What's Up With Card Game Names?

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  • čas přidán 23. 04. 2024
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    SOURCES & FURTHER READING
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    Solitaire: www.etymonline.com/word/solit...
    Klondike: theweek.com/articles/558738/b...
    Klondike Etymology: www.etymonline.com/word/Klondike
    Go Fish: bicyclecards.com/how-to-play/...

Komentáře • 109

  • @NameExplain
    @NameExplain  Před měsícem +6

    What's your favourite card game?

    • @Dontdoit_
      @Dontdoit_ Před měsícem

      Spades, ace high; solitaire

    • @ishouldhavetried
      @ishouldhavetried Před měsícem

      Rook

    • @macsnafu
      @macsnafu Před měsícem

      Freecell, actually. It's a solitaire game that I believe was created specifically on the computer, but can just as easily be played with real cards. And as long as you don't make a mistake, over 99% of the games are winnable, unlike Klondike, where only something like more than half of the games are winnable.

    • @excancerpoik
      @excancerpoik Před měsícem

      Pidro it's such a classic and everyone can play it

    • @pedromenchik1961
      @pedromenchik1961 Před měsícem

      Truco and buraco (2 very Brazilian card games)

  • @pedromenchik1961
    @pedromenchik1961 Před měsícem +23

    Fun fact: Solitaire in Portuguese is called Paciência (which translates to “patience”)

    • @gerardacronin334
      @gerardacronin334 Před měsícem +3

      I grew up in Ireland and we always called it Patience.

    • @flamencoprof
      @flamencoprof Před měsícem +2

      @@gerardacronin334 Same in New Zealand. Possibly from Irish immigrants?

    • @arcuscotangens
      @arcuscotangens Před měsícem +1

      Ah! I was about to comment that my Austrian grandma used to call it "Passion legen", but she probably meant "patience". That certainly makes a lot more sense.

    • @Redhotsmasher
      @Redhotsmasher Před měsícem +2

      Same in Swedish, "patiens".

    • @JeeWeeD
      @JeeWeeD Před měsícem +3

      Just like in the Netherlands: the french 'patience'

  • @jorgelotr3752
    @jorgelotr3752 Před měsícem +2

    The "cups, coins, batons and swors" (or, more accurately, "coins, cups, swords and batons") is the original set of suits (in European playing cards, almost the same as in Egyptian playing cards), as they appear in the original tarot decks. In German decks, after some experimentation, coins turned into bells, cups into hearts, swords into leaves and batons into acorns (there were more experimental suits, they didn't like to use the Latin suits). In Swiss decks, different suits from the experimental pool were chosen instead of hearts to replace cups and swords, and those're roses and shields. French decks (the ones also used by default in English-speaking countries), took and simplified German suits (hearts to hearts, leaves to spades and acorns to clubs), but chose a different suit for coins (originally crescents, but later replaced it for diamonds). Something to note is that the values/order of the suits changes depending of the style of deck and that a number of cards have been dropped from the original depending on the country.

  • @kailomonkey
    @kailomonkey Před měsícem +11

    Solitaire we knew more as Patience, here in SE England. Along with another solitaire game called Clock Patience.

    • @scottw.3258
      @scottw.3258 Před měsícem +3

      Patience is what i call the game. I'm from Scotland. I don't know if Solitaire is more a US thing.

    • @kailomonkey
      @kailomonkey Před měsícem +1

      @@scottw.3258 Exactly. Maybe it's getting lost to history now but before Microsoft and the 90s bringing the name Solitaire over, pretty sure we exclusively called it Patience here. Solitaire was a handheld solo peg game before that?

    • @scottw.3258
      @scottw.3258 Před měsícem +1

      @@kailomonkey I've still got that solitaire peg game. The blue and red case with the blue pegs which are set out in a cross formation, with the centre peg hole left open and the idea was to 'jump' the pegs to end up with only one peg on the board occupying the centre hole.

    • @kailomonkey
      @kailomonkey Před měsícem

      @@scottw.3258 Yep. That exact game! Except mine was a black base with orange lid and the pegs were yellow. Maybe because it was the travel version. I thought about describing it but you did a better job than I would have.

    • @flamencoprof
      @flamencoprof Před měsícem +1

      Same for both games here in NZ in the Fifties.

  • @kohakuaiko
    @kohakuaiko Před měsícem +6

    There is a variation of snap called slap-Jack where you slap the deck, and another called war.

  • @FoggyD
    @FoggyD Před měsícem +7

    Nice use of the Casino Night Zone music from Sonic 2 at the end there!

  • @jbrecken
    @jbrecken Před měsícem +7

    So "gin rummy" isn't actually named after two kinds of alcohol?

