At night most of the men, seated like dogs on mats of round reeds, play with straws. . . . Nothing can exceed their ardor for this game. (Pierre Delliette, 1702)

Men played a game of straws in which the players wagered bets on the outcome. The gaming pieces included a bundle of 200 straws, all of which measured about one foot long, and a pile of about 500 small bean-shaped seeds from honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) trees. The object of this game was to "guess the remainder." At the outset, the seeds were divided equally among the players. The players used the seeds to register their guesses (a number between 1 and 6) and to place bets. To begin play, one man would grasp the bundle of straws in both hands and thrust his thumb into the middle, randomly dividing it in two. He then counted out the straws in one bundle by sixes to determine the "remainder." Any player who correctly guessed the remainder would claim the seeds wagered in that round. Play continued until one player won all the seeds and, in consequence, all of the guns, animal pelts, and other objects wagered on the outcome of the game.

		Straw game of the Illinois Indians: grasp bundle of 200 straws with both hands.
		Split bundle in two with thumb.
		Count out straws by sixes.
		Determine the number of remaining straws.