It Takes Two, Babe Trivia Quiz

Answer: War

War is a very simple card game. It is so simple, in fact, that people have decided to complicate it so there are many variations of the game now, including a game where players get to pick the card to lay out of a hand, a game where a two wins, a game where getting a six in the face down cards of a tie wins, a game where winning a King entitles you to five extra cards from your opponent but winning a Queen requires you to give your opponent five extra cards, and a game where you can exchange a face down card you won for another card.

There is even a version played in casinos, for money, where you win or lose your bet on each hand. In case of a tie you can put up an identical bet on the tie-breaker or forfeit half your bet and not play the tie-breaker.

Answer: Spit

If you play Spit, it is recommended that you use old cards. The game can get spirited. Also, clear your calendar. It is technically possible for the game to go on forever.

Answer: Crazy Eights

The game is also known as Swedish Rummy, Switch or Rockaway. It can actually be played by up to seven players, although it becomes cumbersome when that many play. Believe it or not there was actually a Crazy Eights World Championship Tournament in 2008.
There is no truth to the rumor that authorities are thinking of changing the name to the more politically-correct "Reality Challenged Eights."

Answer: Spite and Malice

Spite and Malice is also known as Cat and Mouse. The Mattel game Skip-Bo is based upon Spite and Malice.
In our fictitious scenario above, Pirate Queen Anne Bonney's ship was attacked by a passing warship and the decking was heavily damaged. Rawhide the cowboy looked out and said wryly: "Y'all ain't playin' with a full deck. Heh heh."

Answer: Seven Up

Seven Up is a variation of the English game All Fours. It seems the English can be territorial--both West Yorkshire and Lancashire have their own versions. And because people cannot seem to leave a good thing alone, there is an offshoot game called All Fives.

Answer: Piquet

Piquet is a point-scoring game that some believe originated in France in the 1500s but may actually have come from Spain.
Carte Blanche means a player has no face cards in their hand. Carte Blanche is worth ten points.
A sequence is a run of at least three cards of the same suit. A sequence can be worth up to eighteen points.
Quatorze refers to having four cards that are ten or higher and trio refers to having three of these cards. A quatorze is worth fourteen points and a trio is worth three.
I hope this little explanation "piqueted" your interest in this legendary game.

Answer: Capturing

There are two stages to German Whist. In the first stage each player is dealt thirteen cards. A trick is won by the higher card in the suit lead, or by a trump if the opponent does not have any cards in the suit lead. Each hand is replenished after each trick.

The trick taker gets the top card from the draw pile, which is exposed and the other person gets the next card, which is unexposed. Therefore the strategy is to not use a good card to get a mediocre or poor card from the draw pile. When the draw pile is exhausted the second stage begins in which players try to take tricks from the thirteen cards in their hands. Cyberhen, who is from England, claims German Whist was invented in England, not Germany, and she has never been known to be wrong.

Answer: Push

Although up to seven can play, I'll discuss Pai Gow Poker for two with me as the dealer. Jabber places a bet. Then we each get seven cards. She arranges hers into two hands--one with two cards and the other with five. The five card hand has to be better than the two card hand. Standard poker hand ranking applies except the A-2-3-4-5 straight is ranked between the Ace high straight and the King high straight. I turn my cards over and make a two-card hand and a five-card hand then she turns her two hands over. If both my hands beat both hers, or if one of mine beats hers and the other ties hers, I win the stake. If both her hands beat mine, she wins the stake. For all other results the game is a push and no money changes hands. Pai Gow Poker is a good game to play in a casino if you are just interested in wasting time until the shops open.

Not only does the dealer reshuffle for each hand, but there are a lot of pushes so you do not lose your money as fast.

Answer: Honeymoon Bridge

Honeymoon Bridge requires a good memory. Each player is dealt thirteen cards. These are played at No Trump. The winner of each trick draws the top card of the stock pile and the other person draws the next card. When the stock pile is used up, the players start bidding with the thirteen cards left in their hands. A person with a good memory will know exactly what cards their opponent has.
Duplicate Bridge is an actual bridge variation; the other two names are made up. In Duplicate Bridge several tables play the exact same hands. The partners who do the best in the session are the winners.
Interesting fact about Clendatherat: he used to be a submariner and played a lot of bridge on those long voyages. He refers to those days as so much bridge under the water.

Answer: Cribbage

Cribbage was invented by John Suckling, an English poet from the early 17th Century who wrote "Ballad Upon a Wedding." Never heard of it? Neither have I. Suckling, like Ben Johnson, was one of the Cavalier poets. These were poets who supported King Charles I in the Civil War. He supposedly devised Cribbage from the centuries old game Noddy, so he also has that going for him.