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There are innumerable different card games, from casual games we play with friends at home to high-stakes gambling games played in casinos across the world.
Cards have been used by humans for thousands of years. Their history is a fascinating one, and learning how today’s popular gambling games have developed over the years can help us understand how to play these games better. We’ve written up a history of card games through the ages. Read on to check it out.
When were Cards Invented?
The exact origin of playing cards is subject to debate, but most historians agree they were first invented in China, around the 9th century AD. However, the form and function of these cards cannot be confirmed, and it was not until the 1300s that we can find evidence of cards as we know them today.
Playing cards made their way from the East into Europe and soon took the form of a deck of four suits. However, rather than the suits we see in card decks today, these cards used suits of cups, coins, clubs, and swords. These suits are still used in some decks found in modern Italy and Spain.
It was in the 15th century that we saw the development of modern suits, spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts. These came from France, where card games quickly took off as a pursuit of the upper classes and the aristocracy. The French were also responsible for dividing the deck into red and black cards, a decision that led to the development of many more games.
Since the 15th century, the makeup of playing cards has remained relatively unchanged. While new games are always being invented, the cards themselves remain incredibly similar to the ones used hundreds of years ago.
Now that we know the history of playing cards, let’s take a look at how cards have been used for gambling through the ages.
The History of Cards in Gambling
Gambling has been a human pastime for thousands of years, but it is only within relatively recent human history that it has become the phenomenon we know today. Let’s learn some fun facts about medieval card games and study how they have influenced the games still played in casinos around the world.
Initially, cards were reserved for the upper classes, largely due to their expense. However, as printing and manufacturing processes were improved, they quickly gained popularity among lower and working-class populations, which led to a proliferation of card-based gambling games throughout society.
Some of the most popular medieval gambling games played with cards included Triomphe, Hofamterspiel, and All Fours. These games have faded into obscurity, but they were instrumental in developing the games we know and love today.
Card Gambling Games Today
You’re highly unlikely to come across the games mentioned above in any modern casino or on an online gambling platform. Instead, you’re going to find card games like blackjack and poker. We take these games for granted, and it seems like they’ve been around forever. However, the history of their development and popularisation is an interesting one.
Like many card games, the history of blackjack is up for debate, but it’s widely accepted that the game originated in France around the 16th or 17th century. This early version of blackjack was called vingt-et-un’, which is French for twenty-one. As card gambling games moved away from private homes and clubs and into public casinos and gambling venues, blackjack exploded in popularity, and it soon made its way across the Atlantic to America, where it became the global phenomenon we know today.
Other than blackjack, the other most well-known card gambling game is poker. This again is thought to have originated in France in the 1600s. However, while blackjack is based on very simple rules, poker is more complicated, and as a result, there have been numerous developments and variations over the years.
Poker followed a similar patch to blackjack. French settlers brought the game to the US, where it was quickly picked up by casino proprietors. It was in America that modern versions of the game were developed, such as Texas Hold’Em, and the game spread like wildfire across the country throughout the 1800s.
Conclusion
The history of card gambling games from ancient times, through the medieval ages, and to the present day is a fascinating journey. Despite being thousands of years old, card games still delight us to this day, and will continue to do so for many years to come.
