Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-07-29
REMAnk ABLE WHIST HANDS.
stories Recalled by the Marlborough
OF the Recent Match.

From the New York Sun.
one OF the most remarkable hands in the
long annals of the royal game was held
at the recent whist congress. The hand
contained no trumps and no card higher
than a nine, but stiil took three TRICKS II
has been figured that the odds against
holding such a hand and akinE three
tricks are G,esi.0op.0Co," 900 to I. so that the
players who participated In this game
might continue steadily AT whist until they
were several times as old as Methuselah
without having the hand recur.
The hand was what is technically known
as a Marlborough, but 1t was not an ordl-
nary Marlborough either. for that name is
applied to any hand that contains no card
higher than a nine. The chances of hold
Ing a Marlborough is a tribe less than ] in
l.st. and the odds against holding n Var
borough without trumps are 14i.GD TO l.
The Marlborough hand preserve. the fame
OF n certain whist playing English lord,
VINO was once a familiar figure in the card
rooms Of the London clubs. but who might
by this time have been forgotten but for
his one hobby which has connected his
name with a certain combination OF cards
and from which he is reputed to have OBJ
tanned substantial returns during his life
time.
Proctor says that Lord Yarhorough's
name was given TO any hand that held
nothing higher than n nine because that
gentleman had a standing offer to bet Il, 900
to II that such a hand would not be dealt.
Proctor goes through n calculation to show
that this was a perfectly safe bet. as the
ODDS against such n hand are l,s2I to /. 1t
is said that Lord Marlborough laid his
WAGER many thousand times, and that on
oni. a few occasions did he lose. one
writer has figured out that If this noble
devotee of the game made his bet with
each member OF Il whist party on ninety
one or ninety-two evenings out of II year
fer ten years he should, on the theory of
probabilities, have lost twenty times. His
total losses would therefore have been
10000; but during the same period he
would have won $500, which would have
left him the very respectable margin of
or II $50 per year.
To the inexperienced player the Var
borough hand seems about as bad as one
could possibly hold, hut when properly
handled 1t may become very effective, as
ihown by the illustration given here. AL
'houch there seems to he no recorded in
'tance OF a Marlborough without trumps as ,
'uccessful MS this one. nearly every writer !
m whist has beer. able TO cite one or more !
where the holder of a Marlborough /
las been successful in using II to throw d
he control of the game into his partners 5
lands and in taking one trick. d
One of the most famous games In which /
he Marlborough hand figured was played in $
'alcutta. An English duke. renowned for u
lis high play, was sitting In the game, I
nd offered to lay f2j,CyD against Eco that o
is hand would take n majority OF the n
ricks. The cards on which he offered the d
ct made up a magnificent hand. including !
he In trumps, but through the d
overly of his partners hand and the skill a
II management OF the Marlborough held by n
ne OF his opponents. the royal gambler a
st his i2i,Oo1. ;,
Though the Marlborough hand is rare el
nough so that Il man may very possibly o,
ave played whist for many years without VI
gliding one. 1t Is by no means the rarest ~
and at whist, As there are 635,ol3, 1880 ",
in which n whist hand can be made, Ne
is opportunity for some peculiar COM 80
One that the young player fire. ~ ~
signs for Is that which will give ~
m all the trumps. When il Is computed, ~
nwever. that the chances OF all the V,
being in one hand is l in l5s. I53,- u ,'r
900. the wish viii appear almost hope w
So, SIN 1t IL testimony to the amount y,
whist playing that goes on In the world a
at this hand has been held several "
mes. OF course, only the dealer can hold
is hand, and the figures above represent .,
; chances. The odds against a players VI
tting this hand when he sits down TO a -,
me are -four times as great. ~
me instance is related as occurring at a.
e United Service Club. Calcutta, Feb Al
AIRY =, 1855. when n new pack of cards
" dealt and all the trumps fell to the Al
iier' Inc same thlnS has been report
M least twice since then. Al the Mon Ru
ik club. in Brooklyn. on the second deal
IN n new pack the cards fell In suits. TIL
G hands We're framed and were preseIv-
in the club. A,
he lowest possible hand that can be "
d. counting numerical strength, is made Th,
OF four twos, four threes. four tours -"
one five. The chances of holding this
is also represented by the ra. In
of I to i5s. IS. $50. 800.
holher peculiar arrangement of the vii
DIS is that by which one pair of part
= holds all the red cards and the other An,
r holds all the black, An instance of
was reported from Westminster hos He
u In 1855. 1t is told that four players
ing down to a game In London drew
partners and each man drew an ace.
ingenious mathematician. with nothing
Ter to do. has figured that II the same Ar
'ers continued their game every night lno
ept Sundays, this situation would NOT u,
ar again until they had reached the doc,
old age of something over go ysarx Bnn