Ranter-Go-Round

Traditional English card game

Ranter Go Round is a primitive, traditional, English gambling game and children's game using playing cards that also nowadays goes under the name of Chase the Ace. A similar game is known in most European countries as Cuckoo; although its rules are almost identical to French Coucou ("Cuckoo") which itself goes back to the 15th century and there are other European games of the same family played with bespoke cards. An 1882 account describes Ranter Go Round as "a first rate game for a winter evening." Players have three lives in the form of counters, receive one card each and exchange with their left hand neighbours, the dealer exchanging with the stock. Players may stand i. e. refuse to exchange if they believe they have a card high enough not to lose. There are no cards with special privileges. In Cornwall, the three lowest cards had nicknames; the ace was "wee", the two was a "pig's toe" and the three a "tailor's yard." Refusing to exchange on account of holding a king was announced by saying "Bo". The same description appears in the West Cornwall Glossary of 1880.

The following rules are based on Phillips and Westall (1945) except where stated.

Any number of players may participate. Five is usually reckoned to be the minimum and somes sources say up to 20 may play. A standard pack of 52 cards without jokers is used. The card rankings (from highest to lowest) are K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 A. Suits are irrelevant. The first dealer may be chosen by dealing cards singly around the players and the first with a jack, deals. and Arnold. After all players have taken a turn, they turn their cards face up and the one with the lowest card loses a life by paying a counter into the pot. They are joint winners and split the pot. They play a decider. They cut and the highest card wins. The pot is carried forward to the next game.