There’s no shortage of popular card games, but have you ever stopped to wonder which ones are the MOST popular in the world? Let’s find out down below!
1. POKER
This one surprises no one. Poker is said to be the most popular card game in the world.
Of course, a good part of this fame is due to the strong marketing that has always revolved around the game, thanks to million-dollar tournaments and a little help from Hollywood movies.
Practiced in casinos and private homes, some people make a living as professional gamblers (and make a very good living at it, by the way).
In addition, there is an aura of reverence surrounding good poker players, because apparently they are masters at controlling their emotions, making others believe their bluffs, and reading other players’ reactions.
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It is only fair to include here an equally popular variation of the game that involves even more mathematical calculation and psychological cunning, Texas Hold’em.
Like poker, in Texas Hold’em there is also betting, and the person with the best combination of cards wins. The difference is that in this variant, the player has the chance to bet four times, making it a more complex and strategic game.
This version of poker grew up in Texas in 1900, and then moved to other parts of the world, becoming quite famous in Las Vegas.
2. GIN RUMMY
Easy to learn, fun, exciting, and inclusive, all you need to play Gin Rummy are two other players and a single deck of 52 cards. Another big advantage is that a match doesn’t last long, so there’s no time for people to get bored or tired.
The game reached the height of its fame in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, right after the Great Depression, and was commonly featured in Hollywood movies because of its popularity.
In the 1950s the Gin Rummy fever slowly began to wane, losing ground to Canasta, which was beginning to become the new American darling. But note that its fame around the world remained firm and strong.
3. COPAS
Copas (Hearts) is a card game that first appeared in the USA in the late 1800’s, but has origins going back to a 1600’s French game called “reversis”.
The “catch” of Hearts is that the participants always play with the aim of losing, because whoever ends the game with the highest score loses, and whoever has the fewest points is the winner.
One of the biggest obstacles to playing Copas was the fact that the modern version required 4 players, which could be a little hard to find when you feel like playing a game.
But finally, our friend technology came along and gave Copas a new life at the end of the millennium when Microsoft Windows included it as an embedded game in their operating systems starting in the 1990s.
4. PATIENCE
It’s easy to forget about this lonely card game, but it’s not hard to understand why it’s on this list. Patience first officially appeared in German books in 1783, in which it was described as an individual game, practiced so that players could elevate their skills for competitive games.
However, the most widely accepted hypothesis is that it was invented in France, which is where its official name, Solitaire, comes from.
Interesting research claims that Patience was first played by French prisoners, who were held in the Royal Prisons of France.
It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte played it when he was exiled to the island of St. Helena, to work on his mental and strategic skills. To this day many solitaire games are named after him or the island of his exile because of this.
Although we know the solo version of the game, Patience was initially played by several people together, either in turns or each using their own deck and seeing who finished the game first.
5. BLACKJACK (Twenty-one)
If you go to any casino in the world, you will have the chance to play Blackjack. This card game built around the goal of reaching the number 21 is fast-paced and exciting.
A favorite among people who frequent fast-paced, hectic environments like casinos, this is mainly because Blackjack is easier to understand and learn quickly than other games.
The player plays the game against the house and his goal is to beat the dealer by getting a point total higher than him or seeing him get over 21.
Each player plays the game alone, playing against the dealer, who represents the banker or casino.