What Is Ziganette?

Over the past few years, the game of poker has experienced a tremendous surge in popularity. Poker tournaments are hosted in bars and clubs around the country and even televised nationally. With Poker’s rise in popularity comes speculation about what other forgotten games may become trendy once again. One possibility is the Sicilian game of Ziganette.

Banned in Italy and legendary in Italian neighborhoods, Ziganette is a simple game known for its fast pace and high stakes. During a typical night of playing, fortunes have been won, lost and regained over and over again. The games simplicity draws players in, but the chance for a big score is what keeps them playing.

Just as with Poker, Ziganette has no ceiling on how much a person could win or lose. Therefore, like Poker, Ziganette is best played “tournament” style, so that a person’s losses can be controlled. “Tournament” style implies that, for a fixed amount of money, a player receives a predetermined amount of chips. Players then play until all players except one have lost all their chips. The last player remaining wins the pot. It is a much safer way to play Ziganette and the reason why Poker has become so popular lately.

To play Ziganette, you need at least two players, although you can have many more. One player is the banker, the rest are the players. The banker shuffles the deck then invites any player to cut the cards. Once the deck is shuffled and cut, the banker deals out two cards, face up. These are the players’ cards. If these two cards are of different denominations, the banker deals out a third card, face up. This is the banker’s card. If all three cards are of different denominations, Ziganette may be played.

The play is simple: players wager that a card matching the banker’s card will come out BEFORE a card matching the card they bet. A fourth card is then drawn from the deck and placed on the table. If it matches a player’s card, the banker wins all money wagered on that card. If it matches the banker’s card, the banker looses and must pay out all bets. Bets are paid out 1 to 1. If the drawn card doesn’t match any card on the table, it becomes available as an additional player’s card.

So, for example, if a 3 and a 5 are dealt first, they become the player’s cards. If a King is dealt next, that becomes the banker’s card. If the next card dealt is a 3, then any players who bet the 3 lose their bet. If the card is a 5, then any players who bet the 5 lose their bet. If the card is a King, then every bet is a winner and the banker must pay them out. If the card isn’t a 3, 5 or King, then it simply becomes another player’s card that may be bet.

Play continues with the banker drawing cards, bets being settled and new bets being placed until the banker loses. At which point, the deal passes to the right and another player becomes the banker.

There are a few additional rules you should know. If two player’s cards match, they are still available to bet. They are stacked one on top of the other and called a Double Up. Double Ups are less likely to lose so they aren’t paid out the same as a regular bet. A Double Up is paid out 1 to 2. So a $2 bet on a Double Up gets paid $1 if it wins. Three players’ cards of the same denomination may be played as well. This is called a Triple and the pay out is even less. A Triple is paid 1 to 4, so that a $2 bet that wins is paid $0.50.

With every deal of Ziganette, the chance to win big or lose big abounds. The only thing that is for certain is that every flip of a card brings new excitement. Faster and easier to play then Poker, Ziganette may just be the next big thing. Always remember, games of chance are just for fun and you should never wager more then you can afford to lose.

Good Luck For A New Home

Have you ever given any thought to the people who used to live in your home? Most people don’t like to think about it but odds are you weren’t the first person to sleep under your roof. Who knows what kind of drama unfolded in your home in the years before you moved in? Even if your home is a new construction, who knows what happened on the land where your home was built?

In a land as old and storied as Italy, this is a major concern of the people. What if something bad happened in the house before you moved in? What if there is a negative air? How can you get rid of it? Fortunately, the Italian people are as spiritual as their land is historic and they have come up with a series of traditions to cleanse a home of negative spirits.

A Crucifix
There is no better recognized way to keep evil away than by displaying a Crucifix. A symbol of the Resurrection of Christ, the Crucifix reminds evil spirits who the one true power is and forces them to retreat.

A Patron Saint
Every family needs a patron saint, a specific saint that they turn to in times of need. For many Italians their patron saint is the patron of their city or region. So a family from Naples would have a statue of San Gennaro in their home. For others the choice of a patron is more personal and can be based on family tradition or a particular saint’s life story.

The Horn
Every new home needs a horn. The Italian Horn is such an important part of Italian culture that it deserves its own article completely. But for now let’s just say that the horn is the most widely regarded amulet to ward off evil that the Italian people have.

A Broom
You need a new broom. Brooms symbolize the sweeping away of evil spirits. Also, they are weapons against mischievous spirits who may inhabit your home. These spirits, common in Italy, can be distracted by a broom placed outside your bedroom door. Compulsive by nature, the spirits get preoccupied counting the bristles and by the time they are done, the sun is rising and they have to run and hide.

Salt
A new homeowner who receives salt should sprinkle it outside their front door. Salt represents the salt of your tears. Sprinkling it outside your home leaves all your sadness outside the home. It is a way to mend old wounds and let bygones be bygones.

Olive Oil
Olive oil is at the heart of the Italian lifestyle. Not only is it an integral part of the Italian diet but it’s also a key to good health. To give a new homeowner a bottle of olive oil is to wish them a long and healthy life. If a married woman whose husband is faithful gives olive oil to another married woman, it is believed that the gift will keep the receiver’s husband faithful as well.

A Plant
Plants are a common gift of luck in many cultures and for good reason. They are a natural air freshener, liven up an area and bring perpetual life into a house. Tending for a plant also helps to reduce the stress of the owner. Therefore giving a new homeowner a plant is to wish them a healthy and stress free life.

Wood
Stability, harmony and peace with nature are all attributes of wood. To give a new homeowner a gift made of wood is to wish them those same traits in their life.

You may recognize some of these gifts and others may be new to you but they’re all part of an ancient Italian tradition designed to insure happiness in the home. And if you have a happy home, you have a happy life.