Those cards are for playing Baghjack. (Long)
A member of my family is the head of the branch of the VFW that provides assistance to veterans in VA hospitals. He also frequents the casinos, but is not an advantage player. Casinos give him huge amounts of used playing cards. He sends some of them to soldiers in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The rest of them he sells, and uses the money for things for vets in the hospitals.
Soldiers love to receive these cases of playing cards.
Now, on to Baghjack...
When those cards were issued to help identify Hussein's group, I was the co-host of the South & West page another site. As each crony was captured or killed, I posted and played that card. I ceased the game when I severed my relationship with that site. I have taken down the baghjack game, but I will present it here for you.
Let's Play Baghjack!
4-12-03
Okay folks,
With Sodamn Insane's Science Advisor, Lt. General Amer al-Saadi taking advantage of Early Surrender, the seven of diamonds has been dealt. This gives me an idea.
Iraq is in the same latitude as the South, so let's play Baghjack.
It's a heads up game. Our spread is 1:6, and $100 is our betting unit. It is a single deck game (obviously) DAS, double on any pair, re-splits, including aces, and S17. We are going to offer early surrender in honor of Amer al-saadi.
As the cards come out, pick your counting system, and play along. There is no hole card play, so if a bunch of cards come out faster than we can play, we will play them one at a time without consideration of the other cards that are coming. If a bunch of cards come out at once, I will check MSNBC for a listing, and announce the playing order.
Whenever one of the guys represented on a card is captured, turns himself in, is killed, or determined to be dead, we will consider that card dealt.
The hole card will be dealt after you have played your strategy.
In the event that someone has to settle a dispute, I will be the pit boss. I can't believe I said that.
The game has started. You have received a seven. Next card is the dealer's up card.
Please Lord, give us good pen on this one!
4-13-03
U.S. confirmed today that Saddam's half-brother, Watban, was captured a couple of days ago. He was the five of spades, so dealer gets a five for an upcard, heh heh heh.
They also got some guy named Jaffar al-Jaffar, but he does not appear to have a card.
4-17-03
Player is standing. It's not time to raise bets yet.
They got another of S. Insane's half brothers. He was the 5 of clubs.
Name: Barzan. Wasn't he in The Godfather?
Next card is Dealer's hole.
4-19-03
U.S. Military and Iraqui civilian police caught Hikmat Mizban Ibrahim Al-Azzawi on Friday.
Old Hikmat was the Deputy Prime Minister of Economics & Finance Minister. He was a good catch for us, but unfortunately, he was also the eight of diamonds.
Recap:
Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Sadi (Chemical Ali)
Player: 7 of diamonds
Watban Ibrahim Hasan al Tikriti
Dealer: Up card 5 of spades
Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al Tikriti
Player: 5 of clubs for total of 12, stands against dealer's 5.
Samir abd al Aziz al Najm
Dealer: Hole card 4 of clubs for a total of 9.
Hikmat al Azzawi
Dealer draws the 8 of diamonds to get a hard 17 and win the hand.
Player has lost one betting unit, and is betting two units on the next hand.
4-20-03
Count is going up, player has accordingly 2 units out on the table.
Jamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al-Tikriti, Sodamn Insane's son-in-law, the nine of clubs, surrenders, giving our hero a nine.
Humam Abd al-Khaliq Abd al-Ghafur, another science minister, the four of hearts, has also surrendered. This gives the dealer an upcard of 4.
Stay tuned...
4-21-03
They got Muhammad Hazmaq al Zubaydi, the Central Euphrates Regional Commander who was the Queen of Spades.
You think the ones that are queens get teased by the other guys?
4-23-03
Well, they just got Zuhayr Talib Abd al Sattar al Naqib, who was the Director of Military Intelligence - a very important catch.
Unfortunately for our player, he was also the seven of hearts, and our dealer's hole card.
Player is standing on 19 with two units out, and the dealer has 11.
4-23-03
Muzahim Sa'b Hassan al Tikriti, the Air Defense Force Commander, and also being the Queen of Diamonds, upon hearing my quip about which ones get tagged "queen" timed his capture to top off that dealer's eleven.
Our hero has lost three units in two hands since the shuffle.
Word has it, the bad guys have heard about my Baghjack game, and the most-wanted are allowing themselves to be captured, or are turning themselves in, timed to allow our hero player, Yankee-Doodle-Counter to lose at Baghjack.
I'm waiting for another card to confirm this, but if that's the case... ...I think I can live with it.
Count has dropped, but there's still enough card ratio to support 2 units...
...next hand.
4-24-03
Looks like the Iraqis have WSD (weapons of standard deviation).
Muhammad Mahdi al-Salih, is in custody. He was the Minister of Trade and the 6 of hearts.
Player has lost 3 units, has 2 units in the betting box, and has received a 6 for his first card in the third hand.
4-28-03
Dang, I'm gone for a few days, and nobody has updated.
Tariq Aziz was a major catch, but he was only 43rd on the list of 55. He was also only the 8 of spades.
5-2-03
Mizban Khadr Hadi, 9 of hearts, was brought down Thursday, giving the player 15 against the dealer's 8.
Player hits with Huweish, the ten of Hearts, who was caught today, and busts.
Down 5 units, and on to the fourth hand with one unit out on the table.
5-2-03
Marouf, the 9 of diamonds is captured. Player starts with a 9 with one unit bet.
5-5-03
Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, otherwise known as Mrs. Anthrax surrendered. She got her degree at the University of Texas, and was the 5 of hearts.
5-7-03
Ghazi Hammud, the Baath Party Regional Chairman for the Kut District is in custody.
The Ghaz-man was the two of hearts, which combined with that niner, gives our player an eleven against the dealer's five. Yeah-buddy!
