Douglas Beech is raising funds for Learn Spanish or French (while) Playing Cards on Kickstarter! Learn the 52 most useful Spanish or French phrases while playing your favorite card game. Perfect for traveling or learning at home. The player to the right of the dealer starts the game, the “hand”, playing a card that is placed face up on the table. The other players, when it is their turn, can play any card, with no need to match the suit or play a trump card.
The card played captures any one set of cards which, together with the played card, add up to 15. For example if the table cards are A, 3, 4, 7 and you play a 4, it captures either the 4 and the 7 or the Ace, 3 and 7 at your choice. A playing card is made up of heavy paper or thin cardboard and the size of the playing card is Playing Card Template palm-sized so that it will be convenient to handle and it was first invented in China during the time period of Tang dynasty around the 9 th century and that playing card has the total number of 30 cards in a deck. Playing Card Template. Want to beat blackjack? It all starts with learning how to play. In this video, professional Blackjack players Colin Jones and 'Loudon Ofton' break down the.
Above: Archaic sixteenth century playing cards by Francisco Flores.
Above: 17th-18th century Spanish playing cards.
Above: Joan Barbot, San Sebastian, c.1780.
Above: Litografía Madriguera, c.1896.
Above: Domino Cinematográfico, Barcelona, c.1925.
Above: Zoo Comics, 1968.
Above: Baraja Andaluza.
Above: Baraja 'Te Amo'. Best games to win in casino.
Spanish suit symbols are cups, swords, coins and clubs (termed copas, espadas, oros and bastos) but the form and arrangement differs from Italian cards.
SPAIN has played a pivotal role in the history of playing cardsin Europe and Latin America. One view is that the early history of playing cards in Europe was related tothe invasion of North Africa, Spain and Sicily by Islamic forces during the Mamluk Sultanate of Egyptwhich ended in 1517. This coincided with the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada (13th - 15th century), the last Islamic stronghold inthe Iberian Peninsula, which was linked to North Africa via the Strait of Gibraltar.Spain has had a complex colonial history and Spanish playing cards have travelled to the ‘New World’where the legacy of Spanish-suited playing cards still prevails today from Mexico to Patagonia, as wellas other remote parts of the globe.
Above: archaic Spanish playing cards dated 1707.
Above: Mapuche Indian Playing Cards.
Above: Xilografías de Mallorca, mid-18th C.
Above: Recreo Infantil, 1888.
Above: Spanish Conjuring Cards, 1890.
Spanish Playing Cards Suit
Above: Juan Roura, Barcelona.
Above: Baralla Galega, 1983.
Above: ‘El Cid Campeador’ 1999.
Above: Capel Vinos, 2001.
Above: Don Quijote IV Centenario, 2004.
An abundance of early literary references are in the Spanish language. Playing cards have been popular in Spain since their very first introduction there.Early sources refer to playing cards and card games in dictionaries and merchants’ inventories, to various card-makers and to prohibitions of card games, mostly around Barcelona and Valencia, in the late 1300s and early 1400s. Historical archives from Barcelona, 1380, mention a certain Rodrigo Borges, from Perpignan, and describe him as “pintor y naipero” (painter and playing card maker). He is the earliest named card-maker. Other card makers named in guild records include Jaime Estalós (1420), Antonio Borges (1438), Bernardo Soler (1443) and Juan Brunet (1443). The types of cards mentioned include “large cards, painted and gilded” as well as “Moorish” cards and “small” cards. International gaming awards.
With the marriage in 1468 of the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, the Spanish nationality came into existence in its definitive form. The catholic monarchs inherited the trading routes linking the Cantabrian ports with Flemish and French production centres. To this they soon added trade routes to England, North Africa and Italy. Catalonia experienced a revival of its importance in the Mediterranean reaching as far as Egypt. And, of course, Columbus discovered the 'New Indies' in 1492… thus Spain became a sort of emporium for the exchange of goods and artefacts from a very broad compass reaching almost literally to all four quarters of the globe.
Some of the earliest-known tarot cards, hand painted and illuminated in the 15th century, were supposed to have been discovered in Seville although the game of tarocchi has never been played in Spain. At the same time many Spanish-suited packs were engraved in Germany during the second half of the fifteenth century. Other 15th and 16th century evidence of Spanish playing cards have turned up in Latin American museums and archives. An interesting example are the archaic Spanish-suited cards unearthed in the Lower Rimac valley, Peru during archaeological excavations which are very similar to cards by Francisco Flores preserved in the Archivo de Indias (Seville).
Above: detail from “La Sala de Las Batallas” mural painting in El Escorial palace (Madrid) produced by a team of Italian artists, late 16th century.
The Spanish state playing card monopoly was first established during the reign of Felipe II, in the 16th century. It was divided into several regions, including Mexico and ‘New Spain’, Toledo, Castile and Seville. Leases for these respective monopolies were awarded on a competitive basis to the highest bidder and subject to strict controls. Lease holders also enjoyed the protection of laws governing the playing card monopolies, which included the outlawing of contraband playing cards read more →.
