Pitch and toss

Pitch and toss

Pitch and Toss (also known as "Liney" or "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.

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.

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";""

External links

[http://www.durham.gov.uk/miner/projects.nsf/581cd74a9c6aa8b080256d48003758cb/39638f7e668fc8be80256e370038a154?OpenDocument Dave Farrer, "Pitch and Toss", in the Durham Miner Project, Durham County Council]

[http://www.TossingGames.com Tossing Games]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pitch and toss — Pitch Pitch, n. 1. A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand; as, a good pitch in quoits. [1913 Webster] {Pitch and toss}, a game played by tossing up a coin, and calling Heads or tails; hence: {To play pitch and toss with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • To play pitch and toss with anything — Pitch Pitch, n. 1. A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand; as, a good pitch in quoits. [1913 Webster] {Pitch and toss}, a game played by tossing up a coin, and calling Heads or tails; hence: {To play pitch and toss with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pitch-and-toss — /pich euhn taws , tos /, n. a game in which players toss coins at a mark, the person whose coin hits closest to the mark tossing all the coins in the air and winning all those that come down heads up. [1800 10] * * * …   Universalium

  • pitch-and-toss — /pɪtʃ ən ˈtɒs/ (say pich uhn tos) noun a game in which players throw coins at a mark, the most accurate player then being allowed to toss all the coins and keep those which come down heads up …  

  • pitch-and-toss — | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ noun Etymology: pitch (III) : a game in which the player who pitches coins nearest to a mark has first chance at tossing up all the coins played and winning those that fall heads up …   Useful english dictionary

  • pitch and toss — I Australian Slang the boss II Cockney Rhyming Slang Boss My bloody pitch kept me late again …   English dialects glossary

  • Pitch and toss — the boss …   Dictionary of Australian slang

  • Pitch — Pitch, n. 1. A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand; as, a good pitch in quoits. [1913 Webster] {Pitch and toss}, a game played by tossing up a coin, and calling Heads or tails; hence: {To play pitch and toss with (anything)}, to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pitch chain — Pitch Pitch, n. 1. A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand; as, a good pitch in quoits. [1913 Webster] {Pitch and toss}, a game played by tossing up a coin, and calling Heads or tails; hence: {To play pitch and toss with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pitch circle — Pitch Pitch, n. 1. A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand; as, a good pitch in quoits. [1913 Webster] {Pitch and toss}, a game played by tossing up a coin, and calling Heads or tails; hence: {To play pitch and toss with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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