The most popular card games tend to retain their appeal over decades or even centuries due to a number of factors. As well as being entertaining, they must also have simple enough rules that players can memorize them easily. Yet, even the most famous games have some rules that not everyone has heard of.
Splitting the Cards in Blackjack
The huge number of blackjack live versions online lets us see that there are different ways of playing this game. Differences include side bets, the number of people who can sit at the table at any time, and the amount that can be bet. Yet, the basic gameplay of hitting or standing to try and get closer to 21 than the dealer remains the same.
Splitting is a rule that has been designed to help players and this tactic can be used when the first two cards have the same value or face symbol, such as 10-10 or K-K. There are two reasons for using this strategy, with the first type of move being to split up a difficult hand like 8-8 into two more useful hands. Another approach is when you get two aces as splitting them gives you two potentially strong hands. Yet, splitting 10s can be a bad move, as it turns a good combination into two weaker hands.
The Wild Draw Four Card in Uno
The Uno card game is a shedding game where the overall aim is to get to 500 points by discarding your own cards and earning points for the cards still held by your rivals. This game was first created in 1971, so it’s a lot younger than many card games and units were initially sold from the creator’s barber shop before going on to sell over 100 million sets worldwide. There’s even been talk of a comedy movie being based on Uno, to be released by Mattel Films.
One of the most misunderstood parts of the game can be seen with the Wild Draw Four card. The part that many people don’t realize is that it can only be used when the player who holds it has no other cards of the correct color to use. In fact, the next player in turn can challenge the person who used the Draw Four option, meaning that they have to privately show them their hand and prove that they had to use it.
When Suits Matter in Poker
If you’ve ever played poker then you know that the suits aren’t ranked in any particular order. A flush has the same value regardless of the suit, so it’s only the value of the cards that matter. However, there is a situation in stud poker games where this is important.
This is the case when a decision needs to be made over who has to start the game by paying the bring-in amount. The player who has the lowest-ranking card does this, but if there’s a tie it’s decided by suits. Spades are the highest-valued for this purpose, followed by hearts, diamonds, and then clubs.
Understanding these rules should help you to avoid any confusion and might also help you to play the games more effectively. Remember that every game you play is likely to have some lesser-known rules that are worth investigating before you start.