
hrst Foot assembled, four playing a
whist aud one looking on. IA brie
narrative was written in the names @
all FIVE officers-comprising the Lieu
tenant colonel, two captains, and tw
ensigns of the regiment, and transmit
ted to the editor of London week.,
newspaper. The cards used on thi
occasion had been play ed with befor
and were shuffied and cut i'm the usua
way. When all the fihy-two card
had been dealt out and the hands wer,
looked at, the combinations were sucl
as might well astonish the players
The dealer was found to have all tn,
thirteen trumps (spades) his partne
had eleven clubs; his antagonist OF
the left hand had twelve hearts ane
he on the right had twelve diamonds.
In SO far as the dealers hand contain
ing all the thirteen trumps, we have
already noticed an instance of this
kind; but the extraordinary thing il
that each Of the other three hands was
made up so nearly of one suit onl,
There was fair probability, for ex.
ample, that the dealers partner Gall
the spades being held by the dealer
himselOwould have nearly equal NUM-
bers of clubs, hearts, and diamonds,
four or five of each but that he should
haye SO many as eleven of one suit
was certainly not to be expected. And
SO of the other two hands; there was
q combination of improba bilities SO
extraordinary as TO make the odds
enormous against such a phenomensn
occurring in actual play. The mum.
Der of strange ana exceptional hand
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 in print, or
because they lie buried in publications,
having relatively small circulation.
One is known as the Marlborough
hand The Cor am Earl ofY arborongh
once held hand containing no card
above a nine, and had reason 10 re-
member il OH account of some heavy
betting that was going en-. Ever after
that ne held himself ready to bet one
thousand guineas 10 one guinea against
such a hand being held again. A
practical arithmetician calculated that
the real odds are somewhat 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 SIX successive deals. The odds
against such a coincidence can be ex-
actly calculated, but we have not the
figures at hand. Another recorded
instance relates to the game of bezique
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
tried again third time, and here an.
peared two knaves. AS beziaue
pack consists only of thirty two cards
ALI the twos, thress, fours, fives and
skies being rejected-the probability
OF such coincidence is not SO great as
In a whist pack of fifty-two cards
nevertheless the odds are calculated
to be i've thousand 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 partner; fact which,, of
conrse, in honorable contest, he can
only guess approximately by the
course of the play. Nevertheless, CAL
culators, especially the mathematician
have estimated numerous
in connection with four
honors ofeach suit. Such questions
as these have been answered "What
are the odds against the dealer and
his partner having all the honors be.
tween them 2, "Aud what against
heir holding the three honors, but
not the fourth? 2" "What are the odds
against the other two players hold
nE threer Without going into par
iculars, we may say that the odds in
hese supposed instances range, from
birfeen against seveHlupA to twenty
hree against one.-[All the Year
Round. 800
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