Nathan Kush

Prof. Presnell

English 1103

17 Nov. 2014

Final Paper

The History of Playing Cards and Their Uses Throughout History

Would you like to play a game of cards? It is a simple question like that one which can

lead to having fun and making new friends. Because of this, playing cards have been a

fascination of mine since I was a small child. I can remember playing card games with my

grandmother almost any time my family went to visit. From simple games of Uno and Go Fish, I

ventured into other games such as Spades and Poker. By this time, I was in middle school and I

would play cards with my friends anytime that there was some free time. It was during those

years that I gained a large repertoire of card games and experience merely handling a deck of

cards. Once I began high school, I took a hiatus from cards. I am unsure as to why I did this.

Around my junior year, I resumed playing with cards and I began learning a few basic card tricks

and would perform them for a few classmates. I improved upon my techniques for performing

my tricks and eventually learned better tricks. I have continued on this course of pursuing card

magic for about two years now without even once considering the history of playing cards or

why they were created in the first place. Because of this, I have chosen to research playing cards

so that I can gain some understanding of the history of playing cards and their many uses

throughout the years.

9th Century – 14th Century: Early Beginnings in the East

As most people know, modern paper making originated in Imperial China. Knowing this,

it would only seem logical that the first playing cards were discovered in and around China. I

confirmed this theory through multiple sources. The first reference to playing with cards can be

found in texts dating back to 9th Century China. The first artifacts found were Chinese “money

cards” from the year 969 A.D. They were approximately 4 in. in length by 1.5 in. in width. These

early cards are similar to modern cards because they had four suits: cash, strings or rods (of

cash), myriads (of strings) and tens (of myriads). This deck

contained 33 cards total. (2-9 in the lower three suits and 1-9 in the

tens suit.) These cards were used to gamble with and some

researchers even believe that the cards were actual currency

themselves. Other cards that existed were Chinese chess cards and

Japanese domino cards. A few early games included the “leaf”

game, the “flower” game, and the “winter cherry” game. Most of

these early games were played to gamble. As time progressed,

playing cards began to move into other countries such as Egypt and

Europe. There is evidence of playing cards in Europe as early as the

13th Century. No one is entirely certain as to how playing cards got

to Europe. There are only speculative theories as to how the

movement occurred. Some people believe that playing cards

appeared through trading with the Chinese. Others think that they were brought back from the

Crusades, yet others believe that the cards came through Egypt and into Italy and Spain. Of these

theories, they all have their flaws. The most logical theory, in my opinion, is that playing cards

came through Egypt due to the similarity between Italian Tarot cards and Egyptian cards.

Despite simple origins, playing cards were about to undergo a large amount of design

modifications in Europe.

14th Century – 16th Century: Evolution Through Europe

The first cards to be found in Europe were Italian tarot cards. These cards consisted of

four suits: swords, batons or clubs, cups, and coins. Each suit had four picture cards and 10

numeral cards. The picture cards were King, Queen, Knight, and Valet. There was also a Fool

card. These cards were very close to modern playing card dimensions. They measured 4 in. in

length and 2 in. in width. From Italian playing

cards, it is theorized that Spanish cards were

created. Spanish cards have many similarities with the

Italian deck. Some would even say they are nearly

identical. A few main differences include the

omission of the Queen, the Fool, and the numeral 10

cards from ever suit. The other aspects of the Spanish cards are the same as the Italian deck. I

believe that the minor changes were made to allow for new card games to be played. The next

step in the evolution in playing cards was from the Spanish deck to the Germanic deck. This

deck also had four suits. These suits were leaves, acorns, hearts, and bells. This deck used a total

of 32 cards, each suit containing three court cards and the numerals 2, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The court

cards were interesting because they continued the theme from the Spanish deck by only

including male figures. The court cards themselves are interesting because of their rankings.

They were King, Ober (Over Officer), and Unter (Under Officer). The Germanic deck was then

improved upon by the French creating their own design. This French deck is nearly identical to

modern playing cards. This deck had 52 cards, four suits, numerals 1-10, and three royal cards.

