Asia was the first region in the
world to use cards as a form of recreation. It then went beyond borders and
arrived in India, the Muslim world, Europe, and eventually, across the globe.
Early versions of cards used several suits, such as coins, cups, swords, polo
sticks, acorns, scepters, batons, and cudgels. However, the current suits used
in most casinos around the world and around the Web—Hearts, Diamonds, Spades,
and Clubs—originated in France.
Card-makers in Paris, France
settled on the four main suits in spite of the popularity of other symbols in
other countries. The Spades, Hearts, and Clubs were adaptations of the German
card suits Leaves, Hearts, and Hawk Bells. Acorns were the fourth symbols in
the German set but because cards during that time were mainly made for the
French upper class, these were replaced by the more attractive Diamonds.
While many believe that the four
suits represent the four seasons (and indeed, the 52 cards representing the 52 weeks
of the year), this belief has been considered to be untrue. The four symbols
used to represent the four basic classes of the society during the middle parts
of the second millennium: Spades for nobility or the military, hearts for the clergy
or the church, diamonds for merchants, and clubs for peasantry.
The French advanced card-making
by using flat, single-color drawings for the suits. These images could be
created with simple stencils, thus helping manufacturers make cards that are inexpensive
and easy to reproduce. These new, more affordable cards dominated the market in
the 15th century, caught on in England, and then traveled to the Americas.
Today, thousands of entities are already manufacturing these cards for all
markets worldwide—in numerous styles, materials, and packaging but still using
the same suit symbols. In online casinos
and the Internet in general, they are reproduced in their virtual counterparts.
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