The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-16
EXPERTS LIKE CASINO.
NOT BABY GAME WHEN PLAYED
IN A SCIENTIFIC MANNER

Luck.
From the New York Telegraph.
Casino is ordinarily considered by those
who do not play with experts 70 be
s'baby'' game, in which the player who
happens to get the cards in the deal cap
lures the points and wins the stakes.
AS such 1t is looked upon with more or
less contempt, and relegated to the field
of childish sports, good enough, perhaps,
for beginners and for children. but not
worthy the attention of scientific game
sters.
This, however, is by no means the
opinion Of veteran players who have made
a study of the game, and who have seen
the ease with which the expert can de-
feat the tyro. even against the odds of
luck in the deal.
Such players as John Morrissey, and,
in his earlier days, the late Benjamin
Wood, considered it. as it truly is, one
of the most fascinating of card games,
and one calling for. intellectual effort of
an exceptionally high grade. And a brief
consideration of the principal points in
volved will show clearly the reason for
their Judgment.
It is not a game that finds high favor
among professional gamblers. excepting
when two plungers desire to measure
their strength in a duel to the finish, but
there have been some games played under
such circumstances that have become al
most historic. 1t is known. for example,
that John Morrissey once lost over 100000
| in a casino duel with one of the ablest
players ia New York.
Various styles OF Play.
Casino is played by two. three or four
persons, and while the rules are substan-
| TALLY the same In all cases, the game
| differs considerably according to the num-
| Der of hands played. When two play 1t
| is trial of individual skill purely: when
! there are three, skill is equally import
| ant, but luck becomes a more potent fac
! tor; when four play single-handed, luck
dominates, and when four play partner
| ship game. as in whist, the highest de-
gree of science is required.
There are players who do not hesitate
| to declare that a partnership game Of
casino demands as much skill and a
| greater degree of intellectual effort is
required than whist demands. Probably
no good whist player would admit this,
| but there is at least room for a reason
| able argument.
The first requisite of the game is for
the player to be able to remember as
many of the cards as possible as they
make their appearance, keeping mental
| count, not only of the whole number of
| cards and of the spades taken by each
player, but remembering also the num-
| Der Of each denomination still TO appear,
| SO that in the last hand he may know
| Just what his opponent holds by looking
| at his own cards.
| If he can succeed in doing this, very
moderate degree of skill and caution in
his play will make him an expert. There
are very few card players on earth, how
ever, who have cultivated their memories
sufficiently to be able to remember every
card as it is played, and in practice.
/ therefore it is almost a question OF COM
narrative skill, the advantage being al
ways with the one who remembers the
greater number.
Luck Always a Factor.
There is always in casino, as there is
in every other game of cards, the posi-
| bility of luck defeating science. The
veriest tyro that ever played may hold.
| by the accident of the deal, ten triumps
in whists, a royal flush in poker, or such
| q preponderance Of good cards in casino
as will insure his capturing all the natu-
| raj points without the exercise OF any
| skill whatever.
| In the matter of memorizing the cards,
| the beginner will find it comparatively
| easy to keep track of the aces as they
| are played. If he has any natural apti-
| tude whatever, he will note each one as
| it falls, because each one means point
| in the game, and if he cannot remember
| the points as they are captured, he can
have no hope of ever becoming a player.
Next to the aces 1t is most important
/ ~. civ AFan Of
them being big casino is the most impor-
tnat card in the deck, and it frequently
happens that this card is to be lost or
saved, according TO the players recollec-
| ton Of whether the other ten spots have
been played or not.
His next step will be very wisely taken
| if he counts the deuces as next in i'm
pcrtance. For this there are two reasons.
| In the first place, the deuce of spades is
| little casino, and counts a point in the
game to the player who takes it in. and
| though it may easily be taken by higher
card when 1t is utilized in build" it
| is always to be taken by another deuce,
| so that the player who lays it down while
| another deuce remains unplayed is sub
jecting it to the certainty of capture.
Beyond remembering the cards Of these
| three denominations. the extent to which
the player can go in his memorizing be-
comes a question OF practice ana NATURAL
ability. There are many players who can
| remember all these three. and the Mines
| Fights and sevens as well. Such one Is
fairly to be called a good player, If he be
| also quick in recognizing the possible
| combinations to be made bteween the
| cards on the table and those which he
| has in his hand.
Few Use Extreme Skill.
It is safe to say, however that the
great majority OF players, even among
those who are accounted fairly skillful,
do not go as far as this Probably there
! are few In comparison who can rely on
their memories with any degree of ac-
curacy beyond the aces, tens. mines and
eights for, singularly enough. there arc
many who neglect the count Of the
deuces.
So far as the picture cards are con-
cerned in the ordinary game, there is
little trouble in keeping a sufficiently good
count of them. Since they are paired and
not used in the build the only thing nee
essary to remember Is whether three OF
a kind have or have not been taken up
in any single play.
Casino. however. ia played by real ex-
perts in a way that puts the ordinary
game TO the blush, though even that 10
difficult enough TO satisfy most players.
In this really scientific form Of the game
the jack has a numerical value of eleven,
the queen Of twelve. the king OF thirteen,
and the ace of either one or fourteen. az