Casino or Cassino

CASINO or CASSINO, a card game for two, three or four (in partnership) players. A full pack is used. Players cut for deal ; low deals ; king is the highest and ace is the lowest card. Senior (eldest hand or elder) sits at the dealer's left; junior (youngest hand, younger, pone or pony) sits at the dealer's right. The dealer shuffles and junior cuts. Commencing with senior, f our cards are dealt to each player in rotation, two at a time. Before taking his own cards, on each round the dealer places two cards face upwards on the table. The remainder of the pack goes face downwards at the dealer's left. Af ter four cards have been played from each hand, four more cards are dealt to each player, two at a time, but none are dealt to the table. These intermittent deals continue until the pack becomes exhausted or until some player counts game. The deal passes to the left. An exposed card or an incorrect number dealt to any player is cor rected by taking cards needed from the top of the pack or by returning to the middle of the pack surplus or exposed cards. A card exposed on the final round of deals must be taken by the dealer; in exchange, the owner of the exposed card draws one from the dealer's hand.

Senior makes the opening play. (I) He may match cards; i.e., lay down a king from his own hand on an exposed king and place both face downwards before him, or he may match two or three fives on the table with a card of that denomination from his hand. (2) He may total a combination; i.e., lay down a 6, for example, taking with it any cards of which the combined pips amount to 6, as 5 and ace, 4 and 2, two 3s, or several of these combinations; should the player's card win all those exposed, the sweep gives him one point, which is noted for final scoring by facing one card taken in. (3) He may call a combination; i.e., having two 5s he may lay one of them on top of an exposed 5, or on an ace and 4, or 2 and 3, or place one 5 on more than one combination of 5s, by calling "fives," after which none of these stacked cards can be won by anything except a card of the denomination "called." On the next round a caller must take up his call: unless he can add to it another card of the same denomi nation ; add to it one card from his own hand and one or more cards from the table whereof the sum equals the call (to 5s may be added an exposed ace and trey with an ace from the caller's hand) ; or match some exposed card (the caller may allow his 5s to stand by matching an exposed queen). Failure to exercise one of the preceding four options forfeits the caller's rights, causing his stacked cards to become exposed and liable to any play. Any holder of a card of the denomination called may take up a call. (4) Senior may build, by stacking one or more exposed cards with one from his hand, to equal the denomination of another card held; i.e., holding an 8, an exposed 3 and 4 may be stacked with an ace from the player's hand, calling "building 8s." On the next round the builder has four options ; he may take up his build; he may add to his build (either by stacking thereon another 8 from his hand or by adding an exposed 5 with a 3 from his hand) ; he may build higher; i.e., holding a to, he may add a deuce from his hand, or an ace from his hand with an exposed ace, announcing "building Ios"; he may match an exposed card with one from his hand. Failure to exercise one of his options forfeits the builder's rights to maintain the cards stacked; they become exposed and subject to the same treatment as other cards on the table. Any holder of a card of the denomination built may take up the build of another player.

A

combination called cannot be built higher (a stack of two 45 or a stack consisting of one 4 and two 2s, called "4s," cannot be built into 9s by adding an ace). Any player may build higher a single combination, provided he holds the card needed to raise the combination to the denomination of another card held in his hand (one player's build of a single 8 may be raised to 9 by another player holding both an ace and a 9; after that another player with an ace and a Io might add his ace to the pile and call "building Ios"). Failure to call aloud the purpose of cards stacked forfeits the stacker's rights to those cards, which may be separated by another player for such play as he chooses. A card played out of turn becomes dead; it must be laid aside until the turn of its owner to play arrives, when he must expose it on the table instead of making any other play. An attempt to win with a card of incorrect denomination may be corrected, if the player holds a card of correct denomination; otherwise he must expose upon the table the card he attempted to play instead of making any more desirable play. If a player calls a combination or bz4ilds, without holding the proper card to do so, his error must be corrected; his stacked cards must be broken up and each card played since the error must be restored to its original position; after which the player in error must expose a card on the table in lieu of any more desirable play, and the game proceeds. If senior can neither match cards, total a combination, call a combination, nor build, he must trail, by exposing a card upon the table. Each player after senior may exercise the same five options in play.

Game is ordinarily 21 points won by a single player or by partners; sometimes game is the highest score made on each hand played. Nothing is scored until the end of a hand. Players may keep mental score and the first to reach 21 points may claim and prove game. At the end of each hand, cards taken in are reviewed by each player ; points are scored as follows : cards (the greatest number) 3, spades (the greatest number) 1, Big Casino (ten of diamonds) 2, Little Casino (two of spades) 1, aces 1 each, sweeps i each. In counting out a 21 point game or in settling a tie, precedence follows the order given above.

Strategy requires the holders of important cards to retain them as long as possible, so that these cards may be utilized to match, total a combination or capture stacked cards, utilizing less valu able cards for trailing or building. When both the pack and players' cards are exhausted, any cards still exposed on the table go to the player who made the last winning play.

Draw Casino requires the balance of the pack to be placed face downwards, after the first four cards have been dealt, and each player of a card at once replaces it by taking the top card from the pack, until that is exhausted. Failure to draw in turn is corrected by drawing two cards at the next turn.

Royal Casino differs from Casino only in valuing jacks at i 1, queens at 12, kings at 13, and aces as either 1 or 14 points. These higher numbers increase combinations and allow higher building. Spade Casino adds to the ordinary scoring of II points, one point for each spade taken in (13 added points) . Points are scored as made, except cards, which are scored at the end of the hand. Game is 61 points (once around a cribbage-board and into the game-hole, permitting handy scoring on a board, unless players prefer a score-sheet) . (E. V. S.) CASINUM, an ancient town of Italy, probably of Volscian origin. When it came under Roman supremacy is not known, but it probably received the citizenship in 188 B.C. It is situated on the Via Latina about 4om. N.W. of Capua. Varro possessed a villa near it, in which later Mark Antony held his orgies. Strabo speaks of it as an important town; Varro mentions the olive-oil of its district as especially good. The older Volscian Casinum must have stood on the hill (1,715ft.) above the Roman town (148f t.) , where considerable remains of fortifications in Cyclopean masonry, of finely cut blocks of limestone, still exist. The site is now occupied by the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino (q.v.), founded by St. Benedict himself in 529. The wall runs south-west and west, starting from the west side of the monastery, for a total length of about 30o yards. The Roman town lay at the foot of the mountain, close to the Via Latina. The amphi theatre, erected by Ummidia Quadratilla (mentioned by Pliny), is still existing and is approximately circular in plan. The external walls are 59f t. high. Above it on the hillside is a theatre less well preserved. Close by is a building converted into the Cappella del Crocefisso, originally perhaps a tomb on the Via Latina; it is a chamber in the form of a Greek cross, constructed of large masses of travertine, with a domed roof of the same material. On the opposite bank of the river Rapido are the ruins attributed to the villa of Varro. The mediaeval town of S. Germano, which re sumed the name Cassino in 1871, lies a little to the north. The cathedral was founded in the 8th century, but the present build ing was constructed in the 17th century. Above the town is a picturesque mediaeval castle.