hist-games: Query on dice games

[John McLeod]

Christian Joachim Hartmann <lukian at Null.net> wrote:
>Mrs C S Yeldham wrote at Tue, 28 Oct 1997 10:33:16 -0500:
>> I'm looking for information on a specific dice game which is much played at
>> re-enactments here in England, but I haven't seen any original references
>> to it, and I wondered if you could help me.
>>
>> The game is called 'myer' (or mia - or any variation on that - I've never
>> seen it written). 

- snip -
>
>The highest combination is 2 - 1. It is called "Max", "Mäxchen", "Major" or 
>"King"
>in German.

- snip -
>
>As to the name "myer" or "mia", I haven’t got any idea. If that name would
>be of German origin, it might be spelled "Meier". There is a dice game
>called "Familie Meier", but this is played with three dice and along 
>different lines.
>The several different  German names for the game of "myer" have all
>got to do with "lying" -- a fact understood by all who played that game.
>
>I would therefore like to substitute "liar" for "mia".

On reading your mail, I wonder if the name for the game that the
original poster heard might have been "major". Pronounced in German,
this would sound a bit like "myer" to an English speaker, and it would
be reasonable for the game to be named after its highest combination.
-- 
John McLeod                      For information on card games visit       
john at pagat.demon.co.uk           http://www.pagat.com/
 

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