Twelve-Card Stock

For Draw Poker. Three sets of fours on top, the set for the dealer to be the undermost. Take whole deck in right hand, run nine and throw balance on top, forming in-jog with throw. Under-cut about one-third deck, forming break at in-jog, in-jog top card, run two less than twice number players, out-jog, shuffle off to break and throw on top. Under-cut to out-jog, forming break at in-jog, run one less than number players, throw to break, run one, in-jog running one less than three times number players, out-jog and shuffle off. Under-cut to in-jog and throw on top. Under-cut to out-jog, run one less than number players and throw on top. This gives the dealer the first of his set of four on the second round, and leaves the other two sets on top for the draw. If the dealer's set is the highest of the three it matters little to him how the draw is made, as none of the players can get a better hand even by drawing four.

The action is the same as the four-card stock, with the exception of the first shuffle, which arranges three of the dealer's set on the top, and his fourth card at the break on top of the other two sets. Then—as in the next shuffle the break is thrown on top—it brings the dealer's set in precisely the same position as the first shuffle in the four-card stock. The balance of the action is the same only that the second under-cut shuffle in-jogs one less than three times number players, instead of one less than twice number players; and this is done to put the extra number of cards in the stock so that the five rounds may be dealt and leave the other sets intact for the draw.

We term this example a fancy stock, as it is very rarely that an opportunity occurs for selecting three sets of four of a kind; but the procedure is the same for two sets, or for sets of three, or pairs, or, in fact, for the stocking of any number or kind, with slight variation in the calculation.

The foregoing illustrations of stocking are applicable for Whist, Hearts, Poker, Cribbage and all games wherein the cards are dealt singly. It is much simpler to stock when the cards are dealt two or more at a time, and in this class are Euchre, Coon Can, Penuckle, varieties of All Fours, Piquet, etc. We shall illustrate the simplicity of a Euchre Stock. The hungriest dealer would not desire more than four cards, as in nine cases out of ten it will give him a lone hand.