Pirates and Privateers

In Memoriam

Lady Luck and Other Amusements
by Cindy Vallar


Card game interrupted
"Capture of the Galleon" by Howard Pyle, 1887
(Source: Dover's Pirates)

Drinking and eating were not the only ways in which pirates had fun. They also enjoyed gaming, an old word for gambling. Just like the drinking of spirits, there was a danger for both ship and crew if the pirates did so at sea because tempers could flare for those upon whom Lady Luck did not shine. Since teamwork was essential, the pirates often had something to say about gambling in their articles of agreement.

One item that Captain Peter Solgard of HMS Greyhound discovered aboard Charles Harris’s ship was the code under which Edward Low sailed. The proceedings of the trials that resulted in convictions for Harris and twenty-six others was printed by Samuel Kneeland in 1723, and included the captured Articles of Agreement. The fifth one was

He that shall be found Guilty of Gaming, or playing at Cards, or Defrauding or Cheating one another to the Value of a Royal Plate, shall suffer what Punishment the Captain and majority of the Company shall think fit. (Tryals of Thirty-six, 3:191)

Bartholomew Roberts’s code forbade playing cards or dice if gambling for money was involved. A specific punishment wasn’t given, but the articles agreed upon by the pirates aboard John Phillips’ ship did.

If any Man shall steal any Thing in the Company, or game to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he shall be maroon’d or shot. (Defoe, 342)

But playing on land was another matter. Gambling could involve cards, dice, or almost any object a pirate could think to wager on. 

Cards of the past differed from cards used today. Those that pirates played with didn’t have numbers on them. The standard deck during the buccaneering era was known as the “French” deck. It was comprised of fifty-two cards and four suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades). The kings, queens, and jacks or knaves were single faces, rather than having the figure on one end and the mirror opposite on the other. The remaining cards merely showed the suits. (For example, the ten of spades just had ten spades on it. A two of hearts had only two hearts but no numbers on it.) Another difference was the size of the cards. They were larger and players needed both hands to hold them.

Pirates had their choice when it came to specific games to play with the cards. L’Ombre had several variations. The primary version was “called Renegado, at which three only can play, to whom are dealt Nine Cards apiece.” (Cotton, 72) Aluette, also known as La Vache (the cow), was popular among French buccaneers and required a special deck of forty-eight cards to play. Other popular card games included All-Fours, Ruff and Honours (also known as Slamm), Bone-Ace, Lanterloo, Maws (a favorite since William Shakespeare’s days), Noddy (a forerunner of cribbage), and One-and-Thirty (similar to blackjack except the goal was to reach thirty-one rather than twenty-one). Samuel Bellamy and Paulsgrave Williams were known to play cards, backgammon, and checkers.

As for dice, Hazard “speedily makes a Man or undoes him; in the twinkling of an eye either a Man or a Mouse.” It was “play’d but with two Dice, but there may play at it as many as can stand round the largest round Table.” (Cotton, 122) It was addictive, “for when a man begins to play he knows not when to leave off; and having once accustom’d himself to play at Hazzard, he hardly ever after minds any thing else . . . .” (Cotton, 125)

Those who liked to take chances, deceive others, and play the odds might partake of a game of Liar’s Dice, which involved dice and cups. French buccaneers liked to play passe-dix, which their English counterparts referred to as “passage.” Two players, such as Sieur Michel de Grammont (a buccaneer captain) and Jean d’Estrées (a French count and an admiral in la marine royale), played on Petit-Goâve. They took turns throwing three dice, and needed a score greater than ten to win.

Board games were also popular. One involving dice was Goose, which was invented in Italy and gifted to the Spanish king. An ancient strategy game that remained popular was Nine Men’s Morris. It could be played on a board, or any surface on which the board could be drawn. French pirates enjoyed playing Shut the Box; other pirates played Sweat Bloth, where a bandana served as the board.

