The playing cards we know is the most popular format of playing cards used around the world today. However, these are not the only variants of playing cards. Each region has its own unique for of cards to play with. Here we have listed out the five most popular variants in playing cards and explained how each varies. Since card games are played globally, each nation has added to creating innovative cards. While some attained popularity, the rest remained limited to the regions where they originated:
French Playing Cards
The French Playing Cards have today become the standard playing cards used globally for all card games. The four signs in the French Deck of playing cards, and now accepted internationally, are clubs (clover), tiles (diamonds), hearts and pikes (spades). Each suit contains three face cards and these are King, Knave or Jack and Lady or Queen. People in diverse parts of the world are well acquainted with these cards as they are commonly accepted by most card players.
Italian Playing Cards
The Italian Playing cards are remarkably different from the French counterpart. The four signs in the Italian gaming cards are cups (in place of hearts), coins (in place of diamonds), clubs and swords (in place of spades). The face cards are also different for the Italian pack of cards. The pack includes Knave, Knight and King as the three face cards. There are few packs that include a queen in Italian packs but these are not so common.
German Playing Cards
The symbols in the German playing cards give you a completely Christmas feel. The four signs in a German playing card deck are hearts, bells (in place of diamonds), acorns (in place of clover) and leaves (in place of spades). It is said that the French suit symbols were derived from the German suit symbols in around 1480. The German Decks also have four face cards, namely under knave, over knave, King and Ace.
Spanish Playing Cards
The Spanish Playing Cards are unique too. The four signs in these decks are cups (in place of hearts), coins (in place of diamonds), clubs and swords. The number of cards in the deck also varies and is between 40-48 cards.
Swiss-German Playing Cards
The last common deck style is the Swiss German Playing Cards. The fours signs in this deck are roses (in place of hearts), bells (in place of diamonds), acorns (in place of clubs) and shields (in place of spades). There are three types of face cards in this deck too, namely under knave, over knave and King.
The playing cards which originally originated in China, crossed borders and transformed to suit the regional tastes. They have come a long way over the years. Today, playing cards have not stayed limited to the deck of cards. They are an inspiration for décor and clothing. There are websites and apps like Khelplay Rummy where you may enjoy playing card games online.
As the card games have taken a new form online, the need for unique card designs have also arrived. Modern graphic designers use the opportunity to come up with unique card designs for online players. The cards may take a whole new form as the designers experiment and innovate to come up with something new and trendy.