The History of Card games


The History of Card games

The exciting thing about playing cards is that almost everyone knows some kind of game. Whether card games are your passion, or just sometimes you play poker, blackjack friends... We all know the rules of at least one card game. 

Nowadays, online card games are top-rated, which, thanks to the Internet, have brought a particular dimension to playing. Most of us, however, do not even think about where the cards came from or when and why they were created. The younger generations probably assume that the cards were created on the Internet, or that they are the product of the online age.

Either way, the history of playing cards and games is really interesting, and a bit mystical, which makes this story even juicier.

When you look at a card, it is clear to you that it is a piece of paper, usually cardboard, which has been specially processed for easier handling. Shaped into rectangular cards the size of a palm, covered with plastic, and painted with recognizable motifs. They are packed in a deck of different sizes, depending on the games for which they are intended. Also, the term “card” and packing in a deck, but with different painted motifs - is also used in religious-magical rituals, such as tarot cards.

The classic and well-known pattern is a deck of 52 cards, with a combination of English-French design. Asia has its special tradition of cards, as well as a tarot that is specific in many ways.

From its official creation until today, playing cards have come a long way, so the variations are endless, as are the versions of the same games. The history of playing cards can be observed in many ways, especially culturally and sociologically. 

Playing cards are a passion for many, not only gambling addiction but also as an art object or a "tool" for magical rituals, both for fun (magic tricks and performances) but also as a dangerous means of deceiving opponents or enemies.

The beginning

The oldest known record that mentions cards as we know them today dates back to the ninth century and according to it - playing cards are fabrication in China. More precisely, during the Tang Dynasty. It is assumed that they were created for the reason that the new printing technology would be tested during that time and was printed on wooden or clay tiles. They didn’t have today’s design and “characters” dressed in special suits as well as a numerical value.

They only had instructions and comments from the person who printed them.

Later, throughout history, cards were most often associated with alcoholic gatherings between men.

Through trade routes, cards and games were transmitted to Europe, so decks, similar to today's most famous of the 52 cards, were found in Europe in the 13th century. At the time they were a status symbol "allowed" only to the rich. 

The cards were hand-painted with representative suits such as cups, helmets, swords, and other symbols characteristic of European tradition. Also, Europeans introduced people as card symbols. In the beginning, there were six of them, but in time they were reduced to today's famous 4. Sometime in the middle of the 14th century did the mass production of playing cards begin.

Different influences

The fifteenth century, of European card history, brought changes such as the introduction of cards with the symbols King, Queen, Knight, and Jack, Fool. There were so many that the deck numbered a hundred cards that were mostly used to play a game called Tarocco. Under the influence of the tarot, the deck became smaller and smaller during the later decades, and the French introduced the tradition of costumes throughout their monarchist history. This is how Spearheads, Hearts, Trefoils were created, which became a model of modern decks and games.

Across China, the maps soon spread through Asia and soon reached Egypt. The oldest physical specimens of the cards were found in the Keir collection and are in the Benaki Museum. They are officially dated from the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century, i.e. the early Mamluk period.

In Istanbul, in Topkapi Castle in 1939, the oldest almost entire deck of 52 maps was found, dating from the 15th century and belonging to the Mamluk period. They had their specific decorations characteristic of the history of that time and various religious prohibitions, as well as the mutual influences of different cultures and habits of living.

Modern times

However, the closest thing to what more or less we all know today when it comes to  playing cards is the creation of the Americans. The greatest changes took place in the 19th century. Then varnishing of the card surface was introduced, as well as an equally painted background to prevent cheating. The Joker was then part of the standard deck, although it is a remnant of the European tradition, namely the game of Euchra. 

The Joker and the Fool are variations of the same card and are most often depicted as bizarre characters with wind instruments. In the middle of the 19th century, the United States Playing card Company was founded, which still exists today and which produces the famous and their most famous series of Bicycle cards.

The modern, usual deck of cards that we all know and which consists of 52 cards and two jokers, is a fusion of French, German, and Latin style in terms of design and tradition. The suits are a combination of Latin and German, while the number of 52 cards is a typical French tradition, which again leans on the Mamluk tradition. Modern playing cards generally have numerical indexes in the upper right corner

Also, although we call them a classic deck, it is subject to variations depending on the continent, country, and mutual influences. These are the most common differences in the colors, shapes, and sizes of individual cards. 

A special curiosity is the Joker card, which is always given special attention from a design point of view. In addition to being intended for games, cards are also an important historical and social artifact. Also, each card can be a collector's item. And it is an indirect type of gambling that is tied to cards.

Bottom line

When it comes to the history of games, it is often difficult to follow because the rules were often passed on orally. They were not recorded because card games, through history, have been forbidden for a long time. 

Neal Taparia, the owner of Mahjong Challenge believes that, so to speak, playing cards prohibition boosted their popularity and over time the rules of different games got mixed up.

It is even possible in today’s poker to find a link to the rules of some old Chinese game. So, the history of games is difficult to follow also because there are many variations of the same game.

What is still related to cards is fortune-telling, so-called witchcraft, and various forms of magic and tricks. Tarot is especially interesting, but it is a different story.

In any case, playing cards is an unusual phenomenon, addictive, and very interesting and fun. No doubt it will change in the future, as it seems every day. 

Online card games are taking over the market and becoming more popular. However, there are still old-fashioned versions of casinos and card dens where fans or gamblers gather to play their favorite game.

In addition to a long history and countless games played - the cards did not seem to bore the low. On the contrary, they are getting more and more fun.