When recovering artifacts from Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge and Sam Bellamy’s Whydah, marine archaeologists found

a few lead pieces flattened and shaped into gaming chips of square or round shapes. Six square-shaped pieces weigh between 12 and 32 grams, and two are incised with an X on one face. One of those was done using the wrigglework technique similar to that seen on cannon aprons. Dozens of similarly shaped and scored gaming pieces were found on the pirate ship Whydah. Checkers, sennet, and draughts were popular board games of this era. (Wilde-Ramsing, 139)

Billiards was also a popular pastime, especially during the time of the buccaneers. Several Port Royal taverns, such as the George and the Feathers, had separate rooms where this game was played.

A Game of Billiards by Adriaen van de Venne, 1620-1626
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many of the games that Asian pirates (men, women, and children) played involved wagering. Players of fan-tan had to guess how many coins, beans, or some other objects remained after the pile was disseminated by fours. Mahjong and quail fighting were also popular. Gambling allowed the pirates to add to their ill-gotten gains, but losers often hocked their clothes just to keep playing. For some, the habit was even worse, as shown in this boatwoman’s song:

Oh Heaven! Why I am a gambler’s wife I simply cannot see,
For a gambler is a man of very low degree;
Other people are happy and gay,
But he roams in the gambling den all day;
He goes and leaves me many a lonely night,
When I wake up he is out of sight;
Three girls are sold into slavery by thee,
Your patrimony is wasted I clearly foresee. (Antony, 145-146)

It wasn’t just money that was wagered. Some games involved drinking. One group of pirates bet on how much each could drink. They became so inebriated that they lost consciousness, which allowed their captives to gain the upper hand.

One lesson that Chinese pirates taught to new recruits was to show no fear when danger threatened. In 1809, Richard Glasspoole spent three months as the “guest” of Chinese pirates and witnessed one such incident.

[W]hilst the Ladrone fleet was receiving a distant cannonade from the Portuguese and Chinese, the men were playing cards upon deck, and in a group so amusing themselves, one man was killed by a cannon shot; but the rest, after putting the mangled body out of the way, went on with their game, as if nothing of the kind had happened. (Further, 45)

In Asia, religious festivals broke the monotony of everyday life. The pirates could relax and, if on land, enjoy parades and performances such as dramas, comedies, and puppet shows. They might sing or dance, or renew old friendships.

Singing and storytelling were universal entertainments. Although books made good cannon fodder on most pirate ships or were deemed of no use and tossed overboard, a few pirates liked to read. Among the items that Stede Bonnet took with him when he boarded Revenge was a library. So did Guo Podai, who liked to read poetry and historical romances.

Musicians gave concerts or accompanied mates who sang familiar songs. “Ballads and bawdy drinking songs . . . told stories of love, adventures, battles, political strife, and humorous tales.” (Schenawolf) Also popular were religious songs. Some pirates enjoyed singing some of the ballads written about their fellow marauders of the sea, such as Henry Every and Blackbeard.

One of the articles under which those who followed Bartholomew Roberts sailed pertained to music.

The Musicians to have Rest on the Sabbath Day, but the other six Days and Nights, none without special Favour. (Defoe, 212)

In essence, those who played an instrument didn’t have to play on Sunday, but if martial airs were required to instill a fighting spirit in the men, or if the men simply wanted to be entertained, the musicians were expected to do so any time of the day or night. In the fall of 1721, Roberts and his men captured a French warship. One captive was the governor of Martinique, who had dared to pursue Roberts rather than submit to his earlier demands. Such defiance deserved punishment in the eyes of the pirates, so the governor ended up swinging from a yardarm “while the crew drank their fill of plundered spirits and took turns dancing to the tunes of the exhausted musicians tooting dented brass instruments.” (Sutton, 81)

For some, having plunder filling their pockets allowed them to go shopping. Clothes, hats, shoes, and guns, as well as pipes of ivory, pewter, or red clay, were favorite purchases. Their wealth permitted them to buy what they otherwise would never have afforded. To their way of thinking if someone of the upper-crust could buy it, so could they.

