Origin of the card game 25

[maddog]

I'd be interested in the opinions. A game so twisted the man teaching me wouldnt even tell me the rules.

[Mayo4Sam]

Well I'm told, even though I play neither, that it's like whist and bridge.
I'd imagine the Chinese, sure they invented cards

[screenexile]

It's a great game because it is rooted in begrudgery and nobody does it better than the Irish . . . "KEEP THE HIGH MAN DOWN"

As for its origins well this is the best I could do!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoil_Five

[Farrandeelin]

Higher the red, lower the black. Joker, 5 of trumps, jack of trumpd, ace of hearts, ace of trumps, king of trumps, queen of trumps. Then picture cards of other suits. Higher red,  lower black kicks in for numbers then. Apart from the ace of hearts/trumps.

[trileacman]

Does you play this rule?

Ace of trump claims the trump card (card on top of the deck) and player leaves back one card of their hand.

[Hardy]

Does you play this rule?

Ace of trump claims the trump card (card on top of the deck) and player leaves back one card of their hand.

Yep.

[under the bar]

It is a great game but becomes much more challenging and skilful when 8 players play in pairs and you play up to 45 instead of 25. Brilliant game. 

[NetNitrate]

You haven't played 25 till you played it down in a country pub with a crowd of auld timers. Make one mistake and you could be ate. You could be coming last when you score a trick and you think you're great only to get a clatter across the head and be never let play again. Not a game for fools.

[brokencrossbar1]

You haven't played 25 till you played it down in a country pub with a crowd of auld timers. Make one mistake and you could be ate. You could be coming last when you score a trick and you think you're great only to get a clatter across the head and be never let play again. Not a game for fools.

I know that feeling   Definitely one for passing the time in a good old Irish begrudging way without really hurting someone!

[Mayo4Sam]

We'd play with a sport, where if there's 5 or more players you have to lead off with a trump on the first lay of the hand.

[under the bar]

That seems a strange rule mayo4sam as up here u would usually only lead with trump to force the high man to play trump as well (thus allowing someone else to beat his card) or simply to wreck the board if you have no other trump yourself?  Whats the thinking behind it?

[Hardy]

You haven't played 25 till you played it down in a country pub with a crowd of auld timers. Make one mistake and you could be ate. You could be coming last when you score a trick and you think you're great only to get a clatter across the head and be never let play again. Not a game for fools.

When I arrived in Limerick in the eighties, 45 (never 25) was big in the country pubs in the Winter (never in Summer). Places like the Cuchulainn in Patrickswell and The Black Swan in Annacotty (my local) would have impromptu games most winter nights. These places had tables specially adapted for cards, the round tabletop kept free of drinks by the provision of a second tier underneath it for holding the pints. Every game was like an individual little play with the noise level growing as the climax approached and the final few cards thumped down, rattliing the pints below and accompanied by louder and louder shouts and howls.

I suppose there's little enough 45 now, with live junk sport every waking hour on each of the five televisions in every bar. I know both the Cuchulainn and the Swan have been turned into soulless drinking barns anyway.

[liihb]

What about the dealers trick? Do people play that? I hate that rule.

People get very principled about that game...

[upmonaghansayswe]

What about the dealers trick? Do people play that? I hate that rule.

People get very principled about that game...

A Rule? Is it not just the dealers choice when playing last on the first hand to use a winning card if they have one?..

[Declan]

The way it was described to me as a young fella was that's a culchies game cos it's simple us Dubs play the real thing  -Don