Fred's Book Club: Ante Up!

Greetings and salutations, and welcome back to our Humpback Writers feature, the Wednesday book feature that asks the musical question, "Why Humpback?" And gives the musical answer, "Because it falls on Hump Day and we thought it was funny at the time."

We've profiled every kind of book on this blog from blank marble notebooks to an encyclopedia, but I don't think we've covered an actual book of rules. Well, if you had that on your bingo card, mark it off!

If you're old enough you may recall people using the phrase "according to Hoyle," and not just in terms of card games. It was another way of saying "this is kosher" or "that's the way I heard it" or other expressions that denote correctness. So who was this Hoyle anyway, and who made him the boss of us?

Edmond Hoyle was a good card player in eighteenth-century London; good enough that he taught upper-class types how to play whist. He published the rules for the game and a treatise on the play, which sold out. Later he wrote books on other card games, backgammon, chess, and even probability theory, which shows he had a keen mathematical mind. Also, a keen marketing mind, since he fought off pirated versions of his books by making his name the one to look for. 

At this late date, the name Hoyle is like the name Webster, in that anyone can use it and it doesn't mean much. Those looking for authenticity in card games and dictionaries need to see editions of Hoyle's older books that have been written and updated in a line of his followers, like Apostolic Succession, and for Merriam-Webster, which company is the true descendent of Nathaniel Webster's. So is my little paperback, er, according to Hoyle?

I think so, or as close as I could get. The title page says it is "Based on the Foundations laid down by Edmond Hoyle," for what that's worth. The first printing of this edition goes back to 1946, which is not a surprise based on the illustrations. 

People in 1946 dressed better to travel by train
than we do now to be buried.

If you want an older version of the book, Mongo and our other friends at Gutenberg have Hoyle's Games Modernized by Professor Hoffmann and Edmond Hoyle, available for free here.

My little paperback is useful, if you want to have the rules handy. If you and your friends enjoy card games, it's best to have one source upon which you can agree. In 255 pages my book has rules for all kinds of card games, as well as chess, Scrabble, dominoes, and so on. They're all very terse and to the point; all forms of Bridge, rules and strategies, are spelled out in 33 pages, but from what I am told, Bridge is also spelled out in a lifetime of frustration and arguments.  

Now here's the story I wanted to tell about this paperback. 

When I was a young baby editor, in the days of buffering and no smartphones, my wife asked me to pick up a Hoyle book because she liked solitaire and playing card games with others. I occasionally had poker nights, so I could use the book too. There was a Barnes & Noble near my office, and the Friday morning of our company picnic, when no one wanted to do any work, I zipped down there and bought the book. It fit nicely in the pocket of my shorts. I figured I'd bring it home that night rather than leave it in the office until Monday.

Hours later, at the picnic, I sat down in the shade to see some of my coworkers playing cards on a bench. It turned out they were playing Hearts, a game I had played many times. Two of the guys (I'll call them Moe and Larry) were tied as the game progressed. Then on one deal, Larry wound up with what seemed like a disastrous hand, being stuck with all the hearts and the Queen of Spades (the black lady version of the game). Moe gloated, but I said, "He shot the moon." Larry smiled and nodded.

"What?" snapped Moe.

"He shot the moon. If you get all the hearts and the queen of spades, it's shooting the moon. He gets 26 points off his total."

"I NEVER HEARD OF THAT! THAT'S RIDICULOUS!"

"Well, I just happen to have Hoyle's book with me..."

I have never seen anyone's eyes bug out bigger than Moe's did as I put the book on the table. "WHO THE FUCK WALKS AROUND WITH HOYLE'S RULES IN HIS POCKET?"

Everyone else fell over laughing. 

The game pretty much came to an end after that. All I can say is, for all the books I've carried around with me all my life, that was the one memorable time when I happened to have exactly right book at the right time. Thank you, Mr. Hoyle!