Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-25
REMARK ABLE WHIST HANDS.
Stories Recalled by the Marlborough
of the Recent Match.
fhn

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 nine. but still took three tricks 1t
has been figured that the odds against
holding such a hand and taking three
tricks are G,2S4, oOo.GOoOOO to /, 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 iarb trough but II was not an ordi-
nary Marlborough either. for that name IS
appIed 10 any hand that contains no card
higher than nine. The chances Of hold
ing Marlborough is a trihe less than in
l,Su'. and the odds against holding Var
borough without trumps are IA ,'aU to /
ne 1arboroush hand preserves the fame
OF certain whist playing English lord
VINO was once familiar figure in the card
rooms or the London clubs, but who might
by this time have been forgotten but for
: TINS one hobby, which has connected his
name with a certain combination of ca r,is
ana from which he is reputed TO have Oh
tanned substantial returns during his life
time.
Proctor says that Lord Yarborough's
name was given to any hand that held
nothing higher than nine because that
gentleman had a standing offer TO bet 81 fgg
TO ii that such hand would not be 1eal
Proctor goes through calculation TO show
that this was perfectly safe bet as the
odds against such a hand are 81 to l.
1T Is said that Lord Yarbor ough laid his
wager many thousand times, and that on
only a few occasions did he lose One
writer has figured out that if this noble
deVotee or the game made his bet with
each member of a whist party On ninety
one or ninety-two evenings out of YEA p
for ter years, he should on the theory OF
probabilities. have lost twenty times His
total losses would therefore have been goo
oS': but during the same period he wouId
have won f36. 800 which would have left
MIN the very respectable margin of f16,5o
or Fl $50 per year
To the inexperienced player the Yarbor-
ough hand seems about as bad as one could
possibly hold. but when properly handled
1t may become very effective as shown by
the illustration given here. Although Their.
seems to be no recorded instance of a Var
borough without trumpS as successful as
tnls one. ne arly every writer on whist has
been able to cite one or more cases where
the holder of a Marlborough has been sue
cessful In using it 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 1aroorough hand figured was played
in Calcutta. An English duke, renowned
LOT ms hlsn play. was sitting in the game
anu oi1ered to lay f2.,SU against Is 900 that
mis- hand would take a majority of the
tricks. The cards on which he offered the
bet made up magnificent hand, including
the command in trumps. but through the
poverty or his partners hard and the skill
tui management of the Marlborough held by
one or his opponents the royal gambler los,
his f2IN)0
Tho Ugh the Marlborough hand is rare
hnf
have played whist for many years without
holding one. it is by no means the rarest
hand at whist. AS there are 60 OBJ 80 GIN,
ways in which whist hand can be made.
there Is opportunity for some peculiar com
bina tons. One that the young PLAYER fro
quently signs for Is that which will give
him all the trumps. When it is computed
however that the chances of all the trumps
beins IN one hand Is in 15S 7753. :ss9,s1, the
wish Will appear almost hopeless Still ii
is testimony to the amount of whist play-
ing that goes on In the world that this
hand las been held several times. OF
course. only the dealer can hold this hand,
and the figures above represent his
chances TIE ODDS against a players get
ting this hand when he sits down to
game are four times as great
one instance Is related as occurring at
the trited Service Club, Calcutta Febr,I-
airy .. 1SSS. when new pack of cards was
dealt and all the t jumps fell to the dealer
The same thing has been reported at least
twice since then. At the Montauk Club in
Brooklyn. on the second deal with a 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 nj merical strength, is made
up OF twos. threes. fours and five.
The chance of holding this combination is
also represented by the ratio of l to l5s.-
753. 3S9, 800 w.
Another peculiar arrangement of the
cards Is that by which one pair Of part
nerS % do h.
pair holds all the black. An instance Of
this was reported from the Westminster
Hospital In 1883. 1t is told that four play
ers sitting down to game in London drew
for partners. and each man drew an ace.
An ingenious mathematician, with nothing
better to do. has figured that IL the same
players continued their game every night
except Sundays this situation would not
recur until they had all reached the ripe
old age of something over 800 years.
WHIST.
An off ri 10 IN l.