Playing cards have been part of the casino table for as long as we can remember. Yet few people knew about its history. This article will give you a glimpse of its beginnings and some fun facts that most of you probably don’t know.
History of Playing Cards
Playing cards begun over a thousand years ago in the Chinese Tang Dynasty. During the 9th century, the complete playing card deck is only composed of 32 cards and were used for dice games and Mahjong rather than the popular table games. The first playing cards were made from rock and wood until it became slips of paper with dotted designs.
Playing cards slowly reached Europe in the 1370s and were considered luxury items back then because of how each was hand-painted. Playing cards have then since continued to gain in popularity and like it or not, the variety of card games both available online and offline are here to stay.
Facts About Playing Cards
- Card Games Are Available On Your Phone.
Gone are the days when you must travel to a physical casino to have a round of classic card game. Now you can access card games of your choice right on your mobile devices. Some popular card games include live blackjack, poker, and baccarat.
- Bicycle Card Company Used Cards to Their Advantage During War
This famous US card manufacturer used playing cards as weapons of war. They worked with the US government and made secret special decks of cards to help American prisoners of war. What’s special about this card is that it can be peeled apart to reveal a map as an escape plan for soldiers.
- Casinos in Vegas Change Decks Hourly
Decks in a casino are used for up to 12 hours only before they must be switched. The length of time can vary depending on how often the cards are shuffled or how busy a table is. During peak hours, casinos can change decks as frequent as every hour. This is practiced to prevent players from recognizing marks, bends and cuffs, and used these as an advantage in their games.
Casinos often clip corners, or punch holes through cards to discard the decks and make sure they can’t be reused in a game. This practice is of course nonexistent in online casino games.
- Uncanny Link Between Playing Cards and Calendar
The association between playing cards and a calendar is a cultural reference and not a scientific fact.
Traditionally, the 4 card suits represent four seasons. The colors red and black signify night and day, while the 52 cards are believed to be the number of weeks in a year. It’s also uncanny that the 13 cards in each suit represent the number of lunar cycles while the 12 face cards are the months in a year. When you add all the symbols in a complete card deck, it would amount to 365 which is exactly the number of days in a year.
- Gifting Playing Cards is Bad Luck
In many cultures, it is not recommended to give someone a deck of cards as a gift as it is considered bad luck. According to beliefs, the relationship will end soon between given and receiver when cards are given.
There are plenty of classic card games to choose from in an online casino. When you open an account, browse through a range of table games and start playing your favorite casino games anytime you want.