It was an ordinary day. Searching the internet, trying to find a bit more about a card game known as Euchre. Have you ever heard of the game. If so, have you ever played the game? I've lived more than three-quarters of a century and at no point in my life did I every hear of the game. Not saying that it is the end of the world because I never heard of the game, but I can't believe not a single one of my friends ever asked me to play the game. If I hadn't been searching for information on a specific deck of cards this past week, I never would have heard of the game. So, not I find myself looking up site after site, trying to figure how you play the game called Euchre. So far I have found that the game is a trick-playing card game that is commonly played in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States. You can play it with a deck of 24, 28 or 32 standard playing cards. Normally there are four players, two on each team, although there are variations that range from two to nine players. And, the main reason I happened upon this card game is due to the fact that I was wondering if all decks of cards had jokers in them. Seems that Euchre was responsible for the joker being placed in the modern deck of cards. While searching one website I found that: The Joker Deck was introduced to Americanized Euchre around 1860 with the joker acting as a top trump or best Bower. Euchre is believed to be closely related to the French game Écarté, the seventeenth-century game Loo, and the 19th century game Juckerspiel. It may be sometimes referred to as Knodk Euchre to distinguish it from Bid Euchre. Well, now I understand everything. Not!! Actually I understand absolutely nothing, but that's OK since I will never play the game of Euchre anytime soon. Maybe I might play Loo or Jackerspiel, but I suspect not, also! All I really wanted to know was why there is a Joker in some deck of cards and not in others. I did find that before the early 1800s there wasn't a need for the joker card. It was only when Eucher was invented that an extra card, or the Joker, was needed. And...why did they call it a Joker? Actually it's called a jolly jester, but that doesn't really matter anyway.
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| A few of the original Bower and Joker cards |
When the game of Euchre became popular in the United States around 1860, a trump card was needed. People began using blank cards to create what they called the "Best Bower." So, a guy by the name of Samuel Hart released what is thought to be the very first illustrated "Best Bower" card which he called the "Imperial Bower." Many people began calling the card a Joker. Euchre boomed in popularity within the ranks of Civil War soldiers who used the card game as a release from constant combat.
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| Civil War soldiers playing cards |
Then along came poker which didn't need a Joker card. Didn't matter, since most card manufacturers began to incorporate Jokers into their deck of playing cards. The original Joker card designer, Samuel Hart, was born in Philadelphia in 1818. His family had worked in the stationery business since 1831 with his uncle Lewis Cohen having produced playing cards since 1832. So, the joker was here to stay. Eventually the game of poker, which didn't need a joker, overtook Euchre in popularity, but still the joker couldn't be banished from the deck of cards. Most manufacturers began incorporating it into their decks. Why...perhaps they could charge a few cents more! Now, getting back to Mr. Hart. He was born in Philadelphia in 1818. He was part of a manufacturing family that worked in the stationery business since 1831. His uncle Lewis I. Cohen even produced playing cards since 1832. Samuel opened his own store in Philadelphia in 1844 and five years later opened stores in New York City. He introduced the "Mongul" and "Steamboat" brands of playing cards which became popular in the States. In 1854 Mr. Cohen retired and placed his business in the hands of his son Solomon and nephew John Lawrence. By 1871 the New York Consolidated Card Company was established. It featured Samuel Hart & Co., Lawrence & Cohen, and two more cousins named John and Isaac Levy. Having Hart's name in the title bolstered it's popularity. Today's playing cards with their glossy satin finishes and rounded cornered playing cards were popularized by Samuel Hart. If it hadn't been for him we may not have had the cards with the clubs, spades, diamonds and hearts on them. And, we also have the many gaming rooms and back room card games that are played today. Not sure if that is good or bad. But, for me...I still have no idea how to play Euchre. Do you? It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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