The card game Pit was invented by the clairvoyant, Edgar Cayce. Edgar Cayce sent his idea to Parker Brothers, and the toy and game manufacturer started producing and selling Pit in 1904. Because Cayce failed to copyright, Parker Brothers was able to take his idea and not pay him any royalties.
That game was a favorite on Saturday’s nights at my parents when I was a kid. Friends and family all the time. I just remember that it got a bit loud but lots of fun.
My friends and my hubby and I played “Silent Pit” once, because our friend’s baby was asleep. OMG it was hilarious! The facial expressions and holding up our fingers for the numbers. It was unbelievable!! I peed my pants laughing. I LOVE PIT!!
We play a different way to deal with the extra cards. We have 2 trash cards but they're trash cards which aren't dealt out to anyone, rather than cards added to the pack. So this means 2 commodities might be unwinnable without the bull, or one commodity might not be winnable with at all. A bit meaner than your "extra cards" rule and it can be hard with 4 or fewer players but it adds an extra element to the game when you're thinking, "hmmm maybe I can't complete this hand" and switch to another commodity.