Developing a New Major

Image via Wikipediach3 - a joke of cards

cards are a game system - tools for playing a lot of different games

card game look has remained pretty much the same for many years - people expect the cards to look the same so they can concentrate on the game and not the cards, whole card taken in as a shape - so if it’s different than expected player has to pay attention and look at individual parts - not so much now because there are supermarks in the corners that give shorthand easy to scan marks of number and suit

• 52 card international standard deck aka bridge pack
• 32 card French deck
• 36 card Swiss deck

sometimes when game catches on overseas it takes its pack with it (that’s how bridge deck spread) and sometimes with some variation of a local deck

• french suited card - has spades clubs, hearts, dimaonds has king, queen and jacks, and numbers one to 10 one is the ace and it’s higher randed than king 52 cards usually, can have a 32 card deck without 2 to 6, this is the international standard, “air of refinement and courtliness” (?)
• german suited cards - “rustic and military”, has leaves, acorns, hearts spherical hawk bells has all male courts of King, ober, unter, has numbers 7 to 10 and a 2 which is called an ace, tho can have other decks with different numbers of cards for different games
• swiss suited cards - related to german cards, has shields, acorns, flowers/roses bells has kings over and under (officers), and numbers 6 to 10 plus the deauce/ace, 10 is known as the banner and has a pic of one, 36 cards
• spanish cards - “noble and ceremonial”, has swords, clubs, cups and coins has king knight, valet, has 1 to 7, it’s a 40 card pack, can have a 48 card pack with numbers 1 to 9
• italian cards, has swords, batons cups, coins has kings, knighhts, footsolider, has numbers 1 to 7, it’s a 40 card deck

indices - those marks in the corners to easily scan the suit and number, relatively new feature - middle of 19th century<G>,not found in all countries and implemented differently from country to country,  using these brought into widespread use the word Jack instead of knight (because Kn easily confused with K for king) and valet,

originally king was the highest ranked card, starting in late 15th century the 1 card started being treated special and it became the highest ranked card

backs printed with abstract patterns starting in 19th century (before then blank or just a repeating pattern of dots or fleur de lis) to help distinguish them from the front, usually intricate and colorful, helps cover up any stains or blemishes that occur as ya play with the cards, frequent card palyers tho don’t want pictures ont eh back just abstract decorative designs so they’re not distracted,

the joker an extra card or two in sme decks, not related to the Fool card in a tarot deck, showed up in US in mid 19th century for euchre’s top trump, now can be wild in poker and rummy, regular part of the canasta game

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