Card game

A card game is any game that uses cards as its primary device for play.

These games can use traditional decks or proprietary decks made specifically for one game. While some games have standardized rules for international tournaments, many are folk games. Folk games often have rules that vary by region, culture, or even by the specific group of people playing.

Modern games often use bespoke decks with vast amounts of cards. These may include number cards or special action cards. Many people now group these modern card games under the broader hobby of board games.

Traditional card games rely on a deck or pack of cards. Every card is identical in size and shape. Each card has two sides: the face and the back. Usually, the backs are indistinguishable from one another. The composition of the deck is known to every player. In some instances, players shuffle several decks together to form a single pack or a shoe.

Card games often exploit a specific mechanic called imperfect information. This occurs because cards are only identifiable from one side. A player knows their own cards but cannot see the cards held by others. This is different from games of perfect information, where every position is visible to all players.

Some card games involve a physical board. However, the board is not the main focus of the game. In a true card game, the play chiefly depends on the use of the cards. The board serves only as a guide for scorekeeping or for placing cards.

This distinguishes them from board games. In board games, the primary focus is the players' positions on the board. In those games, cards are used only for a secondary purpose.

The history of playing cards likely began during the Tang dynasty in China. This was around the 9th century. The invention was likely aided by the technology of woodblock printing.

A text from 868 describes a "leaf game" played by Princess Tongchang. A scholar named Ouyang Xiu later suggested these "leaves" were pages of a book used in a board game with dice. By the Yuan dynasty in 1294, officials caught two gamblers using paper cards.

Some early cards were used for drinking games. These cards lacked suits or numbers. Instead, they featured printed instructions or forfeits. One Yuan period card instructed a player to drink wine and beg for food from guests.

Playing cards eventually reached Europe, possibly through maritime trade with Mamluk rulers in Egypt.

The first named European game was Karnöffel, mentioned in 1426. A major innovation in Europe was the introduction of trump cards. These are cards with the power to beat all cards in other suits. This concept appeared with Tarot cards, which featured a permanent trump suit of picture cards.

An example from around 1420 included 16 trumps depicting Greek and Roman gods. This idea was so successful that it moved to cheaper, ordinary decks of cards.

The 16th and 17th centuries saw a massive increase in card game variety. In the 16th century, the writer François Rabelais mentioned 30 different games in his fiction.

The 17th century introduced the second great innovation: bidding. Bidding first emerged in the Spanish game Ombre. In Ombre, the player who won the bidding became the "Man" and played alone against two others.

This era also saw the rise of Piquet, a trick-taking game that used a 32-card pack. Other famous games like Whist and various French court games became popular during this time.

Today, card games remain a vital part of global culture and social interaction. They range from simple family activities to highly complex strategic hobbies.

Some games are played for intense competition in large tournaments. Others are passed down through generations as cherished local traditions. Whether using a simple deck or a massive custom set, card games continue to challenge the human mind. They connect players through shared rules, skill, and the excitement of the unknown.