Pit 100th Anniversary Edition Rules

Idea of The Game
The game is based on the exciting scenes of the American Corn Exchange, usually styled the “Wheat Pit.” There are nine cards each of Wheat, Corn, Barley, etc. The idea is to obtain, by trading, all nine cards of any one kind. If you do this, you have a CORNER. If you corner Wheat, (by getting all nine Wheat cards), you get 100 points; Corn, 75 points; Oats, 60 points, etc., as indicated on the cards. 500 points wins the game.

This PIT pack is for:
THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX or SEVEN PLAYERS. If THREE play, use only THREE COMPLETE SUITS (say Corn, Wheat and Oats, 27 cards). If four play, use only four suits (Say Corn, Wheat, Oats and Flax, 36 cards), etc. For seven, use the complete pack. For larger parties, see progressive rules.

To Play
Shuffle the cards thoroughly and deal to the players. (Each player will then have nine cards of various kinds). SORT YOUR CARDS as quickly as possible on receiving them and decide mentally which article you will corner (whether corn, wheat, or something else). You will naturally start to corner the article of which you have the most. Place the Corner board in the center of the table and put all unused cards aside in the card tray.

The DEALER, having allowed about half a minute (but not more) for this sorting, calls “THE PIT IS OPEN”, from which moment every player begins without waiting for turn, to trade (i.e. exchange) from one to four cards at a time with any players, as quickly and as often as he can.
A player trades cards he does not want, in hopes he will get in exchange cards of the kind he wants to corner.

REMEMBER, from the moment the pit is open all players must begin to trade. There is no waiting for turn. Get at it immediately! Players all call at once. Such are the manners of the Wheat Pit. The more rapidly the trading proceeds, in fact the greater the babel, the more laughter and the more ludicrous the excitement.

How To Trade
Take from your hand any card or cards (ALL OF THE SAME KIND) that you wish to exchange and holding these cards up (without waiting for turn) call rapidly and loudly, thus—“TRADE ONE! ONE! ONE!” or “TWO! TWO! TWO!” or “THREE! THREE! THREE!” or “FOUR! FOUR! FOUR!” (whichever number of cards you wish to trade), continuing calling until someone exchanges with you. Whoever wishes to exchange this number of cards with you must call in return “ONE! ONE! ONE!” “TWO! TWO! TWO!” (or whatever the number of cards may be), AND TAKE YOUR CARDS, GIVING YOU AN EQUAL NUMBER OF CARDS (all alike) FROM HIS OWN HAND.

DO NOT SHOW THE CARDS IN TRADING, keep them face-side down, merely calling the number of cards which you wish to trade. KEEP ON TRADING WITH EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY to obtain additional cards of the kind which you wish to Corner.

WHEN YOU GET NINE CARDS OF THE SAME KIND, SLAP THE CORNER BOARD AND CALL OUT “CORNER ON WHEAT”(or whatever it may be). You score whatever amount is marked on the article you corner (wheat, 100 points; oats, 60 points, etc.). When a “corner” is won the cards are reshuffled and dealt and another “corner” is played for.

THE GAME IS WON by the first trader getting 500 points
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Important Notice
“PIT” is a LIVELY Game. Put ENERGY into your trading and trade as quickly as you can. Remember, at the start of the game EVERY player without exception must begin to trade. The noise and excitement that ensue is half the fun of the game. If you trade more than one card at a time, the cards you trade must be of the same kind. You cannot hand a player one Barley card and one Oats card, for instance, after calling “TWO! TWO! TWO!” Both cards must be exactly alike. If a player wishes to trade three or four cards, and other players will only exchange lower numbers, he may drop his call and trade the smaller number of cards. If you find it hard to corner one commodity try another. If a player calls corner before he has one, or if a player begins to trade before the Dealer calls “The Pit is open” 20 points are deducted from his score.

“Pit” For Progressive Parties
“PIT” is a novel, exciting amusement for progressive parties. It has more life than any other game for this purpose. Another advantage of “PIT” as a game for a large party is that any odd number of persons may take part. Five or six players should sit at each table, one “PIT” pack being used for each table.

The first player winning TWO CORNERS at one table, changes to the next table, provided his going will not make more than seven players at that table.

From the highest table the player with the lowest score always descends when a new corner is added. A player’s score should be kept in a column on a card.

Prizes may be given for the highest scores.

•This 100th Anniversary of Pit contains 2 decks of Pit cards and a two-sided Corner board. At the start of the game choose if you’d like to play with the classic 1904 deck (and the 1904 side of the Corner board) or use the modern 2004 deck (and the 2004 side of the Corner board.)

•In keeping with the design and format of the 1904 deck, there are seven commodities included. They are: Barley, Corn, Flax, Hay, Oats, Rye and Wheat.

•The 2004 deck includes eight commodities: Cattle, Cocoa, Gas, Gold, Oil, Platinum, Rice and Silver.
There are two versions of PIT. The basic game is played without the Bull and Bear cards. Remove them from the deck you are playing with if you want to play the basic game.

Playing With the Bull and Bear Cards

When you add the Bull and Bear cards to the deck, two players will receive a tenth card. If you’re dealt ten cards, you may call “Corner” if you have 9 cards of the same commodity and one other card. Simply lay down the 9 matching cards and place the extra card aside.

Beyond that, play is the same as in the basic game, except for the values and penalties attached to the Bull and Bear cards. The Bull card can be either a “wild” card or a penalty card; the Bear card always carries a penalty.

If you hold the Bull card when you have 8 cards of the same suit, hit the Corner board, call “Bull Corner” and score the points marked on the commodity you’ve cornered. If you hold the Bull card when you have 9 cards of the same suit, hit the Corner board, call “Double Corner” and score double the points marked on the commodity you’ve cornered.

If you hold either the Bull or Bear card when an opponent calls “Corner”, you lose 20 points. If you hold both the Bull and Bear cards when an opponent calls “Corner”, you lose 40 points. (In PIT, your score can go below 0.)

You should trade the Bear card as soon as you get it, because 1) it will cost you points if someone else goes out; and 2) while you hold it, you cannot lay down your hand even if you have 9 cards of a commodity. It is also good strategy to trade the Bull card if you think the hand is about to end and you’re not going to win.

You may trade the Bull and Bear cards at any time. You may trade them singly, in combination, or along with any other card(s) of a suit you wish to trade. At no time, however, may you trade more than four cards at once.