Misère game
Encyclopedia
Misere or misère is a bid
in various card game
s, and the player who bids misere undertakes to win no tricks
or as few as possible, usually at no trump, in the round to be played. This does not allow sufficient variety to constitute a game in its own right, but it is the basis of such trick-avoidance games as Hearts, and provides an optional contract for most games involving an auction.
A Misere bid usually indicates an extremely poor hand, hence the name. An Open or Lay Down Misere is a 500
bid where the player is so sure of losing every trick that they undertake to do so with their cards placed face-up on the table. Consequently, 'Lay Down Misere' is Australian gambling slang
for a "dead cert"; a predicted easy victory.
The word is first recorded in this sense in the rules for the game "Boston" in the late 18th century.
(known as "checkers" in the United States
) require players to make a capture move if it is available; thus, in the misère variation, players can force their opponents to take a large number of checkers through intentionally "poor" play.
In combinatorial game theory
, a misère game is one played according to the "misère play condition"; that is, a player unable to move wins.(This is opposed to the "normal play condition" in which a player unable to move loses.) For most games this is the same as the ordinary use of the word, but a very few games are actually misère games according to their standard rules, for example Sylver coinage
.
Bidding
Bidding is an offer of setting a price one is willing to pay for something. A price offer is called a bid. The term may be used in context of auctions, stock exchange, card games, or real estate transactions....
in various card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
s, and the player who bids misere undertakes to win no tricks
Trick-taking game
A trick-taking game is a card game or tile-based game in which play centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called tricks. The object of such games then may be closely tied to the number of tricks taken, as in plain-trick games such as Whist, Contract Bridge, Napoleon, Rowboat, and...
or as few as possible, usually at no trump, in the round to be played. This does not allow sufficient variety to constitute a game in its own right, but it is the basis of such trick-avoidance games as Hearts, and provides an optional contract for most games involving an auction.
A Misere bid usually indicates an extremely poor hand, hence the name. An Open or Lay Down Misere is a 500
500 (card game)
500, Five Hundred, is a game devised in America shortly before 1900 and promoted by the United States Playing Card Company, who copyrighted and marketed the rules in 1904. The game can be played by two to six players but the most common form is for four players in partnerships although some sources...
bid where the player is so sure of losing every trick that they undertake to do so with their cards placed face-up on the table. Consequently, 'Lay Down Misere' is Australian gambling slang
Australian and New Zealand punting glossary
The Australian and New Zealand punting glossary explains some of the terms, jargon and slang which are commonly used and heard on Australian and New Zealand racecourses, in TABs, on radio, and in the horse racing media...
for a "dead cert"; a predicted easy victory.
The word is first recorded in this sense in the rules for the game "Boston" in the late 18th century.
Misère game
A misère game is a game that is played according to its conventional rules, except that it is "played to lose"; that is, the winner is the one who loses according to the normal game rules. Such games generally have rulesets that normally encourage players to win; for example, most variations of draughtsDraughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
(known as "checkers" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) require players to make a capture move if it is available; thus, in the misère variation, players can force their opponents to take a large number of checkers through intentionally "poor" play.
In combinatorial game theory
Combinatorial game theory
Combinatorial game theory is a branch of applied mathematics and theoretical computer science that studies sequential games with perfect information, that is, two-player games which have a position in which the players take turns changing in defined ways or moves to achieve a defined winning...
, a misère game is one played according to the "misère play condition"; that is, a player unable to move wins.(This is opposed to the "normal play condition" in which a player unable to move loses.) For most games this is the same as the ordinary use of the word, but a very few games are actually misère games according to their standard rules, for example Sylver coinage
Sylver coinage
Sylver Coinage is a mathematical game for two players, invented by John H. Conway. It is discussed in chapter 18 ofWinning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays...
.
Other uses
- The game of NimNimNim is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap....
is usually played using the misère play condition, as in the film Last Year at MarienbadLast Year at MarienbadL'Année dernière à Marienbad is a 1961 French film directed by Alain Resnais from a screenplay by Alain Robbe-Grillet....
. - Perhaps the only misère combinatorialCombinatorial game theoryCombinatorial game theory is a branch of applied mathematics and theoretical computer science that studies sequential games with perfect information, that is, two-player games which have a position in which the players take turns changing in defined ways or moves to achieve a defined winning...
game played competitively in an organized forum is SproutsSprouts (game)Sprouts is a pencil-and-paper game with interesting mathematical properties. It was invented by mathematicians John Horton Conway and Michael S. Paterson at Cambridge University in 1967.- Rules :...
. - LowballLowball (poker)Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:...
is a form of pokerPokerPoker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
in which the lowest-scoring hand wins.