A Tresette End Game

 

 

Player 1
denari	spade	bastoni	coppe
fante	asso	tre	fante
		due
		re
		cinque
Player 2
asso	due	sette	tre
re
sette
cinque

There are seven cards left to play. If Player 2 led, he could open with his due di spade. Player 1 is forced to play his asso di spade and Player 2 picks up cinque figura (1 1/3 points). Now Player 2 plays his asso di denari. Player 1 is forced to play his fante di denari. Player 2 picks up cinque figura (1 1/3 points). {current total 2 2/3 points, or dieci figura}.

Now Player 2 has a chance to strip Player 1 of three bastoni because Player 1 cannot follow suit. Player 2 plays his re, then his sette, then his fante. Assuming Player 1 responds with his cinque di bastoni, then his re di bastoni and then his fante di bastoni, Player 2 picks up and additional 3 figura or 1 point. ). {current total 3 2/3 points, or quattordici figura}.

Player 1
denari	spade	bastoni	coppe
		tre	fante
Player 2
		sette	tre

Now Player 2 plays his sette di bastoni. Player 1 wins with his tre di bastoni. Now it is Player 1’s lead. He plays his final card, the fante di coppe. Player 2 has the tre di coppe. Player 2 wins the final hand and another point and 1 figura. {final total 5 points}.

If it were Player 1’s lead he should hold on to this bastoni for as long as possible. Let’s assume he opens with his fante di coppe. Player 1 has to follow suit. He plays his tre di coppe, picks up due figura and takes the lead. If Player 2 then played his due di spade to pick up Player 1’s asso di spade, Player 2 would have 1 3/4 points (the asso di spade and 3 figura).

Player 1
denari	spade	bastoni	coppe
fante		tre
		due
		re
		cinque
Player 2
asso		sette
re
sette
cinque

Now each player has five cards left. Player 2 commands in denari, Player 1 commands in bastoni. Player 2 should play his asso di denari. Player1 must play his fante di bastoni. Player 1 cannot win the final and but he can pick up and additional 3 figura by playing his re, sette, and cinque di denari in succession. Player1 cannot follow suit. Player 1 wins the final hand and 1 point with his tre di bastoni.

If Player 2 were to play his sette di bastoni Player 1 could take the card with his re, due or tre di bastoni. Player 1 would have 3 bastoni remaining in his hand. Player 2 has no bastoni. This would enable Player 1 to pick up an additional 4 figura or 1 point. Player 2 would take the final hand with his asso di bastoni.

In Qunidici you must take cards whose combined total is 15. The scoring is the same as Scopa. In the example above there are 3 denari. (3 Diamonds in your regular deck of playing cards.)

Player One could lead with his cinque di spade. He would take the quattro di denari, and the sei di denari  5 + 4 + 6 = 15.

Player One has acquired 2 denari and 3 cards.

Player Two leads with his sei di spade. He does this to set up his next play, taking the sei di spade back with his cavallo di denari 9 + 6 = 15. Player One has two kings, (due re) each representing 10, there is no way for Player one to pick up a 15 point combination. Player Two has created an opportunity for himself.

If it were Player Two’s lead he could take the sei di denari with his cavallo di denari. This would give him two cards and two denari.

Now Player One cannot use his cinque di spade to make that 3 card combination and if Player One played his cinque di spade, Player Two would have another chance to pick up cards.

Can you see it?

If Player One leads with a King, what could Player Two do?

A Tresette Opening

		Player One
due di coppe	asso di spade		asso di denari	cavallo di bastoni
re di coppe	re di spade		re di denari
cavallo di coppe	cavallo di spade		cavallo di denari
		Player Two
asso di coppe	fante di spade		fante di denari	asso di bastoni
fante di coppe	quarto di spade		cinque di denari	re di bastoni
quarto di coppe				fante di bastoni
				cinque di bastoni

Player One has the Ace of Swords (il asso di spade). Player Two does not have the 3 of Swords or the 2 of Swords. Therefore given that in Tresette a player must follow suit if he can, Player One can play his Ace of Swords. Player Two is likely to play his 5 of Swords and so Player One will pick up 1 point (or quattro figura).

Player One would get to pick first (from the deck) and lead the next hand. Assuming Player Two does not draw the 2 or 3 of Coins / denari (the 2 or 3 of Diamonds in a standard deck) then Player One could play his Ace of Coins (il asso di denari). Player Two would likely respond with his 5 of Coins (his cinque di denari). Player One picks up another point.

If Player One were to lead with his cavallo di bastoni (the Queen of Clubs in your standard deck) Player Two would be free to play his asso di bastoni (his Ace of Clubs).

If Player One were to lead with his 2 of Cups, his due di coppe (the 2 of Hearts in your standard deck) Player Two would likely play his quattro di coppe. Player One will only win 1/3 of a point and unless he were to draw the tre di coppe, Player Two is very likely to hold on to il asso di coppe (the Ace of Hearts) and pick up 1 point.

If Player 2 went first he could play his asso di bastoni (the ace of clubs in your standard deck). Player 1 is forced to play his cavallo di bastoni (the queen of clubs in your standard deck). Player 2 picks up
1 1/4 points (cinque figura) picks first and leads the next hand.

Player 2 has three bastoni remaining in his hand. The most powerful cards in the suit, the 3 and 2 are yet to be picked by either player and so, assuming Player 1 does not pick up either the 3 or 2 (after Player 2 has won the first hand and pick the top card from the deck) then Player 2 could lead the next hand with his king (his re di bastoni). Player 1 cannot follow suit and would be forced to play one of his other cards. As long as Player 1 cannot respond with a bastoni, Player 2 will control the game.

When you evaluate your hand you must look at the rank of every card in your hand and compare them to the cards your opponent has. You must consider how the control will shift, on a suit by suit basis, before you play a card. You must also consider what cards have yet to be dealt and if those outstanding cards would pose a threat to your cards should they fall into the hand of your opponent.

If you were Player Two and it was your lead, which card would you play?

A Bar Bet ... The game is called Nim

Nim

Nim is a gambling game played by the ancients. A group of pebbles, for example, is tossed on the ground. Each player can take up to an agreed upon amount of pebbles on his turn. Whoever is able to take the remaining pebble(s) (up to agreed amount) leaving none behind is the winner.

My priviate eye Dominic and I are cigar smokers and so I wanted to use this game in a story and of course, Dominic has to propose the wager and win. It has to look completely impromptu.

Lets us say you found yourself with a group of guys enjoying cigars and on the table is a box of stick matches.

Let us also say that in your pocket is an identical box of stick matches and you knew the exact number of matches in the box.

For this explanation the amount has to be a multiple of four. So lets us say there are 40 matches in your box.

You pick up the box of matches from the table, light your cigar and then put the matches, ‘absent mindedly’ into your pocket. Realizing your mistake, without commenting upon it, you put ‘the’ box of matches back on the table. In reality you have planted your box of matches on the table.

Now your box of matches is on the table and you know there are 40 matches inside it.

Let some time pass then tell your pals about how you were reading about this old time gambling game. Open the box of matches and spill them all out in a heap. Your instructions have to be quick and simple.

“Here’s the game you can take up to three matches at a time, 1, 2, or 3. Whoever takes the last match wins. Go ahead.”

Your opponent has to go first. If he takes 3 matches, you take 1 match. If he takes, 2 matches, you take 2; if he takes 1 you take 3.

The number of matches you start with has to be a multiple of 4 and he has to draw first. If you rig the game this way you can’t lose.

Let’s say you start with 20 matches.

He takes 2 so you take 2, 16 matches remain.

He takes 1 so you take 3, 12 matches remain.

He takes 3 so you take 1, eight matches remain.

