The first decks of cards appeared in China and India as early as the twelfth century. They were of various sizes, and this was due to the fact that each owner of the cards had their own ideas about the proportions by which they were created. It was only in the nineteenth century that the size of a playing card became generally accepted. But over time, the parameters of the cards for different games acquired their own characteristics.
Poker Cards
This card game has existed for about 450 years, is based on building combinations and has many varieties. It originated in Europe and gradually became known throughout the world. During this time, the rules of poker have changed, as have the playing cards themselves. The size of the cards was gradually reduced to a common standard. The fact is that the game quickly became popular, and the variety of card measures brought great inconvenience to the players and contributed to the fact that sometimes they completely abandoned the game.
So, in order to avoid all this, they came up with a single size of the playing card - 88.9 mm in length and 63.5 mm in width. This format was chosen, because it was believed that the palm should completely cover it. By the way, given this, it is with poker cards that it is easiest to demonstrate different tricks and tricks.
After some time, poker became the national game of the USA, having received the greatest distribution in this country. And now international competitions are held there annually, as well as many other poker tournaments. By the way, at one time this game was even recognized in the Russian Federation as an official sport (from 2007 to 2009).
About seven years ago, the smallest deck of cards was printed in Russia. Its size is ten times smaller than the standard - only 6.3 mm in width and 8.8 mm in height.
Bridge Cards
The bridge is no less popular. It is an intellectual team or pair game. The International Olympic Committee has officially recognized only this card game as a sport. Due to its complexity and fascination, it is often placed next to go, checkers, chess, etc.
The bridge is played with a full deck, but each player is given not five cards, but thirteen. To prevent inconvenience during the game, cards were created for the bridge that are slightly different from poker cards - they are narrower. Here, the standard size is a width of 57.15 mm and a height of 88.9 mm, which makes these cards suitable for games in which you need to hold a large number of them in your hand at the same time.
What they play in preference
The second name of the preference game is “bribe game”. Since the mid-19th century, it has been very popular in Russia, and some of its varieties were named after Russian cities (St. Petersburg, Sochi, Rostov). In preference, the skill and skill of the player is more valued, rather than his luck, as in gambling. In 1996, Russia introduced a set of rules governing the basic processes of the game and giving recommendations on the ethics of behavior during it.
Despite the fact that the game is so popular in Russia, it appeared in France. But still it became especially widespread in our country. She was described in their works by Leo Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky. She was fond of such celebrities as Tatyana Peltser, Olga Aroseva, Valentina Tokarskaya. And nowadays A. Dzhigarkhanyan, L. Yakubovich, G. Arkanov and others do not hide their passion for the preference.
Since the named game, like the bridge, originates from the game of whist, the size of playing cards in cm is similar to the bridge cards - 5.7 cm wide and 8.9 high.
Tarot and Dixit Cards
And the largest and most illustrated cards from the XV-XVI century are Tarot cards. Their application has long been shrouded in legends and secrets, so such cards are most often used in fortune telling. The illustrations on them are a lot of symbols from astrology and alchemy, and many are still looking for some secret signs that are the foundation of the Tarot and predict the future.
But there is at least one game that is played using these cards. The tarot deck consists of 78 cards. The size of the playing card (cm), like the cards for fortune telling, has 7-8 cm wide and 12 cm high.
In the modern world, there is something similar - this is the game “Dixit”. It, like Tarot, contains cards with vivid images (several talented artists worked on these illustrations). The format of Dixit cards, as well as their number in the deck, is also identical to the format of Tarot cards.
But the similarity ends here, since the Dixit game is, rather, a game in association, which the whole family can play. And she is so fascinating, she has already won many awards, although she appeared only in 2008.
The game "7 Wonders" and "Nizam"
“7 Wonders” is one of the most modern games with a peculiar process. It is presented in several versions and has a very original playing card size. This, in essence, is a card strategy, but the main task of the players is the development of cities, economic relations, trade, etc.
It was created in Belgium and has already been translated into many languages. “7 Wonders” received several victories in the “Game of the Year” nomination. In it, not entirely standard format are playing cards. The large size, namely 65 mm in width and 100 mm in height, is due to their large number of images and the convenience of containing them in the hand.
Nizam is a game that is not so famous, but also has an original map format. For convenience, the creators of the game decided to make them square. On each map, only one gem is drawn. During the game, participants need to combine such stones in rows.
What is gwint and uno
Gwint is a card game for two generals who use their cards to control their army. It was created for fans of computer games, as it appeared thanks to one of them. Each map depicts certain heroes who give certain privileges in the game.
Gvint is represented by an unusual size of cards - 59 mm wide and 115 in height, stylish design, as well as fantastic heroes. Because of this format, finding protection for cards is almost impossible.
And the American Uno card game can last forever. It is in many ways similar to the well-known game in One Hundred One in Russia. The Uno deck consists of 108 cards 9 cm high and 5.5 wide. Since there are situations in which a player has to hold many cards at the same time, for convenience, they are made in a small size.
Uno has a very simple design and a high level of influence of chance. The game appeared in 1971, and today there are several varieties of cards for it, one of which is waterproof translucent cards.