Two Hundred (200), or by its French name, Deux Cents, isn’t your typical card game. It doesn’t have an extensive history, dating back through the centuries. It didn’t originate on some distant continent like Asia or Europe. The history of 200 actually starts right here, in Canada. It is played in a rather wide variety … Read more
Forty-Fives is such an old, wide-spread game that it goes by a vast number of names. They include Forty-Fives, Forty-Five, Auction Forty-Five(s), Strong Fives, One Hundred Twenty, Auction One Hundred Twenty, Growl, and—the first known names—Spoil Fives and Maw. This trick-catching card game originated in either Ireland or Scotland, and is extremely popular among Celtic … Read more
Almost any game that is played today can be traced back throughout time. Card games, board games, and others, generally come with some level of history. We may know its exact creator, or at the least, ancestral games from which it was derived. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Kaiser, an incredibly popular card … Read more
Asshole isn’t your typical card game. Despite its rather derogatory name, Asshole history dates back much further than you might think. It’s based on an ancient genre of “climbing games”, wherein participants must play increasingly higher ranking cards throughout. It’s also considered a “shedding game”, with the objective of being the first to run completely … Read more
Bridge is a fascinating card game that’s enjoyed immense popularity throughout Canada for nearly a century. First developed in the 1920s, the game is played throughout the world, albeit with regional rule variations. Canadians tend to prefer the more traditional rules of Contract Bridge, or Rubber Bridge. In tournaments, Duplicate Bridge rules are often applied. … Read more
Hearts is one of the top five most popular card games in Canada, and among the most widely played throughout the world. It is a trick-catching game, but not like most in its genre. There is no trump to play to, and the idea is not to catch tricks, but to avoid them – especially … Read more
Unlike most of today’s most popular Canadian card games, Sergeant Major, or 9-5-2 as we call it, doesn’t have a specific history. The only thing that is truly known about the game – or at least very widely believed – is that it originated with the British military. There’s not even a time frame present … Read more
For avid fans of the game, the history of Cribbage is fascinating. It dates back over 400 years, to a time when card games were just evolving. Like most games of today, Cribbage has an ancestral background, linking to the origins of similar titles. Unlike most, however, historians believe they know exactly who invented Cribbage. … Read more
Euchre is one of the world’s most popular card games. You won’t find it in any major live poker tournaments, like the World Series of Poker, as it requires partners and doesn’t offer the same depth of strategy. However, from Europe to North America, the game continues to enthrall players at home, and some taverns … Read more