The most popular forms of gambling took place over the tlachtli (the ball game) and at patolli. The ball game was an extremely versatile sport played for entertainment as well as for gambling and ritual purposes. The game was played on a ball court that was 100, 150, or 200 feet long, with a line drawn across the center and two rings on either side. The game was played with a hard rubber ball and it was necessary for players to wear gloves, girdles, and hip guards made of deerskin. Even so, players were often badly bruised, and sometimes fatally injured, by the impact of the ball. The players would hit the ball back and forth, being sure to use only their knees and buttocks; the use of any other body part constituted a foul. Fouls wee also counted if the ball entered a team’s back court, or if a team failed to hit the ball across the center line. However, a team that managed to hit the ball through a ring won an immediate victory. The game required considerable dexterity and adroitness. It was particularly popular among the nobility, who were active players and wagered everything from precious gems to clothing, feathers, cacao, houses, fields, and slaves. Some persons, paupers, played and bet as a means of livelihood, and were rarely if ever prosperous: