With the long evenings drawing in, and a recession gripping the country, what better way to pass the time than with a game of cards?
45, 21, poker, 110…
Whats your game?
110 would be far and away my favourite (it’s a derivative of 21/45) but it has to be played with 6 players who know what they are at otherwise it can be painful so don’t get to play it that often.
I like 5 card draw poker if I’m playing for cash, or texas holdem if it’s a tournament.
I’m sure I’ll have ncc whinging about “muldoons” and their rural pursuits but how and ever. Most likely down to city folk not being able to play cards for money without it resulting in a dutch gold fueled stabbing.
I love 25. Requires a lot of thought and awareness of what cards other people may have. Superb game particularly in a pub with a few pints of Arthur’s finest on board.
Used to like playing Hold 'Em a bit when I was in a gaff with lads but would never go out to play it and find the whole poker “scene” thing a bit annoying with all the theories and tactics and general bullshit that surrounds it.
Like tactical games with partners - Spades and Yuker (not sure how to spell it) are bother fantastic, particularly the latter.
[quote=“therock67”]Used to like playing Hold 'Em a bit when I was in a gaff with lads but would never go out to play it and find the whole poker “scene” thing a bit annoying with all the theories and tactics and general bullshit that surrounds it.
Like tactical games with partners - Spades and Yuker (not sure how to spell it) are bother fantastic, particularly the latter.[/quote]
Ya, I play a lot of holdem on line, and played a nice bit in the clubs in Dublin, but you have to listen to an awful lot of bullshit from idiots going on about “pot odds, fold equity etc etc”. they play like robots and have none of the gut instincts necessary to be good at cards.
110 and 45 with partners are great games, plenty of wiring and general bolloxing going on. Old lads are unbelivevable at 45, they might hardly be able to talk but when it comes to cards they are sharp as tacks.
Cribbage used to be a big thing over here but its seems to have died a death recently,no one plays cards in pubs no more.
I’ve seen some cracking rows start over a game of crib.
Random bloke 1.“You had a five,why didn’t you play it on his Jack?”
Random bloke 2.“Yerwha?”
Random bloke 1.“The fuckin five you knob,you should have put it on the Jack for fifteen!”
Random bloke 2.“Why don’t you fuck away off,you hampton!”
Random bloke 1.“Hampton is it?Right cunty,car park now”
Good times had by all,apart from the lad getting the shit kicked out of him in the car park obviously.
That’s why I liked playing in the gaff alright. None of that shite talk and just other banter going on.
Plus it’s interesting when you’re playing against the same lads all the time because there’s a bit more drama to the bluffing and the guesswork and stuff like that because you’ve built up a pattern of behaviour. Juhniallio used to get drunk enough but then he’d ham it up and act like he was more drunk and he’d start nodding off at the table. Next minute he’s just “ah fuck it” and then he goes all-in. And you’re supposed to think he just wants to go asleep but of course he’s got pocket aces or something. At least that’s how it used to work until the sly bastard started reversing it and just doing it when he had nothing when he saw he wasn’t getting called.
The sport of kings! What a great way to lose a lot of money very quickly!
Havep layed it with up to ten around the table and for the pot to make 2 rounds of the table before being won. There was well over 300 quid in the middle.
[quote=“manusboyle”]Cribbage used to be a big thing over here but its seems to have died a death recently,no one plays cards in pubs no more.
I’ve seen some cracking rows start over a game of crib.
Random bloke 1.“You had a five,why didn’t you play it on his Jack?”
Random bloke 2.“Yerwha?”
Random bloke 1.“The fuckin five you knob,you should have put it on the Jack for fifteen!”
Random bloke 2.“Why don’t you fuck away off,you hampton!”
Random bloke 1.“Hampton is it?Right cunty,car park now”
Good times had by all,apart from the lad getting the shit kicked out of him in the car park obviously.[/quote]
Cribbage sounds very similar to 45/21/25 etc… Is it?
[quote=“therock67”]That’s why I liked playing in the gaff alright. None of that shite talk and just other banter going on.
Plus it’s interesting when you’re playing against the same lads all the time because there’s a bit more drama to the bluffing and the guesswork and stuff like that because you’ve built up a pattern of behaviour. Juhniallio used to get drunk enough but then he’d ham it up and act like he was more drunk and he’d start nodding off at the table. Next minute he’s just “ah fuck it” and then he goes all-in. And you’re supposed to think he just wants to go asleep but of course he’s got pocket aces or something. At least that’s how it used to work until the sly bastard started reversing it and just doing it when he had nothing when he saw he wasn’t getting called.
I’d miss all that in tournament stuff.[/quote]
Plenty of new tricks in the locker now, but the above will always remain a favourite.
Ucar would be my favourite game for the gameplay, but it’s got to be poker if there’s money on the line.
The auld fellas that play 25 in the pub are gas. At the end of each hand they have a big debate on the five tricks - if you had risen your five after you got that first trick then you would be 15 now as opposed to 10.
I love the way everyone groups together to try and stop the guy who is 20. For instance one guy rises his best card - say ace of hearts - another guy has the five but reneges so that the 20 guy is stopped down the line. Once someone gets to 20 though it’s every man for himself.
[quote=“farmerinthecity”]The auld fellas that play 25 in the pub are gas. At the end of each hand they have a big debate on the five tricks - if you had risen your five after you got that first trick then you would be 15 now as opposed to 10.
I love the way everyone groups together to try and stop the guy who is 20. For instance one guy rises his best card - say ace of hearts - another guy has the five but reneges so that the 20 guy is stopped down the line. Once someone gets to 20 though it’s every man for himself.
Great game.[/quote]
It is a wonderful game and how some of the older folk can read it is unbelievable. We used to play at christmas time with the grandmother, god rest her soul, and she had some cracking sayings. To name but a few, whenever these cards were turned up trumps or laid she would say,
Oh Dick Norris (the 6 of hearts) was never in a good hand
Diamonds for ladies and crutches for lame ducks
and one of my favourites but somewhat contraversial
many days were passed by in ollscoill luimneach, drinking tea, playing 110.[/quote]
As myself. You had to be in sitting room at about 10 in the morning to make sure you got a seat in the first game, otherwise you’d be on the waiting list for the day!
Any of ye’re locals still running 45 games with prizes of turkeys or hams in the lead up to Christmas? None running around my parts anyways, I remember the parents could have 3 or 4 of each won by the time Christmas arrived!