Diamondback (game)

Diamondback is a card game created by Canadian author/illustrator Dave Sim in his graphic novel Cerebus the Aardvark. It is a gambling game for 2, 3 or 4 players and uses a special deck of cards. Limited quantities of the Diamondback Deck were published by Aardvark-Vanaheim press in 1981.

The Deck

A single Diamondback Deck consists of 15 cards in 5 different ranks. Lower ranking cards are more plentiful than those of higher ranks. The quantity of each card, ranked from highest to lowest, is as follows:
*1 Magician
*2 Priestesses
*3 Queens
*4 Kings
*5 PriestsA single Diamondback Deck is used in the 2-player game. When 3 play, a 29-card deck is formed by combining 2 single decks and removing one of the Magicians. For 4 players, 3 single decks are combined and two Magicians are removed for a total of 43 cards.

The Game

Players draw cards to determine who will be the first dealer. High card deals first. Sequence of play is as follows:

*The deal: Dealer deals two cards face down to each player. Players may examine their cards.

*The opening bet: There is no ante in Diamondback. Dealer makes a wager which must be matched by each of the other players. A player who folds on each hand can play all night and not lose a single coin. Having matched the dealer's wager, each player remaining in the game exposes one of his cards. The dealer then exposes one of his cards and initiates a new round of betting.

*Additional bets: Dealer initiates a new round of betting and each player must choose whether to match the dealer's wager or fold. Dealer may then bet again, calling for remaining players to match or fold again. No one may raise the bet other than the dealer. This continues until all the players have folded, in which case the dealer wins, or until the dealer has stopped the betting, in which case the second card of all remaining players is revealed.

*Winning: Best hand wins the pot. In the case of all players having identical hands as "best hand", the pot is carried over into the next hand. If the number of people with the same hand is less than the total playing, the winners split the pot amongst themselves.

The Hands

These are the 14 possible 2-card combinations in Diamondback, ranked from highest to lowest:
*Magician-Priestess - 70 points
*Priestess-Priestess - 65 points
*Magician-Queen - 60 points
*Magician-King - 55 points
*Priestess-King - 50 points
*Priestess-Queen - 45 points
*Priestess-Priest - 40 points
*Queen-King - 35 points
*Magician-Priest - 30 points
*Queen-Queen - 25 points
*King-King - 20 points
*Queen-Priest - 15 points
*King-Priest - 10 points
*Priest-Priest - 5 points

The point values are simply for reference and have no actual bearing on the game of Diamondback. Also note that the chance of being dealt a higher-ranking hand is not always less than the chance of being dealt a lower-ranking hand (as in poker).

Variations

Match Diamondback

The game continues until both players or a majority of players agree to end it. Any player leaving the game before winning all of the coins, or before a consensus is reached forfeits his winnings into the pot for the next game.

Dealer's Diamondback

The only variation with an ante, established by the dealer, prior to dealing. Each player must match the ante, the cards are dealt and the dealer makes an initial wager. His opponents are then required to double that wager to remain in the game, or can choose to fold. One card is turned over by each player and the dealer makes another wager which his opponents are again required to double to remain in the game. The dealer decides when the wagering is finished and the other card is exposed. The winner becomes the new dealer.

ee also

* Cerebus the Aardvark, the comic book in which Diamondback first appeared
* Dave Sim, creator of Cerebus and Diamondback

External links

* [http://www.beguiling.com/images/cer-cardset.htm Diamondback history by Dave Sim]
* [http://www.geocities.com/cerebuscomic/priestess.html Description of the game of Priestess, also from the Cerebus comics]