Spanish playing cards are today divided into several distinctive types or patterns, some more ancient than others,which are often associated with different regions, as well as a wide range of non-standard cards which testify to the creative geniusof Spanish artists. The suits are usually numbered through 1 - 12. A peculiarity to be observed in Spanish cards isthat the suits of cups, swords and clubs have respectively one, two and three gaps or intervals in the upper and lower marginallines of every card, called pintas.
Moorish Cards •Gothic Spanish-suited cards •South German Engraver •Early German Engraved Cards •Benita la Bruja •Phelippe Ayet/Jean Pouns •Pere Rotxotxo •Navarra pattern •Spanish National pattern •Benoist Laius •Money Bag pattern •Rotxotxo Workshop Inventories, Barcelona •Joan Barbot •Xilografías de Mallorca •Real Fábrica de Macharaviaya •Naipes Comas •Baraja Constitucional, 1822 •José Gombau, 1833 •Torras y Sanmarti, 1830 •Sanmarti, 1840 •Maciá Pattern •José Martínez de Castro (Madrid) •Baraja Mitológica, c.1815 •Fournier Hermanos (Burgos) 1860 •Baraja de Amor, Hijos de Taboadela, 1871 •Heraclio Fournier S.A. (Vitoria) •Castilian pattern •Fournier: El Fundador •Ibero-American Deck •República Española Souvenir •Hija de B. Fournier (Burgos) •Jaime Margarit Naipes Instructivos, 1888 •Antonio Moliner (Burgos) 1890 •Conjuring cards, c.1890 •Litografía Madriguera, 1896 •“El Perú” Fabrica de Cigarrillos Roldan y Cia •Historia de España, 1896 •French Catalan pattern •Spanish Catalan pattern •S. Giráldez (Barcelona) c.1910 •Simeon Durá (Valencia) •Belgian Spanish Cards •Baraja Cinematográfica, c.1925 •Domino Cinematográfico, c.1925 •Artistas del Cine, c.1926 •Cine Manual, c.1927 •El Monoplano, c.1926 •Baraja Boxeo, c.1930 •Baraja Hoja de Afeitar •Romance Español •Descubridores y Colonizadores de America, c.1952 •Monumentos de España, c.1955 •Classic •América, 1960 •Europe, 1962 •Baraja Marca “Tití” •Juan Roura (Barcelona) •Zoo Comics, 1968 •Heráldica Castanyer •Spanish Regional Costumes •Baraja Andaluza, 1980 •Baralla Galega, 1983 •Naipes Milano 1988 •Baraja Digital, 1990 •Vic Joc de Cartes, 1990 •Naipes “El Castillo”, 1991 •Baraja Canaria, 1995 •El Cid Campeador, 1999 •Baraja Gallega, 2002 •Mas-Reynals: Baraja Edad Media, 1993 •Catalan pattern •Naipe Español Ref.201 •Naipe Español 2003 •Gabriel Fuentes 2003 •Asescoin: Baraja Marinera, 1995 •Baraja Asescoin 1998 •Baraja Taurina 1999 •Baraja Clavería 2001 •Baraja Literaria, 2002 •Baraja Hispanoamericana, 2003 •Baraja 'Te Amo' •Don Quijote IV Centenario •Repoker Político Diario 16 •La Baralla Espanyola de Regió 7 •Málaga Souvenir Playing Cards •Capel Vinos, 2001 •Salvador Dalí
REFERENCES:
Agudo Ruiz, Juan de Dios: Los Naipes en España, Diputación Foral de Álava, 2000
Denning, Trevor: The Playing-Cards of Spain, Cygnus Arts, London, 1996
Pratesi, Franco: Cinco Siglos de Naipes en España, in La Sota nº 16, Asescoin, Madrid, March 1997, pp.27-51
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This page is based partly on a contribution from Hernan A. Iannella.
The Play - Capturing - Escobas
Introduction
Escoba is popular in Spain, and also in Argentina and Chile. The name of the game means 'broom', and no doubt refers to the bonus point scored for sweeping the table clean by capturing all the face up cards. Escoba is very similar to the Italian game Scopa - specifically to the variation Scopa da Quindici and indeed Escoba is sometimes known as Escoba de Quince.
Players and Cards
Escoba is a game for two, three or four players - four can play individually or in partnerships, partners sitting opposite each other.
Traditionally, a 40 card Spanish deck is used. This has suits of Coins, Cups, Batons and Swords, the cards of each suit being 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Sota (Jack), Caballo (Horse) and Rey (King). For the purpose of capturing:
the numbers 1 to 7 have their face values
the Sota (jack) counts as 8
the Caballo (horse) counts as 9
the Rey (king) counts as 10
In North America, Spanish cards can be obtained from TaroBear's Lair.
This can be extremely confusing for new players, because the picture cards of a Spanish deck normally have numbers printed on them that are different from their values in this game.
The Sota is labelled 10, though it is worth only 8.
The Caballo is labelled 11, though it is worth only 9.
The Rey is labelled 12, though it is worth only 10.
