POPULAR PROGRESSIVE CARD GAMES FOR CHRISTMAS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3014, 20 December 1911, Page 82

POPULAR PROGRESSIVE CARD GAMES FOR CHRISTMAS.

[All Rights Reserved.]

By ""Cut Cavendish."

D Siring the last few years card parties have been all the rage in society at Christmas time, and this season bids fair to prove no exception to the rule. Nearly everybody has some smattering of cards, and the play need not be of a high orderit rarely is. People are out for fun rather than for serious play, and these parties certainly furnish an excellent method of entet-t-iining one's friends. In regard to other seasonable home entertainments, there are, of course, dancing and music to be taken into account ; but everybody is not young enough to dance, and the desired floor is not always handy. As. to music, all one's friends anci acquaintances may not be blessed with, an ear for music, and even if you venture on a musical "At home" some of the amateur talent may be of such varied quality that those guests possessing no musical aural appendages come off best after all. Such things have been known to happen before to-day, so, taking it all round, it seems to me that if you want to amuse your friends, cards afford the safest channel and the simplest. Having come to this conclusion, I will suppose that you intend to give a Progressive Whist party, but that you don't quite know how to set about it. . The first question that aiises is what , form of Progressive Whist to adopt, for the same sort of game is played under a variety of -disguises. i PROGRESSIVE WHIST. Let us first consider the parent game of Progressive Whist, an amusing social game which was introduced into England from America. It will be found to form a delightful change from ordinary round games, and offers to those who like a game of cards but who may not care to play for monoy an opportunity of passing many a. pleasant evening. The following is tho modus operandi that I would recommend. Any number of tables may be formed, although I would limit the minimum to half a dozen, whilst it is best, when possible, to secure an equal number of ladies and gentlemen for the game, so that each table may consist of two ladies and two gentlemen. As there is invariably a ladies' prize and a gentlemen's prize attaching to these events, the- reason for epiality in the number of the sexes is apparent. The tables are numbered, and the players are assigned their positions . or draw for their places, the draw indicating at which table he or she has first to sit. In any event every player must be provided with a scoring card, with his or her name written upon it. These are .often dainty productions resembling somewhat a dance programme, the various spaces showing the number of tricks won and lost on each deal, and the' name of one's partner. In all these progressive games an ordinary pack of fifty-two cards is allotted to each table. More than one pack to a table will be found a nuisance, as much time would be wasted shuffling both, seeing that only one is really necessary.^ The cards are cut and dealt as at Whist, the tables being numbered consecutively, the top table being No. 1. A suit is often declared trumps at the commencement of play, and remains trumps during the whole or part of the evening. Sometimes, however, trumps are made as at whist, when the final card of the deal is exposed and indicates the trump suit for that hand. The game consists of only one hand or deal, and each player enters the number of tricks, on his or her card, won or lost by his or her side. It is found more more convenient to enter the whole number of tricks won and lost thus: If one side makes seven tricks and the other six, the one side enters seven as won and six as lost. An alternative method of scoring is for each player to enter the number of trices above six won by his or her side, the losers, of course, scoring nothing. This certainly simplifies matters considerably at the close of play when the totals come to be added up. Honours, as a rule, are not scored. The winners at No. 1 table go to the last table, and take their seats there, but do not play together. The winners at the tables other than No. 1 progress to one table nearer the top —i.e., the winners at No. 6 go to No. 5, and the winners at No. 5 go to No. 4, and so on until they get to No. 1 table, after which they go to the last table. Losers remain at their tables, but all change partners at each game. Another method is for the winning ladies to progress upwards (and the winning gcntleanen to progress downwards. When tbe players consist of an equal

