The Origins of the World’s Oldest Card Games

Do you have a favorite card game? These suited, pictured pieces of paper have played a huge part in the evolution of games. Some of the pursuits played using cards are much older than you may think and have given rise to the rules and variations we know today. Below, we discuss the world’s oldest card games and their origins.

Yezi Gi

Yezi Gi is known as the leaf game. It comes from Asia and most likely originated in ancient China. Many date its origins to sometime between 618 and 907.

There are a few theories regarding the game. Some people believe that the leaf referred to in the title is a translation of the cards themselves. Its first written reference hails from the Works of Ouyang Xiu, who says that it was popular at banquets but that the rules of the card game had been forgotten by the time of his writing, which was between 750 to 800AD.

Some dispute that it was a card game at all. People think it may have been akin to a game of dominoes, while others theorize it was a game of traveling up and down on a board, much like snakes and ladders. However, assuming it was a card game, it makes it the oldest known.

Karnoffel

Karnoffel is one of the oldest known card games in the world, and undoubtedly the oldest in Europe. A law was passed in Bavaria, Germany in 1426 that allowed local councilors to play it at a festival.

The rules for the original game have long been lost to time, despite people trying to piece them together from what information was left. What has been found is that it was a trick-taking game, and many of the tropes that have been discovered are ones prevalent in card games today.

Even more interesting is that the game was one of the first to use cards that had suits. These were acorns, leaves, hearts, and bells, all of which bear a striking similarity to the suits we have on standard decks today. This points to the fact that it is one of the earliest versions of poker. Today, this game is huge. As well as different variants, there are massive events across the world played frequently. Online poker sites allow people to experience variants like Omaha and Texas Hold ’em from the comfort of their homes on digital devices. It is unlikely any of this would have happened were it not for Karnoffel.

Thirty-One

The written sermon of an Italian monk in 1440 refers to the game Thirty-One. It is the point at which the genesis of modern-day blackjack came into being. The idea was that you could not go over the total of thirty-one with the cards you had been given. It was the popularity of blackjack, which lowered the total to twenty-one, that is believed to have hastened the game’s demise in popularity.

Blackjack is mentioned in Don Quixote, which was written by Cervantes in the 17th century. It was known as Vingt-et-un, french for twenty-one. Its common appearance in casinos began in 1700. It was this game that became the backbone of modern casinos, attracting wealthy patrons to play the game.

There are many other notable mentions such as Whist and Euchre. However, these titles have traceable origins through manuscripts and writings. Card games continue to evolve in the modern digital era, and will no doubt evolve even further: clearly, there has never been a better time to be a player of card games.