He takes 2 so you take 2, four matches remain.

He can only take up to 3 matches so whatever he does, you win!

There is a story about one hustler who tried to pull the game on another hustler. The first guy didn’t know the second guy was wise. The second secretly added a match as he was taking his turn and screwed up the other guys count.

I’d keep it simple and limit the bet to a drink or a cigar. For me the key to the whole thing is switching out the boxes and making the whole think look ‘spur of the moment’.

You will find more stuff like this in my e-book 'Di Carini Investigations'. You can downlaod a free sample e-book by going to my site: www.dicarini.com

Some Scopa Basics

It is generally accepted that, in the second half of the fourteenth century, the Arabs introduced playing cards to Europe, by way of the Iberian and Italian Peninsulas.

It is also generally accepted that European playing cards evolved from the suit system and composition of these cards.

From a simple point of view regarding playing cards, Italy is divided roughly into three parts: the north, north-east, and south. In the south Italo-Spanish suit signs prevail.

These souterhen Italo-Spanish suits are the images you will be seeing in this blog.

You can make an ‘Italian Deck of Cards’ out of a standard deck of cards by simply removing the 8’s, 9’s, and 10’s from your standard deck of cards.

Now you have a deck of 40 cards: Ace through 7, Jack, Queen, and King.

Note: If you are learning to play Scopa or Quindici, you may find it better to remove the Jacks, Queens, and Kings from your standard deck.

Now you have a deck of 40 cards: Ace through 10. The Ace stands for 1, 2 for 2 and so on to 10.

Given that Scopa and Quindici are trick taking games rooted in mathematics, this is a great way to learn the game.

If you did this, the 8’s take the place of the Jack’s, the 9’s take the place of the Queen’s, and the 10’s take the place of the King’s.

 Table One / Card Values for Scopa and Quindici*

The King = 10     The Queen = 9       The Jack = 8           7 = 7         6 = 6 

5 = 5        4 = 4          3 = 3          2 = 2            The Ace = 1

*Scoring is an entirely separate matter.

KEEPING SCORE

Knowing how the score points will introduce you to Scopa (and Qunidici) strategy.

1. The most valuable card in the deck is il sette di bello, the seven of diamonds, in your standard deck.  The sette di bello scores: 1 point. In the examples of play the sette di bello will be represent like so: 7*.

2. If one player is able to collect 6 or more denari, (six or more cards of the diamond suit in your regular deck), that player gets 1 point.

3. If a player wins the la premiera*; that player gets 1 point.

*We will define la premiera in just a moment.

4. If one player takes 21 or more cards that player gets 1 point.

Now you know there are 4 points in each hand.                                                                                   

All 4 points may or may not be awarded depending upon the outcome of the hand.

5. There is another way to score points and that is to make a Scopa.                                                    

Let’s say there are only two cards in the table; a 5 and a 2.

You have a 7 in your hand.

You use your 7 to take the 5 and the 2 (5+2=7).

You have swept all the cards off the table in a single play: that is a Scopa!

Each Scopa scores 1 point.

As you capture cards you place them face down and in a pile near you. You count your points at the end of the hand. During play if you score a Scopa place the card you used to make the Scopa, face up when you put it in your pile of captured cards.

Each face up card stands for a Scopa and therefore each face up card (each Scopa) is worth 1 point. (A face up sette bello would be 2 points; 1 for the Scopa and 1 for the sette bello itself.)

Now let’s take a closer look at Scopa Strategy.

Think of it this way; 4 out of the available 5 points are about which cards are taken, not how many cards are taken.

Your goals: the sette di bello  / the seven of diamonds   six or more diamonds   as many 7’s as you can, 7’s have a high ‘la premiera’ value  and finally cards in general.

These are your objectives. Always look for a way to set up a Scopa and  will always calculate the way to sweep the most cards from the table in a particular play but acquiring the most cards is your final consideration.

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