Playing cards are a set of rectangular pieces of plastic, cardboard or paper with images of various motifs printed on them. They can be used for games, fortune telling, or magic tricks.
Instructions
Step 1
The history of playing cards is over four thousand years old. It is believed that the most ancient playing cards came from China (in contrast to the fortune-telling, which appeared in Egypt). In the modern world, there are more than ten thousand card games and a huge number of their varieties and variations. For example, there are over two hundred subspecies of poker, which is currently considered the most popular card game.
Step 2
Playing cards can be made from a wide variety of materials. The most common is cardboard. The cheapest cards are made from it, but cardboard decks from good manufacturers can last quite a long time. Cards with a thin plastic coating will last several times longer than cardboard ones, but completely plastic cards are considered the most durable.
Step 3
There are also exclusive playing cards with additions of gold, silver or other precious metals, which are usually presented to fans of card games on special occasions.
Step 4
Playing cards can vary in size. Bridge-sized cards are considered standard, their width is 5, 72 cm, and their length is 8, 89 cm. Poker playing cards differ from standard ones with a wider base, with the same length these cards reach a width of 6, 35 cm.
Step 5
There are a large number of cards of unusual sizes and shapes. On sale you can find round, triangular, pentagonal cards, as well as cards of a standard shape, but at the same time enlarged or reduced several times. Such cards are not very convenient to use, but at the same time they can be an excellent gift for the gambler.
Step 6
There are several types of playing card decks. There are 36 cards in a small deck, it is used for whist, preference, king, fool and other popular games. A large deck contains 52 cards and two jokers, it is used for bridge, poker, baccarat and so on. There are a large number of decks modified for specific games. So, for example, a deck for playing with pinoculars contains 48 cards, and a set of cards for canasta contains two large decks with additional jokers. For the most popular games, ready-made decks are released, which makes life easier for their fans, since decks with the same backs are not always at hand so that they can be combined.
Step 7
In recent decades, games with unique cards that are not at all similar to traditional playing cards have become very popular. These include Magic The Gathering, Munchkin, Potions and others. The rules of these games can be very complex.
