Read all about the modern history of playing cards, from the 1300s to playing online today in these modern times!

Sunday “family game-night” was a big weekly tradition in my house as a child, following Church of course. Sundays were always reserved for family time and that meant card games! My favorite was hearts; I loved the strategy of the game and always hoped to stick the Queen of Spades on someone! Now grown up, I often need a fun and relaxing way to pass the time during transit. My solution is Solitaire.org! They have all the traditional American card games you can think of, plus some fun games from other countries! The history of playing cards is a long and interesting one. What traditional games did you enjoying playing as a child with your family?

But let’s take a step back and look at the origin of the playing deck. The modern deck of playing cards may seem very “normal” to us nowadays, but to people of the past, a deck like this is anything but normal! Playing cards have undergone a radical transformation over the last several centuries.

Most of our decks today are produced in the United States by USPCC. Modern playing cards consist of a deck of 52 cards with four suits in red and black. Our modern playing cards evolved over several hundred years and their most significant facets were influenced by the many cultures and landscapes that they saw during that time period.

In fact, it seems as though the first playing cards appeared as far back as the 1370s, in either Italy or Spain. Due to limited technology, the first European playing cards were hand-painted. This labor intensive production made them prized possessions of the rich. Playing cards and their games eventually made their way along the European trade routes during the 15th century. Card games became a popular leisure activity of the aristocrats. But the history of card games doesn’t end there…

In the 15th century Europe, a very important innovation happened that forever changed the way we use playing cards. The Germans invented wood-block printing! This new and revolutionary innovation significantly reduced the cost of production, which only made playing card games more popular. At the end of the century another innovation coming from France completely changed the landscape of illustrating. Stencils allowed for quicker and cheaper production. Not only this, but stencils required and allowed for a more uniform design. This was a game-changer in the history of playing cards. This advancement led to the distinctive card designs we are familiar with today – suitmarks (of French origin and design) such as spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.

Today the modern playing deck is going through an equally thrilling transformation. Due to the advancement of technology, such as computers, phones and the internet we are enjoying playing our card games (virtually) online! Playing cards has never been more convenient. For example, I enjoy passing the time while waiting for my train to come on the notoriously difficult New York City transit, by playing hearts on solitaire.org.

I love Hearts because it reminds me of being a kid! But there are so many different card games that you can play with a simple 52 card deck. I’ve also enjoyed learning about Blackjack; I need to be prepared for the next charity game I enter! I love how they also have in depth instructions on the rules and even the strategies you can use.

Before bed my favorite games to play actually come from the Far East. I find that Mahjong is very relaxing.

Of course there’s always the classic solitaire! What games do you find the most exciting or relaxing to play? What do you think of playing cards online? Let me know in the comments below.

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