Pitch and toss
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pitch and Toss(Also known as Liney,Jingles) is a simple coin game, known by this name in Britain since at least the 18th century. It is often played in playgrounds and colleges throughout.
[edit] The Rules
Any number of players line up a fixed distance away from a wall. The players each take a coin of common denomination and take turns tossing them towards the wall. The objective is to toss the coins such that they land as close to the wall as possible. Some forms of Pitch and Toss require the coin to hit the wall to be a valid throw.
In most variations this is a gambling game, with the winner collecting all the losing players' coins from the ground. Other variations include the game ending in "tips", where the player whose coin lands closest to the wall collects all of the coins and flicks them all into the air. Before the coins land, the player would shout "heads" or "tails" and be entitled to claim those coins landing the corresponding way. The remaining coins (if any) would then be gathered by the player whose coin landed second closest to the wall, who would repeat the tossing and calling of heads or tails. This process would continue until all the coins have been picked up.
If coin lands at an angle against the wall, this enables 'Double Money' which causes the prize total to double.
'Triple Money' is rewarded when a thrower's coin is standing vertically against the wall.
If a coin hits another coin this is known as 'Jingle', making all shots must be re-taken.
Shots must also be re-taken if the two coins that are parallel to a tangent from the wall are the closest.
If the coin rolls the thrower has the chance to retake their shot if the coin is stamped on before it stops and lies flat. Each player has a two stamp maximum.
Rolling the coin is forbidden.
[edit] Popular Culture
The game is referred to in Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If'
If you can make one heap of all your winnings / And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, / And lose, and start again at your beginnings / And never breathe a word about your loss;'
[edit] External links
Dave Farrer, Pitch and Toss, in the Durham Miner Project, Durham County Council
