6 Amazing Secrets About Playing Cards

A deck of playing cards usually looks simple to the eye. But don’t be fooled. Your card holds fascinating secrets, some of which are several years old. Playing cards are designed uniquely. When you scrutinize them, you get the feeling that they possess some hidden mystery, which is hard to unravel. Your standard card is loaded with fascinating engineering, design, and history. The following are some of the secrets hidden in your custom-made card:

1.The one-eyed king

Most players pay attention to the one-eyed jack. Few bothers to look at the one-eyed king depicted in a playing card. The surprising secret is that the one-eyed king is not king but a god. It symbolizes the Odin god found in the Norse mythology. Odin sacrificed his eye to gain power and learn about the secrets of runes. He uses his godly powers to strike the opponents with the ax at the twitch of the finger.

2.Depressed king

The depressed king is portrayed to be committing suicide by ramming a sword in their ear. This is far from the truth. The suicide king is not committing suicide. The knife which looks firmly implanted in his head is a case of bad printing.

3.Imperial orb

English and French decks altered identities of the four legendary kings portrayed in the playing cards. The identities of King Charles, David, Caesar, and Alexander were mixed up during printing. The orb, which is held by the King of Clubs, is believed to belong to Alexander. Because of lousy replication and paltry print runs, alexander’s hand holding the imperial orb is obscured. The orb is thus portrayed as part of the royal robes, which is not the case.

4.Ace of spades’ death and taxes

The Ace of spade is more decorated because it was used as a tax stamp. As compared to the other suits’ aces, the Ace of spade stands out in design. The sophisticated design was first established in 1765 when England decided to charge a tax on all playing cards sold in England and America. The ace was stamped to show proof of tax paid. Anybody found forging the ace was instantly sentenced to death. But this law was changed in 1862. Printers of playing cards were allowed to come up with their champions.

5.Origin of the joker card

The joker card is the only card that originated in America. While tarot’s fool inspired the rest of the deck’s court cards, the joker card is an exception. Long before poker became the king of the game, Americans used to love a trick-taking game known as euchre. But as poker gained its popularity in Mississippi, designers twisted the German ‘’juker’’ card into a joker. They added floppy hats and bells to bike riding bowers. Since then, the joker has become a key feature in the playing cards.

6.Why the playing cards feature French suits

There is a burning debate on the real origin of your favorite playing cards. Some argue the cards originated in China in the early ninth century. However, history holds that most European countries had their suits by the early 14th century. For example, the Germans used acorns, bells, leaves, and hearts. The Spanish used cudgels, swords, cups, and coins. On the other hand, the French used spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds. The French suits stuck to date owing to their geometric simplicity, ease of printing, and solid color.