profit of the banker is 3 per cent. upon all the sums adventured, supposing the punters to stop when only six cards remain, but with hocly it is full 5 per cent.

THE GAME OF ROUGE ET NOIR.

Ro

OUGE et Noir, or Red and Black, is a modern game, so styled, not from the cards, but from the colours marked on the tapis or green cloth with which the table is covered.

The first parcel of cards played is usually for noir, the second for rouge, though sometimes the cards are cut to determine which shall begin. All the terms of this game are French, and that language is used in playing. Any number of persons may play, and the punters may risk their money on which colour they please, placing the stakes in the outer semicircle; but after the first card is turned up, no other stakes can be laid for that coup,

The tailleur and croupier being seated opposite each other, with a basket for receiving the cards of every coup after dealing, placed on the middle of the table. The tailleur then passing round six packs of cards to be shuffled and mixed confusedly all together by the company, afterwards finally shuffles them, and inserts all the end cards into various parts of the 312, till he meets with an honour, which being placed upright at the end, is offered to a punter, who, putting the same into any part of the pack, the tailleur there separates it, and lays that part which was below the said honour uppermost, and taking therefrom a handful of cards, and placing a weight upon the

remainder, proceeds to deal, taking afterwards other parcels from the heap as they may be want ed, till all are dealt out. He looks at the first card, and puts its face downwards; two others, one red, the other black, are then laid back to back, and that placed conspicuously uppermost which is of a similar colour with the said first card; these two cards are turned according to the colour of that card which afterwards may be first dealt in each succeeding coup. When the stakes are deposited, the tailleur cries Noir, turns the top card, and places each succeeding one in a row, till the points of those so turned shall exceed 30; he then declares the numbers, at trente & une, one and thirty; or, if above that, up to 40 he only says, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and when forty, quarante.

Another parcel is then dealt in a similar mode for rouge, and the punters win who had staked on that colour, the points for which were 31 or nearest to it, which the tailleur declares, by saying rouge gagne, Red wins; or rouge perd, Red loses. These two parcels, one for each colour, make a coup. When the same number is dealt for each, the tailleur says, apres, after, which forms un refait, or Doublet, by which neither party loses, except 'tis un refait trente & un, one-and-thirty, when the tailleur wins half the stakes punted on each colour, which half the punters may either pay, or have their stake moved into the middle semicircles of the colour they then choose, called la premiere prison, the first prison, to be determined by the next event, whether they lose all or are set at liberty; but if un refait second trente & un, a second Doublet of one and thirty, should occur in the next succeeding

deal, the punters lose only one half of their remaining moiety, making three-fourths of their original stakes, and are removed into the smallest semicircle, stiled la seconde prison, the second Prison, and the next coup determines whether the punter loses all, or is to be removed again into la premiere Prison.

Punters after winning may paroli, &c. and pursue their luck up to a soixante, as at Faro; but as no livrets are used at rouge et noir, they cannot make either paix or pont.

At this game a banker cannot refuse any stake not exceeding his fund; which the punter declares, by saying Je va la Banque, Va la Banque, or Va Banque, I aim at the Bank. Bankers generally furnish punters with slips of card paper, ruled in columns, each marked N or R at the top, on which accounts are kept by pricking with a pin, and when un refait happens, the same is denoted by running the pin through the middle line. Some bankers give up the profit of le refait during the first deal.

The odds against le refait being dealt, are reckoned 63 to 1, but bankers expect it twice in three deals, and there are generally from twentynine to thirty-two coups in each deal.

For the table exhibiting the odds against winning any number of events successively, see page 141.

THE GAME OF CRIBBAGE.

CRIBBAGE, a game differing from all others

by its most immense variety of chances, and generally reckoned useful to instruct young peo

ple in the science of calculation, is played several ways, either by two, three, or four persons, with five, six, or sometimes eight cards: the rules also vary a little in different companies: but the following are those most generally allowed of

The dealer may discover his own cards, though if he shews any of the adversary's, that adversary is entitled to mark 2 points, and also at liberty to call a fresh deal.

Should too many cards be dealt to either party, the non-dealer may score points, and likewise demand another deal, upon the error being detected previous to taking up the cards: but if he does not wish a new deal, in that case the extra cards must be drawn; and when any player is observed to have in hand more than the proper number of cards, then the opponent shall set up 4 points, and may also call a new deal.

If any player shall meddle with the cards after dealing, till the period of cutting them for the turn-up card, then his opponent shall score 2 points.

When any player scores more than entitled to, the other party should not only put him back as many points as are overmarked, but likewise score the same extra number for his own game.

Should either party meddle even with his own pegs unnecessarily, the opponent may take 2 points, and if any one takes out his front peg, he must place the same back behind the other; though when any are misplaced by accident, a by-stander should replace the same according to the best of his judgment, but never otherwise interfere.

When any player miscalculates, or neglects to set up what he is entitled to, the adversary is, in some companies, allowed to take the points so