    • @mmaxaira
      @mmaxaira Před měsícem

      no,it is because things are not what they are

  • @kandipiatkowski8589
    @kandipiatkowski8589 Před měsícem +10

    My parents and grandparents played card games a lot when i was a kid. We even played a version of Uno before the specialized deck became available. My favorite growing up was canasta. We played it with 4 whole decks of cards.

  • @twylanaythias
    @twylanaythias Před měsícem +2

    Historical Trivia: The water hammer had nothing to do with fish traps and everything to do with hydraulic mining. It's a VERY DESTRUCTIVE technique of essentially eroding away the landscape with high-pressure water hoses. The runoff carried the sediment through a series of panning troughs which would collect the usable metals and channel the rest farther away, flooding nearby areas with water and silt. While this technique literally moved mountains, it was about as environmentally destructive a practice as ever existed - you can see why this was banned, even long before the idea of environmentalism.
    As per cards, the most infamous poker hand is "The Dead Man's Hand" - the Ace and Eight of both Spades and Clubs (the fifth card varies but is rarely specified). There are at least seven recorded instances of a card player being assassinated at the table while holding these specific cards; the most infamous was when Wild Bill Hickock was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall on August 2nd, 1876 at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory.

  • @augiegirl1
    @augiegirl1 Před měsícem +1

    4:19 My dad’s whole family plays cribbage (he’s of German heritage). My grandpa, who was a gifted carpenter, even made a cribbage board from half of a bowling pin.

  • @macsnafu
    @macsnafu Před měsícem +15

    You scared me a little when you said 21 and Solitaire, but then you came up with the original names for them. As far as I know, there's no real difference between 21 and Blackjack. And there's a lot more card games you didn't cover. Save them for another video?

    • @scaper8
      @scaper8 Před měsícem +5

      Same. I've never heard of difference between 21 and blackjack.
      Perhaps historically there was? It might explain why an ace of spades and a jack of spades are sometimes considered important enough to name the game after. Now, any ace and 10 combination (10, J, Q, or K) of any, even mixed, suit count as a blackjack.

    • @PabSungenis
      @PabSungenis Před měsícem

      The difference between 21 and Blackjack is simple. 21 with two cards (ace and 10 or face card or “blackjack”) is an automatic win against the House while 21 with more than two cards can lead to a “push” if the dealer also hits 21. And if the dealer has 21 with two cards, the House automatically wins. (Although you can buy “insurance” against the dealer having Blackjack if an ace is showing.)
      In 21 it makes no difference how many cards it takes; you don’t win if you and the dealer both have 21. You “push” instead.

  • @kokitsunetora
    @kokitsunetora Před měsícem +7

    I can't believe canasta was overlooked😭. I want to know why it's the same as basket in Spanish

    • @jorgelotr3752
      @jorgelotr3752 Před měsícem

      Because it was invented in Uruguay in 1939. It was originally also known as "Argentine rummy" because it spread from Uruguay to the rest of south South America, and from Argentina to New York.

  • @juleksz.5785
    @juleksz.5785 Před měsícem +2

    I'm suprised you haven't mentioned Makao - such a classic that inspired UNO.
    Althouth Snap seems quite similar in terms of rules

  • @arikwolf3777
    @arikwolf3777 Před měsícem +4

    My parents and their friends got once a month for decades to play _Bridge,_ socialize, and have fun.
    I used to play _Euchre_ in collage to socialize and have fun.

  • @stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii
    @stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii Před měsícem +1

    I remember playing Go Fish with friends and I asked if they had had an duces (nickname for the 2 cards). My mom acted as if I just dropped an F Bomb

  • @puirYorick
    @puirYorick Před 19 dny

    A crib is also a name for a sort of communal feeding trough that holds corn or any animal fodder. In turn, it also resembles a baby's crib or cot with bars.

  • @chickadeestevenson5440
    @chickadeestevenson5440 Před měsícem +1

    Who here had an older relative ask them if they wanted to play 52 pickup?
    (only to throw the cards on the ground)

  • @sallyoakes7709
    @sallyoakes7709 Před měsícem

    What you call "Snap," we called, "Egyptian Rats Crew."

  • @star7communicator434
    @star7communicator434 Před měsícem

    I hope you make a sequel to this one! I've always wanted to learn the origins of Old Maid and Mau Mau

  • @theresemalmberg955
    @theresemalmberg955 Před měsícem +1

    In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, cribbage is known as 15-2, and it is the "national" card game up there.