Then there were the temptations of the flesh and seductions of escape . . . but those are topics for another day.

. . . To be continued

Part 1: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry          Part 2: Pirates Party Hearty          Part 3: Articles & Taverns

Part 4: On the Menu          Part 5: Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Run . . . But

Resources:

“America and West Indies: March 1678,’ in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 10,1677-1680 edited by W. Noel Sainsbury and J. W. Fortescue. London, 1896, 220-231 (March-Sept. St. Christopher’s. 645.)
“America and West Indies: August 1698, 22-25,’ in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 16,1697-1698 edited by J. W. Fortescue. London, 1905, 399-406 (Aug. 25. 771.).
“America and West Indies: June 1718,” in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 30, 1717-1718 edited by Cecil Headlam. London, 1930, 264-287. (June 18. Charles Towne, South Carolina. 556.).
Andrade, Tonio. Lost Colony: The Untold Story of China’s First Great Victory Over the West. Princeton, 2011.
Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates and Seafarers in Late Imperial China. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California Berkley, 2003.
Appleby, John C. Women and English Piracy 1540-1720: Partners and Victims of Crime. Boydell, 2013.
Ashmead, Henry Graham. History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. L. H. Everts & Co., 1884.

Bahadur, Jay. The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World. Pantheon Books, 2011.
Bialuschewski, Arne. Raiders and Natives: Cross-cultural Relations in the Age of Buccaneers. University of Georgia, 2022.
Bold in Her Breeches: Women Prostitutes Across the Ages edited by Jo Stanley. Pandora, 1996.
Borvo, Alain. “Discover Aluette, the Game of the Cow,” Traditional Tarot (21 July 2021).
Bradley, Peter T. Pirates on the Coasts of Peru 1598-1701. Independently published, 2008.
Brooks, Baylus C. Quest for Blackbeard: The True Story of Edward Thache and His World. Independently published, 2016.
Brown, Edward. A Seaman’s Narrative of the Adventures During a Captivity Among Chinese Pirates, on the Coast of Cochin-China. Charles Westerton, 1861.
Burg, B. R. “The Buccaneer Community” in Bandits at Sea: A Pirates Reader edited by C. R. Pennell. New York University, 2001, 211-243.

Choundas, George. The Pirate Primer: Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers and Rogues. Writer’s Digest, 2007.
Codfield, Rod. “Tavern Tales: 1708 Letter,” Historic London Town & Gardens (2 April 2020).
Cotton, Charles. The Compleat Gamester. London: Charles Brome, 1710.
Croce, Pat. The Pirate Handbook. Chronicle Books, 2011.

Dampier, William. A New Voyage Round the World vol. 1. London: James Knapton, 1699.
Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates edited by Manuel Schonhorn. Dover, 1999.
Duffus, Kevin P. The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate. Looking Glass Productions, 2008.

Eastman, Tamara J., and Constance Bond. The Pirate Trial of Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Fern Canyon Press, 2000.
Ellms, Charles. The Pirates Own Book. 1837.
Esquemeling, John. The Buccaneers of America. Rio Grande Press, 1684.
Exquemelin, Alexander O. The Buccaneers of America translated by Alexis Brown. Dover, 1969.

“FAQs: Beverages,” Food Timeline edited by Lynne Olver (30 November 2021).
Ford, Michael. “The Attack of the ‘Last Great Pirate’ – Benito De Soto, Wellington’s Treasure and the Raid of the ‘Morning Star,’ Military History Now (21 June 2020).
Ford, Michael E. A. Hunting the Last Great Pirate: Benito de Soto and the Rape of the Morning Star. Pen & Sword, 2020.
A Full and Exact Account of the Tryal of the Pyrates Lately Taken by Captain Ogle. London: J. Roberts, 1723.
Further State of the Ladrones on the Coast of China. Lane, Darling, and Co., 1812.

