Card games have been a staple of entertainment for human beings in most societies for hundreds of years. In fact, the Chinese invented the earliest set of playing cards just over one thousand years ago.
A few hundred years after the Chinese had invented playing cards, around the late 1300s, they eventually found their way onto the shores of Europe; some say either Italy or Spain.
On this page, we will be taking a closer look at the history of cards, revealing the names of some of the most popular games and discussing their enduring psychological appeal.
A brief history of playing cards
When playing cards reached Europe, each card in a standard deck was hand-painted because this was long before the printing press (woodblock printing technology) was invented. Also, cards were typically only found in the households of the wealthy and upper classes of society.
Over the coming centuries, playing cards became a popular pastime with all classes of society, helped along by the invention of the printing press, which cut the cost of production, speeded up the manufacturing process, and meant that more people could now get their own deck of cards.
However, those early playing cards look nothing like today’s standard 52-card deck.
When cards were still relatively new in society, some people used them to predict future events, such as the weather, or to determine people’s fate and destiny by incorporating astrology.
We have to fast-forward to the 1500s to when the French first introduced suits, which most of us today are familiar with, such as Clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades (trèfle, carreau, coeur, and pique). People had invented various games, and their popularity was now at an all-time high.
Card games could be played alone or with friends/relatives, and around the late 1600s, the rich and well-to-do found a new way to add excitement to playing cards by wagering on the outcomes with their hard-earned money or real-world items, such as jewellery.
Gambling enhanced the appeal of cards. Now that people could win money playing their favourite games, it gradually led to the birth of modern classics, such as baccarat, blackjack, and poker, which are now hugely popular in many parts of the world.
Over the next few centuries until the present day, the cultural significance of card games continued to grow exponentially. They are now a major part of entertainment in many societies worldwide, appealing to players of all ages and backgrounds.
What are the main types of card games?
People have found many entertaining uses for cards, and the main games people play today often fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Outplay games
- Plain-trick games
- Point-trick games
- Beating games
- Climbing games
- Adding games
- War group games (also known as ‘accumulating games’ or ‘catch and collect games’)
- Matching games
- Fishing games
- Card exchange games
- Layout games
- Hand comparison games
- Miscellaneous games (which don’t fall into any of the other categories mentioned above)
Some of these popular categories also have one or more subcategories to better describe certain card games. Some of the most popular card games for adults are often the traditional favourites commonly found at licensed and regulated online casino websites.
You also have fictional card games, drinking games, proprietary games, and card games by objective, to name a few.
A look at some of the world’s most popular card games in 2024
Each card game category and the numerous subcategories have a handful of games that are far more popular than any others.
For example, some of the most popular collectable and trading card games in 2024 that many of you will already be familiar with are Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Others include Hearthstone, Dominion, Slay the Spire, Legend of the Five Rings, Star Wars, Marvel Snap, and Exploding Kittens.
The most popular comparing card games that often require you to place a wager are poker, blackjack, baccarat, Texas hold ‘em, Caribbean stud poker, teen patti, red dog, three card poker, pai gow poker, and casino hold ‘em, to name a few.
Many of you will also be familiar with several other iconic card games, such as rummy/gin rummy, solitaire/patience, cribbage, go fish, hearts, spades, Uno, Canasta, and whist.
Basic rules and overview for some of today’s most popular card games
Here is a quick description and overview of the basic rules for five of today’s most popular card games:
- Poker – this type of card game encompasses a family of comparing games. The exact rules vary, depending on the game. To win, players must normally wager and end up with the strongest winning hand to beat either the dealer or any other active players. This game is usually played with one standard 52-card deck
- Blackjack – the world’s most popular casino banking game, which players must also place wagers on. It can be played with anywhere from one to eight decks, and the aim is to beat the dealer’s hand value by reaching as close to 21 points using the cards you are dealt
- Baccarat – similar to above, but the aim is to try and guess which of three outcomes will occur by putting your money on the player, banker, or tie outcomes. The hand closest to 9 points is the winner
- Solitaire – no wagering is required in this strategic card game, which is normally played alone. The aim is to arrange the cards into the correct systematic order and make stacks with sequences of cards in suit and order, running from ace to king
- Rummy – in this matching card game, players take turns to try and form melds (sets or runs) by rank or sequence using their initial cards and using the community cards to improve their current hand. The winner is the player to form a winning meld before any other players
Final thoughts on the enduring psychological appeal of playing cards
Card games have a timeless appeal, and this popular pastime will no doubt remain a staple of human entertainment for centuries to come. The cultural significance of cards will also remain a huge part of many societies worldwide, especially now that many of today’s most popular games have been digitised for the modern world and can be accessed online from any modern Wi-Fi/internet-enabled desktop computer or mobile device.
Disclaimer: Playing online games involves an element of financial risk and may be addictive. Please play responsibly and at your own risk.
Also Read: Secret Tips & Tricks You Should Know In Three Card Poker
