History of Games - Card Games

Card Games

Playing cards first appeared in Ancient China, where they were found as early as the 9th century during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). The earliest reference to card games in literature appears during the same period, in the Collection of Miscellanea at Duyang. Playing cards first appeared in Europe during the 14th century, most likely by way of Mamluk Egypt, with suits very similar to the tarot suits of Swords, Staves, Cups and Coins, as continue to be used in traditional Italian, Spanish and Portuguese decks today. The four suits most commonly encountered today (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs) appear to have originated in France circa 1480.

The game of Cribbage appears to have developed in the early 17th century, as an adaptation of the earlier card game Noddy. Pinochle was likely derived from the earlier Bezique, a game popular in France during the 17th century. The game of Whist was widely played during the 18th and 19th centuries, having evolved from the 16th century game of Trump (or Ruff) by way of Ruff and Honours. The earliest references in print to the Poker family of games occur in the first half of the 19th century. While possibly dating back as far as the reign of Charles VIII of France (1483–1498), Baccarat first came to the attention of the public at large and grew to be widely played as a direct result of the Royal Baccarat Scandal of 1891, and bears resemblances to the card games Faro and Basset, both of which were very popular during the 19th century. The rules of Contract bridge were originally published in 1925, the game having been derived from Bridge games with rules published as early as 1886, Bridge games, in turn, having evolved from the earlier game of Whist.

Collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering, while bearing similarities to earlier games in concept, first achieved wide popularity in the 1990s.