A Myriad Of Card Games: Luck Of The Draw

There are very few people today who have not played at least one card game. One person games, also known as solitaire are probably the most popular. Playing cards have also been synonymous with one of the most pleasurable sins of Sin City, Reno, and Atlantic City. When one thinks of gambling, the most often think of poker more than anything else. Card games and play cards in general were as taboo as Elvis’s hips back in the fifties and sixties.

Today’s History Lesson

Have you ever wondered about the origin of card games? Who was the first to call out “go fish!” or “gin rummy!”? When and where did playing cards make their grand arrival onto the historical scene? It is believed that playing cards were invented shortly after the arrival of paper in China. What they designed is a far cry from what you use today; there was certainly an evolving that occurred. Obviously card games did not gain much popularity, as Mahjong is one of the few games known to come from behind the Great Wall.

The next place you hear about playing cards is in England during the thirteenth century. Writer extraordinaire Geoffrey Chaucer was said to have mentioned what could be described as card games in his writings. Other sightings include Egypt and different places in Europe; like playing “Where’s Waldo” in the Middle Ages.

During the beginning of their history, playing cards were designed by hand and therefore rather expensive. Makers did not scrimp on artistry or size; the result was a deck of beautifully painted cards that were almost the size of small menus. It is reported that French King Charles VI was an avid card game player.

Favorite Card Games To Play

There are many very enjoyable card games that the whole family can enjoy. Some games, like gin rummy have different styles of play and a set of rules for each style; you may want to read up and avoid confusion once you begin playing.

Two or more players:

1) gin rummy

2) go fish

3) canasta

4) hearts

Spades is one of the few games in which you will need four people in order to successfully play the game. And, of course solitaire card games only require one person. Thanks to advancements in technology, you no longer need a deck of playing cards to play card games; many home computers have a sample of games installed, as well as games that can be played online.