What is Bridge?

Posted on by Theresa

As far as card games go, most people have heard of poker, blackjack and UNO. These are fun and competitive games, some played in casinos for money, even though all of them can be played for entertainment purposes. Card games are plentiful, but one of them stands above them all, and that is bridge.

Bridge might not be for all people, but it is a fun and tactical card game that will test you and your partner’s strengths as players. Bridge is a game of ethics, even though it is a card game.

Here is everything that you should know about bridge, a somewhat mysterious game to the uninitiated.

A Brief History of Bridge

Like most card games, it is hard to pinpoint when bridge was created, but we know that it is a derivative of the game of whist, which was played in 18th and 19th century England. The first rulebook for bridge was written in 1886 by John Collinson. The book was named Biritch, or Russian Whist. Collinson was a financier who worked in Istanbul. The name of the game is said to come from the Russian word for a diplomatic clerk.

Another story says that British soldiers fighting in the Crimean war named the game after the Galata Bridge in Istanbul. 

Earlier mentions of similar games date back to easily 16th century France and Italy, with Rabelais and his game La Triomphe and Francesco Berni and his game Triomfi. Both were trick-taking games.

What is Bridge, Exactly? How do You Play it?

Bridge is played through partnerships. Typically, four players play, with a standard 52 deck, the order of cards being from ace, king, to number 2, from highest to lowest ranking. Partnerships are selected through drawing cards, the two partners being the first ones to draw the highest cards.

The game is dealt to the left of the dealer, each player getting a card until everyone has 13 cards. Typically, two decks are used, one shuffled one while the other is dealt. A trick when all players play a card. A leader can play any card, while the following players must match it if they are able to.

To begin a hand, players can pass, bid, double or redouble. If a play is a bid, double or redouble, and three consecutive plays are a pass, then the game is put into a contract and the state can be trump or no trump. At the end of a game, or rather, contract, the side which makes the contract wins points. 

Is Bridge Played at Tournaments?

Bridge can be played at tournaments but typically isn’t, at least not for money. Bridge follows very clear ethical rules, where you should play the game according to the rules and those people who do not, are often considered unwelcome. It is a game that practices decent behavior and transparentness, meaning that it is a lot different to games like poker. Lying about your hand is very bad in bridge. 

Tournaments are played for pleasure and skill expression, even though some may be played for money. When they are, the players are mostly ethical ones, with cheaters here and there, every once in a while.

Bridge is a rather complicated game that takes a bit of time to learn. It takes even longer to master, but it is a game worth your attention if you want to strategize and express your skill in a game of cards.

How to Play UNO: Here Are The Rules

Posted on by Theresa

Card games are popular and we tend to play them to socialize. Some card games are more popular than others, with bridge, blackjack and poker sitting at the top. However, younger people do not like playing games which are too complicated. This is where card games such as UNO come in.

Interested in the rules? Look no further!

UNO – The Rules

UNO is a game that uses a deck with 112 cards and is typically played with three other people. The cards are as follows. There are 19 number cards ranging from 0 to 9, for each of the four colors. The colors are blue, green, red and yellow. There are 8 skip cards, 2 cards per color. The game also has 8 reverse and 8 draw 2 cards, each color having two cards. The game also has 4 wild cards and 4 wild draw cards.

The Object of the Game

The game is won by getting 500 points. In order to win points, the player must not have any cards in their hand. Every player starts with 7 cards, dealt by the player who got the highest number card from the deck. Once the cards are dealt, the top most card is picked, and is added to the DISCARD pile. The rest of the cards are turned face down and are then considered the DRAW pile.

Gameplay

The game is played clockwise, with each player having to match the card on the DISCARD pile, which is facing up, by number or color. The draw cards force the next player in line to draw more cards. The reverse card reverses the order of play. Draw cards can be matched by the same draw cards, thus making the next person in line drawing the sum of the card’s amount. 

If the player has no card to match the topmost DISCARD pile card, they have to draw a card and play it. If they don’t draw a matching card, they lose a turn.

Wild Cards and Skip Cards

Wild cards can change the color of play. Wild draw cards do the same, but they have to have a matching card in the deck, or rather, a card they would be able to otherwise play. Illegally placed cards can be challenged. 

A successful challenge makes the person committing the illegal action draw 4 cards while a failed one makes the person who challenged draw 6 cards. The challenge can be made by only the person who initially had to draw the 4 cards.

Skip cards make the next person skip their turn.

