Alexey Lobashev <al.lobas...@gmail.com> recently came across the book "Games That We Played: Traditional Goan Sports" by Maria Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodrigues (formerly of the Central Library, Goa) and writes:
"I have been studying sedentary games in different countries of the world for more than 30 years now, and I have found some information in this book that I am interested in. I am particularly interested in the rules of the game 'Waganni', which I had not even heard of before." He has also been associated with the UK-based John McLeod of WC1E 7AS London, who is the member of International Playing Card Society and studies card games (see his web-site http://www.pagat.com). Am sharing a note just received from Alexey: OPEN QUOTE Here are the questions about the rules of several Goan card games: Burro (Donkey) What happens when there are no more cards in the pack on the table? For example a spade is played, another player has no spade and pulls all the cards from the pack on the table without finding a spade. Does this player simply no play a card to this trick (hand)? What happens if a player does not have the suit that is required, and there are no cards left to pull, all cards having already been taken? Seven Hands When the player to the right of the dealer selects a trump from his first five cards, is the selected card displayed to the other players, or is it kept face down? If it is kept face down, does the player who selected trumps announce the suit before playing his first card? Or is there some other method by which the trump suit is discovered? Fourteen Hands How many cards are dealt? Do you deal 26 cards to each player at the start, or only 13 each? If only 13 each, how to the players acquire the remaining cards? Money, Money Are the players free to play any card of their choice, from those they are dealt? For example, if there are four players, they will have nine ordinary cards each plus four money cards. If the first player plays a seven, does the second player look to see whether he has a seven among his cards, and if so he van play it and take the two sevens? In the book it says ' a player who is *lucky* to match/pair - so perhaps players are not free to choose, but simply keep their cards in a pile and must play the next card from their pile, without knowing what it will be? ENDQUOTE If anyone could have answers to the above, please share it with Alexey, with a cc to goa...@goanet.org Many thanks in advance, FN