Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-04-04
CHAPTER XIX.
on His Own.

VI course Tommy cannot always be
producing plays under fire but while
b rest billets he has numerous other
ways Of amusing himself. He is a
great gambler, but never plays for
large stakes. Generally, in each COM
pany, you will find regular Garfield.
This man banks nearly all the games
Of chance and is an undisputed author
ity on the rules of gambling. When.
ever there Is an argument among the
TOmmies about some uncertain point
as to whether Houghton Is entitled to
Watkins sixpence. the matter is taken
to the recognized authority and his de-
cisi0n Is final. =
The two most popular games are
Grown and Anchor" and House"
The paraphernalia used in Grown
and Anchor" consists of a piece of can
vas two feet by three feet. This is
divided into six equal squares. In these
squares are painted club. diamond,
heart, spade, crown, and an anchor,
one device to square. There are
three dice used, each dice marked the
same as the canvas. The banker sets
up his gambling outfit in the corner OF
billet and starts bally-hooing until
| crowd Of TOmmies gathers around;
then the game starts.
The TOmmies place bets on the
squares, the crown or anchor being
played the most. The banker then
rolls his three dice and collects or pays
out as the case may be. If you play
the crown and one shows up on the
dice, you get even money, If two show
up. you receive two to one, and If three,
three to one. If the crown does not ap-,
pear and you have bet on it, you lose,
and SO on. The percentage for the
banker is large If every square is
played, but II the crowd is partial to,
say two squares, he has to trust to-
luck. The banker generally wins.
| The game Of blouse" is very popular
also. 1t takes two men to run it. This
game consists of numerous squares of
cardboard containing three rows of
numbers, five numbers to n row. The
numbers run from one to ninety. Each
card has different combination.
! The French "estaminets" in the VIII
ages are open from eleven in the morn
Ing until one In the afternoon in ac-
cordance with army orders.
After dinner the Tommies congre-
gate ut these places to drink French
beer ut penny glass and play
House"
Az soon as the estaminet is sufii-
GENTLY crowded the proprietors Of the
House" game get busy and, as they
/, term 1t, form a school," This consists
OF going around and selling cards at
u frame each. II they have ten in the
school, the backers of the game de-
duct two francs for their trouble and
the winner gets eight francs.
Then the game starts. Each buyer
places his card before him ON the tn-
Bile, first breaking up matches into fif-
teen pieces.
One OF the hackers of the game has
u small cloth bag in which are ninety
cardboard squares, each with a num-
Der printed thereon, from one to nine
ty. He raps on the table and cries
out: Eyes down, my lucky lads"
All noise ceases and every one is at
tention.
The croupier places his hand in the
bag and draws forth u numbered
square and Immediately calls out the
number. The man who owns the card
with TINT particular number on it,
covers the square with match. The
one who covers the fifteen numbers ON
his card first shouts House." The
other backer Immediately comes over
to him and verifies the curd by calling
out the numbers thereon to the man
with the bag. AS each number is
called he picks 1t out of the ones
picked from the bag and says, Right"
II the count Is right he shouts, s'Iiouse
correct, pay the lucky gentleman, and
sell him d card for the next school,"
The lucky gentleman" generally buys
one unless he has miser trace in
his veins.
Then another collection is made, a
school formed, and they carry on with
the game.
The caller-out has many nicknames
for the numbers such as "kelly's Eye
for one. Legs Eleven" for eleven,
"Clickety-click" for sixty-six, or "Top
of the house" meaning ninety.
The game is honest and quite en-
joyable. Sometimes you have fourteen
Qunbers on your card covered and
GU are waiting for the fifteenth to be
allied. In an imploring voice you call
out, Come on. Watkins, chum, I'm
swea ding on 'Kelly's Eye"
Watkins generally replies "Well
keep out Of a draft, you'll catch cold
Another game is "Pontoon," played
with cards; 1t is the same as oul
"Black Jack" or Twenty
A card game called Drag" is also
popular. Using casino dock, the
dealer deals each player three cards
1t is similar to our poker, except fol
the fact that you only use three cards
and cannot draw. The deck is never
shuflied until man shows three of q
kind or d "prile" as 1t Is called. The
value of the hands are, high card, q
pair, run, Il flush or three of klnd
or "prile." The limit is generally 6
penny. SO it is hard to win fortune
/ The next in popularity is care
Fame called Nap" 1t is we'll named
Every time l played it went to sleep
Whist and solo whist are played BY
tl,a hiphhrorS Of th, oo,noony