el jugar de tarjetas

I've always enjoyed playing cards. There are thousands of different games out there: poker, texas hold'em, egyptian war, spoons, straws, or knives (or whatever is handy at the time), or speed (one of my personal favorites). Here is a brief history.

The earliest of playing cards are said to have originated in Central Asia in the 10th century. The Chinese used paper dominoes and they shuffled and dealt them at the beginning of each game, as we do. The four suited decks we use today were invented by the French, and only very wealthy people could afford them because they were hand-painted. With the invention of woodcuts in the 14th century, the French began mass production. The suits--spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds--were the easiest of shapes and used flat colors, therefore they helped facilitate manufacture.

Did you know that the kings and queens in each deck represents a high king or queen in history? Here are the kings...

• King of Hearts - Charlemagne
• King of Clubs - Alexander the Great
• King of Diamonds - Julius Caesar
• King of Spades - King David

and the queens...

• Queen of Hearts - Judith (biblical figure)
• Queen of Clubs - Regina (err, unknown)
• Queen of Diamonds - Rachel (biblical figure)
• Queen of Spades - Pallas Athena (Greek goddess)