The card game, the most diverse game in the world
If there is one board game that always makes family reunions or get-togethers with friends a joy, it is the card game. And for good reason, this age-old game still offers so many possibilities in terms of entertainment. From simple games like battle to magic tricks, cards are a wonderful way to spend your time. We tell you more in the article below.
What is a card game?
A card game, as part of the large family of board games, refers to any game that uses playing cards as the primary object with which the game is played. It can be a traditional game or a more specific game. There are countless different games. A small number of card games played with a traditional deck have well standardised rules for international competitions, but most of the games one encounters are popular games whose rules may vary from region to region. But also depending on the culture or even the circle of friends.
Traditional card games are played with a pack of playing cards, all identical in size and shape. Each card has two sides: a face and a back. Normally the back of the cards is indistinguishable. Only the face of the cards is unique or they can exist in duplicate. The composition of a pack must be known to each player.
Games using cards exploit the fact that the cards are individually identifiable on one side only. In this way each player knows only the cards in his hand and not those held by other players. For this reason, card games are often characterized as games of luck and chance.
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The difference between card games and classic board games
Many games classified as card games involve a game board. The distinction with a real board game is that the way a card game is played depends mainly on the use of the cards by the players (the board is a guide for scoring or placing cards). In the case of a real board game, the focus is much more on the players' positions on the board. The cards are then used for a purely secondary purpose.
Types of card games
There are many different types of card games. Here are some examples:
- Battle: is mainly played by two players, but the number of players can vary considerably. It is often linked to chance
- Belote: is played with four players and a 32-card deck. Players form teams of two. The players of the same team face each other and have an opponent next to them. The idea is that one of the two teams must score more points than the other. This is called a contract game.
- Bridge: This is a card game characterised by a number of tricks. The number of tricks made is counted. It is played with 52 cards and 4 players divided into 2 teams. The first part of the game involves the bids during which the contracts are set up by the declarer who commits to play them. The second part consists of the declarer making the number of tricks he has announced in the contract.
- Poker: Poker is usually played with 52 cards and chips that represent the amount of money bet. The game alternates constantly between dealing cards and bidding. The objective is to win the chips of the other players with the combination of 5 cards obtained in the different deals.
- La canasta: This game is played with two decks of 54 cards (2 x 52 cards + 2 x 2 jokers). Castana is usually played with four players.
- The 7 families game: This game mainly involves observation and memory. It is played with 42 special cards, divided into seven families of six cards (each named after a family member). The aim is to collect as many families as possible.
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