Whether or not you’re an avid card player, chances are you’ve shuffled the deck at least once or twice in your lifetime. After all, playing cards is one of the most common American pastimes of all time! While you might know the basics – 52 cards, 4 suits, 1 joker – here are some interesting facts that you may not have heard about playing cards yet:
Fact #1: The United States Playing Card Company (USPC) is the number one producer of playing cards worldwide. Located in Cincinnati Ohio, USPC has been pumping out playing cards since 1867, producing more than 100 million decks each year.
Fact #2: The origins of playing cards dates back to the Orient in the 12th century when the Chinese decided to reinvent the game of dominoes with heavy cardstock.
Fact #3: The diamonds, hearts, spades and clubs that we know today originated as coins, cups, swords, and sticks, respectively, in the Middle East.
Fact #4: When the first French deck of cards came to be, each face card (king, queen, jack) represented specific historical figures. For example, the King of Hearts represented Charlemagne, diamonds was Julius Caesar, clubs was Alexander the Great, and the spades was King David from the Holy Bible.
Fact #5: Traditionally the Ace of Spades in every deck of cards is unique from the rest of the other aces. The distinction originated when the French decided to put a tax stamp on this card specifically to increase their profits from selling playing cards.
Fact #6: Since the Ace of Spades was the only card in the deck that carried a tax, many people tried to dodge the extra expense by buying a deck without that particular card. This is where the common phrase “he/she is not playing with a full deck” originated.
Fact #7: The tallest playing card tower was built in 1992 by Bryan Berg, earning him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Can you believe that there’s so much history behind such a simple game? At Casinos by M&M we pay homage to playing cards by using only the finest, regulation casino playing card decks. In fact, all of our casino party supplies – from chips and dice to gaming tables – are 100% authentic!
To learn about the casino games and party planning support we can provide, call 1-800-HAVE-A-BLAST, and don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