  • @blookarakal4417
    @blookarakal4417 Před měsícem +3

    A lot of games, both for tables and screens, have different titles in Europe and North America.
    Cluedo = clue
    Diamant = Incan gold
    Dobble = spot it
    Yoshi's universal gravitation = Yoshi's topsy turvy
    Kirby Power Paintbrush = Kirby Canvas Course
    Rhythm paradise = rhythm heaven

    • @moonscorchedd
      @moonscorchedd Před měsícem

      europe couldn't handle Wario Land: Shake It! and thus had to name it Wario Land: **The Shake Dimension**

    • @burner555
      @burner555 Před měsícem

      *Canvas Curse

  • @AttackChefDennis
    @AttackChefDennis Před měsícem +1

    At the point you talk about the similarity of solitaire & solitary, you dropped the "a" in the "tary" part of solitary weird

  • @rdyfrde
    @rdyfrde Před měsícem

    The only one I didn't know was Snap. I've never played that one as far I know. As a kid I would play Go Fish and Old Maid. Old Maid had a special card in the deck of an old woman that you didn't want to be your last card. It kind of worked like Go Fish in the fact that you were matching pairs as well.
    My mom and I would do Gin Rummy when I was a bit older and we had rules for each hand. We would start at 7 cards and work up to 15 cards with specific things you had to do. Like for example a 9 card game would be won if you had three books (3 of the same numbered cards) in your hand.

  • @robertwilloughby8050
    @robertwilloughby8050 Před měsícem +2

    The best names for card games are the Germanic names "Skat" (no sniggers at the back there!) and "Jass" (made famous by the Swiss consul to Springfield, Hugh Jass!).

  • @AttackChefDennis
    @AttackChefDennis Před měsícem

    My whole family played cards 2-3 times a month if not weekly. We loved playing a game we called Oh Hell! It was a solo cut throat spades game with No sandbagging the only way you got the bonus was you had to exactly hit your wager. now the trick was the game started with a hand of 7 cards and every Hand after that went down by one card until you had 1 card dealt to you and then back up to 7 so 13 hands long maybe 2 hours kind of crazy Lots of fun with the family. A couple of my high school buddies would come over and play with my parents before we went out on Saturday night.

  • @cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245

    “I can’t say shit in the town where the main game is called Craps!!”

  • @pennywaldrip3774
    @pennywaldrip3774 Před měsícem +2

    When you were about to talk about specific card names, I was really expecting to hear about "suicide kings." Maybe another time.

    • @joemedley195
      @joemedley195 Před měsícem

      You should have mentioned one-eyed jacks. I have a guess about why these were overlooked. I’ve always associated them with dealer choice poker where they’re used to identify wild cards.

  • @jbejaran
    @jbejaran Před měsícem +2

    My favorite card game also happens to have my favorite card game name: Spite And Malice.

  • @markusd.3426
    @markusd.3426 Před měsícem +1

    Props for mentioning the other European playing cards besides the Anglo/French ones You use. Their colors/symbols are actually translatable between each other e.g. the swords (Italian "spada") are the spades, which would be the leaves in the German deck, which is obvious from the shape.
    There are tons of interesting games with equally interesting names with those too, which are worthy of their own video!
    Here in Bavaria the national card game would be "Schafkopf" literally "sheep-head" which actually derives it's name from two similar words: "Schaff" with double f, which is an old word for barrel, and "klopfen" - to knock. Imagine some Bavarian guys playing cards in a historical Pub, knocking their cards on one of the barrels standing there, used as a small table ideal for playing cards - that's where the name comes from.
    Additionally there is a whole load of cards that have their individual names in the game, and other specific vocabulary. For example the small number cards which don't give any points are called sparrows for being small and worthless.
    Anyone interested now should definitely look it up!

  • @waynegreen87
    @waynegreen87 Před měsícem +1

    Would’ve love to learn how Pinochle got its name

  • @BThings
    @BThings Před měsícem

    I LOVE playing cribbage. Another card game I also liked a fair bit, especially when I was younger, was Kings on the Corner. It's name is fairly self-explanatory...

  • @ShawnRavenfire
    @ShawnRavenfire Před měsícem

    Two eights and two aces together are sometimes called "dead man's hand," after Wild Bill Hickok allegedly was holding this hand in a poker game when he was shot.

  • @wendychavez5348
    @wendychavez5348 Před 26 dny

    I've been learning a lot about cards in recent years, though the only thing I can think of is the Craps term "double ducks" for two 2s. I don't think that's the same for poker or BlackJack, though Steve does jokingly mix up the terms on the regular. Don't judge--everyone laughs!

