Gambling rules from the Journal of the Early Americas article

In case you have not read the latest issue of the "Journal of the Early Americas", I wrote a short article on colonial gambling to complement the cover art. Space did not permit the printing of the rules for some popular games that were a part of the article. They are reprinted here for your enjoyment:

Bouillotte

Players: 3-5

Cards: 20-24 cards; counters or chips used as bets

Use a "Picket" deck (suited 32-card pack, lacking ranks 2–6) reduced to 20 cards by removing sevens, tens, and Jacks. If >5 people play the Jacks are not removed; if 3 play the queens are removed as well. Ace is high.

Play Clockwise

Determine where a person sits: sequence cards are taken out of the deck equal to the number of players (e.g., with 4 players, an ace, king, queen, and nine are taken, etc.), shuffled,, and each player draws one. Player with the ace chooses where to sit first, etc. Player with the king deals.

Before dealing players "ante" one counter. On play round each may "raise", those not "seeing" the "raise" being obliged to drop out. Three cards are dealt to each player, the next being turned face up (the retourné). Each player must then bet, call, raise or drop out. When a call is made the hands are show and the best hand wins. Win rank order: (the brélans)

                        1. Four of a kind, one being that retourné

                        2. Three of a kind, ace being high

                        3. Three of a kind, one being the retourné

If more than one player has a brélan the best matches the turn up or retourné; if none match the turn up then highest rank wins. Any player with a brélan gets a side payment of one chip, two if four of a kind, from each opponent.

If no one holds a brélan  all dealt cards along with the turn up are shown and those of each suit valued (ace 11, face 10, others per their spots). The player, not having dropped out, holding the highest card in the suit with highest counted value and wins the pot.

Whist

Players 4

Cards 52 (Ace high)

Play clockwise

Partnership play; partners sitting opposite. Deck is cut or drawn to determine partners (two highest vs. two lowest) and then to determine deal. No comment or signal on the cards is permissible. Cards are shuffled, cut, and dealt one card at a time face down so that each player has thirteen cards. The final card, which belongs to the dealer, is turned up and is trumps. That card remains face up until the dealer 's turn to play the first trick.

The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick. He may lead any card in his hand. The other players, in clockwise order, each play a card to the trick and must follow suit by playing a card of the suit led if they have one. A player with no card of the suit led may play any card, either discarding or trumping. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, unless a trump is played, in which case the highest trump wins. The winner of the trick leads the next trick.

Play continues until all thirteen tricks are played. Count the number of tricks each player has scoring 1 point for each trick won in excess of 6. The game is over when a partnership reaches 5 points. In some longer variations of whist where winning score is higher than five, extra points (honours) are assigned after a game to a partnership if they were dealt the ace, king, queen, and jack (knave) of the trump suit; a partnership with three of four honours (A, K, Q, J) receive 2 points, four points for all four. However final game winning point cannot come from honours points.

Hazard

Players 2+

Dice 2

Only one player, the caster, may hold and play the dice at one time. In each round the caster specifies a number, 5 through 9, which is called the "main". The dice are cast.

• If he rolls the main, he wins (throws in or nicks).
• If he rolls a 2 or a 3, he loses (throws out).
• If he rolls an 11 or 12, the result depends on the main:
• with a main of 5 or 9, he throws out with both an 11 and a 12;
• with a main of 6 or 8, he throws out with an 11 but nicks with a 12;
• with a main of 7, he nicks with an 11 but throws out with a 12.
• If he neither nicks nor throws out, the number thrown is called the chance. He throws the dice again:
• if he rolls the chance, he wins;
• if he rolls the main, he loses (unlike on the first throw);
• if he rolls neither, he keeps throwing until he rolls one or the other, winning with the chance and losing with the main.

The caster continues until he loses three times in a row and thence passes the dice to his left.

Bets are made between the caster and the "setter" (the bank which can be an individual or the players as a group). If the caster nicks the first throw, he wins his stake. After the first throw the caster wins his stake if he gets his chance before his main. After the first throw the caster and others, as side bets, may wager that chance will come before the main.

**** Here there are odds tables that can be used but I kind of think this will make for really confusing reading and extra length. We could include a URL for the odds tables. But I think messing with odds is something that would detract from play, rather than just side betting--whose going to remember or want to calculate? I've included the odds tables and explanation here just FYI:

These bets are made at odds determined by the relative proportions of the main and the chance:

Main	Chance
	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
5	4/3	—	4/5	2/3	4/5	1/1	4/3
6	5/3	5/4	—	5/6	1/1	5/4	5/3
7	2/1	3/2	6/5	—	6/5	3/2	2/1
8	5/3	5/4	1/1	5/6	—	5/4	5/3
9	4/3	1/1	4/5	2/3	4/5	—	4/3

For example, with an odds stake of £10, a main of 7 and a chance of 5, a castor stands to win £15 (3/2 × £10); with the same stake, a main of 5 and a chance of 6, he could win £8 (4/5 × £10). ******

Gama'giwe'binigowin (The Snake Game)

Players 2+

crafter and photo credit: Jeremy Kingsbury

Equipment

 Four flat sticks of even length (some players carve wavy sticks to mimic snakes), 6 or more counter sticks. The four flat sticks are marked so one side will be the same for all four and on the opposite side of two sticks identical markings are made (none on the other two).

The players take turns tossing the sticks up or to the ground; points are determined by their fall. If all sticks show same marking, take two counter sticks and throw again until a toss produces no points. If a toss produces two pairs of matching sticks, take one counter and throw again. No other counts are allowed. During play a player may also take counter sticks from other players if the common or bank pile is empty. When a player has gained all counter sticks that player wins.

Bets are made before each toss with the player tossing making the first bet. Side bets between players and onlookers can also be made (will the toss be successful? what will be tossed? and so on). The side bets can often be the most entertaining and profitable.