Ferme ("Farm") is an historical French

gambling game Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

of the banking type for ten to twelve players that dates to the mid-17th century. It was described then as being "fun and recreational".de la Marinière (1659), pp. 314–315.

History

The game is first mentioned in 1640 and first described by de la Marinière in 1659, but continued to be regularly featured in French games compendia until the end of the 19th century, for example, in Boussac (1896).Boussac (1896), pp. 274–276. According to Parlett (1991), the term "'farm' is metaphorical for 'bank', and the proprietors of Parisian gaming houses were known as 'farmers'". Ferme is ancestral to the American game of Farmer which was purportedly played in rural parts of America "well into the 20th century".Parlett (1991), p. 83.Parlett (2008), p. 598.

Rules

Earliest rules (1659)

De la Marinière's 1659 rules are sketchy, but essentially players

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for the right to become the 'farmer' which is the name of the

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

in this game. The highest bidder becomes the farmer and places his bid amount, called the 'farm', "under the candelabra or in the coin purse". The 8s are removed from the pack, the reason being that these cards would enable players to make the target score of 16 too easily. Each player except the farmer also antes a stake to the

pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky pool ...

Court card A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance w ...

s score 10 points each and

pip card Pip, PIP, Pips, PIPS, and ''similar'', may refer to: Common meanings * Pip, colloquial name for the star(s) worn on military uniform as part of rank badge, as in the British Army officer rank insignia or with many Commonwealth police agencies * T ...

s score their face value, Aces being worth 1 point. The farmer deals one card to each opponent from the top of the pack and then another from the bottom. Players may then call for more cards, one by one, to try to get closer to 16. If a player's hand cards exceed 16, that player pays the farmer one

jeton Jetons or jettons are tokens or coin-like medals produced across Europe from the 13th through the 18th centuries. They were produced as counters for use in calculation on a counting board, a lined board similar to an abacus. They also found use ...

for every excess point. If no-one scores 16, the player who is nearest 16 without exceeding it, wins the pool, but not the farm. Players on 12 to 15 points may 'stick' to avoid exceeding 16 and having to pay the farmer. A player scoring exactly 16, wins the farm and contents of the pool, 'deposing' the current farmer and taking over as farmer for the next round.

Later rules (1800)

Over time, the rules became more detailed and elaborate. The following is based on Lacombe (1800), but very much reflect Parlett's 1991 summary.Lacombe (1800), pp. 76–77. All 8s and 6s are removed from a

standard 52-card pack The standard 52-card deck of French-suited playing cards is the most common pack of playing cards used today. In English-speaking countries it is the only traditional pack used for playing cards; in many countries of the world, however, it is used ...

with the exception of the 6, known as the 'brilliant one' (''brillant'') to leave 45 cards. As before, courts count 10 points and pips their face value. Again the player who bid the highest amount for the farm puts it aside to be won by the player who dispossesses the farmer. The rest ante a jeton to the pool or '' partie''. The farmer

shuffles Shuffling is a procedure used to randomize a deck of playing cards to provide an element of chance in card games. Shuffling is often followed by a cut, to help ensure that the shuffler has not manipulated the outcome. __TOC__ Techniques Overha ...

the pack, has the player to the left

cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

them and deals one card each, anticlockwise beginning with

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, the player to their right. Beginning with eldest, players have the right to ask for one or more cards in succession until they are satisfied with their hand. These fresh cards are taken from the bottom of the

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. If, at any stage, the sum of the points on the cards in a player's hand exceed 16, that player pays the farmer the number of jetons corresponding to the excess points. So a player with a score of 20 in cards, pays 4 jetons. A player wishing to

stick Stick or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig * The weapon used in stick fighting * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...

says ''basta'' and does not have to pay anything. Although forfeiting the chance of winning the farm, such a player may still win the pool. The player whose score is closest to 16 without overshooting it, wins the pool. A player who scores exactly 16 wins the farm and the pool. If two or more have 16, the following criteria are decisive in the order given: * The brilliant and a 10-point card beat any other combination * Two cards beat three cards; three beat four, etc. * In the event of a tie,

positional priority The following is a glossary of terms used in card games. Besides the terms listed here, there are thousands of common and uncommon slang terms. Terms in this glossary should not be game-specific (e.g. specific to Bridge, Hearts, Poker or Rummy) ...

applies A player who wins the farm deposes the farmer and takes over unless players agree that the role of farmer will rotate in turn.

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* Boussac, Jean (1896). ''Encyclopédie des Jeux de Cartes''. Paris: Ernest Kohr. * De la Marinière, E. (1659)
''La maison académique''
2nd edn. Estienne Loison, Paris. * Lacombe, Jacques (1800). ''Encyclopédie Méthodique: Dictionaire des Jeux.'' Padoue. *

Parlett, David David Parlett (born 18 May 1939 in London) is a games scholar, historian, and translator from South London, who has studied both card games and board games. He is the president of the British Skat Association. His published works include many pop ...

(1991), ''A History of Card Games'', Oxford: Oxford University Press, *

(2008), ''The Penguin Book of Card Games'', London: Penguin, {{Banking games 17th-century gambling games Banking games French gambling games