The Deal
The first dealer is chosen by some random method, such as cutting the cards. The player designated as the dealer continues to deal until all the cards of the pack have been dealt and played; then the turn to deal passes to the right.
The dealer shuffles and the dealer's left hand opponent cuts.
Three cards are dealt face down to each player (counterclockwise, beginning with the player to dealer's right), and after everyone has their three cards, four additional cards are dealt face-up on the table. For the sake of clarity we will call this procedure the opening deal. The remaining cards are placed in a face down stack by the dealer ready to be dealt later.
The Play
How To Play Spanish Playing Cards
The player to dealer's right plays first, and the turn to play passes anticlockwise, until all the cards have been played.
A turn consists of playing one card face up to the table, which may capture one or more table cards. In the event of a capture, both the played card and the captured card(s) are taken and stored face down in front of one of the members of the team that made the capture, like a trick. If there is no capture the played card remains face up on the table. In either case the turn then passes to the next player.
Once all the players have played all three of their cards, the dealer deals three new cards to each player (but none to the table) and the play continues. This procedure is repeated until the pack is exhausted. When everyone has played their last three cards (after 6 deals if there are two players, or after three deals if there are four), any cards remaining face up on the table are taken by the last player or team that made a capture. This does not count as an escoba - see below. The points scored by both sides are then totalled and the pack is reshuffled and passed to the next dealer for a new round of play, beginning as before with the opening deal.
The capture
The capturing rules are as follows:
The card played captures any one set of cards which, together with the played card, add up to 15. For example if the table cards are A, 3, 4, 7 and you play a 4, it captures either the 4 and the 7 or the Ace, 3 and 7 at your choice.
There is no obligation to play a card which makes a capture - it is legal (and sometimes better play) simply to add a card to the table; however if the played card does make a capture, the captured cards must be taken even if the player would prefer to leave them on the table.
Escobas (sweeps)
An escoba occurs when you play a card which captures all the table cards, leaving the table empty. This is worth an extra point to the team that makes the capture. Traditionally, the capturing card is placed face up in the trick-pile of the capturing side, so that the number of escobas made by each side can easily be seen when the scoring is done at the end of the play.
If the values of the four cards that were dealt face-up on the table in the opening deal add up to exactly 15, the dealer inmmediately captures these four cards before any cards are played. This counts as an escoba, and the player to dealer's right then plays the first card to an empty table. If the cards in the initial four card layout add up to 30, the lucky dealer takes them and scores two escobas.
Scoring
There are four fixed points available to be won on each deal:
Cartas (the Cards). The point is won by whichever player or team takes the majority of the cards. If the cards split 20-20 the point is not awarded.
Oros (the Coins). The point is won by whichever player or team takes more cards of the coins suit. If they split 5-5 the point is not awarded.
Siete de Velo or Guindis (the Seven of Coins). The point is won by whichever player or team takes the 7 of coins.
La Setenta (the Prime). The point is won by the player or team with the best prime. In practice this is usually the player or team with more sevens, but the actual rule is as follows. A prime consists of one card of each suit, ranking as follows:
Whichever team can construct the better prime wins the point. If each team has two sevens, the highest cards held by each team in the other suits are compared. For example a teams' prime of 7,7,6,5 beats the opponents' 7,7,A,A prime, because 6 is better than ace. 7,7,6,A beats 7,7,6,5 because the best three cards are equal and the ace beats the five. If both teams' primes are equal - for example each team has 7,7,6,6 - then the prime point is not awarded.
In addition to the points mentioned above, you or your team also wins a point for each escoba, as indicated by the cards stored face up in the piles of captured cards.
Winning the game
The first team to have 21 or more points at the end of a hand wins. If both sides reach 21 in the same hand the side with more points wins. If both are equal, further hands are played until one side has more points at the end of a hand.
Variations
Some play that
a player or team that captures more than 30 cards, the opponent(s) having fewer than 10, scores 2 points for cards instead of 1
a player or team that captures all 10 cards of the coin suit scores 2 points for coins instead of 1
a player or team that captures all four sevens scores 3 points instead of just 2 for setanta and 7 of coins
Spanish Playing Card Meanings
Strategy
When making a capture you should consider the following:
Spanish Playing Card Games
You should avoid playing a card of value five or higher when the table is empty, as this risks giving away an escoba to the opponent. An exception be when you know that your opponent cannot hold the complementary card - for example if three sixes have already been played and you hold the fourth, it is safe to play a caballo to the empty table.
You should aim to win the 7 of coins if at all possible since it is worth a point by itself and contributes to all the other three points.
The next priority is to capture other sevens (for the prime), and also sixes, which come in useful if sevens are split.
Coins are good to collect as well.
Finally it does no harm to have the greater bulk of cards.
Spanish Playing Cards Divination
The values of all the cards in the pack add up to 220, 10 more than a multiple of 15 (210), so at the end of the play there will be 10, 25, 40 or 55 points left on the table. Knowing this can be very helpful in working out what cards the other players have left in the last deal.