Cards from Around the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: London

Whist's origins can be traced to a party of players at the Crown Coffee House in the late 1720's. Edmond Hoyle, the famous writer of card game rules and strategy books is believed to have been included in this group who devised the game. Many variants have been developed and at one time it was said to be the most popular card game in the world. Though its popularity has faded a bit, giving way in part to its "child" bridge, it is still played regularly.

Answer: Ecuador/Morocco

Variations between the two games are noteworthy but playing and scoring are similar. Cuarenta means 40 in Spanish which is a significant scoring threshold and also the number of cards used. Cuarenta uses the standard 52 card deck with the 8's 9's and 10's removed whereas Ronda uses the 40 card Spanish deck. Before cards are played there is a declarative stage where certain card combos (common element but the viable combos are different in the two games) must be declared immediately if held and this may end up advantageous to the other player or team.

Answer: pinochle

Pinochle, was derived from the French game Bezique. The etymology of the name is a bit unclear as "binocle", a somewhat archaic term for eyeglasses or opera glasses in French, has no obvious linkage to the game. The "word" pinochle refers to the combination of the jack of diamonds and queen of spades. This pair has special significance in the game.

The game was started in Germany then brought to America where the name was lastingly mispronounced and misspelled as pinochle. The game is played with 48 cards; duplicate sets of the A, K, Q, J, 10, 9 from the standard 52 card deck. Originally this was accomplished by combining two decks and removing the unused cards, but pinochle specific decks became available as the game's popularity rose. The meld system of bidding sets it a bit apart from the bridge family of games to which it is usually linked.

Answer: India

The game originated in Chennai and is still popular there as well as the rest of southern India. The name means "wipe" referring to the ability to take multiple cards from the discard pile (known as wiping) The standard 52 card deck plus two jokers is used for 2 players, a double deck plus four jokers is used for 3-6 players.

In the deal initially one card is cut and placed at the bottom of the undealt stock pile. After the deal is complete it is revealed and becomes the "negative joker", wherein all cards of the same rank and opposite color now also act as jokers (wild cards)

Answer: Russia

Durak means "fool" and is the title given to the unfortunate loser of the game. Play involves the standard 52 card deck used in attacks and defense. A trump suit is established and depending on how attacks are handled, the cards used in an attack and are either picked up by the defender if the attack is a success or, if the attack is repelled the cards are removed from play.

The object is to go out of cards, until only one player is left holding any cards. They are the Durak. Monetary betting is seldom employed in this game and there are no "winners" per se, only the loser. Often a tally is kept and an endpoint decided at the point where one player loses a certain number of times, at which point they are deemed the overall Durak, and subject to some sort of pre-agreed upon ritual of embarrassment.

Answer: Nigeria

The full name of the game is Eléwénjewénómbàjenómbà (aren't you glad someone shortened it?) It originated possibly as early as the 1600s but remains popular in the 21st century and is a "fishing" type of game where cards are placed in turns and captured by like cards or numeric combinations of other cards (for instance a 10 could capture another 10 or also the combo of a 7 and a 3). Exact rules vary by preference as well as in casual amateur play vs. "Yoruba rules" employed in serious high level play.

Answer: Cucumber

The game has many close variations such as Gurka in Norway, Sweden, and Iceland (three different variants), Kurkku in Finland, and Olgorek in Poland. All players are dealt 7 cards which are played over 7 turns of a single round. Each player in the game on a given round (temporary or permanent elimination is possible) must play each turn. The leader plays any card of their choice, then followers must either play an equal or higher card or play their lowest card. The central object is to NOT capture the last trick of the round.

It may sound fairly simple but strategy gets pretty complex at times, especially with table talk encouraged. Games can get pretty loud with dubious declarations of alliance and the ensuing bluff and bravado. Alliances are frequently made and dissolved through a game either by the attrition of player elimination or by necessary "betrayal" due to an unlucky deal.

For the clue, gherkin is another word for a pickle or cucumber.

Answer: Japan

Originally played with tiles, it is seen more commonly now in card form and played with a 32 card deck. The cards or tiles represent the individual pieces from shogi (Japanese chess) and the power of the cards is tied loosely to the strength of pieces in shogi. Play is with four in partnerships. One player lays cards which attack one opponent and that opponent must meet the attack and then counter attack, or simply pass. If they defend it is possible the attacker's partner may join in during a complex back and forth. The object is to play all your cards first.

Another interesting aspect of the game is the method of dealing. The dealer lays all the cards face down in circle then turns to the ceiling with closed eyes and awaits one opponent to point to a card and say "this one". The dealer may either agree, "that one", or instead shift one or two cards around the circle in either direction. Whichever card is chosen after this exchange goes to the dealer, then deal proceeds around the circle of cards from that point until all cards are dealt.

Answer: Jamaica

Kalooki is a contract rummy game popular in Jamaica and also Trinidad and Tobago. It has many of the standard features of most rummy games. The object is to play all of your cards in the form of runs or common sets. Scoring is inverse (points are bad). If you do not go out in a round, you get points based on the identity of cards remaining in your hand (one interesting wrinkle there is aces are scored differently based on card color even though either color is played in the same way).

The size of the hand dealt varies and depends on what the contract target is for sets to be played.

Answer: New Orleans, Louisiana

The origins of both the game play and the name of the game itself have been debated often and that is complicated by the many variations within the direct family of poker itself. Typically either the Persian game As-Nas or the French game Poque get credit as the game(s) poker was derived from. Poker got its launch in or around New Orleans sometime around 1800.

It spread up the Mississippi river through the popular pastime of riverboat gambling.