The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-13

sions did he lose. One writer has figured
out that II this noble devotee of the
game made his bet with each membe OF
a whist party on 81 or 92 evenings out OF
a year for 10 years he .snould, on the
theory OF probabilities, have lost 70
times. His total losses would, therefore.
| have been f2O, O0J; but during the same
period he would have won e56, 500, which
would have left him the very respectable
margin OF el6, 900, or el650 per year.
To the inexperienced plsyer the Yar-
borough hand seems about as had as one
could possibly hold, but when properly
handled it may become very effective, as
shown by the illustration given here.
Although there seems to be no recorded
instance of Marlborough without
trumps as successful as this one,
nearly every writer on whist has been
able TO cite one or more cases where the
holder of Marlborough has been success
full in using 1t to throw the control Of
the game into his partners hands and IN
taking one trick.
One OF the most famous games In
which the Marlborough hand figured was
played in Caicutts. An English Duke,
renowned for his high play, was sitting
In the game and offered to lay G25, 900
against f5000 that his hand would take
majority of the tricks. The cards on
which he offered the bet made up
magnificent hand, including the COM
mand In trumps, but through the pow
erty OF his partners hand and the skill
by one OF his opponents the royal gam
bier lost his e25, 600.
Though the Marlborough hand is rare
enough so that man may very possibly
have played whist for many years with
out holding one, 1t Is by no means the
rarest hand at whist. AS there are
635, Ul3, ,559. 600 ways In which a whist
hand can be made, there is opportunity
for some peculiar com mbinations. One
that the young player frequently sighs
for is that which Will give him all the
trumps. When 1t is computed however,
that the chances OF all the trumps being
, In one hand Is 1 in los, 1853, $50, 800, the
wish.will appear almost hopeless. Still
1t is testimony to the amount OF whist
playing that goes on in the world that
this hand has been held several times.
OF course, only the dealer can mold this
hand, and the figures above represent
his chances. The odds against a players
| game are four times as great.
One instance is related as occurring at
the United Service Club, Calcutta, Feb
ruary 9, 1888, when a new pack OF cards
was dealt and all the trumps fell to the
dealer. The same thing has been re-
ported at least twice since then. At the
Montauk Club in Brooklyn, on the
second deal with new pack the cards
| fell In suits. The hands were framed
and are preserved in the club.
The lowest possible hand that can be
held. counting Numerical strength is
made up of twos, threes, fours, and
! five. The chance of holding this COM
bination is also represented by the ratio
of ] to 1853, 1853. .3s9.90O.
Another peculiar arrangement OF the
cards is that by which one pair OF partners
holds all the red cards and the other pair
holds all the black. An instance OF this
| was reported from the Westminster
| Hospital in 1883. 1t IN told that four
players sitting down to game in Lon
don drew for partners and each man
drew an Gee. An ingenious mathemati-
clan, with nothing better to do, has
figured, that II the same players con-
tinued their game every night except
Sundays this situa tion would not recur
until they had all reached the ripe old
age of something over 900 years.