e cards is matched, which constitutes the
winning,--as, for instance, suppose the five of diamonds is his card,
then should the five of any other suit turn up, he wins. If he loses,
then the next player on the left becomes banker and proceeds in the same
way.

(91) This name is derived from the German '_landsknecht_' ('valet of the
fief'), applied to a mercenary soldier.

When the dealer's card turns up, he may take the stake and pass the
bank; or he may allow the stake to remain, whereat of course it becomes
doubled if met. He can continue thus as long as the cards turn up in
his favour--having the option at any moment of giving up the bank and
retiring for that time. If he does that, the player to whom he passes
the bank has the option of continuing it at the same amount at which it
was left. The pool may be made up by contributions of all the players in
certain proportions. The terms used respecting the standing of the
stake are, 'I'll see' (_a moi le tout)_ and _Je tiens_. When _jumelle_
(twins), or the turning up of similar cards on both sides, occurs, then
the dealer takes half the stake.

Sometimes there is a run of several consecutive winnings; but on one
occasion, on board one of the Cunard steamers, a banker at the game
turned up in his own favour I think no less than eighteen times. The
original stake was only six-pence; but had each stake been met as won,
the final doubling would have amounted to the immense sum of L3,236
16_s_.! This will appear by the following scheme:--

L s. d. L s. d. 1st turn up 0 0 6 10th turn up 12 16 0 2nd,, 0 1 0
11th,, 25 12 0 3rd,, 0 2 0 12th,, 51 4 0 4th,, 0 4 0 13th,, 102 8 0
5th,, 0 8 0 14th,, 204 16 0 6th,, 0 16 0 15th,, 409 12 0 7th,, 1 12 0
16th,, 819 4 0 8th,, 3 4 0 17th,, 1,618 8 0 9th,, 6 8 0 18th,, 3,236 16
0

In fair play, as this is represented to have been, such a long sequence
of matches must be considered very remarkable, although six or seven is
not unfrequent.

Unfortunately, however, there is a very easy means by which card
sharpers manage the thing to perfection. They prepare beforehand a
series of a dozen cards arranged as follows:--

1st Queen 6th Nine 2nd Queen 7th Nine 3rd Ten 8th Ace 4th Seven 9th
Eight 5th Ten 10th Ace

Series thus arranged are placed in side pockets outside the waistcoat,
just under the left breast. When the sharper becomes banker he leans
negligently over the table, and in this position his fingers are as
close as possi