Talk:Basset (banking game)

Game Play
This section is written horribly; to the point where the actual mechanics of the game and how one wins/loses money are not even evident. The glossary doesn't do much to clarify. I was linked to this article through the faro article, and I can't tell the difference between the two from this section, not to mention that if I hadn't read that article and known that this was a related game, I would have no clue how basset works, period. A winning card is mentioned, but which card is that? Is it the first dealt, or is it the second/third...etc. This section is very much lacking in a plain, step-by-step description and assumes that you already know how this whole family of gambling card games works. I think this issue stems from the below mentioned fact of this text being copied from a public domain website, which would explain why the assumptions of you knowing the general format of the game are present. hansolo22 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.225.72.172 (talk) 09:04, 12 October 2010 (UTC)

I agree. I came to this article from from the Faro article and found it completely confusing. Peace eagle (talk) 19:49, 17 January 2011 (UTC)

Spelling question
Spelling question: 30 and 60 in modern French are trente and soixante, respectively, not trent and soissante. Are these old spellings or misspellings? -phma, 20:50, 17 November 2008 (UCT)
 * I checked and that was what was used in The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, Vol. II (1870). Maybe that was the English version of the French numbers as used around the gaming tables. --Bejnar (talk) 07:18, 28 November 2008 (UTC)


 * It probably was a combination.--Parkwells (talk) 17:06, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Article copied from public domain text
This entire article seems to have been copied from The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims, Vol. II, by Andrew Steinmetz, Esq., published 1870 in the United Kingdom by Tinsley Brothers. It is public domain. --Bryan Nguyen | Talk 03:01, 21 March 2006 (UTC)


 * Even though the original article is in public domain, the Wikipedia article should be cleaned up to clarify it, reflect contemporary usage and reduce archaic tone.--Parkwells (talk) 17:06, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Disambiguation
Move to Basset (card game), leave Basset as disambig page Anthony Appleyard (talk) 22:59, 21 November 2008 (UTC) Why should "Basset" default here instead of to a disambiguation page? The dabs are becoming tedious, and I would think that the dogs are more likely to be searched for than the card game. Any consensus for creating a "Basset" disambiguation page as the default? --Bejnar (talk) 15:32, 23 September 2008 (UTC)


 * If I don't see any "nay-sayers" in the next week or so, I will go ahead and make the change. --Bejnar (talk) 06:28, 17 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Support. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 20:50, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Basser
Voltaire's Candide makes reference to a game played in Paris called "Basser". The description he gives sounds like Basset. Here is the quote:

"Candide, who was naturally curious, suffered himself to be conducted to this lady's house, which was in the suburbs of Saint-Honore. The company was engaged at basser; twelve melancholy punters held each in his hand a small pack of cards, the corners of which were doubled down, and were so many registers of their ill fortune. A profound silence reigned throughout the assembly, a pallid dread had taken possession of the countenances of the punters, and restless inquietude stretched every muscle of the face of him who kept the bank; and the lady of the house, who was seated next to him, observed with lynx's eyes every play made, and noted those who tallied, and made them undouble their cards with a severe exactness, though mixed with a politeness, which she thought necessary not to frighten away her customers. This lady assumed the title of Marchioness of Parolignac. Her daughter, a girl of about fifteen years of age, was one of the punters, and took care to give her mamma a hint, by signs, when any one of the players attempted to repair the rigor of their ill fortune by a little innocent deception. The company were thus occupied when Candide, Martin, and the abbe made their entrance; not a creature rose to salute them, or indeed took the least notice of them, being wholly intent upon the business at hand."

If someone can confirm they think this is Basset I will put the quote or part of it in the article. Zargulon (talk) 12:38, 25 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Basser is probably an OCR error introduced when someone scanned Tobias Smollett's translation, which has Basset. The French original says "on y était occupé d'un pharaon". Pharaon replaced Basset, and presumably Smollett considered it just a variant of Basset and decided that the latter would be better for easy recognition by his readers. Hans Adler 14:05, 25 April 2011 (UTC)
 * PS: The name of the host could be an allusion to Polignac, a negative card game, as she profits from the players' losses. Hans Adler 14:11, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Fascinating - thanks Hans. 86.176.13.64 (talk) 19:39, 25 April 2011 (UTC)