  • @chrisboerma7585
    @chrisboerma7585 Před měsícem

    I'm disappointed that you didn't cover the origins of the names of two of my favorite card games: Hearts and Spades. I've always wondered where those game names came from. I guess now I'll never know.

  • @excancerpoik
    @excancerpoik Před měsícem

    In Finland on the coast where we speak swedish we have this classic game that is called trikort or three cards because you most of the time have 3 cards on the table but my friend from the south of finland calls it skitgubbe or "shit man" and idk why the name is different in the south of finland but its funny how the name is completely different but the game is almost the same

  • @andersonic
    @andersonic Před měsícem

    Does the nine of diamonds "Curse Of Scotland" compound with saying the play title Macbeth, or neutralize it?

  • @markstyles1246
    @markstyles1246 Před měsícem

    Hmm, could the crib also not be from the hay bin, feeder, I've also heard it for a cart, where hay and presumably other vegetation is stored and fed to animals. The discard pile used to feed points to the players.

  • @Ggdivhjkjl
    @Ggdivhjkjl Před měsícem +1

    Could you explain how each of the knaves gained their names?
    Spades: Ogier the Dane
    Hearts: La Hire
    Diamonds: Prince Hector of Troy
    Clubs: Lancelot

  • @herschelwright4663
    @herschelwright4663 Před měsícem +1

    Other card games include speed, nervous and bridge.

  • @mutantdog.
    @mutantdog. Před měsícem +4

    Over the years and in various places I have encountered several completely different card games, all of which were called ‘Shithead’

    • @ravinmarokef
      @ravinmarokef Před měsícem

      Was one of these the game where you have three face down cards with three face up cards on top of them as well as a hand you play from, and (at least) 2 and 10 are special cards (a restart and bomb respectively)?

    • @mutantdog.
      @mutantdog. Před měsícem

      @@ravinmarokef that sounds familiar, probably the most common one. Travelling around though, i think the name tends to just get applied to a bunch of different ones also.

  • @Phobero
    @Phobero Před měsícem

    The 7 of diamonds is called Settebello in Italy

  • @waltermeerschaert
    @waltermeerschaert Před měsícem

    Did you say "Vernor's card"? The ginger ale from Detroit?

  • @puirYorick
    @puirYorick Před 19 dny

    Never heard of the 7 or 9 card names.

  • @GaleAeras
    @GaleAeras Před měsícem

    Would love a mention of Big Two, but i guess the name is to obvious to explain: the twos are the highest value cards

  • @kristophersurma6459
    @kristophersurma6459 Před měsícem

    Sadly no exploration of euchre. Also I guess it makes sense that he doesn’t bring up the king of hearts given its name could potentially get him demonetized.

  • @Lee-fw5bd
    @Lee-fw5bd Před měsícem

    Ive never heard of dobble or spot it.

  • @Illumisepoolist
    @Illumisepoolist Před měsícem +1

    I love cards!

  • @waltermeerschaert
    @waltermeerschaert Před měsícem +1

    Get a copy of Hoyle.

  • @BrennenRaimer
    @BrennenRaimer Před měsícem

    wait, you have Vernors in the UK?????

  • @thorpizzle
    @thorpizzle Před měsícem

    I enjoyed Hearts, but then I bought a new computer that didn't come with that game. :(

  • @lakrids-pibe
    @lakrids-pibe Před měsícem

    Top trumf is the best. I wish I still had my deck.

    • @excancerpoik
      @excancerpoik Před měsícem +1

      It costs like 1€ you can just buy a new one

  • @KeithKazamaFlick
    @KeithKazamaFlick Před měsícem

    intresting..

  • @Plasmacore_V
    @Plasmacore_V Před měsícem

    at 2:41 they are playing Faro not poker.

  • @mingfanzhang4600
    @mingfanzhang4600 Před měsícem +2

    ❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤

  • @nickvinsable3798
    @nickvinsable3798 Před měsícem

    And here I thought you were going to cover trading card games…

  • @balaam_7087
    @balaam_7087 Před měsícem

    As an elderly housekeeper who never married, I take offense at the mention of the term ‘Old Maid’. That’s *our* word and you have no right using it

  • @mingfanzhang8927
    @mingfanzhang8927 Před měsícem +2

    ❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤😊❤

  • @lp-xl9ld
    @lp-xl9ld Před měsícem

    Why do they call it "skat"?

  • @literally-just-a-leaf
    @literally-just-a-leaf Před měsícem

    But what about the best card game played with very real cards.... Hexes Hold'em...

  • @DanishcreamAntoro
    @DanishcreamAntoro Před měsícem

    mmmmm

  • @ChristoAbrie
    @ChristoAbrie Před měsícem

    What about Uno?