Playing Cards

I love card games. I don't know a single person who's ever told me they didn't. In fact, playing cards have been an important recreational tool since the 9th century! Even our modern deck with 13 values and 4 suits dates back to the 15th century. The greatest thing about cards, in my opinion, is their flexibility. Not physical flexibility, but the diversity of games which can be played with them. Aside from maybe dice, there really doesn't exist an object that has so much potential for different activities in the field of gaming.

If I asked you to name 5 card games off the top of your head, you'd have absolutely no problem doing so. The same can probably be said if I asked for 10 or 20! You have games like War, Crazy 8's and Old Maid that are kid-friendly and luck-based. You also have games like Bridge, Hearts and Euchre, which are the basis for thousands of "Game Night"s and "Card Club"s around the world. You have games that range from 1 player, like Solitaire, all the way up to 10 players (with one deck) like poker. There might even be bigger games that I don't even know about.

What's the first thing you should always pack for vacation? Of course! A deck of cards! Portability is just another amazing feature of these games. Also, (even though it seems that all of my Things of the Week are this way) they're cheap! Thousands and thousands of games are at your fingertips for about $2. The list goes on and on for why playing cards are just so awesome. And that's why they're my Thing of the Week.

Next time: Watching Paint Dry (Contrary to popular belief, it can be quite riveting!)