number of ladies and gentlemen, the gentleman who is left at each table plays with the incoming lady as his partner. The incoming lady deals. THE PRIZE LIST. When the allotted number of hands are played—and 32 hands can be comfortably played in the course of an evening—the host makes a list of all the guests, and enters their scores opposite their names. He then declares the names of the successful prize-winners, at the same time announcing the number of points they have scored. As to the prizes, they can, of course, be of any number, but it is oisual at least to give the winning lady and gentleman one apiece, whilst "booby" prizes are generally awarded the lady and gentleman who have scored the lowest number of points. The two latter prizes are usually of little or no value but are rather of a humorous character, and some ingenuity" may be profitably displayed in their selection. OTHER FORM'S OF PROGRESSION. For those who take their progressive whist seriously, the above form of the game is probably the best —that is to say, that the best players are afforded the greatest chance of success. But this does not satisfy everyone, and Where one wishes to import a greater element of chance into the fortunes of the game I would recommend "Court" whist or "New Klondike." These games introduce all sorts of innovations, which make of the game much more of a speculation. The following are some of the regulations which govern the play of the various hands, and they will give the reader a fair idea as to the character of such games. The holder of a certain card is allowed to make trumps, a very material advantage. The player holding a certain card has the privilege of leading. Any player speaking during the play of a hand is fined so many tricks, which are promptly deducted from his or her score, rather a severe handicap to those players who have no use for silence. The losing lady has the privilege of declaring the trump suit. Each trick counts double or each trick counts four tunes its original value. These are the occasions when a good ha,nd reaps quite a big harvest, but it is questionable whether such sweeping innovations do not tend to spoil the game. One can have too much of a good thing. Each side sicores its opponents' tricks. In some cases the honours are counted in addition to the tricks. These and other variations there are without number, but programmes of both these games and others of a similar character can doubtless be easily obtained at your stationers, where I would refer the reader for fuller particulars. Then there is yet another variation, which I had almost omitted, and which may surely be strongly recommended to hostesses who have a fondness, for matchmaking. This game is very progressive, and goes by the name of Matrimonial Whist. During its progress i the bashful young man is afforded many an opportunity of improving his chances. Maiden ladies who are very expert at the game would, I suppose, be remarkable for the number of their revokes. The more frequent their revokes the greater their prowess. Altogether the game sounds full of charming possibilities, and a trial can do no great harm. WHIST DRIVES. •Some players, however, prefer that modification of Progressive Whist called a Whist Drive, and for their benefit is appended the conditions which regulate the play, when Whist Drives are the order of the day. Tables are formed as at Progressive Whist, and the draw for partners is conducted in the same way, a master of ceremonies having previously been appointed. In this game, after the tables have been formed, the play is started by the master of ceremonies ringing a bell. No player at any of the tables may begin to deal (though the cards may be cut) until the bell rings. As soon as either side at No. 1 table has scored seven tricks the bell is sounded, and play ceases at all the other tables. The players at each table who have got the" greater number of tricks win the game, and the winners progress to the table next above them, as in Progressive Whist. If, however, each side at a table has scored ah equal number of tricks, one more round must be played, and the side winning the trick wins the game. Each player of the winning .side enters 'one point to their credit for a win, the losers scoring nothing. Therefore, the actual number of tricks made is not scored, nor are honours counted. The penalty for a revoke, be it added, is the loss of the game. It will be seen that a Whist Drive is a rather strenuous sort of affair, and the master of ceremonies has no light task. His duties are unpleasantly like a football referee's, and his lot is not one to be envied. Where the younger element of Whist player prevails, the game may te warmly recommended as providing more life and fun than the more sedate game of Progressive Whist. PROGRESSIVE BRIDGE. In these days of Bridge and Auction Bridge a final word must be accorded the subject of Progressive Bridge. It is played on exactly the same lines which govern Progressive Whist, the only difference being that four hands should be dealt at each table before partners are changed, so that everyone will be afforded an opportunity of declaring. Tricks and honours, chicane and slams, are scored just as at bridge, and the players who nave the biggest totals to their names at the close of the evening are declared the winners.

With so many progressive card games to choose from there should be small difficulty in. making a selection ; but where Whist is the main aim I would plump for the parent game of Progressive Whist pure and simple. Believe me, our American cousins know a good game when they se© it, and we have to thank them, amongst other good things, for Progressive Whist.