Medieval Card Games Trivia Quiz

Answer: We really don't know for sure

It is commonly thought that card games were introduced to Europe at some time in the 12th century. The above choices are all popular theories. Paper was invented in AD817 in China so card games could have existed in the Orient from the 9th century. The Chinese and Koreans have a unique set of dominos (p'ai) unlike those found in school playgrounds today, and are used exactly like our western playing cards. Two of the oldest of these , yü-p'u, "slips", and yeh-tzâ, "leaves" can be dated to 259CE and 951CE respectively.

The medieval Chinese dictionary "Ching tsze tung" by Eul Koung states that dotted playing cards were invented in the reign of S'eun-ho - 1120. These are likely ivory placarts (like dominoes), not actual pieces of card with pictures on them though.

Answer: Yes

King John of Castille forbade the playing of cards. In a Parisian ordinance dated January 22, 1397, it was forbidden for working people to play tennis, ball, CARDS or ninepins except on holidays. The game of "Karnoffel" was considered heretical by puritans because of the inclusion of a card called the "devil", and the "pope" card was outranked by the "knave" card.

Answer: Nine of Diamonds

The Nine of Diamonds is not supposed to be mentioned aloud (by superstitious people) during game play - much in the same way that actors will refer to the "Scottish play". One probable reason for this is that it resembles the arms of the Earl of Stair (argent, nine lozenges gules) who was hated for his role in the massacre of Glencoe (1707).

Answer: Germany

The French deck is what you will likely buy in a corner store - with hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. The Spanish/Italian decks use the suits of swords, cups, coins and batons/staves/wands/long-sticks. The German decks traditionally use hearts, bells, leaves and acorns.

The Swiss is similar to the German except they replace the hearts with either a shield or a banner and replace the leaf suit with roses.

Answer: The Boke of Games

Liber De Ludi Alea (1563) by Cardano.
Volume of Plaies (1665) by Francis Willoughby.
The Compleat Gamester (1674) by Cotton.
The Boke of Games (2001) by me - its just a directory on my computer.

Answer: 78

That would be a 1 through 10 of each suit (batons/staves, coins, cups and swords) plus a King, Queen, Knight and Knave of the same suits, and the 22 cards of the arcana which act as a trump suit in the trick taking games of tarot (french) or tarocchi (italian). Tarot as a form of cartomancy did not exist until 1770 as written by Jean-Baptiste Alliette, and divination rules later codified by Antione Court de Gebelin in his book "Le Monde Primitif" (1781).

Answer: Bone Ace

Also called "One and Thirty". Play with standard 52 card French-suited deck. Court cards are worth 10, pip cards the value shown and the ace counts as 1. Starting with left of dealer, the dealer offers each player the option of "sticking" with what they have or "have it" (be dealt another card from the bottom of the deck).

A player may continue to receive cards so long as his hand does not go over 31 points. If a player gets exactly 31 then they win immediately and each player must pay him one additional bet on top of the original pool which he also receives.

Otherwise the player closest to 31 wins the pool. In the event of a tie the first player to make that total wins. Should all players go "bust", that is exceed 31 then the dealer will receive the pool.

Answer: 1857

Corner indicies (having a little number in the top corners to make it easy to tell what the card is when fanning a hand) were not invented until about 1880. A hundred years earlier and there were NO numbers written on the cards - just a bunch of symbols or pictures to represent cards. Double headed court cards did not appear until 1780, and in Victorian times cards were first printed with patterned backs to them.

Answer: Primero

Primero, first described by Giralamo Cardano in 1526 in his document titled "On Games of Chance", is the medieval precursor to Poker.

Shortened rules - use a normal deck but strip the 8, 9, 10 from it.
Deal four cards to each player. Value of cards are

Court cards 10 points
Two 12 points
Three 13 points
Four 14 points
Five 15 points
Ace 16 points
Six 18 points
Seven 21 points

Primero hands (from low to high)
Hand Name Condition Point Value
Numerous 2 or 3 cards of same suit Sum of these cards
Primero One card from each suit Total cards in hand
Supremus The 7,6 & A of one suit 55
Punto A,7,6 & J of any suits 65
Fluxus All cards of one suit Total cards in hand
Chorus Four cards of a kind Total cards in hand

If two players have a identical rank then the hand with the higher point value is superior. Eg a primero 47 beats a primero 36

Answer: Chris Moneymaker

Won the final hand with two pair, fives and fours.