Card Games You Should Know About

Today, we have an extensive and diverse range of entertainment avenues. Most of us have access to some form of relaxation. Smart devices coupled with an easy and inexpensive availability of high-speed internet have become ubiquitous and literally synonymous with amusement. However, if we talk of the times gone by, only a few ways of recreation were in existence; card games being one of them. Different card games were popular among the masses and they still continue to enthrall the citizenry around the globe.

Part of Indian Culture

Talking in the Indian context, certain games played with cards have always enabled the denizens to have a great time. As such, these games have been an essential ritual in the Indian cultural milieu. Whenever extended family members or friends gather, everybody craves to revel in the joys of card playing. It could be a festival, any other celebratory occasion, an outing, travel time or just a routine gathering, it is considered essential to play card games.

Which card games are Indians fond of?

Card games find favour with both the ordinary and also the affluent and the famous; and not just the youth or the elderly but across all ages. Bollywood celebrities are known to throw glamourous and elaborate card parties on festivals and even in routine. Solitaire, Bridge, Teen Patti, Sweep, and Rummy are some card games to reckon with. People love to engage in one or the other of these diversions depending on individual preferences.

Solitaire

Solitaire or 'Patience' is one of the most enjoyable ways to pass time. Generally played with one or more standard decks of 52 cards, it is a genre of card games in itself with rules of varying complexity and skill levels. We already have more than 150 games in Solitaire, with Klondike, FreeCell, and Spider being the most popular. Initially, many people played it, either by taking turns in making moves or by each player playing with his/her own pack and seeing who would win first.

Bridge

Also known as contract Bridge, it is a 4-player trick-taking game. Players need to employ skills such as tactics, communication, memory, and probability. Although it can be played by people of all ages, it is more liked by the elderly. It is a game of partnerships. Partners sit opposite each other so that the players sitting to the right and left belong to the rival team. It is played in two parts. First, there is bidding and then the gameplay. It has different variants such as Rubber Bridge, Duplicate Bridge, and Chicago.

Teen Patti

The literal meaning of the words is 3 cards. It is also referred to as Flash or Flush. It is essentially a betting and gambling game. The ranking of cards is from Ace to the number 2 cards, i.e., Aces are the highest ranked cards, and number 2 cards are the lowest ranked cards. It is generally played among 4 to 7 players. Players decide a minimum stake value, which is then contributed in a pot by each player. The winner gets this booty placed in the centre of the table. Each player is dealt 3 cards and the one with the best hand is the winner. It is basically a game of luck or chance.

Sweep

Seep or sweep is a game mostly played by 4 players, although 2 players can also play it. It is played in partnership, with partners sitting opposite each other. It uses a standard deck of 52 cards without jokers. Only 17 cards have points – 13 Spades♠ cards hold points equal to their face value, Jack♠ (11), Queen♠ (12), King♠ (13), all Aces (1) and 10♦ (6). The goal is to accumulate the maximum number of points by collecting cards with a point value. The game is over when one team has gathered at least 100 points more than the other side.

Rummy

13 Card Classic Indian Rummy is the preferred choice of Indians. A card melding game of 2 to 6 players, it is widely acclaimed as a game of skills. And probably, that is the reason for its enormous popularity, for it offers brainstorming entertainment to card lovers. The game is pretty simple with only a few rules so that everybody can easily understand and play it. However, to play the game well, one needs to exercise one's mind and memory. That makes it highly interesting as well as great fun. Of late, it has been garnering stunning popularity among the masses. For the same reason, online rummy came into existence.

The Essence

Indians of all ages, both genders, and different social backgrounds have always been fond of indulging in card games. They help bring not only family members closer to one another but also absolute strangers. As they are a significant aspect of our culture, it is good to know which card games are liked by Indians. In the contemporary world, many of them have gone online. Now, you can easily enjoy them with your kith and kin or even alone. They are an excellent means of entertainment for one and all. What are you waiting for? Dive into the fantastic mind storming world of cards!