Signals in Cash (a.k.a. Kemps, Kent)
In the card game Cash, also known as Kemps or Kent, the majority of the game’s opportunities for strategy are found in the signals used in the game. The most important rule in choosing a signal is to choose something that works for your partnership! Not all players notice or react well to the same same thing, so get to know your partner and learn what works and what doesn’t.
Keep in mind that part of a successful Cash game is fooling your opponents. Turn the pitfalls mentioned here around on your opponents—watch them to see if they are committing these errors, or commit them yourself with a phony signal to trick your opponent into calling “Counter cash!”
Verbal signals
Verbal signals (a spoken word used as a signal) are the easiest to successfully communicate and are therefore also the easiest for your opponents to detect. Most of the time, you will be able to use a verbal signal only once. For this reason, it can be pretty much anything, because even if it’s something that you would obviously never say unless it was a signal, like “shark putty”, all you have to do is call “Cash!” before your opponents can call “Counter cash!” and you’re good.
But if you do want to reuse a verbal signal, you can attempt to camouflage it. You can use a single word and bury it within a longer sentence, for instance. Make sure it’s a word that is common enough that it won’t stick out like a sore thumb, but not so common that you will say it on accident. It should also be something that doesn’t force an awkward change in subject—you don’t want to be talking about your grandmother’s cookies, then suddenly bring up Breaking Bad because that’s your signal word. Something that can help camouflage a signal is deliberately waiting for a few moments before calling “Cash”, in the hopes of keeping your opponents from associating the signal with you winning.
There is some merit in pretending an already-used signal is your code word, when in reality you have since changed your signal. The reason for this, of course, is to trick your opponents into losing by calling a bogus “Counter cash!” If that’s what you’re trying to do, re-read that last paragraph, and do everything it tells you not to!
Non-verbal signals
With non-verbal signals, many of the same rules apply. You will want something natural enough that your opponents will not notice, but conspicuous enough that your opponent will. Practically anything will do—taking a drink, fanning your cards out wider or narrower than usual, fiddling with your watch, slowly swaying your chair side to side. Just don’t pick anything like scratching your head or rubbing your eye—you are guaranteed to get a sudden itch in that spot when the hand starts!
One thing to watch out for is that you don’t fixate on wherever your partner’s signal will be coming from. If your partner will signal by adjusting their glasses, don’t stare at their glasses! Your opponents may notice and start staring too, and will call “Counter cash” whenever they notice anything amiss.
And remember, just because non-verbal signals have a higher shelf-life, it doesn’t mean they have an indefinite shelf life. You should still probably use the same signals for no more than three hands. Your opponents are bound to catch on eventually.
Hold cards in one hand when don’t have cash, kemps, etc. and hold in the other when you do
We play in band, so my signal is fixing the music stands, or saying “I just need one more card”. Stuff like that
I pick up a card and then lay the same card down. No one has ever figured it out.
I just look at the person, not noticeably, but when my partner is looking at me, and no other people are, I just nod my head.
If you are playing under a table I like to step or give a knudge underneath the table
Might want to be careful with this one, fshjhfjd—since the other players cannot easily see what you’re doing under the table (and thus call “Countercash”), it could be considered cheating!
I like to put my elbows on my knees when I have a match.
My partner and I will run our hand through our hair. We also have a sign to check our phone when we have a match.
Me and my partner always make fake signals
Just say ¨I have Kemps(or whatever depending on what you call it)¨ the others will never suspect it and its the easiest/quickest way to get it across
me and my friend say random letters but if we say AZ iit means we have a set of four, it always works and people call counter kemps on a random set of letters eg: Me: AR Opponent: Counter kemps! Me: Ha ha!
my favorite code i’ve made up is: (you and your partner must be quick at multiplication and subtraction.)
doubles: a singular word, i.e. duck
triples: plural, i.e. logs
kemps: a verb, i.e. walking
the number code starts with your number – Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13. The rest are just the number on them.
Take the number, i.e. 2, multiply by 3 (6), and subtract by 2. (5)
So, if I had triple jacks, I might say –
Wires 31
or, kemps –
Jumping 65 (I like to add a random number on kemps to throw people off.)
or doubles of 4s –
apple 10
I’ve got to say, that’s pure brilliance. My code is:
32 would be 5, because you’re adding up the 2 numbers, but to hide it, you can say 7’32’.Tthen you could put a number after to say how many of that card you have. I.e, 7,324 would mean: 3+2=5, 7 is extra, and for means you have a Kent.
How do you like that?
when all my cards are different, i hold my cards with one finger at sight, when i got two likewise cards, i hold em with two fingers, when i got three cards, the fingers, and when i got em all 4, i hold the cards with 4 fingers. this always works and this way my teammate always knows how many cards i got.
I just say my signal at the starting of the game so they think its a distraction?
The best thing to do is take of your shoe and slap it onto the table. Everyone will get startled, then your partner will know what going on and quickly say kemps before anyone knows what’s going on.