Geanacopulos, Daphne Palmer. The Pirate Next Door: The Untold Story of Eighteenth Century Pirates’ Wives, Families and Communities. Carolina Academic, 2017.
Gosse, Philip. The Pirates’ Who’s Who. Rio Grande Press, 1924.
Gutzlaff, Charles. Three Voyages Along the Coast of China in 1831, 1832, & 1833. Frederick, Westley and A. H. Davis, 1834.

Hacke, William. Collection of Original Voyages. London: James Knapton, 1699.
Hailwood, Mark. “‘Come hear this ditty’: Seventeenth-century Drinking Songs and the Challenges of Hearing the Past,” The Appendix (10 July 2013).
Hardy, Thomas. “Drinking Song,” Poetry Nook.
Hartsmar, Markus. “Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900,” Absinthe.se.
Hughes, Ben. Apocalypse 1692: Empire, Slavery, and the Great Port Royal Earthquake. Westholme, 2017.

Jacob, Robert. “Popular Games from the Golden Age!” Robert Jacob.
Jamaica Rose. “Games Pirates Played,” Pirates Magazine (Summer 2006), 53-55.
Jamaica Rose. “Pirate Pastimes & Pleasures,” Pirates Magazine (Summer 2006), 49-51.
Jameson, John Franklin. Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period: Illustrative Documents. Macmillan, 1923.
Johnson, Charles. A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates. London: C. Rivington, 1724.

Kehoe, M. “Booze, Sailors, Pirates and Health in the Golden Age of Piracy,” The Pirate Surgeon’s Journals: Tools and Procedures.
Kehoe, M. “Christmas Holidays at Sea in the Golden Age of Piracy,” The Pirate Surgeon’s Journals: Tools and Procedures.
Kehoe, Mark C. “Fresh Water at Sea in the Golden Age of Piracy,” The Pirate Surgeon’s Journals.
Kehoe, M. “Tobacco and Medicine During the Golden Age of Piracy,” The Pirate Surgeon’s Journals: Tools and Procedures.
Kelleher, Connie. The Alliance of Pirates: Ireland and Atlantic Piracy in the Early Seventeenth Century. Cork University, 2020.
King James Bible Online.

Labat, Jean-Baptiste. The Memoirs of Père Labat, 1693-1705 translated and abridged by John Eaden. Routledge, 2013.
Lane, Kris E. Pillaging the Empire: Piracy in the Americas, 1500-1750. M. E. Sharpe, 1998.
Lee, Robert E. Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times. John F. Blair, 2002.
“Liar’s Dice,” Awesome Dice.
Little, Benerson. The Buccaneer’s Realm: Pirate Life on the Spanish Main, 1674-1688. Potomac Books, 2007.
Little, Benerson. “Of Buccaneer Christmas, Dog as Dinner, & Cigar Smoking Women,” Swordplay & Swashbucklers (1 January 2017).
Little, Benerson. The Sea Rover’s Practice: Pirate Tactics and Techniques, 1630-1730. Potomac Books, 2005.

Marley, David F. Pirates of the Americas Volume 1 1650-1685. ABC Clio, 2010.
Marley, David F. Pirates of the Americas Volume 2 1686-1725. ABC Clio, 2010.
Mather, Increase. Wo to Drunkards (second edition). Boston: Timothy Green, 1712.
McAlister, Zac. “What Is Black Strap Rum,” Booze Bureau.

Neumman, Charles Fried. History of the Pirates Who Infested the China Sea, from 1807 to 1810. Oriental Translation Fund, 1831.