The Endgame

When a player has only one remaining card in their hands, they need to say UNO. If they don’t and the other players are aware of it, they have to draw 4 more cards. The player who has no cards remaining gets a set number of points, based on the remaining cards in the other players’ hands. 

UNO is a great game that is very easy to pick up and even easier to play. It can get very competitive, so pay attention to your friends. It is a great pastime and a good way to socialize.

Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Poker

Posted on by Theresa

Card games have grown in popularity recently and even though we spend a lot of time using the internet, we still play card games. Some of these games are the ones you have heard of, such as blackjack and poker.

Today’s topic will be poker, a card game that can be learned in minutes, yet still be difficult enough to master and could take years before one is able to compete at a higher level. The game is also partly luck-based and falls under the category of gambling, but does have a high skill ceiling, as well.

Here is everything you should know about poker.

Poker is a Comparing Card Game

The more you learn, the more you are surprised. Poker is a card game, which is what most people are aware of. However, most people also don’t know that poker is a comparing card game. The object of the game is to have a better hand than the opposing players. The way you determine who has the better hand is by comparing cards in the end, after everyone has received their cards and decided whether they want to fold (stop playing for that round), or call (match) the bet. 

Comparing card games are aplenty, from blackjack to baccarat, to name a few of the ones that you will know off the top of your head.

Poker Has Many Variants

Unlike most games which are relatively fixed and bound in tradition, poker has tons of variants which revolve around the four main ones, straight, stud, draw and community. Texas Hold ‘em belongs to the community group of poker variations, and it is one of the most popular poker types.

Games are also considered to be poker variants if they follow the poker hand rankings, going from five of a kind if wildcards are used, then straight or rather, royal flush, down to the higher card. Given this rule, there are thousands of poker variants. Video poker, for example, is based on the draw poker family, and is more akin to a slot machine than actual poker.

Poker Has Tournaments

Poker has many tournaments. They range from local to international.

The problem with poker is that it has so many variants. Being so versatile, poker is hard to pin down and players would have to adapt and learn new variants if they would want to attend and compete in different poker tournaments. Some World Championships exist, however, neither of them is a single, most anticipated event, like the FIBA and FIFA World Cups are, for example. 

Poker Has Many Video Game Counterparts

Poker is available online, as a video game. Some poker variants can be played online, for free, without any financial stakes. There are also poker games which can be played for money, also available online. Some games can be played against computers, while others can be played against people, albeit still online. Online poker is considered to be harder than regular, because bluffing and other psychological aspects of the game are not available.

Poker is an interesting comparing card game that has been around for centuries. It is still played, online and in person, depending on what the player prefers. Poker has many variants and would take a while for a person to even track them all down, let alone learn their rules.

Bridge is a Game of Skill – Here is Why

Posted on by Theresa

Card games are not typically considered games of skill, because there is a huge element of luck involved. Some card games are more skill-based than others, but when you have an element of randomness, it is difficult to attribute winning a game to skill, if a player receives a random card that turns the tide completely in their favor.

Or is it? Bridge is a game which is often considered a gambler’s game, but it can be argued that it is a game of skill. Here is why it is also considered a game of skill. 

Bridge Is Played Against Others

There is no house in bridge, which makes it a perfect card game to play. Given that one is playing against other players, there is a very huge element of skill involved. Games like Duplicate Bridge are considered to be almost completely games of skill, rather than those of chance.The thing that makes bridge different from other card games is that the player gets ample opportunities to play the right hand, as well as the wrong one. Given that most of the error is up to the player, the game is mostly a game of skill. Sure, errors can be made, but that happens all the time, except in bridge, the starting hand doesn’t matter as much as how you play the hand.

Bridge Is Not Easy

Bridge has one of the most comprehensive rulesets that exist for any card game. If you are playing duplicate bridge, as mentioned above, the game becomes almost entirely a game of skill. When the cards are dealt, partnerships need to play together, trying to find the best solution to beat the opposing partnerships. In the end, if duplicate bridge is played, scores are compared because the partnerships are dealt the same cards, hence the duplicate. In this case, the better partnership will win, regardless of the cards they were dealt.

Bridge is a Fun and Social Game

While being a game of skill, bridge is primarily a fun and social game. It is and has been used for socialization more than many other games. While comparable to poker in some regards, bridge is still a game where most of the luck factor is eliminated.

Being a social game, it is always played with at least three other people. In tournaments, partnerships can be teamed up with other partnerships, to make things interesting and remove the element of luck even more.

Due to the nature of bridge and the way the game is played, the cards you’re dealt mean very little. The game is determined by how the cards are played, on both sides of a partnership.

