Intentional Living | Playing Games

Get off the phone and get to shuffling! Whether alone or with a crowd, a deck of cards can bring hours of fun that don’t involve screentime. Games can be as simple as Go Fish! or Solitaire or as complex as Poker, Bridge, or Canasta. Go to www.bayoulifemag.com for links to tutorials for these games and more.

The history of playing cards can be traced as far back as 9th century AD in China and spread from there along trade routes until reaching Europe in the 14th century. Each culture put their own spin on the look and style of the cards. Around 1480, the French created a 52-card deck, and by the 19th century, the Brits and American cardmakers optimized card design for comfort and durability. Now known as the Anglo-American 52-card deck, this is now the most popular playing card deck worldwide. Each deck contains 2 black suits (Clubs and Spades) and 2 red suits (Diamonds and Hearts). Each suit is made up of 3 face cards (King, Queen, and Jack) along with ten numerals or pip cards ranging from one (the Ace) to ten. 

The Joker card originated with American players of the game Euchre. The German pronunciation of Euchre sounds kind of like the word “joker.” The name for the new extra cards soon led to the design of a jester or clown. Jokers are often used as “wild cards” in games such as Rummy or Canasta.

Playing cards shown here were sourced from Material Things.