This deck was finalized around the 15th Century. It is this design that has had a major influence

Early Italian Tarot Cards

on the look and contents of playing cards now. The only other things needed were minor design

modification that would occur later.

16th Century – 20th Century: Simplification and Standardization

By this time in history, people had used the French deck for most card games. Some

countries stuck with their designs while others, like the English, copied the French design and

improved upon it. During this time in history, differences in terminology appeared. Each term

almost always vary by country. These terms range from what a deck of playing cards is called to

the names of the court cards. For instance, in 15th Century English, it was common to say a

“pair” of cards, meanwhile Shakespeare coined the term “deck”. These names vary between

regions around the world. The British say a “pack”, Americans say a “deck”, Russians, a

“korona” or “crown”, and the Italians, a “mazzo” or “bunch”. Additionally, it was common to

have court cards being called King, Queen, and Knave. (Knave can be translated to young boy or

menial servant.) This was not an issue until indexes were invented for playing cards.

Early French Playing Cards

The indexes were great for ease of reading, however, Knave had to be changed to Jack to

prevent confusion with the King. This led to a social gap due to Jack being a slang word in those

days. Despite the change, those that were of a more dignified background still referred to the

card as a Knave. Other modification to playing card designs included “double-ended” court

cards, jokers, elaborate back designs, and one being termed ace. Although these modifications

seem small or insignificant, without them, playing cards would not be what they are today.

Double-ended court cards are what are in use today. The image of a court cards is symmetrical

horizontally. Before this invention, court cards included the entire image of the person,

sometimes including their feet in the image. This caused issues in card games because players

would watch opponents rotate their cards. This served as a “tell” that certain players hold face

cards. This type of information would be priceless in gambling games such as poker. Jokers in a

deck of cards are derived from the Fool found in the original Italian Tarot decks. The joker was

created to allow for the card game Euchre. In Euchre, there was the need for an extra card to

serve as the best bower. The joker filled this role. Why modern decks include two jokers is to

allow for newer card games or to serve as wild cards in poker. Before the 16th Century, the

Earliest playing cards with indexes known as Squeezers.

numerals within a deck were 1-10 with one being the lowest card in the deck. It is theorized that

one changed to Ace during the French Revolution. This idea comes from the lower populations

rising higher in power than the Kings and Queens. In modern card games, aces can be either high

or low cards or sometimes even both. Before the 19th Century, back designs were largely plain or

had simple patterns of spots or lines. A change occurred during this time. I believe that the

United States Paying Card Company (USPCC) sparked this change with its iconic rider back

design. The USPCC was established in 1885 and

began manufacturing its playing cards with their

own designs. Other unique things to consider for

playing cards include Hoyles and unusual uses

of playing cards. According to Hoyle, a Hoyle

book lists card games and the rules for each

game including popular variations. These books

have been printed since 1746. That was the year that the first Hoyle was written by Edmond

Hoyle. His book was much simpler than ones printed today simply because there were not very

many card games that were invented at that time. Due to the overall amount of new card games

being created, there is no way of estimating the total number of gad games in existence at any

given time. Throughout history, playing cards have taken some unusual and obscure uses. Most

people use cards for gaming and gambling, card magic, and arts and crafts. These are all

common uses. I found some unusual uses on designshack.net in their article, The Art of Playing

Cards. A few of the unusual uses include stiffening material for book covers, memorandum slips,

emergency money, fortune telling, and statistical probability. When printing massive sheets of

playing cards, some are defective. During the 19th Century, those defective sheets were used to

Early Bicycle cards from 1885

stiffen the covers of books. This was discovered after a few old books were being repaired and

they were found to contain playing cards. Memorandum slips, or notes cards, are another odd use

for playing cards. It seems logical that this could be a use of playing cards especially when you

consider that Post-it notes were not invented a few hundred years ago. The French have used

playing cards as a very desperate excuse for currency. Their banks had a shortage, so they wrote

out values on playing cards and used them as currency. Fortune telling is commonly done with a

tarot deck because of the larger amount of cards. (78 cards in a tarot deck as compared to the 52

cards in a standard pack.) Most statisticians have used playing cards for some time to visualize

probability scenarios. A deck of cards is a relatively useful means of displaying the odds of an

occurrence. After the 20th Century, the basic design of playing cards was established and has

remained the same since.

