50 Fun Facts About Card Game

Playing cards were most likely invented in which country, around the 9th century?

The Tang dynasty's woodblock printing made them possible.

Cards probably reached Europe via which Egyptian dynasty's decks?

The earliest European mention is a 1371 Catalan rhyme dictionary, so Spain likely got them first.

The French suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades emerged in roughly which year?

'Clubs' and 'spades' come from the Latin/German symbols even though the French pips are clovers and pikes.

The joker was created in the United States during the Civil War as a trump card for which game?

It was known as the Best Bower.

Why does the ace of spades traditionally carry an ornate design?

James I and Queen Anne imposed the rule, and the card is also called Old Frizzle and the Death Card.

Who is called 'the father of card counting' for his 1962 book Beat the Dealer?

The Hi-Lo system counts tens and aces as minus one and 2 to 6 as plus one.

The MIT Blackjack Team's exploits inspired which best-selling book by Ben Mezrich?

The team started in late 1979 and the book became the film 21.

Modern contract bridge resulted from scoring innovations to auction bridge by which yachting millionaire?

One legend says British soldiers named the earlier game after Istanbul's Galata Bridge.

Canasta was devised in 1939 in which city?

An attorney and an architect wanted a game as engaging as bridge but faster; the name means 'basket'.

Cribbage descends from which old English card game?

Its distinctive board, pegs and crib set it apart, along with points for cards totalling 15.

The Midwest's favourite trick-taking game most likely derives from an old game from which region?

The game was called Jucker or Juckerspiel; euchre remains huge in Michigan and the Midwest.

In the US and Canada, the plain word 'Solitaire' usually refers to which specific game?

Its tableau is triangular, building up in sequence and packing down.

Who programmed the original Microsoft Solitaire?

Susan Kare, of Macintosh icon fame, designed its cards.

FreeCell was originally created as a computer game by whom?

It later shipped with Windows and became famous for its numbered deals.

Uno was created in 1971 by Merle Robbins in a suburb of which city?

Reading, Ohio; Mattel bought International Games in 1992.

Who created Magic: The Gathering?

By February 2023 it had about fifty million players and made Hasbro $1 billion a year.

How much annual revenue did Hasbro say Magic generated in fiscal 2022?

Wizards of the Coast is Hasbro's subsidiary.

Roughly how much did two copies of the Magic card Black Lotus each sell for in the early 2020s?

It is the game's most famous card.

Which company developed the Pokémon Trading Card Game?

It launched in Japan in 1996.

Guinness named which trading card game the world's top-selling in 2009, with over 22 billion cards sold?

Konami publishes it, based on Kazuki Takahashi's manga.

Cards Against Humanity began with a campaign on which platform in 2011?

It is often compared to Apples to Apples.

Exploding Kittens' crowdfunding campaign sought $10,000; how quickly did it hit the goal?

It was designed by The Oatmeal's Matthew Inman with Elan Lee and Shane Small.

Skip-Bo is a commercial version of which traditional card game?

That game descends from Russian Bank and ultimately Double Klondike.

Phase 10 was created in which year?

Kenneth Johnson designed it.

Crazy Eights belongs to a family of games that also includes Mau-Mau, Switch and which modern hit?

All are shedding games where eights are wild.

Punto banco, chemin de fer and banque are the three popular variants of which casino game?

Punto banco dominates casinos today; James Bond played chemin de fer in the novels.

Tarot games are known by what name in their original Italian?

They are Tarock in German.

In Korea, hanafuda cards are known as what?

The Korean 'flower battle' cards are plastic and swap the November and December suits.

Which two games are commonly played with hanafuda?

The 48-card deck has twelve flower suits, one per month.

The United States Playing Card Company was established in 1867 under what name?

It was refounded in Cincinnati in 1885 and makes Bicycle, Bee and Aviator cards.

Bicycle playing cards were first manufactured in which year?

They were made by the United States Printing Company.

The 'dead man's hand' of aces and eights is named for which Old West figure, shot while holding it?

He was murdered in Deadwood in 1876; the kicker card is unknown.

The first World Series of Poker in 1970 was decided how?

Benny Binion invited seven top players to the Horseshoe Casino.

The Complete Gamester (1674) called which game the most popular English descendant of Triumph?

Whist evolved from it, and bridge from whist.

Hearts originated in the United States in which decade?

Variants include Black Lady and Black Maria.

Spades was devised in the United States in which decade?

It spread widely among US soldiers in World War II.

How many cards are in a standard pinochle deck?

It is a trick-taking ace-ten game with melds, for two to four players.

The two common theories place rummy's 19th-century origin in which two countries?

The Mexican game Conquian and Chinese games like Khanhoo are the candidates.

Gin rummy was created in 1909 by whom?

It became a Hollywood craze in the years before the war.

What is the British name for the simple children's game War?

It requires no decisions at all, just luck.

The rules of Vieux Garçon, the French cousin of Old Maid, first appeared in which year?

Germany's version is Schwarzer Peter.

A standard modern deck is made of which suit system?

It has 52 cards in four suits of thirteen.

Euchre is especially associated with Upstate New York and which US state?

It is also popular in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Which Rabelais character is recorded playing no fewer than 30 card games, a key source for 16th-century play?

His games included Piquet, Primero, Gleek and Tarot; Girolamo Cardano preserved the earliest rules of Trappola.

Which French game of the 17th century was the first in history to introduce the concept of bidding?

A derivative of Triomphe, it became La Bete in Germany and Beast in England.

The French shedding game Manille was renamed Comète after which 1682 event?

It evolved from Hoc Mazarin, a game named after Louis XIV's prime minister.

Which Spanish game, hailed as 'the most successful card game ever invented' in its day, spawned Quadrille?

The bid-winner became 'the Man' and played alone; Quadrille is mentioned several times in Pride and Prejudice.

Which is the only fishing game widely played in English-speaking countries?

Scopa is one of Italy's national games, and Zwicker is a 'simpler and jollier' German cousin.

In which direction is play traditionally taken in most of Asia and Latin America?

North America and Australia go clockwise, and Europe splits roughly north (clockwise) and south (counterclockwise).

Which game, played with German-suited cards, is the oldest in Europe still played in some form today?

It is one of the rare games where signalling between partners is allowed; Knüffeln and Styrivolt descend from it.