What Card Games Did the Victorians Play?

Photo of author

By Valerie Becker

During the Victorian era, card games were a popular form of entertainment. They were played by people of all ages and social classes, from the royal family to the working-class. In this article, we will explore some of the most popular card games that were played during this time.

Whist

Whist was a game that was played by four players in two partnerships. The objective of the game was to win more tricks than the other team. The trump suit would change with each hand, and players would bid on how many tricks they thought they could win.

Euchre

Euchre was another game that was played by four players in two partnerships. The goal was to win more tricks than the other team, but unlike Whist, Euchre used a fixed trump suit for each hand. Players could also choose to “go alone” and play without a partner.

Bridge

Bridge is still widely popular today, but it originated during the Victorian era. It is similar to Whist but with added features such as bidding on both the number of tricks and the trump suit. Bridge requires more strategy and skill than Whist or Euchre.

Patience

Patience is a solitaire game that involves moving cards around on a table until they are in a specific order. There are many variations of Patience, including Klondike (the most commonly known version), Spider, and FreeCell.

Poker

Poker was also played during the Victorian era, although it had not yet gained widespread popularity like it has today. The rules of poker were similar to modern-day poker, but there were fewer variations of the game.

Gin Rummy

Gin Rummy is a two-player game that involves trying to make sets (three or four of a kind) and runs (three or more cards in sequence) with the cards in your hand. The game is won by being the first player to reach 100 points.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the card games that were popular during the Victorian era. While some of these games have fallen out of favor, others are still played today and enjoyed by people all over the world. Whether you’re looking to play a classic game or try something new, there’s no shortage of card games to choose from.