88 SOME NOTES ON MALAY CARD GAMES. 



third card, want a seven or an eight, I am said to minta isi, or 

 minta penoh. Many players make a clicking sound like one 

 encouraging a horse, if they want a kuda or court card. 



Main trop. The .following are some terms in connection 

 with this game which I have failed to find either in Skeat or 

 in Wilkinson's Dictionary. 



In main trup, when a player leads a trump card, his 

 action is described by the words sudi or jam. Diamonds are 

 sometimes called batu Malacca or dobin (or jubin : Jav.=square 

 flag-stones) spades, payong. Bibi is used of the Queen. If I 

 and my partner have already got seven tricks between us, 1 

 ask him kiler-kah atau kot-kah : should he hold no more cards 

 of value in his hand, he says kiler and the game is over ; should 

 he hold high cards and thinks we can take all the tricks, he 

 says kot and we play on in the hope that our opponents may 

 kena kot, not score a single trick; but, if any of our tricks are 

 lost, the tables are turned and we ourselves kena kot balik. 

 Mita sus is to ask for special cards from one's partner. There 

 are numerous masonic signs accounted by Malay gamblers 

 proper and clever, but which we should call cheating. Thus, 

 to open one's hand of cards fanshape like opening an umbrella 

 is to call for payong, spades : brush the edge of your cards 

 along the table and you ask for diamonds, because thus the 

 batu Malacca is cut : lift your cards quickly and you ask for the 

 card with the flying animal, klawer : want hearts and you des- 

 cribe on the table a circular movement with your hand of cards. 

 Of course, you and your partner must be accomplices and your 

 sleights pat and deft. 



Main dann cheki. The following- is a complete list of the 

 names of these cards as given me : — iyu merah besar. iyu mcruh 

 sa'krat, iyu kuching, iyu kasut, iyu budak, iyu pavjang : kau merah, 

 katirj.alan, kau kurap: sah waji, sah burong, sah halus: si hbai, si 

 trtibu, si piuggting : chtk laitr, click burong, cl/ek halus: I ah tali, 

 lah kravg, lah halus : peh pichak kapala, peh kravg, peh jnnggang 

 (or tali): go Labi, go tongkang, go pending : ji gendang, ji pentil, ji 

 bengkok or burong. Cho it and cliochot are names of two species 

 of main cheki. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



