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.

Recreating Punch articles published

My posting has been so occasional as to be almost non-existent. However, that does not mean I have not been busy.

The second part of my article on recreating the 18th century Punch and (originally Joan, her name became Judy by the 19th century) has been published in The Journal of the Early Americas.
 

Punch at Grand Portage Minnesota

A number of puppeteers have expressed interest in this article and wanted to buy a copy of the journals for Parts I and II.
  
By arrangement with the editor/publisher, if you are not a subscriber and would like to purchase a copy of the two issues (Part I and Part II) contact me at wayne@otisrabbit.com and I can mail you both issues at cover rate plus mailing.

Otter and Death at Madeline Island

Puppeteer or history buff the Journal of the Early Americas has some really cool articles on, well, early history of North America. If you're not a subscriber, check out the issue preview at The Journal of the Early Americas and I think you will be convinced to become one.

Recreating an 18th Century Punch show

One of the projects crowding my "to-do" list is creating new heads for the characters in my Punch show.

Currently, made of non-period materials, I want wooden heads to match the period puppets for my show. The heads are patterned after Cruikshank drawings and I want to reproduce the same look in wood.

This is the start of the process and I'll update progress on this project from time to time here as well as on the Woodland Puppets News blog. I hope the heads will be done sometime this summer so that all future shows will be totally period correct to the 18th century.

I will also post about the process of building the show, stage, and other aspects, too. I am writing a longer article for publication in the Journal of Early America and possibly the Puppeteers of America's Journal.

Some things never change--"hunting the squirrel"

Well, it seems time has passed quickly and over a year has passed since my last post. Life, as they say, intrudes on life.

All the raging stampede in the stores this past weekend, not to mention the tear-gassing taking place in many venues for many reasons, reminded me of another kind of rage and riot that also has not changed. And you may be surprised at this.

In Liza Picard's "Dr. Johnson's London" (p. 31) we find that life then as now had a certain outrageous flavor:

Riding a coach had its own set of dangers, what with abysmal roads, wide carter wagons, and bad suspensions, "If the coachman was wicked, he would follow a 'one horse chaise . . .passing so close to it so as to brush the wheel, and by other means terrifying any person that may be in it.' This incitement to road rage was know as 'hunting the squirrel'." (taken from Francis Grose's "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue", London 1785).

On a different note: check out the latest NAVC Gathering in Winnipeg.

Eagle River Clerk's Report

The following is an excerpt from the journal kept for the post at Riviere d'Aigle in the fall of the year:


Sept. 29 Wednesday Rainy cool weather. Arrived riviere d'Aigle in the late afternoon   as the house is already built we Moved our goods and other supplies inside and Readied for trade. Mr. Oakes being yet upon the Portage I expect him tonight  We shall greet him with a fire, a pip, and a toast to our Safe journeys here.

Mr Oakes & co arrived some time later while still light  But two more upon the trail did not arrive until Late

30th Thursday Sky clear temp 44 Heavy dew  We were up early lighting a fire and awaiting the arrival of the local band of Sauteur The post was occupied all day with comings and goings though Without much trade activities.  old A-- brought in some castorum and a few musquach  the Night was passed quietly until the Men got into a keg of HW.

Fri Oct 1 Cool 36 degrees at dawn the Post was comfortable at 50 degrees A fire was laid in preparation of the day. Piere des Auniers accused one of the men of stealing his Cassette we discovered a keg full of water upon a shelf, this after much desire of water but none willing to fetch it.

Soon we were busy with many Natives arriving to trade and Look over our goods. The day which had been overcast became Rainy shortly after noon Many of our visitors came I believe mainly for the warmth of our fire Mr Oakes exhorted them to trade with us and bring us their Furrs and meat.


Sat the 2nd Cool 37 degrees Parly cloudy Last nights Regale has made for a quiet morning A-- a local free trader came by this morning and shared the meat he had taken this morning.  Passed the day giving credits to 3 families that came on their way to Winter camp. Sun later but quite cold.

The text ends abruptly in torn pages. Perhaps the rest will come to light upon investigation. In the meantime, your Obt Clerk is obliged to return to the accountbooks.

North American Voyageurs Council Fall Gathering a month away

The North America Voyageurs' Council annual Fall Gathering is just a month away. For those of you who have attended, you know the wide range of workshops available, not only on the fur trade but relating to 18th century living, Native peoples, and so on. For those of you who have not attended before, this is a chance to meet interpreters and reenactors from all over the Midwest and Canada (and Alaska and New York, you get the idea), and discover the rich resources of talent and knowledge NAVC gathers each year.

And at a cost of $85 (which includes a $10 yearly membership) that includes your food, lodging, all this knowledge (a few workshops with hands on "take away" projects have minimal materials fees), you can't go wrong!

Sign up today. Visit the NAVC Fall Gathering web page for more information.

North American Voyageurs Council Fall Gathering

We're just a month away from one of the country's best educational programs for reenactors and interpreters, especially those involved with the fur trade of North America.

The North American Voyageurs Council presents Fall Gathering 2010 the first weekend in November. This year we are meeting at the Forts Folle Avoine near Danbury Wisconsin. Folle Avoine is the site of two fur posts, the North West Company and the XY Company, which have been reconstructed on the original footprint. Attendees will be able to sleep right on the same earth that Michel Curot, John Sayers, and George Nelson, amongst others lived.

Some exceptional workshops this year, plus an appearance by none other than Punch and his 18th century coterie of mayhem.

Click on the Fall Gathering link above to get more information and download a registration form. More info needed, contact clerk@navoyageur.org


Hope to see you there!