BASEBALL
It would be strange if the game named after America's other national
pastime didn't have a thousand house variants. Baseball, like the ball-
parks across America that bear its name, comes in a multiplicity of
shapes and sizes. We'll start off with the version that seems the best, then
try to give you a glimpse into the abyss of the rest.
Seven Card Stud. 3s and 9s are wild. If a player gets a 3 face—
up, he must match the pot or fold. 9s are always free. If a player gets
a 4 faceup, he may immediately pay a dime for an extra upcard.
BACKGROUND: Doesn't sound quite like the game you
play? Get in line. As one of the most popular house games of
all time, Baseball has more variations than you can imagine. No
book of poker would be complete without at least one version
of it, but listing all the variations would require a book by itself.
One thing's certain: Baseball involves the 3s (that's the number
of outs in an inning, or is it the number of strikes that puts you
out?), 4s (that's the number of balls you need for a walk, or is it
the number of bases?), and 9s (that's the number of innings;
we're pretty sure about that one unless the number of
players in the pre-DH lineup). Strangely enough,
no version seems to involve diamonds.
STRATEGY: Cards are good. Pay for every 4 you get. Pay
for 3s, too, unless you're clearly beaten.
VARIANTS: In 1973, card game expert John Scarne described
the following game as Baseball: Seven Card Stud, 9s are wild
and faceup 4s will get you an extra card for free. Faceup 3s are
death cards, i.e., catching one knocks a player out of the game.
(This makes a good case for "three strikes, you're out" instead
of "three outs in an inning.") In the sweetest version of Baseball
we've seen, 3s and 9s are both wild and free, and so is the extra
cards you get with your 4. To pick and choose from the possi-
bilities is the dealer's prerogative, but just make sure that every-
body knows what you mean when you say "Baseball."
Five Card Baseball: Five Card Stud, otherwise played as above.
Designated Hitter: Put a Joker in the deck. If a player gets
the Joker facedown, it's wild, but if he gets it faceup, his hand is
dead. With seven players, you technically need fifty-three cards
to play Baseball (seven cards each plus a card for every 4), so
adding the Joker gets you that extra card. The player you kill
with that faceup Joker will be thrilled that you included that
extra card to make the game more fair.
Extra Innings: The winner must have the highest heart
(and, we ask, shouldn't this be the diamond?) in play to win,
though it needn't be in the five cards he uses to win.
Otherwise, everyone who was still in the game re—antes and
the hand is redealt. This can take a long time, especially if
people stick around just to show off that they have the Ace
of Hearts.
Rainout: The Queen of Spades dealt faceup ends the game
immediately. If so, everyone who is still alive re-antes, and the
game starts over with those players.
See also Night Baseball, a game so wacky that it needs its
own description and its own host of variations.