Parlett, David. “Historic Card Games,” Games & Gamebooks. 2022.
Pawson, Michael, and David Buisseret. Port Royal, Jamaica. University of the West Indies, 2000.
“Pirate Potheads? On Drugs and Tobacco in the Golden Age of Piracy,” Gold and Gunpowder (8 December 2023).
The Pirate’s Pocket-Book edited by Stuart Roberston. Conway, 2008.
Pirates in Their Own Words: Eye-witness Accounts of the ‘Golden Age’ of Piracy, 1690-1728 edited by E. T. Fox. Fox Historical, 2014.
“The Plank House,” The Marcus Hook Preservation Society.
Preston, Diana and Michael. A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer: The Life of William Dampier. Walker & Co., 2004.
Pruitt, Sarah. “How Christmas Was Celebrated in the 13 Colonies,” History (5 October 2023).

Rogers, Woodes. A Cruising Voyage Round the World. Cassell and Company, 1928.

Sanders, Richard. If a Pirate I must be . . . : The True Story of “Black Bart,” King of the Caribbean Pirates. Skyhorse, 2007.
Sanna, Antonio. “Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum”: Representations of Drunkenness in Literary and Cinematic Narratives on Pirates,” Pirates in History and Popular Culture edited by Antonio Sanna. McFarland, 2018, 120-131.
Schenawolf, Harry. “Music in Colonial America,” Revolutionary War Journal (21 August 2014).
Sharp, Bartholomew. Voyages and Adventures of Capt. Barth. Sharp. P. A. Esq., 1684.
Snelders, Stephen. “Smoke on the Water: Tobacco, Pirates, and Seafaring in the Early Modern World,” Intoxicating Spaces: The Impact of New Intoxicants on Urban Spaces in Europe, 1600-1850 (9 December 2019).
Snelgrave, William. A New Account of Some Parts of Guinea, and the Slave Trade. London: James, John, and Paul Knapton, 1734.
Struzinski, Steven. “The Tavern in Colonial America,” The Gettysburg Historical Journal volume 1, article 7 (2002), 29-38.
Sutton, Angela C. Pirates of the Slave Trade: The Battle of Cape Lopez and the Birth of an American Institution. Prometheus, 2023.

Talty, Stephan. Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan’s Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws’ Bloody Reign. Crown, 2007.
Thomson, Keith. Born To Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune. Little, Brown, 2022.
Todd. “Daily Life of the American Colonies: The Role of the Tavern in Society,” The Witchery Arts (3 April 2015).
Todd, Janet. “Carleton, Mary (1634x42-1673),” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University, 2004.
The Tryals of Captain John Rackham, and Other Pirates. Jamaica: Robert Baldwin, 1721.
The Tryals of Major Stede Bonnet, and Other Pirates. London: Benj. Cowse, 1719.
“Tryals of Thirty-six Persons for Piracy” in British Piracy in the Golden Age: History and Interpretation, 1660-1730 edited by Joel H. Baer. Pickering & Chatto, 2007, 3:167-192.
Turner, John. Sufferings of John Turner, Chief Mate of the Country Ship, Tay. Thomas Tegg, 1810.

Vallar, Cindy. “Pirates and Music,” Pirates and Privateers (18 September 2013).

Watson, John F. Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the Olden Time, vol. 2. John Penington and Uriah Hunt, 1844.
Wafer, Lionel. A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America. London: James Knapton, 1699.
Wilde-Ramsing, Mark U., and Linda F. Carnes-McNaughton. Blackbeard’s Sunken Prize: The 300-Year Voyage of Queen Anne’s Revenge. University of North Carolina, 2018.
Winstead, Dave. “1/24/2024 Is ‘Eat, Drink, And Be Merry’ A Biblical Concept?” FaithByTheWord (24 January 2024).

Yates, Donald. “Colonial Drinks, 1640-1860,” Bottles and Extras (Summer 2003), 39-41.

While I worked on this article, my father passed away. He shared his affinity for the water and boats with me in my youth, which helped awaken a desire to write about pirates. This article is for him. Now that you are at peace and without pain, Dad, may you eat, drink, and be merry. Lee Aker Rest in peace

Copyright ©2024 Cindy Vallar

Home

Pirate Articles

Book Reviews

Pirate Links

Sea Yarns Galore

Thistles & Pirates