20th Century – Today: Modernization and Mass Production

Because playing cards have been standardized, most

companies have crafted their own designs for custom

decks of cards. A few examples include five-suited

decks, circular playing cards, black decks, and all sorts

of trick deck for magicians to use. Most of these

experimental decks are novelties, but can serve practical

purposes. Some companies even allow customers to

design their own playing cards and have them produced.

Additionally, companies have innovated their designs to

enhance quality and performance. These innovations include newer card stocks, and coatings.

The “best” card stock currently available is a fine linen blend that gives the cards durability and

Ellusionist’s 1st Edition Black Tiger Deck

bend. This material is used frequently throughout casinos due to its high quality. Other casinos

use 100% percent plastic cards because of the highest durability out of all playing card materials.

This past century has been filled with innovation and experimentation with the design of playing

cards and I look forward to some of the newer ideas to be utilized in new designs.

Conclusion: Impact of the Pack

Now that I have completed some research into the history playing cards and their uses, I

have come to the conclusion that playing cards were invented for fun and entertainment

purposes. This holds true for my experiences with playing cards because any time that I think of

playing cards, I can remember having fun with friends and family. Playing cards have had this

effect on people throughout history because the cards serve as a means to interact with one

another and have fun. Additionally, I have noticed that people do not play card games nearly as

much as they did in the past. I believe that this is largely due to technology and its overtaking of

society. For example, in most casinos today, table games, such as poker and blackjack, are being

replaced with technological simulations and online gambling. This is similar to the way that slot

machines were switched from mechanical to computerized versions. Despite the technological

change, I do not think playing card production will ever be stopped because they give gambling

and gaming an authentic feel that technology cannot replicate. Playing cards provide the player a

nearly infinite number of games and other uses that only playing cards can truly achieve.

Additionally, I would be unable to use playing cards to amaze audiences in my magic routines.

Playing cards have been essential in magic for centuries and they should at the least remain for

that purpose. In conclusion, I believe that playing cards are simply a means to have fun by

yourself or with friends and playing cards should remain as such.

Works Cited

Benham, W. Gurney. Playing cards; History of the Pack and Explanations of its Many Secrets.

London: Spring Books, 1957. Print.

Dancey, Charlie. Every Trick in the Book. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2013. Print.

"Design Shack - Web Design Gallery, Articles & Community." Design History: The Art of

Playing Cards. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://designshack.net/articles/layouts/design-

history-the-art-of-playing-cards/>.

"Featured at Cafe Astrology:." Fortune Telling Playing Cards. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.cafeastrology.com/fortunetellingcards.html>.

Gibson, Walter B.. Hoyle's Modern Encyclopedia of Card Games; Rules of All the Basic Games

and Popular Variations,. [1st ed. Garden City, N.Y.: Dolphin Books, 1974. Print.

Hargrave, Catherine Perry. A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and

Gaming. New York: Dover Publications, 1966. Print.

"House of Playing Cards." House Of Playing Cards RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

<http://houseofplayingcards.com/>.

"Leaders of the Pack: A Short History of Cards." www.theguardian.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct.

2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/22/history-of-playing-cards>.

Madison, Daniel. How to Cheat at Cards. UK: Daniel Madison, 2013. Print.

Madison, Daniel. Anthology: The Daniel Madison Collection 2000-2012. UK: Daniel Madison,

2013. Print.

Parlett, David Sidney. The Oxford Guide to Card Games. Oxford [England: Oxford University

Press, 1990. Print.

"Pokerology.com - The Study of Poker." Pokerology.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.pokerology.com/>.

"Welcome to the World of Playing Cards." The World of Playing Cards. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct.

2014. <http://www.wopc.co.uk/>.

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