The vote at eight: when to split the table and when to decide

The round of eight is critical: if a civilian is removed in the vote and at night the mafia kills one more, the mafia wins three on three. In this round the sheriff who has no removed black must reveal himself, and the town must decide on a line of play. A round with an even number of players has its own features.

You do not need to split the table deliberately at eight, except when a balance was started on one of the lines at nine. Everybody votes as he wishes (or as a red for all says), and if the table happens to split, that is good. An even distribution of votes is not an end in itself: the aim is to win, to remove and find the blacks.

The only sensible round for a sawing is six players, when the teams are determined. At eight any black will hold back or add a hand, and a civilian may "insure" (add a hand for a car crash or, on the contrary, not add it, seeing a break) so that five hands fly against the real sheriff. The danger of losing is extremely high. Vote according to grounds, gather hands against the mafia. If you see that at least four hands will certainly go against a candidate under the first hands, do not vote: that creates a car crash. In other cases you need to decide on a line and not suffer from "sawing of the brain".

Eight people are good in that one of the civilians may make a mistake (vote together with the mafia): this leads to a car crash but not to defeat. Splitting the table is forbidden for everybody.

A balance was played, the mafia missed

If a black of one of the sheriffs has left, you simply need to play the balance, provided that the other leader of the reds has a check who is not the opposing sheriff. The second variant: split the table four on four so that everyone stays alive, talks, and the following checks colour the town completely.

You need to understand why you split. If the teams are not found, it is better to keep the players than to raise them: this gives more information for the right decision in the next round.

How to split: the player nominated under the first hands is the one on whose version the round is not critical. The one for whom the round is critical splits the table so that four votes go against the player under the first hands. A checked red or someone everybody trusts insures. Four votes go under the second hands, and after repeated speeches night falls in the town.

Watch carefully who stands under the first hands. You must not allow a split in which the sheriff for whom the round is critical is voted first: under uncertainty the mafia breaks and wins three on three. If the sheriff for whom the round is critical has already been nominated under the first hands, he is not voted at all. The nominees are the sheriff with whom both mafia presumably sit, and any random player. The table splits, nobody is removed, everyone sleeps. This is important.

How many candidates to nominate

The right number is two. A larger number gives the mafia an opportunity to break by withdrawing a hand. The nominees are:

the sheriff and the false sheriff, if there are no black checks on either line;
the sheriff and his black check;
the black checks on both versions, if each sheriff has found one.

This rule is common to all rounds, especially a critical round with an odd number of players. The mafia can give its own black as black and add a hand. So only the links above are voted; no other candidates need to be nominated.

The round is very simple if you know the right vote: thanks to a correct sawing you will not lose and will gather information. But if you have worked everything out, do not drag the game out.

Steps for the round of eight (the Academy's explanation)

Count whether the round is critical. If today a civilian is removed and at night one more red is lost, "three on three" comes. So a mistake costs the game.
Determine the lines. Which two sheriffs (or sheriff and his opponent) there are, what checks each has, who has already left.
Find out whether there was a balance. If a black left on one of the lines at nine, you have a support, and a split may be justified.
Decide whether a sawing is needed. Without a balance a sawing is superfluous. After a balance a sawing is justified if you want to keep both players for the next information.
Choose two candidates from the list. Sheriff and false sheriff, sheriff and his black check, black checks on the two versions.
Agree on hands. Say aloud who votes for whom, and show on your fingers.

An example of a round (written for the Academy)

Eight players. Sheriff A revealed himself and gave No. 3 and No. 5 as red, No. 8 as black. Sheriff B called A a false sheriff and gave No. 2 and No. 4 as red. At nine, No. 7 left (unchecked, turned out red). Critical round: any wrong decision leads to "three on three". There was no balance. Red No. 1 says: "A sawing is superfluous, we vote by lines. On A's line the blacks are No. 8, B and one more; on B's line the blacks are A, No. 3 and No. 5. The only player neither line names is No. 6, and I do not touch him." All civilians put their hands against one candidate, and the town avoids a car crash.

What not to do at eight (the Academy's explanation)

Do not put the sheriff for whom the round is critical under the first hands: under uncertainty the mafia can add a hand and win "three on three".
Do not nominate three or more candidates: the mafia gets a chance to withdraw a hand.
Do not rely on gut feeling: in such a round you vote by line and count.
Do not drag out speeches if everything is clear: lengthening gives the mafia time to think up a new move.

For the black

Nominate the sheriff with the critical round under the first hands, insist on a split and break the table with a three on three victory.

Questions for self-check

A critical round at eight. In the vote are the sheriff and his black check. Two hands fly into the player under the first hands (the black check). What do you do? Who is the real sheriff in this situation?
Which checks are most profitable for the don, and which for the sheriff?
Devise a scheme under which nobody has to be nominated in a critical round. What conditions must there be?

Practice

Play out a critical round of eight in four variants: without a balance, after a balance, with a miss and with a black check. In each case say whom to nominate and in what order.

Typical mistakes

Splitting the table without need.
Nominating more than two candidates.
Putting the sheriff with the critical round under the first hands.
Dragging the game out when everything is clear.

Source of the idea. The chapter "Voting at eight players" from Dmitry Novik's book "Mafia in the Style of Zen" (2020). The steps, the example and the "what not to do" list were written for the Academy.