Dikranagerdtsi Vernacular Handbook: Oushli Oyin (Skambil)

Skambil/Ooshli Oyin

Iskambil is a Turkish term for a playing card or the name of a card game. Dikranagerdtsis use the term skambel for playing cards, and the term Ooshli Oyin for the game others call skambil. Ooshli is a corruption of uchli, Turkish for trey or three-spot, which is the highest ranking card in the game. Billi is a corruption of birli, Turkish for the ace or one-spot, the second highest ranking card in the game, Ikili is Turkish for the deuce or two-spot, the third highest ranking card in the game. Oyin is a corruption of oyun, Turkish for game, play.

Rules: Partnership game with 4 or 6 players. Partners sit opposite each other if 4 play; interspersed alternatingly if 6 play. See diagrams below.

....B

A.......A

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B.......B

A.......A

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Using a bridge deck of 52 playing cards, 4s, 5s, 6s, are removed if 4 play, for a total of 40 cards. However, 4s, 5s, and two 6s are removed if 6 play, for a total of 42 cards. Initial dealer selected arbitrarily. Dealer deals out 3 cards, one at a time, to each player, starting with the player to his left, and moving clockwise. He then turns a card face up and places it in the center of the table, with the remaining cards constituting a draw pack placed alongside the turned up card. The suit of the card placed face up is trump. Cards are ranked as follows, from highest to lowest: Trey, ace, deuce, king, queen, jack, ten– seven (or six). The partners exchange hands, without revealing them to the opposition, to see what they possess before the beginning of play, and then return them to the original owners. With six players, hands are passed to the partners to the left, and once again before being returned to the original owners Play begins by the player to the left of the dealer playing a card of his choice. Other players follow the suit led, playing clockwise, with a card of like suit. If a player is void of a card in the suit led, he can play any card of his choice, even trump, if desired. The card of highest value, or trump, takes the trick, and one player of the partnership collects the cards for his side. After the round is complete, the players replenish their hands with a card drawn from the draw pile (face down), beginning with the winner of the previous trick. Play continues in this fashion until the draw pile is exhausted, with the face up trump card being drawn by the last player to draw. At this time, before the last three cards are played, the partners again exchange hands so as to know their partners’ holdings. Scoring After the final play, preliminary points are added up with the following values: Trey = 30 points Ace = 11 points Deuce = 10 points King = 4 points Queen = 3 points Jack = 2 points Total 60 points X 4 = 240 preliminary points

The foregoing translate into the following game points: 120 preliminary points yield 1 game point for each side.: 121 preliminary points yield 1 game point for winning side 161 preliminary points yield 2 game points for winning side.

A second round of play commences with the deal passing to the player at the left of the previous dealer. Play continues in this fashion until one side reaches a total of 11(or 21) game points.

The scoring for the Dikranagerdtsi version is somewhat simpler, as follows: Trey = 3 points Ace = 1 point Deuce = 1 point Total 5 points X 4 = 20 preliminary points Note: Face cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) are not counted.

The foregoing translate into the following game points: 10 preliminary points yield 1 game point for each side: 11 preliminary points yield 1 game point for winning side. 13 preliminary points yield 2 game points for winning side. Final winner is the team that first reaches a total of 7.

Notes on Secret Signals (Ishmar) between partners: Blinking one eye: Possesses ace of trumps Blinking both eyes: Possesses deuce of trumps Sticking out tongue: Possesses trey of trumps Moving jaw side to side: Possesses king of trumps Placing tongue in cheek: Possesses queen of trumps Move a shoulder up and down: Possesses jack of trumps Jerk head to one side: Possesses outside (non-trump) trey.

Note: Men didn’t usually play the game, preferring Pinochle, unless collared by their wives to make up a foursome.

(Grateful acknowledgement goes to Aram Khatchadourian and Thelma Sarajian for their kind assistance in documenting this time-honored game.)