The Differences Between Online and Offline Poker

Posted on by Theresa

Games have become different nowadays and what we used to know as regular games have now become digital games. Video games have changed how we play and how we socialize. Card and board games have drastically changed and most people prefer playing video games online rather than playing them in person.

Poker is one of those games that people still prefer playing in person, even though online variants have been available for a long time. The differences between the games can be huge, but also subtle. Here are some of the major differences between the two games.

Online Poker is Practical

Practicality is important in today’s world. Everybody is rushing to get somewhere and with that, it is important to get things done quickly. People talk to other people on the go and they rarely take the time to stop and slow down. This is where online poker fits in perfectly, as a way to play a game of poker relatively quickly. You simply choose an application or website, log in, deposit some money and start playing. Online poker has everything that you want from poker except…

Socialization is Missing

While online poker is practical, it’s missing that one thing that poker was always about, the human factor. A game of poker can change directions in a matter of minutes, if one person assumes a different body position or facial expression. Bluffing, being overly confident, playing psychological games with the competition, this is a huge part of poker.

When you take a look at online poker, none of these things are an option. Players are just names on a rendered table. Telling who is bluffing or who is serious about their hand is next to impossible, which makes online poker much more dangerous.

Online Poker Has More Variety

Given the fact that we can store infinite amounts of data on various storage units, having a multitude of poker variants at your disposal is easier than teaching all your friends to play a different poker game every other week. 

The world is huge and how huge can be found out by queueing for a poker match and instantly finding players to play with. 

Regular Poker Is Still A Favorite

Online poker tournaments are not uncommon, yet people want to watch live poker tournaments, in person and otherwise. There are plenty of international poker tournaments, and they are typically not the same variant of poker. Regular poker tournaments are much more exciting than online poker tournaments. 

You can see the players, sweating, fake-sweating, trying to fool others and find hints of who is actually winning. Online poker removes that tension and makes the game duller, and more of a game of chance than it should be.

Both Are Great

Both online and offline poker are great, simply because they fill a different need in a huge market. Some people have time and patience and will opt for regular poker while others just need a quick game while they are waiting for something.

Whichever type of poker one chooses to play, there is no wrong answer, at least not in general. There might be a wrong answer in a given context, but not in general.

The differences between online and offline poker are not that many, though they are big enough to validate both games and take nothing away from the other.

Solitaire: What Is It, Where To Play It and Why Is It So Fun?

Posted on by Theresa

Most new users will not remember a Windows game from the early days called Solitaire. It is a simple game, a card game. But, most people will not know its history or where it came from. Older Microsoft Windows users will know about the solitaire game, especially when you finish the game and the cards start swirling around, only to be greeted by an error and a system freeze.

Anyway, here is everything that you should know about the card game solitaire, which is actually a different card game – as it is known under a different name.

Solitaire – It’s Actually Klondike

Solitaire games are any type of games that you can play on your own, specifically card games. So, any card game that can be played alone is a game of solitaire.

Klondike is a type of solitaire, also known as patience (which is its European term), a game that is well-known to most 90s Windows users, and above. 

During the 90s, Microsoft added Klondike under the name of Solitaire, as a free game with its operating system. Solitaire is still there, under a different name, the Microsoft Solitaire Collection, which has many card games that the user can play alone. 

The Rules of the Game

Solitaire or rather, Klondike, is a simple game where the goal is to match the cards in order, but the rules for stacking the cards are not as simple, cards can only be stacked from king to number one, while only using opposing colors, a black king and a red queen. But, when it comes to actually winning the game, the cards need to be stacked from ace up to the king, but all of the same suit. 

The game starts by having seven pillars of cards, left to right, growing larger, each having one card turned facing you. The first pillar has one card, while each pillar to the right has one more card, all of which but the first are turned back.

The remaining cards are in the deck and they can be dealt three at a time, with the rightmost card being the only viable one to play until removed. 

The game ends when the player stacks all the cards according to their suit or when the player cannot make any more legal moves.

Where to Play “Solitaire”?

If you look up solitaire on Google, you will find that it is playable right on the search engine page. The next result will take you to a solitaire-dedicated site, where you can play solitaire, or rather, klondike. 

A site called world of solitaire offers all types of solitaire games, from regular klondike to games such as spider solitaire, freecell, pyramid and even hearts. All of these games can be played online for free, on sites which are built using Javascript, most likely. Some sites have ads, but they are not intrusive and will not be in the playing field.

This is everything you should know about solitaire games, and the one that is included with Windows, klondike.